In a suprising historic move, the Southern Baptist Convention elected Rev. Fred Luter Jr. as their new president. Luter is the first African American to lead denomination.
The Southern Baptist Convention is the world’s largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members as of 2010. It is also the second largest Christian body in the United States, after the Catholic church.
The SBC became a separate denomination in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, following a regional split with northern Baptists over the issue of slavery.
After the American Civil War, another split occurred: most black Baptists in the South separated from white churches and set up their own congregations.
Since the 1940s, the SBC has moved away from some of its regional identification.
Watch the video below:
Side note: With Luter in place just before the November elections, Republicans have another strategy in place to try to persuade the black vote and bash President Obama.
