The 2025 Southern Baptist Convention approaches. At the meeting in Dallas, delegates are expected to consider, once again, a proposal to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the institution tasked with bringing the denomination’s values into the public square.
Hard-line critics of the convention’s public policy arm have many gripes, often centering on the accusation that it takes overly moderate positions and in doing so fails to represent the core sentiments of the Southern Baptist faithful. Many irritated words have been written, for example, on the commission’s opposition to a measure that would have exposed women who get abortions to criminal prosecution.
Brent Leatherwood, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has his own perspective, and he visited his hometown of Chattanooga last month to share it. In an interview, edited for concision and clarity, he discussed his religious upbringing, the relationship between politics and culture and the future he wants for his kids.
Q: When you were (a congressional staffer) in Washington, did you have some attunement to the role of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission?