Prayers answered? Boy Scouts delay decision on gay membership

Boy Scouts of America governing board members have decided to delay their decision on whether to admit gays or not, according to breaking news reports from NBC.

Leaders said more deliberation is needed, NBC reports.

“In the past two weeks, Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public,” the organization said in a statement, reported by NBC. “It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization. After careful consideration and extensive dialogue … the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberative review of its membership policy.”

The decision comes amid a wave of national outpouring — including pleas and prayers from conservative and traditionalist sectors for BSA to maintain the status quo. The Southern Baptist Convention, in particular, has taken a leading role in calling the nation to plead for higher power intervention.

“We should never confuse prayer as a substitute for human action,” Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee president Frank Page wrote at Baptist Press. “But neither should we treat human action as if it were equal in effect to prayer. … Let us pray like never before.”