Former ERLC chair who tried to remove Brent Leatherwood from presidency issues apology
The former chairman of the board of trustees for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has issued an apology for his attempt to remove Brent Leatherwood from the presidency.
Kevin Smith, former board chair of the ERLC, resigned from his position when he reportedly acted alone to try to oust Leatherwood from office.
In a statement published Tuesday by the Baptist Press, the official news outlet of the SBC, Smith said his actions came from “multiple conversations with Executive Committee members of the ERLC.”
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“I was convinced in my mind that we had a consensus to remove Brent Leatherwood as the president of the ERLC. It is a delicate matter and, in an effort to deal with it expeditiously, I acted in good faith but without a formal vote of the Executive Committee,” Smith stated.
“This was an error on my part, and I accept full responsibility. At this time, the Executive Committee does not wish to move forward with my course of action. Therefore, I am resigning as the Chairman of the ERLC Board of Trustees and as a Trustee.”
Smith went on to note that he was “a proud participant in Southern Baptist Convention life for 35 years,” adding: “I love the SBC” and “I love the ERLC.”
“I trust the Executive Committee to take the best course of action moving forward. I will look forward to focusing on ministry in my neighborhood church,” he concluded.
A member of the ERLC board since 2018, Smith was unanimously elected chairman of the ERLC trustees board last September, the first African American to hold the position.
On Sunday, Leatherwood released a statement in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement that he was not going to seek reelection, calling it “the right decision for our nation.”
“We should all express our appreciation that President Biden has put the needs of the nation above his personal ambition,” stated Leatherwood. “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.”
Although Leatherwood restated the need for both parties to embrace pro-life and pro-traditional marriage views, he received criticism from many conservative Christians who believed his remarks were merely a reiteration of progressive Democrat talking points.
“The question for Southern Baptists is why Leatherwood chose to so closely mirror the talking points of the dishonest media and Democrat party,” wrote Megan Basham in a piece for Clear Truth Media.
“The ERLC is representing someone’s interests in the public sphere. And once again, it does not appear to be those of Southern Baptists.”
The day after Leatherwood posted his statement in support of Biden's decision, the ERLC appeared to announce that he had been removed from office, however this was later clarified as being untrue.
“As members of the ERLC’s Executive Committee, we formally retract the press release which was sent yesterday,” stated the ERLC board, as quoted by BP.
“There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee. Kevin Smith has resigned as Chair of the Executive Committee.”
In recent years, there has been considerable tension between the conservative wing of the SBC and the ERLC, due to some of the stances that the body takes on public policy, as well as the rhetoric from former leadership.
This has included some member congregations opting to stop contributing to the SBC Cooperative Program and a recent failed effort by some to abolish the ERLC.
