The ERLC continues to provide “a vital service”, Leatherwood says in the report

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is not only “rooted” in the Southern Baptist Convention, “it responds to that convention,” Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, said in his report during the June 12 afternoon session of the SBC Annual . Meeting in Indianapolis.

Leatherwood said the commission’s work on several key issues is evidence that the ERLC continues to provide a vital service to help churches and individuals navigate key social, cultural and political issues such as abortion, gender issues and support for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

“Even though we live in a post- Roe world, it’s clear that the abortion industry’s appetite for death has not been diminished,” Leatherwood said. “This stark reality has led us to file a brief before the US Supreme Court outlining the dangers posed by chemical abortion drugs that take lives before birth and target vulnerable mothers.

“We’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: If we want to establish a true culture of life, lawmakers must stop the profiteers of a culture of death, the abortion mills, and the manufacturers of abortion chemicals.”

Leatherwood drew attention to the Psalm 139 Project, noting that the effort has placed 12 ultrasound machines in the past year, including the second international placement in Southeast Asia in partnership with the International Mission Board.

Leatherwood praised the convention’s clear stance on moral issues and said that in the past year, the ERLC has rallied against 19 federal efforts ranging from the Equality Act to abortion tourism to transgender issues.

“To put that into perspective, historically we’ve only had to submit two or three (public opinions) a year,” Leatherwood said.

Leatherwood said the ERLC recently developed two new resources to help individuals and churches address moral issues: “The Nations Belong to God: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement” and “God’s Good Design: A Practical Guide to Responding to Confusion” gender”.

“You spoke, we acted,” Leatherwood said. “In all this work, in all that we strive to do, we do it not with malice or despair, but with hope.”