NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—After initially defending comments accusing black leaders of politicizing the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the head of Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission issued back-to-back apologies regarding statements he made on his radio program.
Richard Land apologized both for offense caused by the remarks and for lifting some of the comments word-for-word from published materials without attributing their source.
Richard Land
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“I obviously overestimated the extent of progress that has been made in slaying the racial dragon of our past,” Richard Land said in an open letter released through Baptist Press.
“I should have remembered that whenever we have a discussion about race, the ghosts of our ancestors are in the room with us. And I underestimated the need to be extremely careful in how you address any controversial issue that involves race as a factor.”
On his March 31 radio program, Land labeled black activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton “race hustlers” and accused President Obama of using the tragedy to “gin up the black vote” for his re-election.
“I am grieved that anyone would feel my comments have retarded in any way the Southern Baptists’ march toward racial reconciliation, which I have been committed to for the entirety of my ministry, since 1962,” Land said. “I certainly apologize to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remarks.”
But a Waco-based blogger noted the remarks did not really even originate with Land. Aaron Weaver, a doctoral candidate at Baylor who blogs as The Big Daddy Weave, reported many of Land’s comments were quoted verbatim from a Washington Times column penned by conservative commentator Jeffrey Kuhner.
While a link to Kuhner’s March 29 commentary headlined “Obama foments racial division” appeared as a “story note” on Land’s website, Weaver said Land failed to cite the article during his radio show, leading listeners to mistakenly assume that the words were his own.
Weaver said Land also lifted comments from an Investor’s Business Daily editorial without attribution, linking to the editorial without comment in a program note.
“Richard Land’s rant is not his,” Weaver said. “It’s a plagiarized rant.”
Land released a statement apologizing for failure to “provide appropriate verbal attributions” during the March 31 broadcast. He called it an oversight and said it was not intended to deceive or mislead listeners.
The Southern Baptist Convention news service said Land issued an apology after conversations with SBC President Bryant Wright about how many African-Americans and other Christians were taking offense at his remarks.
A prominent African American pastor, Fred Luter Jr. of New Orleans, issued a statement accepting Land’s apology. Luter is the SBC’s first vice president who will be nominated for SBC president during the convention’s June 19-20 annual meeting in New Orleans.
“I commend Dr. Richard Land for his letter of apology pertaining to his comments about the Trayvon Martin case. His comments certainly were a concern for many of us across the Southern Baptist Convention.
“Our convention has made a lot of progress in the area of racial reconciliation, and we want to continue this effort,” Luter continued. “Dr. Land’s letter of apology will hopefully keep us on track. I accept his apology and will look forward to working with him and others within this convention to tear down the walls of racism in our great country.”
But Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said Land apologized for the response to his words and not the comments themselves. He said Land’s explanation that he underestimated how much ghosts of the past still hinder race relations essentially blames those offended for not being progressive enough to accept them.
“I trust and pray that Dr. Land will repent of his racially and attitudinally flawed words. If he doesn’t, I pray that the SBC will have the courage and character to hold him accountable by repudiating his remarks and dismissing him from an office that he no longer has the credibility to hold.”
McKissic said he feels compelled to ask the SBC to repudiate and renounce Land’s remarks in a resolution.
“He spoke these words as an official of the SBC; therefore, the SBC must take ownership and responsibility for Dr. Land’s words,” McKissic said.
“I could not with a good conscience attend an SBC meeting in the post-Luter years, or increase giving to the Cooperative Program, as long as Land’s words remain unrepented of. To do so would be to engage in self-hatred; the exercise and practice of low self-esteem; to support Land’s view of racial profiling and his flawed racial reasoning.”
Bob Allen (bob@baptistnews.com) is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press. With additional reporting from Baptist Press.