The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the world's largest Baptist denomination, the largest Protestant denomination, and the second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The Southern branch is distinct from the northern Baptists due to a split in the sect over the issue of [[slavery]] -- in 1845, the SBC organized itself in Augusta, Georgia to support enslaving Americans of African descent. During the [[Civil War]] it supported the Confederacy, as well as the [Lost Cause Religion mythology](https://doctorparadox.net/dictionaries/american-fascism/lost-cause-religion/) following the war -- wielding considerable influence in the region throughout the 19th and most of the 20th century.