Ed Litton

Last updated

Ed Litton
ChurchRedemption Church
Installed1994
Personal details
Born
Harry Edward Litton Jr.

(1959-07-17) July 17, 1959 (age 64)
Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S.
Denomination Baptist (Southern Baptist Convention)
SpouseTammy Litton (died 2007)
Kathy Litton
Children3
OccupationPastor, 63rd President of the Southern Baptist Convention (June 16, 2021 - June 15, 2022)
Education Grand Canyon University (BA)
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv)
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin)

Harry Edward (Ed) Litton Jr. (born July 17, 1959) is an American evangelical pastor who was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, elected in June 2021. [1] He also serves as the senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Litton was born at Kingsport, Tennessee's Holston Valley Community Hospital on July 17, 1959, to Harry and Sue Litton. [3] [4]

He graduated from Grand Canyon University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and theater. He later received a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. [5]

Career

Litton began his career as a pastor at churches in Arizona and Texas. Since 1994, he has served as the pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama. [6] He was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2021 on the second ballot with 52 percent of the vote and a margin of 556 votes. [1]

Litton has been described by news outlets as ideologically moderate, [1] [7] [8] but identifies himself as both politically and theologically conservative. [9] He is known for his work on race issues in the greater Mobile, Alabama, area and in the Southern Baptist Convention, and was nominated and endorsed for the SBC presidency by Fred Luter, the only black pastor to ever serve as the president of the convention. [10]

Following a May 2022 report detailing nearly two decades of SBC leadership stonewalling and disparaging clergy sex abuse survivors, Litton urged the organization "to take deliberate action to address these failures and chart a new course." [11]

Litton announced that he would not stand for re-election as SBC President at the 2022 Annual Meeting, choosing instead to focus on racial reconciliation. [12]

Personal life

Litton's first wife, Tammy, was killed in a car accident in 2007. His current wife, Kathy (who was also widowed from her first marriage), was a director with the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board and the denomination's first woman registration secretary. [13] He has three children from his first marriage. [5]

Litton has appeared in two Christian films, playing minor roles in each:

He also appeared in one episode of the religious documentary series Faith Nation being interviewed as SBC President. [16]

Plagiarism allegations

In June 2021, Litton was accused of plagiarism after a YouTube user published a video [17] showing him preaching a sermon that bloggers on social media described as strikingly similar to a sermon preached a year earlier by J. D. Greear. [18] Further videos were released of sermons Litton preached on Romans 13 [19] Romans 14, [20] and the Book of Acts, all of which were compared to sermons preached by Greear. [21]

Some media outlets described the controversy as Sermongate. [22] Newsweek and The Washington Post reported that Litton's church had removed videos of over 140 sermons from their website. [23] [24] Litton released a statement on his church website admitting to using Greear's words without proper attribution. [25] Textbooks on sermon preparation and delivery generally discourage such practices. [26] Further allegations have now been made against Litton's co-pastor, Taylor Anderson, who also appears to have plagiarized a sermon by Greear. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Baptist Convention</span> Christian denomination

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. In 1845 the Southern Baptists separated from the Triennial Convention in order to support slavery, which the southern churches regarded as "an institution of heaven". During the 19th and most of the 20th century, it played a central role in Southern racial attitudes, supporting racial segregation and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy while opposing interracial marriage. In 1995, the organization apologized for its history. Since the 1940s, it has spread across the United States, having member churches across the country and 41 affiliated state conventions.

Charles Jerry Vines is an American preacher and former pastor of what was then the nation's third largest Southern Baptist church, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. Like his former co-pastor Homer G. Lindsay Jr., Vines is well known for his conservative and sometimes controversial public stances, as well as his wide-reaching influence in the Southern Baptist Convention and the local political arena. He retired from the First Baptist pulpit on February 7, 2006, and was succeeded by Mac Brunson. On February 4, 2007, Brunson named Vines Pastor Emeritus of the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Rogers</span> American pastor and author (1931–2005)

Adrian Pierce Rogers was an American Baptist pastor and conservative author. He served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellevue Baptist Church</span> Church in Tennessee, United States

Bellevue Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Bellevue was once the largest church in the Memphis area. Bellevue's goals are to "Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples." The church's head pastor has been Steve Gaines since 2005.

