BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) — Speaking at a black church Sunday (June 9) in a city that is nearly 75% percent African American, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greear, said white Christians who are racially insensitive are disregarding the gospel.

“I do not need to tell this church the church of the West has had a horrible history of racism,” Greear, a pastor in North Carolina, told Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.

“And there’s one primary reason that that happened: Christians lost touch with the gospel.”

Greear, who had come to Birmingham for the upcoming annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, cited a verse from the New Testament book of Galatians in which he said the Apostle Paul issued a rebuke about “segregated eating,” when some Christians from Jewish backgrounds stopped dining with Christians from Gentile backgrounds.

“The gospel teaches us that there’s only one kind of person: human,” said Greear. “We’ve all got the same problem: sin.”

As some 8,000 of Southern Baptists arrive in a city once called by experts “the most segregated in the country,” Greear expressed hope that Southern Baptists also may amend their constitution to remove churches that affirm racially discriminatory behavior.

“I’m praying that even with our past history on it, that Birmingham for us this year will be a…

Although every major numerical indicator of success for the Southern Baptist Convention is trending downward, you would never know it from the tone in J.D. Greear’s voice. From the moment the exclusive interview with Christian Headlines started, J.D. Greear, who is the youngest ever Southern Baptist Convention president, had a tone of excitement and encouragement for the denomination that has weathered a series of tough terrain during his first year as its head. It is something that Greear does not shy away from addressing.

“It’s been challenging and difficult at times, but inspiring to see what God is doing within the 48,000 Southern Baptist Churches,” the SBC president told CH. During his first year as president, it was uncovered by the Houston Chronicle that a number of Southern Baptist churches and pastors had concealed sexual abuse issues.

According to Greear, “We do not want to create a safe place within our churches for anyone who is not there for the right reasons.” There have been some within the denomination who have not agreed with Greear and the policies that he has developed in handling the sexual abuse cases. Greear, however, believes that he did the right thing, and a vast majority of Southern Baptists agree with him. “Handling this issue was a gospel issue for me,” Greear shared.

One thing that many notice about the SBC president is…