{"id":2440716,"date":"2025-05-30T05:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T09:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-southern-baptists-are-losing-confidence-in-the-erlc\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T05:43:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T09:43:23","slug":"why-southern-baptists-are-losing-confidence-in-the-erlc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-southern-baptists-are-losing-confidence-in-the-erlc\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Southern Baptists Are Losing Confidence In The ERLC"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-southern-baptists-are-losing-confidence-in-the-erlc%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2440716&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ahead of the upcoming annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in June, key leaders within the church are expressing concerns about the performance and relevance of its ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Former SBC President Jack Graham has openly advocated for defunding the ERLC, citing it as a divisive force as the tenure of former President Russell moore. Meanwhile, Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has raised questions about the ERLC&#8217;s effectiveness, crediting it with a lack of tangible impact on meaningful political issues.<\/p>\n<p>criticism of the ERLC centers around its perceived ineffectiveness and its involvement in what some consider misaligned political advocacy.The commission&#8217;s recent policy platform focuses on topics like protecting unborn life and religious liberties but has been accused of failing to achieve meaningful progress in these areas. Critics in Washington, including legislators with conservative credentials, contend that the ERLC is often silent during crucial legislative battles.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the ERLC has faced backlash for its controversial stances, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >supporting gun control measures involving red-flag laws<\/a> and partnering with groups aligned with leftist ideologies on immigration reform. Its leadership&#8217;s actions, including endorsing legislation seen as infringing on Second Amendment rights, have left many Southern Baptists feeling betrayed, questioning the commission&#8217;s commitment to representing their interests.<\/p>\n<p>The ERLC&#8217;s former president, Russell Moore, has also received criticism for his perceived detachment from key events that resonate with conservative Christians, particularly regarding the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling on Roe v. Wade. The erosion of confidence in the ERLC has prompted the institution to undertake measures to restore its image, including increasing engagement with Congress, although these efforts seem to be perceived with skepticism by many within the SBC community.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ahead of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in June, several Baptist leaders are once again drawing attention to failings of the convention&rsquo;s policy and lobbying arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Last week former SBC President Jack Graham <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jackngraham\/status\/1925875961142153592\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> his support for defunding the ERLC, in response to a letter from 10 of his fellow former presidents endorsing the commission&rsquo;s usefulness.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do not support the ERLC and believe the organization has been the single most divisive entity of the SBC since the days of [former ERLC President] Russell Moore,&rdquo; Graham wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistpress.com\/resource-library\/news\/mohler-questions-erlcs-utility-draws-pushback-from-commissions-defenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expressed<\/a> &ldquo;grave doubts about the utility of the ERLC,&rdquo; though he stopped short of calling for its absolution.<\/p>\n<p>For the past three annual conferences, the ERLC has been the target of motions to abolish or defund it. While none have passed, last year&rsquo;s resolution to abolish the commission garnered significant support &mdash; as high as <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/megbasham\/status\/1816077116162691492\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roughly 40 percent<\/a>, according to journalist Megan Basham. A task force <a href=\"https:\/\/baptistcourier.com\/2021\/02\/erlc-focused-task-force-releases-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">established<\/a> by the SBC Executive Committee to evaluate the ERLC&rsquo;s effectiveness <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/russell-moore-led-erlc-a-threat-to-sbc-funding-report-finds.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found<\/a> in 2021 that it was &ldquo;a source of significant distraction from the Great Commission work of Southern Baptists.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Criticisms of the ERLC mostly fall into two categories: allegations that the commission is useless and ineffective on the right political issues, and that it actively devotes resources to the wrong ones.<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Worse Than Useless&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>The ERLC&rsquo;s 2025 policy <a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ERL4240_LegisAgenda_build_011625.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">platform<\/a> emphasizes the protection of unborn life, religious liberties, the institutions of marriage and family, and human dignity. Those goals &mdash; and many of the policy prescriptions the ERLC attaches to them, such as defunding Planned Parenthood and outlawing harmful transgender surgeries for minors &mdash; are commendable and unobjectionable. So is the ERLC&rsquo;s stated <a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mission<\/a>, which purports &ldquo;to assist your churches by helping you understand the moral demands of the gospel, apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy, and to promote religious liberty.