L. Paige Patterson served as the fifth president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., from 1992 to 2003, as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from 1998 to 2000, and as the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, from 2003 until his firing in 2018. He played a major role in the Southern Baptist "conservative resurgence", called "Fundamentalist Takeover" by opponents. He has been alternately described as a fundamentalist and a conservative evangelical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Gaines (pastor)</span> American pastor

John Steven Gaines is an American Southern Baptist pastor, and the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is currently serving at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, one of the largest congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention and has visited Israel 16 times. On Sunday, July 10, 2005, the Pastor Search Committee of Bellevue Baptist Church presented Dr. Steve Gaines to the church congregation. At the conclusion of the services the Bellevue family overwhelmingly voted to call Steve Gaines as the seventh Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines succeeds the longtime Bellevue pastor Adrian Rogers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. A. Criswell</span> American pastor and author (1909–2002)

Wallie Amos Criswell, was an American pastor, author, and a two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1968 to 1970. As senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for five decades he became widely known for expository biblical preaching at a popular level, and is regarded as a key figure in the late 1970s "Conservative Resurgence" within the Southern Baptist Convention.

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention heads the convention and is elected at the annual meeting. The president's duties include presiding over the annual meeting; appointing members to SBC committees; serving as an ex officio member of the board of SBC entities including the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, and Lifeway Christian Resources; and representing the SBC to other Baptist denominations and to the press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren W. Wiersbe</span> American pastor and writer (1929–2019)

Warren Wendall Wiersbe was an American Christian clergyman, Bible teacher, conference speaker and a prolific writer of Christian literature and theological works. Wiersbe is perhaps best known for his series of 50 books in the "BE" series: Be Real, Be Rich, Be Obedient, Be Mature, Be Joyful, etc., and other theological works. He pastored the Moody Church in Chicago (1971–1978) and succeeded Theodore Epp as director of the Back to the Bible radio ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Albert Broadus</span> American pastor and theologian

John Albert Broadus was an American Baptist pastor and President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Hunt</span> American minister

Johnny M. Hunt is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, and who served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was also formerly senior pastor of First Baptist Church Woodstock, in Woodstock, Georgia. He was the first Native American president of the SBC. He previously served as the Senior Vice President of the Evangelism & Leadership division of the North American Mission Board—the church planting and domestic evangelism arm of the SBC—speaking nationally to church leaders and congregants about sharing the Christian Gospel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ascol</span>

Thomas Kennedy Ascol is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, and president of Founders Ministries. He is currently the senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, where he has served for 37 years as of June 2023.

James David "J.D." Greear is an American Baptist pastor. He is the pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. Greear has authored several books, including 12 Truths & a Lie (2023), Essential Christianity (2023), Just Ask (2021), What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (2020), Above All (2019), Not God Enough (2018), Gaining by Losing (2015), Gospel (2011), Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart (2013), Jesus, Continued… (2014), and others. He also hosts Summit Life, a 30-minute daily radio broadcast and weekly TV program. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A, serves as a Council member for The Gospel Coalition, and recently served as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2018 to 2021.

The Alabama Baptist Convention is an autonomous association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Alabama formed in 1823. It is one of the state conventions associated with the Southern/Great Commission Baptists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Floyd</span> American pastor (born 1955)

Ronald Wayne Floyd is an American Baptist pastor, and a former Southern Baptist executive. Ronnie was the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch located in Northwest Arkansas, and served as the 61st president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2014-2016. He resigned his post as Senior Pastor in 2019 to become the full-time CEO of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee and run the day-to-day operations of the denomination. His resignation on October 14, 2021 coincided with mounting pressure in the wake of the SBC sexual abuse scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Luter</span> Former president of the Southern Baptist Convention

Fred J. Luter Jr. is an American Baptist pastor. He is the senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, based in New Orleans. He was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2012 to 2014.

Widespread sexual abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches were reported by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News on February 10, 2019. The report found roughly 380 clergy, lay leaders and volunteers had faced allegations of sexual misconduct, leaving behind over 700 victims since 1998. The extent of misconduct is further complicated by work within the Southern Baptist Convention to move sex offenders to other communities and resist attempts to address the culture of abuse.

