Southern Baptists break color barrier
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
It's a new day for Southern Baptists.
They elected the first African American to lead them today. Fred Luter is pastor at a New Orleans church, which pulls in about 5,000 parishioners a week.
Watch Rev. Fred Luter Jr. on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.
"Luter could be the first of a series of presidents moving the denomination toward a more racially and ethnically sensitive position," Bill Leonard, a former Southern Baptist who is now chair of Baptist studies at Wake Forest University Divinity School, tells the New Orleans Times Picayune.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
