After a year of serving as the interim president of the Ethics and Religious Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Brent Leatherwood was officially named president of the ERLC, one year after being named interim president. Currently, many Southern Baptist entities are having meetings and convention, and in the ERLC’s annual meeting they voted unanimously to elect Brent Leatherwood their president. According to the ERLC:
The ERLC trustee presidential search committee, chaired by Todd Howard of Pine Bluff, Ark., recommended Leatherwood to the full board after a 14-month search process.
Howard likened the ERLC search committee process to 1 Samuel 16. “Initially, the committee had a great pool of candidates and thought the next president of the ERLC could be among them. However, as the committee began the process of interviews, doors started closing. We found ourselves asking, ‘Are these all your sons?’
“Leatherwood was recommended to us from a variety of sources and became the top candidate by virtue of his leading well through the various challenges facing the commission during the interim season. He has intangible leadership qualities that we could not ignore. After a final round of interviews with Leatherwood, the committee, for the first time in this process, voted unanimously in favor of recommending him to the full board of trustees as the next president of the ERLC.”
Leatherwood is a dedicated member of The Church of Avenue South in Nashville, Tenn., where he has served as a deacon since 2014. He is married to Meredith, and they have three children.
Some of these endorsements were listed in the press release.
“I believe Brent Leatherwood will serve Southern Baptists well in this strategic position. He is a gifted and godly man with firm biblical and baptistic convictions.”
Daniel Akin
Daniel Akin is the president of the wokest seminary in the SBC, Southeastern.
“It is my privilege to recommend Brent Leatherwood to you as the next president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Brent has the spiritual grounding, experience, and skill set necessary to lead the ERLC at this unique time in our Convention’s and nation’s history. As I have observed, Brent has a strong faith, knowledge of Scripture, and an unbounding love for Jesus. These are critical tenets for anyone who leads one of our Southern Baptist entities.”
Kevin Ezell
Kevin Ezell is the most powerful man in the SBC, the Phantom Menace pulling the strings and picking presidents and church pastors.
“Brent Leatherwood strikes me as the sort of man who loves Southern Baptists—who we have been, are, and hope to become. Such a man as that can rise as a statesman to speak for Southern Baptists. Such a man can also come alongside Southern Baptists and gently speak to us as a brother.”
Bart Barber
The new leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has backed Leatherwood.
“Tennessee has a long history of faithful men and women who love their neighbors through service in the political arena. Believers must view engagement in government as the opportunity that it is. I can think of no one better than Brent Leatherwood to be the next President of the ERLC, leading Southern Baptists as they strive to represent Jesus through faithful and humble engagement in the public square.”
Bill Lee
Bill Lee is an above average governor in the US. This is the most profound endorsement, but it is also largely due to Leatherwood’s career as an operative in the Republican Party in Tennessee. The press release seems to go to great lengths to convince the reader that he’s not a Democrat by highlighting his past political activism. Conspicuously absent from this list is Al Mohler, indicating his further decline in SBC power.
No mention is made for how his recent activism includes opposing pro-life legislation in Louisiana. They leave out his celebration of Ketanji Brown-Jackson to the Supreme Court and how he is pulling the convention towards feminism with his stance on abortion.