New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches or officially the New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement are an association of conservative, King James Only, independent Baptist churches. The New IFB began with Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in response to perceived liberalism in other independent Baptist churches. The New IFB does not consider itself to be a denomination. As of 2019, the New IFB listed 32 affiliated congregations on its website, most in the U.S. with some in Australia, Canada, the Philippines and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Allen (pastor)</span> American pastor

Jimmy Raymond Allen was an American pastor and President of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from 1977 to 1979. As president of the SBC, Allen was noted for his moderation and commitment to compassion in the church and was the last president before the SBC's conservative resurgence. After leaving his post as president, he continued to serve in the SBC before eventually becoming involved in other baptist organizations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Graham, Ruth (June 15, 2021). "Southern Baptists Narrowly Head Off Ultraconservative Takeover". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  2. ↑ Baker, Shannon (July 1, 2016). "Litton honored by ministers' wives". sbc.net. Southern Baptist Convention. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021. They now serve together at Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala., where he is senior pastor.
  3. ↑ "The Baby Has Been Named" . Kingsport Times-News . July 22, 1959. Retrieved June 17, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Harry Litton". Press-Register . July 19, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2021– via Legacy.com.
  5. 1 2 Gang, Duane W.; Meyer, Holly (June 16, 2021). "Who is pastor Ed Litton? Meet the new Southern Baptist Convention president". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Southern Baptists Elect A New President, Ed Litton, Who Is Seen As A Bridge Builder". NPR. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Southern Baptists elect moderate Ed Litton president in defeat for hard right". www.cbsnews.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  8. ↑ Warren, Michael (June 16, 2021). "Moderates win the day in close vote over Southern Baptist presidency". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ Smietana, Bob (June 17, 2021). "Who is Ed Litton, the new Southern Baptist Convention president?". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  10. ↑ Smietana, Bob (June 16, 2021). "Ed Litton, a pastor known for racial reconciliation, is surprise winner for SBC president". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ Bharath, Deepa; Holly Meyer; David Crary (May 22, 2022). "Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victims". Associated Press. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  12. ↑ "SBC President ed Litton won't run again — to focus on racial reconciliation instead". March 2022.
  13. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (June 15, 2021). "Southern Baptists Elect Ed Litton as New President". News & Reporting. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  14. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1630036/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm [ user-generated source ]
  15. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9779516/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm [ user-generated source ]
  16. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18395016/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm [ user-generated source ]
  17. ↑ Litton and Greear: Borrowing or Plagiarism? , retrieved June 29, 2021
  18. ↑ Capstone Report (June 26, 2021). "BREAKING: Ed Litton's church removes damning video at center of Plagiarism allegations". Capstone Report. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  19. ↑ Ed Litton plagiarizes yet another Romans sermon from JD Greear on YouTube
  20. ↑ Southern Baptist President Plagiarizes Romans 14 Sermon in Endless Sermongate Scandal on YouTube
  21. ↑ Ed Litton Plagiarizes JD Greear as far back as 2013 on YouTube
  22. ↑ Capstone Report (June 28, 2021). "Ed Litton's Sermongate shows moral idiocy of the Southern Baptist Convention". Capstone Report. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Pastor Ed Litton Removes Over 140 Video Sermons After Being Accused of Plagiarism". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  24. ↑ Garrison, Greg (June 28, 2021). "Ed Litton, Alabama pastor, new Southern Baptist president, pulls sermons after plagiarism accusations". AL.COM. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Pastor's Statement | Redemption Church". goredemption.com. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ Raymond Bailey, “Ethics in Preaching,” in Handbook of Contemporary Preaching, ed. Michael Duduit (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 551; Warren W. Wiersbe and David Wiersbe, The Elements of Preaching: The Art of Biblical Preaching Clearly and Simply Presented (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986), 48–49; James D. Berkley, ed., Preaching to Convince, vol. 8, The Leadership Library (Carol Stream, IL; Waco, TX: Christianity Today, Inc.; Word Books, 1986), 109–110; Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 206;Trull, Joe E., and Creech, R. Robert. 2017. Ethics for Christian Ministry: Moral Formation for Twenty-First-Century Leaders. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 78-79; W. H. Griffith Thomas, The Work of the Ministry (London; New York; Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton, n.d.), 271; Abraham Kuruvilla, A Manual for Preaching (pp. 228-233). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
  27. ↑ "Ed Litton's Co-Pastor, Taylor Anderson, Also Plagiarized JD Greear in a Romans 12 Sermon". July 7, 2021.
Preceded by President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Ed Litton
2021–22

Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.