“With the additional time, increased effectiveness of treatments, and widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines, June will be much closer to a full return to normal,” he wrote.
Then in May, he announced that vaccines would allow the conference to be held with fewer restrictions, again mentioning the benefit of vaccines.
“Today, I’m excited to share that the Gaylord Texan has updated their mask policy in line with CDC guidelines — vaccinated guests no longer need to wear masks during NRB 2021!” he wrote.
News of Darling’s firing was met with anger and disappointment on social media.
“Words fail,” tweeted author and attorney David French of the Dispatch. “Dan was abruptly fired by a large Evangelical ministry for going on television and sharing why he got vaccinated in the midst of a deadly pandemic.”
“This is insanity,” tweeted ethicist and theologian Russell Moore, Darling’s former boss at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Convention.
Darling, an ordained minister and author of a number of books, including “A Way with Words” and “The Dignity Revolution,” joined the NRB in April of 2020, following six years at the ERLC.
Darling still believes in the mission of the NRB and his statements about vaccines, his authorized source told RNS.
In his August USA Today editorial, Darling said vaccines save lives and encouraged his fellow Christians to consider being vaccinated before more lives are lost.
“There are not many things in the world today that are worthy of our trust, but I sincerely believe the COVID-19 vaccine is one of them,” he wrote. “As a Christian and an American, I was proud to get it.”
A previous version of the story reported that a source said Darling was asked to recant his statements. After publication, the source told RNS that Darling refused to sign a document saying his pro-vaccine statements were insubordinate. The story has been updated with a statement from Darling.
This article originally appeared here.
