Recently there was talk of changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention to one with a less regional connection.  A friend sarcastically suggested they change the name to The Republican Baptist Convention.  Many are finding the link between the two organizations a bit frightening.
     A typical leader in the new SBC is Dr. David Black, a professor at one of its seminaries. David is a fan of the Old South believing the South was justified in defending itself from the Northern War of Aggression.  Black sat out recent elections deeming them a waste of a good Southerner's time.  Dr. Black has high regard for George Wallace and often quotes the late governor that there isn't a dimes worth of difference between the two political parties.1  Few Baptists in the South are taking Black seriously in his poltiical view.  Instead many have gained entrance into the GOP power structures.  When candidate Huckabee was invited to speak at a historic meeting of all Baptists in Altanta in 2008, he agreed and then declined when Jimy Carter, a fellow Baptist said something critical of Bush's foreign policy. Thus to these folks political party ties are much thicker blood links than church pews.
     Author Al Staggs said, "That the Religious Right and The Republican Party are political allies in inconventible. The SBC leadership and many churches have virtually dismissed the Democratic Party and its candidates."2  SBC ethics leader Richard Land has been an active participant in promoting GOP peoples and their agendas. One magazine stated that Land's organizational goal is to turn the 16 million member religious group into a disciplined political machine.3  A suggestion Land would deny, but groups who monitor the Religous Right find him a kingpin in moving churches down this trail.  Land, by his own accounts, is urging churches to form culture impact committees to keep the church abreast of moral issues.4  Critics of his organiztion claim Land has done more than use his Baptist money to support issues, he has supported candidates.
     Land and company have encouraged the use of voter guides, many of which have been obviously slanted. Critics have accused the guides of mostly being partisan pollitical leaflets slanting the view of candidates not aligned with the Religious Right agenda.  Courts have warned churches about using these slanted guides as a violation of IRS codes.  The 2005 SBC Convention passed a resolution backing voter guides as a part of free speech.5
     Seeking to rid itself of the fear of IRS scrutiny, many in the  Religious Right are seeking to do away with 501c3 IRS regulations on church electioneering. Richard Land has been on board with the bill authoried by GOP Congressman Walter Jones to do away with this tax code.6  The bill would allow churches to use church budgets as well as church worship services to endorse candidates. Typical of this  viewpoint comes from the Fundamentalist Baptist organization in Texas. The offcial magazine from the group claims the IRS code limits free speech and marginalizes the pulpit.7  Thus the prospect of using churches to promote GOP candidates is the official ehtical position of the paper's eidtors. The Texas convention also invited Jay Sekulow to address its annual meeting.  Jay is the legal point man to redefine the nation's view of separation of church and state. Jay defended Second Baptist in Houston when they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar of endorsing candidates using congregational avenues.8  Lawyers who reviewed the case with Second Baptist found documents of "an impressive political operation being run from and by the church,"9
     Church and State Magazine summed up its view of these things in an editorial about the SBC regarding the remarks of President George W. Bush.  The article stated, "Contrary to Bush's speech, the SBC long ago ceased to be a supporter of church-state separation.  In the l980s, the denomination was taken over by fundamentalists who reversed all of the SBC's historic pro-separation stands on church-state issues.  The denomination now favaors organized prayer in public schools,creationism, voucher aid to religious schools and church  based electioneering. Its stands are virtually identical to that of Religious Right groups.10

Parts 2 & 3 will deal with SBC individual and institutional endosements of Republicans.

Endnotes will come after part 3