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But the ERLC has been repeatedly accused of doing little to move the needle on those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-big-midterm-lesson-defensive-victories-on-the-right-arent-going-to-save-the-country\/\" title=\"The Big Midterm Lesson: Defensive \u2018Victories\u2019 On The Right Aren\u2019t Going To Save The Country\">major culture war issues<\/a>. Its critics say the commission puts its name on letters and takes credit for culture war victories but has been largely absent from the real work of change-making in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been completely absent on the big fights over big issues,&rdquo; Sen. Mike Lee <a href=\"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/longform\/too-busy-with-woke-stuff-the-all-too-invisible-and-inconsequential-erlc\/\">t<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/longform\/too-busy-with-woke-stuff-the-all-too-invisible-and-inconsequential-erlc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">o<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/longform\/too-busy-with-woke-stuff-the-all-too-invisible-and-inconsequential-erlc\/\">ld<\/a> Basham earlier this year. As Basham noted, Lee has been at the forefront of several legislative battles over the issues the ERLC purports to focus on.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Bovard, a Federalist contributor and Hill veteran, told Basham a similar story. &ldquo;In 12 years on the Hill I don&rsquo;t ever remember hearing from the ERLC,&rdquo;&nbsp;she said. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They really are not viewed as being actively helpful on advancing conservative politics on the Hill,&rdquo; added Mike Whitehead, the ERLC&rsquo;s former general counsel.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Teetsel, CEO of the Center for Renewing America, put it more bluntly when speaking with Basham, calling the ERLC &ldquo;worse than useless&rdquo; and &ldquo;actively counterproductive.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In response to these critiques, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood told The Federalist the commission &ldquo;takes seriously the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ERLC-Advocacy-Guidelines.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">direction given<\/a>&nbsp;to us by the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention&rdquo; in &ldquo;every issue we engage.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;By operating in such a manner that honors our churches, we are able to build bridges with our nation&rsquo;s leaders and share the Good News of Christ&rsquo;s life, death, and resurrection, while helping lawmakers understand what Scripture has to say about their work,&rdquo; he said. <\/p>\n<h2>Controversial Advocacy on Gun Control and Immigration<\/h2>\n<p>In tandem with critiques of its effectiveness on critical issues, the ERLC has also drawn ire for dabbling in political controversies that some Southern Baptists view as a betrayal of its mission to represent them.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, after a shooter who identified as transgender and documented her <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/03\/manifesto-reveals-trans-identifying-nashville-shooters-disdain-for-christianity-obsession-with-racial-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anti-Christian<\/a> sentiments killed six people at a private Christian school outside of Nashville, Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee used the tragedy to push for gun control legislation that would have enabled the state to take firearms away from citizens without ever convicting them of a crime. As David Harsanyi <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/20\/bill-lees-red-flag-proposal-is-an-unconstitutional-travesty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a> in these pages at the time, the bill would have forced &ldquo;people accused of a precrime to sit down with state-appointed psychiatrists and lawyers and prove their innocence before the government decides if they can keep their guns.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The ERLC could have focused its efforts on calling out the mental ills of transgenderism or the anti-Christian motives of the shooter. Instead, the commission, which is entrusted with representing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2025\/04\/southern-baptist-convention-decline-churches-baptism-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">12.7 million<\/a> members of SBC churches, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/25\/erlc-screws-over-tithing-christians-to-lobby-for-gun-control-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-its-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threw its weight<\/a> behind Lee&rsquo;s bill, publishing a minute-long video and detailed written explainer in support of it. Leatherwood wrote a three-page letter to state legislators on ERLC letterhead, urging them to vote for the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>How did endorsing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-wont-rule-out-using-executive-orders-to-crackdown-on-second-amendment-rights-white-house\/\" title=\"Biden Won\u2019t Rule Out Using Executive Orders To Crackdown On Second ...: White House\">gun control measure<\/a> that sidesteps due process further the ERLC&rsquo;s mission of promoting religious liberty and Christian ethics? Why was an organization supposedly dedicated to First Amendment liberties waging war against the Second? Many Southern Baptists whose tithes fund the ERLC felt betrayed by its political advocacy for a constitutionally problematic law.