ERLC Chooses Democratic Party Over Southern Baptists
Immediately after Joe Biden posted a statement on social media Sunday announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, Democrats, the media, and Hollywood pretended it was the result of selflessness rather than political assassination.
Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi conveniently forgot that, in the hopes of naming and claiming the change they wanted to see at the top of the ticket, they had been leaking predictions of Biden’s exit to the press for weeks. Both issued statements lauding his desire to put his “country first,” never explaining where this patriotism was during the many months of the primary when their party was still lying about the extent of his dementia.
The New York Times’ editorial board likewise acted as if ending his campaign had been Biden’s idea—a “courageous” act of “public service”—rather than something he was forced into thanks, in part, to the Times’ unrelenting calls him to do so. (And those were just the op-eds—never mind the long knives that came out in the outlet’s reporting once it was clear that the jig was up on the “cheap fakes” cover story). Then there was Hollywood and the rest of the donor class. After strong arming their stubborn, mentally unfit candidate with threats of withholding campaign funds, they suddenly saw in Biden a paragon of civic virtue and altruism.
Who else joined this chorus of false praise? The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
ERLC head Brent Leatherwood offered the same talking points as the left-wing media and Democrat Party, telling Baptist Press that Biden “walked away from power” in a “selfless act.” Leatherwood then gave further life to this lie in an essay that compared the Oval Office being pried from Biden’s desperate, bony fingers to Calvin Coolidge’s measured choice not to run again though Coolidge enjoyed enough popularity to win reelection handily. In listing Biden’s departure among a number of past presidents who did not seek reelection Leatherwood also gave the false impression that this moment has historical precedent. It doesn’t. No candidate has ever withdrawn from the race at this late stage or under such circumstances.
That the man tasked with representing the ethics of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination would participate in such a ruse raises grave ethical issues of its own. Foremost is that his framing of these events is dishonest, something that Leatherwood, who spent many years as a political operative, could not fail to know. Biden’s decision to leave the campaign was about as voluntary as Fredo Corleone’s decision to retire from the mafia. Less than 24 hours before his withdrawal, he was still pledging on X to win the election and only days before was still publicly furious over demands he cede the field.
This deceit is not mere incidental politeness. Besides the obvious damage it does to Southern Baptists’ public witness for their political lobbying arm to make such ludicrous claims, this helps the Democrats conceal the fact that they are running roughshod over the electoral process even as they hypocritically rail that Donald Trump poses a unique threat to our democracy.
Fourteen million Democratic primary voters cast ballots for Joe Biden while their party’s leadership perpetuated lies about his mental fitness. Yet all that democracy was cast aside 100 days before the election once it was clear the lies would not be enough to secure their candidate’s reelection. In the donor class versus democracy, the donors won. As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rightly said, the Democrats are “trying to upend the expressed will of the American people in primary elections…” Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (himself a Southern Baptist) is pointing out the questionable legality of these maneuvers even as the political representatives of his denomination are busy providing cover for them.
Leatherwood would likely argue that his comments stem from relief that neither of our two major parties will be represented by a candidate who lacks the ability to fulfill the office. But that explanation does not wash. If that were the ERLC’s motivation, then why did their statements not simultaneously call for Biden to resign immediately? After all, a man who is not mentally fit to mount a campaign is also not fit to serve as Commander in Chief, and his continuing to do so given his tacit admission of infirmity creates an incredibly dangerous set of circumstances for the United States.
As my friend Daniel McPhearson pointed out, that Leatherwood is praising Biden for stepping down as the Democratic nominee but not as the President means Leatherwood is, in his official Southern Baptist-funded capacity, inserting himself into party politics. It means the ERLC is taking a position on Democratic election strategy. Biden no longer being the Democrats’ candidate does nothing to enhance America’s national security and, in fact, given that Biden intends to remain in office despite his apparent acknowledgment of his dementia, may very well imperil it. Thus, the ERLC head issued a partisan statement on behalf of the Democrats.
The question for Southern Baptists is why Leatherwood chose to so closely mirror the talking points of the dishonest media and Democrat party. And there we can only look at the secular left foundations the ERLC is happy to partner with on initiatives (like issuing reports on the political rhetoric of evangelicals funded by pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ billionaires) for which they have no mandate and the policies (like gun control and open borders) they have backed despite strong disagreement from many of their supposed constituents.
The ERLC is representing someone’s interests in the public sphere. And once again, it does not appear to be those of Southern Baptists.