Brent Leatherwood was fired a day after saying Joe Biden "put the needs of the nation above his personal ambition"

Jul 23, 2024

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On Sunday afternoon, creating a delightful upheaval that sparked new life into the Democratic Party, President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and threw his support behind Kamala Harris.

Depending on how the next few months play out, that could be one of the most selfless acts in political history. The most powerful person in the world realized his age was becoming a liability he could no longer ignore, read the polls suggested the public wasn’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt, knew things didn’t look great for down-ballot Democrats in tough races because he was dragging them down—which would imperil therefore democracy—and decided to roll the dice by ceding power, hoping his next-in-command will harness the votes she needs to win his seat.

One of the more surprising takes that night came from Brent Leatherwood, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the SBC’s public policy arm.

In an essay, Leatherwood wrote that Biden “made the right decision for the country.” He was a little more gracious in a separate statement:

“Not only is this a historic decision, it is the right decision for our nation. The role of president takes a heavy toll and, based on what has been apparent for some time, it was unrealistic to ask President Biden to endure another four years of the incredible burdens placed on the one who occupies this office. We should all express our appreciation that President Biden has put the needs of the nation above his personal ambition. Despite what some partisans will say, to walk away from power is a selfless act—the kind that has become all too rare in our culture.” 

That’s a perfectly fine thing to say. If it’s newsworthy at all, it’s only because the ERLC is a very conservative group and many conservatives have made it a habit to treat anyone who only agrees with them 99% of the time as a sworn enemy.

It’s not like Leatherwood’s essay was all praise. He criticized the selection of Harris as one that would “be cause for considerable concern among pro-life advocates and those who hold to a biblical definition of marriage.” Because she has the audacity to think women, not politicians, should control their own bodies and because she treats gay people as people.

He also criticized the Republican Party for trying to distance itself from its anti-abortion extremism—something that, as I’ve written, they have definitely not done. The GOP is as extreme as ever when it comes to abortion, and Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick JD Vance is opposed to abortion exceptions even in cases of rape and incest. Leatherwood said in his statement that “this is an opportune moment for all Republican candidates to recommit to the GOP’s historic stances on life and marriage, even as the current platform has diminished them.”

The bottom line is that it was a fairly typical essay by a conservative reacting to a major news event with a splash of grace and decency tossed in there for Biden. It’s hardly an endorsement for the Democrats and no one would expect it to be. After all, before running the ERLC, Leatherwood used to be—get this—executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party. He is a Republican through and through.

And yet white evangelicals flipped the fuck out.

Maybe that’s not surprising, given that roughly 81% of them voted for Trump in 2020, but the vitriol directed at Leatherwood for daring to commend Biden for anything was incredible.

Right-wing commentators and Southern Baptist leaders said it was “one of the most dishonest and cynical political statements I have ever seen,” that “nothing” Biden did was selfless, and that Leatherwood was “repeating Democrat talking points.” More than one person called on Leatherwood to follow Biden’s lead and step down.

And then, on Monday night, the ERLC issued a surprise statement:

Brent Leatherwood had been booted from his position.

The executive committee of the board of trustees for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has issued the following statement. 

“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. Until then, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will assume directional responsibility for carrying out the ministry assignments for the ERLC.”  

No reason was provided but it’s not hard to connect the dots. Leatherwood made the mistake of saying something nice about a prominent Democrat while mildly criticizing the Republican Party… and all of that was a bridge too far for an organization that has decided far-right extremism is the only path forward. (The same critics once lashed out against Leatherwood when he opposed legislation that would imprison women who have abortions. They also got mad when he called for sensible gun laws following a mass shooting at the Christian school his kids attend.)

One of his more fervent critics, Pastor Tom Ascol, mocked Leatherwood after the announcement, echoing the language he used to describe Biden:

Not only is this a historic decision, it is the right decision for our convention. Despite what some will say, for the trustees to remove Brent from this position of power is a righteous act—the kind that has become all too rare among trustees in our recent SBC culture. 

Nothing symbolizes a religious group devoted to promoting the patriarchy more than a giant dick.

Leatherwood’s expulsion is all the more interesting when you know that his predecessor in the role, Russell Moore, stepped away from the job after years of criticizing Trump, condemning the sexual abuse that was rampant within the SBC, and calling for racial justice. Sure, he was also anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ rights, but condemning the One True God Trump was too much for the 100+ pastors who threatened to stop funding the SBC unless there was less of Moore.

And now it appears that the same sort of pressure campaign knocked Leatherwood out of his position as well.

Incidentally, late last night, Moore called Leatherwood’s firing “shameful and disgraceful.” He then added, “Southern Baptists, how much more of this are you going to let go on?”

The answer to that is simple. It’ll go on as long as members allow it to because this is who they are. They are patriarchal bigots who prioritize cruelty over decency. They like authority figures—manly men—not a compassionate guy who cedes ultimate power over to a woman.

It’s surprising that anyone in these circles is surprised by what took place because it was entirely predictable. The details vary but the story is always the same.

Update (8:05a CT): On Tuesday morning, the ERLC announced that Brent Leatherwood would remain in his job, that the statement about his firing was retracted, and that the guy leading the Executive Committee acted unilaterally and was resigning:

[An] early morning release from the ERLC executive committee says:

“As members of the ERLC’s Executive Committee, we formally retract the press release which was sent yesterday. 

“There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee. Kevin Smith has resigned as Chair of the Executive Committee.” 

The release says that Leatherwood has full support from the executive committee moving forward.

According to Christianity Today, the chaos isn’t over yet:

On Tuesday morning, Smith wrote in a now-deleted post:

    The trustees of the @erlc steward the entity on behalf of Southern Baptists. In leading them, I made a consequential procedural mistake. The exec cmte and other trustees are Christ-honoring volunteers, who give much.

    The mistake was mine; I apologize.

The ERLC bylaws allow its executive committee to “remove any officer of the Commission (including, without limitation, the President/Chief Executive Officer) without a Full Trustee Vote.”

It’s unclear who made a mistake or if this is just a pathetic attempt to cover up a bad decision. Either way, I have no clue why anyone would be looking to any of these people for advice on ethics.