Southern Baptists elect 1st African-American president, the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. of New Orleans

From The Washington Post-


At the end of the day Wednesday, the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass to an African-American pastor for the first time.

The nation’s largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday to elect the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. to lead them, an important step for a denomination that was formed on the wrong side of slavery before the Civil War and had a reputation for supporting segregation and racism during much of the last century.


In a news conference after the vote, Luter said he doesn’t think his election is some kind of token gesture.

“If we stop appointing African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics to leadership positions after this, we’ve failed,” he said. “... I promise you I’m going to do all that I can to make sure this is not just a one-and-done deal.”

Faced with declining membership, the SBC has been making efforts to appeal to a more diverse group of believers.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/southern-baptists-elect-1st-african-american-president-the-rev-fred-luter-jr/2012/06/20/gJQArEPkpV_story.html