In 2022, an epic scandal erupted in the Southern Baptist Convention when Willy Rice, an establishment pick for president was chosen to be nominated by establishment SBTS Trustee board chairman, Clint Pressley, to oppose the conservative candidate, Tom Ascol.

During this fiasco—after the nomination announcement was made, it became public knowledge that Rice, who was being nominated at the time to oversee the brewing sex abuse scandal which feminists like Rachael Denhollander were heading—it became known that Rice’s church had placed in leadership another person who had been accused of sexually abusing a woman. Being that Rice’s job was to oversee the discipline of other churches that were charged with the same thing, it quickly became known that his candidacy was no longer an option, and his nomination was canceled.

Since then, Rice has apparently turned his back on the establishment and become an ally of a smaller minority of conservatives who still wish to move the SBC in the right direction. Over the past year, Bart Barber, who was elected president after Rice’s nomination was removed, has turned this sex abuse scandal into a complete circus, even partnering the denomination with pro-homosexual firms, namely Guidepost Solutions, who would be charged with overseeing the discipline against pastors and church leaders accused of sex abuse. In other words, under Bart Barber’s leadership, the SBC hired sexual perverts to police sex abuse.

Guidepost Solutions is a third-party firm that the Southern Baptist Convention has contracted to oversee the creation of a “Ministry Check” database containing the names of ministers, pastors, church leaders, and volunteers who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. The firm claims to be experts in assessing cultural and organizational risks and providing concrete steps to facilitate change in faith-based organizations facing issues such as sexual harassment and abuse.

However, there are serious concerns about the firm’s ability to serve the Southern Baptist Convention because of its values and beliefs, including its pro-LGBTQ+ stance. Guidepost Solutions has publicly stated its support for the LGBTQ+ community, and according to a recent social media post, the firm is “proud to be an ally” of the community. Critics argue that this position puts the firm at odds with the biblical doctrine followed by the Southern Baptist Convention.

This publication has been overtly critical of the Southern Baptist Convention’s decision to hire such a firm to begin with, but, thankfully, other Southern Baptist leaders are taking a strong stance too.

A seemingly unlikely critic of the Southern Baptist Convention’s move to work with Guidepost Solutions is Willy Rice, a former presidential candidate of the convention. Rice says he takes issue with the decision to employ an organization that celebrates a sexual worldview directly at odds with Scripture to serve as an enforcement arm empowered to field and assess accusations against leaders within the Southern Baptist movement. According to Rice, this recommendation is the “shot across the bow” that says this is no longer just about real sexual abuse reform.

Earlier this year, Rice posted the following on Twitter in opposition to the SBC’s decision to partner with homosexual firms:

“In the last months I have come to know Mike Stone on a personal level,” Rice wrote in a statement on his church website. “I have found him to be a man of courageous conviction, a pastor with a shepherd’s heart, and somebody who understands the SBC and the issues of this hour that we face. He is an independent thinker and, more than most, he is his own man. He is also willing to run for SBC President again, and this time I will support him and hope he is elected.”

“I didn’t sign up for left wing, feminist critical theory, cancel culture, politics,” he continued. “I didn’t sign up for leaked emails, taped conversations, endless lawsuits, and character assassination. A movement that should have united Southern Baptists to attack a problem has instead divided us into attacking one another. Godly believers have been maligned and attacked as somehow supportive of sexual abuse and of sexual abusers simply because they advocate a different approach to dealing with this critical issue.”

Knowing that Willy Rice has been in conversation with other conservative pastors and leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention over the last year, it comes as a pleasant surprise to see that he has abandoned much of the establishment-like shenanigans of the 11th Commandment-wielding denominational status quo. Today, Rice announced that he would be nominating conservative leader, Mike Stone, for the presidential election next week, much to the chagrin of many of his former peers.

And while I still have my deep doubts about the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention, anything that is a positive step in the right direction can only be interpreted as good news, even if it ultimately fails. The best part about all of this is that Willy Rice has seen the light. 😉