In a stunning and unexpected turn of events, Brent Leatherwood is back at the helm of the ERLC, with the man who orchestrated his ousting resigning.
Whereas a press release yesterday revealed: “In accordance with our bylaws, the executive committee has removed Brent Leatherwood as president. Further details, as well as plans for the transition, will be provided at our September board meeting,” a new updated one “formally retract the press release which was sent yesterday,” reading:
According to the Baptist Press, ERLC executive board members say board Chairman Kevin Smith acted alone in announcing the kicking-out of Leatherwood, which violated the entity’s bylaws. The is procedural mistake is is something Smith admits to in a since-deleted tweet.
Jon Whitehead (@jrwhitehead) found the suggestion that Smith acted alone puzzling, writing on X: “Well, I’m having trouble understanding how this is possible. If Smith didn’t have two supporters, there was no action. But the ERLC’s first African American board chair appears to be out, and the 6 person committee is at 4. Baptists deserve transparency. Who’s in charge?”
Following the initial outing, former ERLC president Russell Moore, who had spent the last decade as a stain on the SBC before leaving two years ago, screamed bloody murder at the fact that his mentee was expelled, even going so far as to shamelessly use the murder of children at the Covenant school as a card to pull on the heartstrings. (Leatherwood’s children were students there the day Audrey Hale shot it up) Moore e also seemingly suggested that Smith, and/or the alleged attempted coup was evil and stupid.
According to Megan Basham, despite Moore no longer being a Southern Baptist, he rallied secular progressives in the left wing media to raise a stink and bring their pressure to bear on the ERLC:
“The New York Times editorial board, and CNN, at the behest of Russell Moore, went into overdrive to object to Leatherwood’s removal. So did religion news service, an outlet funded by a hard left LGBTQ foundation that has promised to reform Christian doctrine on sexuality, no matter how conservative, to make it affirming of homosexuality. |
Now he is reinstated and the board chair (a never trumper btw) who made the decision is removed. It is incredibly evident to everyone now who the ERLC answers to.
This entity, that is paid for by Southern Baptist tithes, yet represents the secular media, the federal government, and hard left secular foundations to southern Baptists needs to be abolished.
This is a developing story.