Frank Lockwood, religion reporter for The Arkansas Democrat-Herald scored a 20 minute interview with former US President Jimmy Carter. AP picked it up, and Drudge put in on his front page. Lockwood blogs at Bible Belt Blogger and he used questions from readers in the interview.

In following some of the comments and posts, I’m struck by a couple of things.
As I read the interview, Carter didn’t pull any punches about what he thinks about some of the current administrations policies.
However some readers are really upset, seeing it as a personal attack on George W. Bush, and angry because ‘there is an  unwritten tradition that former presidents do not criticize their successors.’ 
This takes the focus off what Carter did say.

Frank Lockwood be posting more excerpts in the coming week, he also has audio up.

Jimmy Carter also met with a couple of Southern Baptist bloggers last week. Again, I see the same thing happening; anger, mistrust, personal attacks. Big Daddy Weave has by far the best link ups to the various conversations and posts around those who met with the former President.

What I have great difficulty comprehending (and always have) from my northern perch is why Southern Baptists are so mistrustful of anyone who is not them. Other US Baptist groups have been more open to overture, not reactionary the way SBC has. 
The Southern Baptist bloggers who attended the meeting make it very clear what was talked about, what the focus is going to be for a world wide meeting called ‘”Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant,”  being held in January in Atlanta, Georgia. The fact that Mexicans, Canadians, African-American and Republican Baptists are invited seems to be a bone of contention for many who see it as opportunistic as opposed to opportunity, and once again people are attacked as opposed to issues being examined. I think that is part of what I am reading; reaction, opposition, perception difficulties. It is not the fault of the bloggers or the organizers, the need to react/attack goes far deeper than an upcoming meeting of fellow Christians.