Brent Leatherwood — The Baptist Paper photo
NASHVILLE — Within hours of releasing a statement on the evening of July 22 saying Brent Leatherwood had been “removed” from his position as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the organization announced the following morning that Leatherwood remains in the position. Meanwhile, the chair of the ERLC’s executive committee, Kevin Smith, has resigned and since posted an apology on social media.
The details of what triggered the initial decision to remove Leatherwood as president remains unclear.
Smith later apologized in a since-deleted social media post for a “consequential procedural mistake,” The Tennessean reported. “The mistake was mine; I apologize.”
Later on Tuesday evening, the ERLC executive committee issued another statement to provide an explanation and clarity about the recent announcements related to ERLC president Brent Leatherwood.
The statement said, “In reference to the events of the last 24 hours, we want to give clarity to how the situation unfolded. Then-board chair Kevin Smith acted without the approval of the executive committee of the trustees. There was no vote taken. His decision to unilaterally act was outside of his authority as board chair. As such, the termination was illegitimate, and thus there was not, as has been reported, a ‘reinstatement’ of Brent Leatherwood as president. He was never terminated.”
The statement further stated:
“We know that these events have shaken trust in the executive committee, the trustee board, and the organization especially. It is imperative that we commit ourselves as trustees to ensuring that trust is rebuilt. We will work with the staff to do so in a way that addresses the real concerns of Southern Baptists and strengthens the good work of this organization.
“We know that the task of rebuilding trust will be great. We know that it will require listening to Southern Baptists about their concerns. And we know that we are accountable to Southern Baptists, and ultimately God, for how we carry out our work. To that end, we seek your prayers as we faithfully discern the next best steps for us as a board and for this organization.” The full statement can be found following this article at baptistandreflector.org.
Absolutely bewildered’
In a statement on X, Leatherwood noted, “I deeply appreciate everyone who has reached out, especially our trustees who were absolutely bewildered at what took place yesterday and jumped in to set the record straight.”
On Monday, an email from ERLC showed up in media inboxes a little after 6:30 p.m. Central time with the following statement: “In accordance with our bylaws, the executive committee has removed Brent Leatherwood as president. Further details, as well as plans for the transition, will be provided at our September board meeting. Until then, the executive committee of the board of trustees will assume directional responsibility for carrying out the ministry assignments for the ERLC.”
No other information was provided, but the decision came on the heels of a large social media backlash the day before when Leatherwood responded to President Joe Biden’s announcement with this social media post: “Not only is this a historic decision, it is the right decision for our nation. … Despite what some partisans will say, to walk away from power is a selfless act — the kind that has become all too rare in our culture.”
ERLC trustee Joe Godfrey from Alabama said that while he is not part of ERLC’s executive committee and was not part of the decision to terminate Leatherwood’s position, he did write “to tell Mr. Leatherwood that I had heard from a number of pastors and church leaders who felt his comments were not appropriate and seemed partisan.”
The week prior, Leatherwood released a statement in response to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. It read in part:
“In a democracy like ours, we voice our opinions, we passionately press our case, we bravely dissent, and we loudly campaign for our cause. But we must never cross the line to harm those we disagree with. Political violence has hurt too many individuals and taken too many lives in our history. Now is the moment for all of us to unite and bring a swift and universal condemnation to this vile act that has no place whatsoever in America.
“While it will be easy to use this moment as an opportunity to dig in our heels, I urge Americans to pause, lament this violence, and realize how far we have strayed from our nation’s ideals. Let’s commit to praying for our leaders, those who are willing to serve in public office, and appeal to our Lord that His reconciling work would be poured out on this nation to overcome the hatred that is so prevalent in our culture.”
Vote to abolish ERLC
This is not the first time, Leatherwood and the ERLC have been under fire for past decisions.
Leatherwood, like his predecessor Russell Moore, has been the topic of concern among some Baptists, while messengers to the SBC annual eeting this past summer in Indianapolis voted down an attempt to abolish ERLC as an entity.
Tony Beam of South Carolina, former vice chairman of the ERLC executive committee, is now serving as chair. B&R
The trustees of ERLC will meet Sept. 10-11 in Nashville. B&R