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Leatherwood, whose children attended the Covenant School and who was representing parents of the victims, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkrn.com\/news\/local-news\/nashville\/covenant-school-mass-shooting\/unverified-documents-by-covenant-shooter-released-by-radio-host\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fought<\/a> to keep the shooter&rsquo;s manifesto detailing her anti-Christian and anti-white motives under wraps.<\/p>\n<p>The ERLC has also earned criticism for its ties to leftist groups in the course of its advocacy for immigration reform. In 2012, the ERLC was involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/profile\/evangelical-immigration-table\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">formation<\/a> of the Evangelical Immigration Table, which <a href=\"https:\/\/evangelicalimmigrationtable.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">describes<\/a> itself as &ldquo;a national movement of Christians committed to learning more about what the Bible says about &lsquo;welcoming the stranger,&rsquo; and living out these biblical principles.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From the outset, the group focused not on encouraging Christians to meet the material and spiritual needs of immigrants in their own communities, something few would object to, but on pushing them to lobby lawmakers for specific legislation,&rdquo; Basham <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/astroturfing-on-immigration-how-evangelical-leaders-betrayed-the-believers-they-claim-to-represent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in her bestselling book, <em>Shepherds for Sale.<\/em> In 2013, the EIT <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2013\/06\/gang-of-eight-sweeping-immigration-reform-bill-passes-senat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rallied<\/a> behind an immigration bill pushed by a group of senators who became known as the &ldquo;Gang of Eight.&rdquo; The bill would have &ldquo;granted amnesty to some 11 million illegal immigrants,&rdquo; as a Heritage Foundation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/border-security\/commentary\/conservative-pathway-immigration-reform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> pointed out at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the EIT condemns mass deportation of illegal aliens and <a href=\"https:\/\/evangelicalimmigrationtable.com\/restitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advocates<\/a> for granting &ldquo;a pathway to Legal Permanent Residency&rdquo; to eligible illegal border-crossers who pay a fine and admit to breaking the law. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/astroturfing-on-immigration-how-evangelical-leaders-betrayed-the-believers-they-claim-to-represent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Astroturfing On Immigration: How Evangelical Leaders Betrayed The Believers They Claim To Represent<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But the questionable nature of the EIT&rsquo;s advocacy doesn&rsquo;t end there. As Basham has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/megbasham\/status\/1911532569813729773\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> extensively, the EIT has ties to the National Immigration Forum, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/national-immigration-forum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leftist-aligned<\/a> 501(c)(3) that has been funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros&rsquo; Open Society Foundations. The Soros group <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170219114817\/http:\/soros.dcleaks.com\/download\/?f=\/oct%202015%20usp%20board%20book.pdf&amp;t=us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bragged<\/a> in a 2015 board document that &ldquo;In the course of our work, we were able to generate engagement by &hellip; some conservative voices, such as evangelical Christians and Southern Baptists through grantee National Immigration Forum.&rdquo; The EIT is, according to Basham, little more than a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/megbasham\/status\/1920865994064511287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">front group<\/a>&rdquo; for the Soros-funded NIF. And yet the ERLC was a founding member of the EIT and is still <a href=\"https:\/\/evangelicalimmigrationtable.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">listed<\/a> among its leadership organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether the ERLC still stands behind its support for Lee&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-value-guns-more-than-people-you-dont-know-debunking-colin-josts-ignorant-comments-on-gun-control\/\" title=\"Republicans \u2018Value Guns More Than People You Don\u2019t Know\u2019: Debunking Colin Jost\u2019s Ignorant Comments On ...\">red-flag law<\/a> and whether it plans to distance itself from the EIT, Leatherwood told The Federalist: &ldquo;While some may disagree with [SBC] resolutions or work to subvert them, we, as an entity that serves our churches, have no such luxury,&rdquo; adding that the ERLC&rsquo;s work &ldquo;is rooted in Scripture, reflective of the Baptist Faith and Message, and responsive to the will of our messengers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Southern Baptist Convention passed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbc.net\/resource-library\/resolutions\/on-gun-violence-and-mass-shootings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution<\/a> in 2018 condemning gun violence and calling on government officials &ldquo;to implement preventative measures that would reduce gun violence and mass shootings,&rdquo; but it also entreated legislators to do so &ldquo;in accordance with the Second Amendment&rdquo; and did not endorse specific legislative policies. In 2011, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbc.net\/resource-library\/resolutions\/on-immigration-and-the-gospel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution<\/a> was passed urging legislators to secure the border and implement &ldquo;a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country,&rdquo; a sentiment which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbc.net\/resource-library\/resolutions\/on-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revived<\/a> in a 2018 resolution. Neither one mentioned the Evangelical Immigration Table or how &ldquo;appropriate restitutionary measures&rdquo; should be defined.