Last week, during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Dallas, a motion to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) failed.
According to its website, the purpose of the ERLC is to help churches “understand the moral demands of the gospel, apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy, and to promote religious liberty in cooperation with churches and other Southern Baptist entities.”
On Wednesday (June 11), Dr. Willy Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida, pleaded with over 10,000 church delegates, called messengers, to abolish the ERLC.
‘This Southern Baptist Division Is Not for Sale,’ Willy Rice Tells SBC Messengers
“Why bring a motion to abolish the ERLC?” Rice asked. “Because this is how we save it.”
“Our bylaws require two successive conventions to abolish an entity,” Rice continued. “It gives that entity time to hear the concerns of the churches, pursue meaningful reform, and return with a renewed mission. And that’s what we hope for.”
RELATED: At the Start of This Year’s SBC Annual Meeting, Pastor Willy Rice Motions To Abolish the ERLC
“But make no mistake, this motion is a wake-up call,” he added. “For too long, the ERLC has caused division and confusion among our churches. What was designed to be a prophetic voice in the public square has too often become a conduit for the culture to speak back to us.”
Rice shared that many, including him, were “stunned to learn that outside progressive advocacy groups [have] financially supported our ERLC.”
That claim was first made by author Megan Basham in her book, “Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda.” Rice alleged that “there’s been no public repentance, no rejection of those alliances, and no plan to keep it from happening again.”
“I have defended the ERLC for years, but I can’t do that anymore. My head has to admit what my heart didn’t want to believe. Facts are stubborn things, and the evidence is clear, and the trust is broken,” said Rice.
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