Former ERLC chair who tried to oust Brent Leatherwood apologizes

By Michael GryboskiMainline Church Editor Wednesday, July 24, 2024

The former board chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has issued an apology for his attempt to oust Brent Leatherwood as chairman.

Kevin Smith, the former chairman of the ERLC board, resigned from his position when he apparently acted alone to try to remove Leatherwood from office.

In a statement released Tuesday by Baptist Press, the SBC’s official news agent, Smith said his actions stemmed from “multiple conversations with members of the ERLC Executive Committee.”

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“I was convinced in my mind that we had a consensus to remove Brent Leatherwood as ERLC president. This is a sensitive matter, and in an effort to resolve it expeditiously, we have acted in good faith, but without a formal vote of the Executive Committee,” said Smith.

“It was an error on my part and I take full responsibility. At this time the Executive Committee is unwilling to move forward with my course of action. I am therefore resigning as Chair of the ERLC Board of Trustees and as a Trustee.”

Smith went on to say he was “a proud participant in the life of the Southern Baptist Convention 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 the ministry in my neighborhood church,” he concluded.

An ERLC board member since 2018, Smith was unanimously elected ERLC board chair 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 would not seek re-election, 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,” Leatherwood said. “Despite what some partisans will say, stepping down is an altruistic act — the kind that has become too rare in our culture.”

Although Leatherwood reiterated the need for both sides 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 the talking points of progressive Democrats.

“The question for Southern Baptists is why Leatherwood chose to so closely mirror the talking points of the rogue media and the Democratic Party,” wrote Megan Basham in an article for Clear Truth Media.

“ERLC represents one’s interests in the public sphere. And once again, it doesn’t seem to be the 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, but this was later clarified to be untrue.

“As members of the ERLC Executive Committee, we formally retract the press release that was sent out yesterday,” the ERLC board said, as quoted by BP.

“There was no authorized meeting, vote or action taken by the Executive Committee. Kevin Smith has resigned as Chairman of the Executive Committee.”

In recent years, there has been considerable tension between the conservative wing of the SBC and the ERLC over some of the positions the body takes on public policy, as well as the rhetoric of the former leadership.

This included some member congregations opting out of contributing to the SBC Cooperative Program and a recent failed effort by some to disband the ERLC.