Just weeks after his former board chairman tried to fire him, Brent Leatherwood kept his job as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission yesterday. ERLC trustees, who are elected by messengers to SBC annual meetings,…
SBC leader joins other evangelicals in private meeting with Netanyahu
One day after being not fired by his board of trustees, Brent Leatherwood joined a select group of evangelical leaders for a private meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention…
Breaking news: Leatherwood reinstated at ERLC, board chairman acted alone
Note: This article was updated Tuesday afternoon, July 23, to include new information about Kevin Smith. The chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission acted alone in firing President Brent Leatherwood yesterday, and Leatherwood remains…
ERLC removes president one day after kind word about Biden
Editor’s note: This article replaces and updates a previous article posted just two hours earlier. One day after Brent Leatherwood offered a gracious comment about President Joe Biden bowing out of the presidential race, he was fired as head…
U.S. evangelicals continue to unite behind Israel but are less likely to mention Palestinian victims
American evangelicals were quick to stand united in support of Israel after Hamas militants savagely attacked the country Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. But evangelicals differ over whether to show concern for…
High court unanimously seeks a compromise on religious accommodation in the workplace
In a rare unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 found a compromise on a thorny religious liberty claim: What constitutes “undue hardship” on an employer required to accommodate a worker’s religious practices? Rather than unwinding legal precedent —…
Bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage now appears likely to become law
In a rare example of bipartisan cooperation, the U.S. Senate advanced the Respect for Marriage Act Nov. 16, clearing the way for likely passage of a bill that would protect same-sex marriage beyond future court challenges. By a 62-to-37 vote,…
Abortion ‘abolitionists’ produce documentary accusing the SBC of heresy for not making criminals of women seeking abortions
They’re called “abortion abolitionists,” and their movement is so extreme that it has been rejected by mainstream pro-life groups and the ethics agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. But some pastors at the most far-right edge of the SBC are…
ERLC hires former Republican Party leader to head SBC agency
A former executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party has been named to lead the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Brent Leatherwood, who has been serving as interim president, was elected to the official post in a…