Terry Mattingly writes this week about two different Georgia Baptist colleges going two different ways. One is requiring its faculty and staff to formally affirm traditional Christian teaching on sexuality (including opposition to homosexuality); another is offering domestic partner benefits to its homosexual employees. Excerpt from the column:

The complication for many Baptist academics, stressed Benne, is that they place such a strong emphasis on “soul freedom” and the “priesthood of every believer” that they often struggle to find ways to separate themselves from the “lukewarm people in their midst who are not committed to the their school’s vision.”

It’s a perfect Baptist Catch-22.

“How do you defend specific doctrines and convictions,” he said, “without daring to list these specifics, which means you have committed the sin of having a creed?”