ATLANTA, April 16,
2012, 12:20 p.m.
- The president of the
Southern Baptist Convention today said his organization wants better
relations with the black community and he is working on a statement
about comments made by a top white official lambasting black men,
President Obama and black leaders."Certainly
we want good to come to this situation," Rev. Bryant Wright told ReddingNewsReview.com.
"Racial reconciliation is a huge priority for
southern Baptist Christians and there will be a statement later
today or in the morning," Wright said.
Richard Land,
president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the
Southern Baptist Convention, has
refused to apologize after appearing to justify why whites fear blacks.
Land said: black men are “statistically more likely to do you harm than a white man.”
“Is it tragic that people react that way? Yes. Is
it unfair? Yes? But it is understandable,” Land said.
Wright would not say if Land would be punished or
what would be included in the statement.
"It is being worked on diligently," Wright told ReddingNewsReview.com.
Land made the comments while
claiming that President Obama and other black leaders have caused
much of the uproar over the Trayvon Martin story.