Current:Home > reviewsAfter key Baptist leader applauds Biden’s withdrawal, agency retracts announcement of his firing-VaTradeCoin
After key Baptist leader applauds Biden’s withdrawal, agency retracts announcement of his firing
lotradecoin token airdrop campaigns View Date:2024-12-26 10:44:14
In under 48 hours, the head of the staunchly conservative public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention rankled fellow Baptists by applauding President Joe Biden’s “selfless act” of withdrawing his candidacy for re-election. Then, his agency reported he was fired — and now they have reaffirmed his leadership.
The head-spinning series of events started Sunday, but by Tuesday morning, the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission announced that no, leader Brent Leatherwood wasn’t fired. Rather, he has the full support of his top board members — though its chairman resigned amid the agency’s retraction.
On Monday, the commission issued a statement that the ERLC’s executive committee had removed Leatherwood in accordance with its bylaws.
But on Tuesday, it said, “There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee. Kevin Smith has resigned as Chair of the Executive Committee.”
Leatherwood “has our support moving forward,” the executive committee statement said.
Leatherwood had led the embattled agency through three years as the policy spokesman for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, but he had not joined in the increasingly public support among many Southern Baptists for former President Donald Trump.
After Biden’s announcement Sunday that he would not seek re-election, Leatherwood called it a “selfless act.”
“We should all express our appreciation that President Biden has put the needs of the nation above his personal ambition,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood’s statement prompted fierce blowback on social media from some within the denomination who had already targeted his agency for criticism amid a larger battle to pull the already-conservative denomination even further to the right.
Clint Pressley, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, joined in the criticism.
“Sounds right,” Pressley posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to a criticism of Leatherwood by a Southern Baptist professor. That professor, Andrew Walker, said Biden’s withdrawal was not an “act of valor” but rather a case of “ultra-powerful” Democrats forcing him out.
Leatherwood and his agency had advocated staunchly conservative stances in areas such as opposing abortion, in keeping with official Southern Baptist stances, though he resisted calls by some to advocate legal penalties for women who seek abortions.
At this year’s annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, hundreds attended an unofficial event featuring a video-recorded address by Trump.
But Leatherwood hosted a separate event, also attended by hundreds, in which he interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence, another staunch conservative who received the wrath of Trump and many of the former president’s followers after he refused to use his role to block certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
veryGood! (79855)
Related
- 'The Later Daters': Cast, how to stream new Michelle Obama
- Executive director named for foundation distributing West Virginia opioid settlement funds
- Lindsay Lohan Reveals the Real Reason She Left Hollywood
- Nebraska governor blames university leadership for AD Trev Alberts’ sudden departure for Texas A&M
- ParkMobile $32.8 million settlement: How to join class
- Esa-Pekka Salonen to leave San Francisco Symphony, citing dispute with orchestra’s board
- Philadelphia’s population declined for the third straight year, census data shows
- New Jersey voters may soon decide whether they have a right to a clean environment
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dropping Hints
- A critical Rhode Island bridge will need to be demolished and replaced
Ranking
- China's new tactic against Taiwan: drills 'that dare not speak their name'
- Cause a Racquet With SKIMS First Tennis Skirt, Plus More Aces From Lululemon, Amazon, and Gymshark
- Christie Brinkley reveals skin cancer scare: 'We caught the basal-cell carcinoma early'
- 'A world apart': How racial segregation continues to determine opportunity for American kids
- Hate crime charges dropped against 12 college students arrested in Maryland assault
- Bodycam video released after 15-year-old with autism killed by authorities in California
- Aaron Rodgers responds to report he espoused Sandy Hook shooting conspiracy theory
- Georgia men accused of blowing up woman's home, planning to release python to eat her child
Recommendation
-
The Voice Season 26 Crowns a New Winner
-
Cause a Racquet With SKIMS First Tennis Skirt, Plus More Aces From Lululemon, Amazon, and Gymshark
-
It’s Your Lucky Day! Get Up to 80% off at Anthropologie, With Deals Starting at Under $20
-
Cashews sold by Walmart in 30 states and online recalled due to allergens
-
Southern California forecast of cool temps, calm winds to help firefighters battle Malibu blaze
-
Florida woman found dead on cruise ship, Bahamas police say
-
Jerry Stackhouse out as Vanderbilt men's basketball coach after five seasons
-
As threats to Black cemeteries persist, a movement to preserve their sacred heritage gains strength