'Good riddance': Top Baptist leader forced out by MAGA for not being 'aligned with Trump'

On Thursday, July 31, Brent Leatherwood officially resigned from his position as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Leatherwood, in a press release, announced, "After nearly four years leading this institution, it is time to close this chapter of my life. It has been an honor to guide this Baptist organization in a way that has honored the Lord, served the churches of our Convention, and made this fallen world a little better."

Religion News Service's (RNS) Bob Smietana, reporting on Leatherwood's resignation, stresses that Leatherwood's last year at ERLC was "tumultuous" — and that he was often criticized by supporters of President Donald Trump who resented the fact that he wasn't overtly MAGA.

"Leatherwood, who took office in 2022 after serving as interim leader for a year, is the third ERLC president in a row to step down under fire," Smietana explains. "Like his predecessor Russell Moore, who stepped down in 2021, Leatherwood was criticized for not being in line with President Donald Trump's MAGA agenda. Critics also say the agency has been out of touch with local churches and has become too liberal on issues such as immigration. Those critics had called for Leatherwood's resignation.

Leatherwood's resignation is generating a lot of discussion on X, formerly Twitter. And some Trump supporters are glad to see him go.

Right-wing pundit Megan Basham tweeted, "Brent Leatherwood is officially out at the @ERLC. This is a step in the right direction toward undoing Russell Moore’s progressive influence and agenda, which Leatherwood continued to carry out. But it is not enough. The ERLC now needs to commit to finding leadership that will reflect the priorities of Southern Baptists rather than the priorities of DC elites. To start with, it must immediately sever all ties with the (George) Soros-backed amnesty group, the Evangelical Immigration Table. Now."

X user Will Campbell wrote, "Correction: The ERLC now needs to commit to finding leadership that will reflect biblical teaching and its application to modern priorities against DC elites. This would necessarily require severing all ties with Soros-backed groups."

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Oklahoma State Sen. Dusty Deevers, a MAGA Republican, posted, "I wish Brent the best but am glad he no longer represents Southern Baptists in the political realm. Our next President should never oppose SBC pastors working to abolish abortion or give aid to politicians pursuing amnesty. We need convictional, Biblically sound Christian leadership that stands resolutely against cultural chaos and for distinctly Christian ethics and the Lordship of Christ in all spheres."

Far-right Christian nationalist Christopher Paul tweeted, "Good riddance."

But not all X users were cheering Leatherwood's departure.

The Rev. Matt Carr, pastor at the Back Creek Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, tweeted, "Brent Leatherwood was very consistent on pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-Christian sexual ethic, pro-religious liberty etc. When they say they want someone more 'conservative' they don't mean more biblical fidelity on issues. They mean more aligned with Trump/MAGA."

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In a separate tweet, Carr wrote, "The ERLC (which I'm on record asking why it should exist in the first place) was about influencing public policy with Christian principles. That influence will likely be flowing in the opposite direction, continuing the corrosive effect Trump has had for the last decade."

Read the full Religion News Service (RNS) article at this link.