In a shocking move, Brent Leatherwood, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was abruptly fired just one day after offering a gracious comment about President Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the presidential race. Leatherwood’s praise for Biden’s selfless act of relinquishing power was seen as a rare display of civility in a highly polarized political climate, but apparently, it was not appreciated by the Commission’s leadership. The sudden termination, without any given reason, raises questions about the Commission’s commitment to promoting Christian values such as kindness, humility, and respect for others, even those with differing political views. Leatherwood’s ousting has left many wondering if the Commission is more interested in toeing a partisan line than in upholding the principles of faith and morality it claims to represent.
The firing of Brent Leatherwood, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), has exposed the deep-seated divisions within the SBC, particularly between the moderate and far-right factions. Leatherwood’s gracious comment about President Biden’s decision to bow out of the presidential race sparked a firestorm of criticism from the ultra-conservative, pro-Trump wing of the SBC, which has long sought to defund or abolish the ERLC for its perceived lack of fealty to Trumpism and its acknowledgment of sexual abuse within the SBC. Despite the ERLC’s solid record of conservative stances on social issues, Leatherwood’s removal highlights the growing influence of the far-right within the SBC, which has already led some churches to withhold funding from the SBC Cooperative Program in protest of the ERLC’s moderate stance and raises questions about the future of the SBC’s ability to engage in constructive dialogue and maintain a unified front.
