SBC Pres. Ronnie Floyd to Lead Panel on Racial Unity to End Sin of Racism, Bring Spiritual Awakening in America
Pastor Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, will lead a national conversation on racial unity next month at the denomination's annual meeting in Missouri.
"The sin of racism is a spiritual stronghold in this nation and now is the time this wall must come down," Floyd wrote on his website Monday, announcing the panel discussion titled "A National Conversation on Racial Unity in America" in St. Louis on June 14.
"As we repent of it personally, repent of it in our churches, and repent of it in our nation, we will perhaps see the next great spiritual awakening in our generation."
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Floyd noted that since the beginning of his term racial reconciliation has become a major focus of his administration, especially in light of the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
"When the Ferguson tragedy occurred, God burdened my heart immediately, adjusting my path of understanding. Politicians, corporate leaders, educators, religious leaders, and pastors in America rarely initiate and move forward a positive agenda that leads to racial unity," continued Floyd.
"God revealed clearly to me and anyone else that has been spiritually alert in America that one of the greatest sins in our nation today is the sin of racism."
This is not the first major conversation on racial unity event that Floyd has spoken at. Last November, Floyd joined the president of the historically African-American denomination National Baptist Convention, USA to hold an event on the matter.
Floyd, whose denomination was originally created in the 19th century for the benefit of Southern slave owners, shared a stage with NBC, USA President Jerry Young.
Sponsored by Mission Mississippi, the November event was held at the Jackson Convention Complex and was centered on racial reconciliation.
"I believe God wedded our hearts together where each of us could talk openly and honestly about the subject of racism. The Lord was upon the gathering," said Floyd in an interview last year with The Christian Post.
"We spent a lot of our time talking about some specific actions we could encourage churches to take to move toward racial unity in our nation."
In addition to Floyd, featured speakers for the June event in St. Louis will include Young of NBC, USA; Marshall Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Charleston, South Carolina; H. B. Charles, senior pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida; Joe Costephens, pastor at First Baptist Church of Ferguson, Missouri; and Fred Luter, former SBC president and senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church of New Orleans, Louisiana.
