Ep. 376: The SBC’s Reversal on Brent Leatherwood, First Baptist Dallas, Life Surge Conferences

On today’s program, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention—fired its president Brent Leatherwood this week…then less than 12 hours later reversed course and said he was NOT fired. We’ll have details. Also, Life Surge wealth conferences draw big audiences with its celebrity speaker lineup and wealth-building tools…we’re taking a closer look to see if it’s delivering on its promises. And, New York Theological Seminary closed its doors earlier this month—famous alumni include religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and author of the Message, Eugene Peterson. But first, the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas, was engulfed in flames last week. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Bob Smietana, John Stonestreet, Timothy Padgett, Kim Roberts, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Breakpoint and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you. COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT BELOW: FIRST SEGMENT   Warren Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha  And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. And we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren On today’s program, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention—fired its president Brent Leatherwood this week…then less than 12 hours later reversed course and said he was NOT fired. We’ll have details. Also, Life Surge wealth conferences draw big audiences with its celebrity speaker lineup and wealth-building tools…we’re taking a closer look to see if it’s delivering on its promises. And, New York Theological Seminary closed its doors earlier this month—famous alumni include religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and author of the Message, Eugene Peterson. Natasha But first, the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas, was engulfed in flames last week. Warren: A fire all but destroyed the historic church sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas, thankfully there were no deaths or injuries. The fire in the Texas Historic Landmark, church built in 1890, was reported about 6:30 p.m. Friday, and contained about three hours later. Natasha: Do we know what started the fire? Warren: Interim Fire Chief Justin Ball said the fire started in the basement, but until they do an investigation we won’t know. Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress said, “We are grateful that no one was injured…We just had 2,000 children and volunteers on campus for Vacation Bible School earlier in the day.” “We thank the Dallas Fire Department and Dallas Police Department for their quick action, courage, and ongoing aid,” Jeffress added. Natasha: Next, the SBC reverses course. Warren: In a head-scratching turn of events, the executive board of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm now says its leader has not been fired. On Monday evening (July 22), the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission announced Brent Leatherwood, the group’s president, had been fired — a day after he praised President Joe Biden for ending his reelection bid. Less than 12 hours later, the ERLC’s executive committee issued a new statement on Tuesday, saying Leatherwood would remain in leadership. Natasha: What happened? Warren: The committee said ERLC board chair Kevin Smith had acted on his own in announcing that Leatherwood was fired. Smith, a former seminary professor and denominational administrator who currently pastors a church in Florida, has resigned as ERLC chair, according to the statement. “There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee,