That vote should be a wake-up call, said Griffin Gulledge, pastor of Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Georgia, and an avid supporter of the ERLC. In recent years, Southern Baptists have had vocal disagreements over religious liberty and the best strategy for opposing abortion, he said. Those disagreements are showing up as conflict over the ERLC.
“There is real division here,” he said. “Not just about any individual’s performance or accomplishments, but about the very convictions that drive the organization.”
Gulledge, who received an award from the ERLC in 2021 for his advocacy in drawing attention to the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China, said the ERLC has also been charged with dealing with some of the most contentious issues in American culture, from immigration reform to presidential politics. “Every issue they deal with is complicated,” he said.
Gulledge said the ERLC needs to focus on connecting with local churches and pastors, to make them more aware of the work it does on their behalf. “The future success of the ERLC is completely dependent on the extent to which it builds relationships with, works alongside and empowers local church leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention.”
The Rev. Russell Moore addresses the Caring Well conference in Dallas on Oct. 3, 2019. (Photo by Karen Race Photography, courtesy ERLC)
Jon Whitehead, a Missouri attorney and member of the ERLC’s board of trustees, said ERLC can’t shy away from controversial issues, but he believes the agency should focus on positions Baptists agree on, rather than take sides in debates on abortion and other divisive issues.
“Increasingly, we’re committed to being on the side of life, from natural conception through natural death,” he said. “There are obviously some disagreements about how that is implemented, and I’m not sure the convention intends the ERLC to be the referee for that fight.”
Most immediately, Whitehead said, the ERLC needs “complete transparency” about the circumstances around Leatherwood’s firing and un-firing. He worries that Smith, the former ERLC chair, will take all the blame when the situation is more complicated.
“Kevin Smith did not go postal,” Whitehead told RNS, repeating a sentiment he had shared on the social media site X.
In a press release earlier this week, the ERLC’s executive committee said rebuilding trust will be a key task when the ERLC trustees meet in September in Nashville.
“We know that the task of rebuilding trust will be great,” he wrote. “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.”
Land, meanwhile, said he believes Leatherwood may be in a stronger position after this week’s events but warns that his accustomed warning is more true today, thanks to social media and email, which make it easier for criticism to turn into a firestorm.
“It used to be that if someone wanted to complain — they had to write a letter or get me on the phone,” said Land.
This article originally appeared here.
 has increased calls to disband the denomination's public policy arm, but some SBC pastors say it can and should be saved.){kind=link}