This is Hemethmette for the Friendly Atheist Podcast.

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Recently, the Southern Baptist Convention met for their annual gathering and while Jessica and I talked about it last week

I really wanted to talk to someone who was there and who understands that world really well.

So I recently spoke with Bob Smitana of Religion News Service,

who was at the gathering and who's written several articles

really explaining to people outside that world, what was going on there

and why it matters. I hope you find this helpful. So Bob, thanks for joining me here.

And I guess the first question is,

before we get into the specifics,

why were you there and you have been there

the past few years, I believe, what was different about the vibe this time around

So it was interesting so there it was I say less tense and it's been in last few years. There has been a kind of, for lack of a better turn,

a kind of magga wing of the SPC

that has been concerned that the SPC is too liberal

for talking about race and sexual abuse and not being as

committed to the GOP so there was a that group has mostly died out.

So that was, and then there was a lot of question,

there was a lot of, the big overarching issue

was this issue over women pastors,

and whether they were going to amend their constitution

to ban any church that had a woman,

...