Let me just say up front that my title is intentionally provocative, and I offer it with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek. After all, who does Denny Burk think he is to pose as the authoritative interpreter of an amendment penned by someone else? The truth is that I’m actually not an authority in that sense because I’m not the author. Having said that, I do know what the author intended. But perhaps just as important, I know something of how the grammar and syntax of the proposal point toward a very specific meaning (pun intended). So for those of you nerdy enough to get down into the weeds for…
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Answering Objections to the “Truth & Unity Amendment”
Colin, Jon, and I spend nearly half an hour answering objections to Albert Mohler’s “Truth & Unity Amendment.” That amendment proposal says that a cooperating church must not “act to affirm, appoint or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, such as preaching to the assembled congregation.” Listen to the discussion on the CBMW podcast below. Truth and Unity Amendment–On this episode, @DennyBurk, @JonathanESwan, and @colinsmo discuss objections to the amendment Dr. @albertmohler has announced he plans to put forward at next month's denominational meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. pic.twitter.com/2xuW6EsxWd — CBMW (@CBMWorg) May 27, 2026
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Power, Authority, and Office in the SBC
The Southern Baptist Convention is gearing up for a debate over the office of pastor next month. This is due in no small part to the Truth and Unity Amendment, a measure that Albert Mohler is moving to make sure that cooperating churches agree with what the Bible teaches about the office of pastor. As I have watched preliminary debate online, I have seen opponents try to sow a lot of confusion about what this amendment actually does. For example, former Baptist and current egalitarian Mike Bird accuses Mohler of “theological duplicity” and argues that “the proposed amendment looks like a move designed specifically to associate maleness with power and…
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Interview with Dr. Mohler about His Proposed Amendment
On this episode of the CBMW podcast, we interview Dr. R. Albert Mohler about the constitutional amendment he will propose next month at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. His proposal would clarify that an SBC church in good standing… “does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, such as preaching to the assembled congregation.” Dr. Mohler explains the rationale for the proposal and answers some objections to it. You can watch or listen below.
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First Female Archbishop of Canterbury – CBMW Podcast
I join Colin Smothers and Jon Swan on the CBMW podcast to talk about the appointment of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. Watch below or listen at the Apple and Spotify podcast links beneath the video.
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Triaging Sexuality and Gender Errors
Is it a primary or a secondary issue for a church to employ a female pastor? That is a question that Jon Swan and I address today in a discussion about “theological triage” and a variety of gender and sexuality errors.
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On a New Sexuality Statement at the Evangelical Theological Society
On this episode of the CBMW Podcast, Jonathan Swan, Denny Burk, and Colin Smothers discuss the adoption of a new statement on LGBTQ by the board of the Evangelical Theological Society. You can watch the video below, or you can tune into Spotify or Apple podcast versions below that.
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What Happened at ETS 2025?
I attended the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society last week in Boston. Readers may wonder why I take time to write an annual round-up of the goings-on at such an event. The bottom line is pretty simple. This is where evangelical scholars and theologians gather to engage one another in academically rigorous theological debate. These are the authors who shape the pastors who in turn shape congregations across North America. What starts at ETS often doesn’t stay at ETS but eventually makes its way to the pews. For example, I had my first debate about whether same-sex attraction is sinful at the 2014 annual meeting of the ETS.…
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My Interview on Alisa Childers’ Podcast
Thank you to Alisa Childers for inviting me onto her podcast to discuss gender, sexuality, and complementarianism. It was a stimulating conversation, and I am grateful to have been a part of it. Alisa is doing great work and producing really helpful content. I encourage you to check out her books and subscribe to her podcast.
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Texas Baptists, Female Pastors, and Fielder Church
Bart Barber has the only report that I have been able to find about what happened at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) yesterday with regard to Fielder Church in Arlington, TX. If you are unaware of the situation, you can read my previous post about it here. In short, Fielder is a Southern Baptist Church that employs female pastors. After the SBC removed Saddleback Church in 2023, Fielder’s pastor Jason Paredes addressed his congregation, publicly repudiated the SBC’s decision, and said “We unwaveringly, unequivocally, gratefully have female pastors in this church”—to which the congregation responded with raucous applause (see video below). Paredes also made a twenty-minute YouTube video…