<\/p>\n<h2>Damage Control<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to its advocacy relating to gun control and immigration, the ERLC made the controversial decisions in 2016 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/erlcs-russell-moore-takes-heat-sbc-supporting-religious-freedom-muslims-build-mosque.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support<\/a> a legal effort to build a mosque in New Jersey, and in 2024 to use its platform to <a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/4.12.24-Ukraine-Letter-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urge<\/a> Congress to continue spending U.S. taxpayers&rsquo; dollars to fund war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>In March, Ohio Pastor John Michael LaRue called out the ERLC for <a href=\"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/concise\/missing-the-mark-a-pastors-loss-of-trust-in-the-erlc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">failing<\/a> to speak boldly against the Marxist rhetoric of critical race theory. Despite that omission, the commission has produced a plethora of articles about race on its website (including <a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/resource\/a-call-to-prayer-and-fasting-in-order-to-combat-racism-and-injustice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one<\/a> in June 2020 in which the author said &ldquo;George Floyd&rsquo;s blood speaks to me&rdquo;).<\/p>\n<p>Further complicating the ERLC&rsquo;s image is the behavior of Russell Moore, who led the ERLC as its president from 2013 to 2021. Moore now serves as the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, where he said nothing when the publication published a story right before Easter <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTmagazine\/status\/1913661384354664703\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">questioning<\/a> the biblical narrative that Jesus was crucified with nails.<\/p>\n<p>Moore was also strangely silent after the U.S. Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision to overturn its unconstitutional <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> ruling, a huge victory for the pro-life movement. The victory was due in large part to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s appointment of three justices who all sided with the majority, and observers who noticed Moore&rsquo;s silence <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/29\/russell-moore-wont-celebrate-dobbs-because-hed-have-to-admit-pro-trump-christians-are-good-at-loving-their-neighbors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wondered<\/a> if his hesitation to celebrate the decision was due to his disdain for Trump. When <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/29\/instead-of-praising-death-of-roe-v-wade-russell-moore-breaks-silence-to-trash-trump-and-his-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressed<\/a> on the <em>Dobbs<\/em> victory a month later, Moore&rsquo;s decision to criticize Trump (and by extension, his voters) failed to prove his critics wrong. Since exiting his post at the ERLC, Moore has made a name for himself <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5932014\/donald-trump-christian-supporters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criticizing<\/a> Trump and Christians who support him.<\/p>\n<p>Since last year&rsquo;s effort to disband the ERLC demonstrated many Southern Baptists&rsquo; loss of confidence, the commission has made a noticeable <a href=\"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/longform\/what-do-we-do-with-the-erlc-an-open-letter-to-southern-baptists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effort<\/a> to appear effective, which has included a recent bout of photographed meetings with members of Congress. When Sen. Katie Britt <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenKatieBritt\/status\/1922772284927783393\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted<\/a> photos of herself meeting with ERLC leaders earlier this month, her replies were filled with comments concerned that she was lending credibility to an organization that had lost it in the eyes of many of its constituents. <\/p>\n<p>The fact that the brief meeting was perceived by many as reflecting negatively on Sen. Britt indicates just how much damage has been done to the ERLC&rsquo;s reputation. The commission&rsquo;s recent visibility blitz indicates that its leaders are painfully aware of it.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Elle Purnell is the assignment editor at The Federalist. She has appeared on Fox Business and Newsmax, and her work has been featured by RealClearPolitics, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Independent Women&#8217;s Forum. She received her B.A. in government with a minor in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @_ellepurnell.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Baptist leaders criticize the ERLC ahead of June&#8217;s SBC meeting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1353,"featured_media":2440717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/moore.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36610,56196,25167,56195,56194],"class_list":["post-2440716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-church-leadership","tag-denominational-trust","tag-erlc","tag-faith-issues","tag-southern-baptists"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/moore.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2440716"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2440720,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440716\/revisions\/2440720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2440716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2440716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2440716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}