ERLC Podcast

Over the past few months, the ERLC has actively called on Congress and the administration to take decisive action to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider responsible for nearly 400,000 abortions annually. In March, the ERLC hosted its first pastor advocacy trip where ERLC staff and Southern Baptist pastors hand-delivered 10,000 signatures for the ERLC’s campaign to defund Planned Parenthood to Senator Lankford’s and Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s offices. The group also met with Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. Ted Cruz and James Lankford, and others, giving them on-the-ground experience with life in D.C. and a better understanding of how the work that the ERLC does matters to the mission of our churches. Today, you’ll hear from Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, as he shares more about how pastors are helping to amplify the voice of Southern Baptists to elected officials on issues concerning the protection and dignity of preborn lives.  You’ll also hear from Ben Bolin, pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was on the trip and has served in Christian ministry for 20 years.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

In a time of intense political polarization, finding examples of faith-informed leadership that brings people together rather than pushing them apart can feel rare. That’s why today's conversation between Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and Republican Sen. James Lankford from Oklahoma offers such a refreshing perspective on how Christian faith can shape public service.Before serving in Congress, Sen. Lankford worked with students and families for more than 20 years in ministry. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2010 and has served as a US Senator since 2014. Senator Lankford,  is a native of Oklahoma where he lives with his wife and two daughters and is a member of a Southern Baptist church. Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

At the ERLC, our goal is to serve our Southern Baptist churches in the public square. As you have heard throughout this series about our work in Washington D.C., having a presence and a voice in our nation’s capital allows us to speak up, for, and from our Southern Baptist churches before various audiences. In previous episodes, we have broken down how that work covers all three branches of government and some of the specific ways we seek to engage those arenas. Today, our focus turns to the work of the ERLC’s Research team and how they support and undergird the work of the ERLC Policy team. Joining us is Rashan Frost. RaShan serves as the ERLC director of research and senior fellow focused on issues of human dignity. He is the teaching pastor of Centerpoint Church in North Charleston, South Carolina, and is an adjunct professor of Christian Studies at Charleston Southern University. Frost earned his doctor of philosophy in theology with a concentration in public theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is active in denominational leadership, serving with the Charleston Baptist Association of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

The ERLC’s presence in our nation’s capital allows us to speak up, for, and from our Southern Baptist churches before various audiences. In our previous episodes, we’ve covered the executive and judicial branches, demonstrating the need for Christians’ involvement in the various facets of our government because policies have real-world effects on all of us. Today, our focus turns to the legislative branch.To help us better understand the legislative branch and why our involvement matters is David Closson. David serves as the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council. He researches and writes on life, human sexuality, religious liberty, and related issues from a biblical worldview. David is a Ph.D. candidate in Christian Ethics at Southwestern Seminary. He received his M.Div. and Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his B.A. in political science from the University of Central Florida. David lives in the Washington, D.C. area and is a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

The ERLC’s presence in our nation’s capital allows us to speak up, for, and from our Southern Baptist churches before various audiences, including our federal government leaders. In our last episode, we learned about how the ERLC interacts with the executive branch. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the judicial branch of government and learn about the importance of advocating for the fundamental rights and liberties that are so important to Southern Baptists. To help us better understand this branch, why we should care about it, and how organization like the ERLC interact with the courts are Lathan Watts and Palmer Williams. Lathan Watts serves as vice president of public affairs for Alliance Defending Freedom. Watts represents ADF at external events, conferences, press conferences, and in the media. Prior to joining ADF, Watts spent nearly 20 years in various roles within the political, public policy, and non-profit sectors. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi and his Bachelor of Arts in history from Harding University.Palmer Williams is general counsel for the ERLC. She specializes in legal and policy analysis related to international human rights, sanctity of life, and government affairs. As a licensed attorney specializing in international law, she has extensive experience advocating for human rights on the international stage, including at the United Nations. She earned her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and Community Development from Vanderbilt University.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

The ERLC’s presence in our nation’s capital allows us to speak up, for, and from our Southern Baptist churches before various audiences. More specifically, we’re able to interact with the executive branch of our federal government, advocating for policies that positively affect issues Southern Baptists care about and pushing back against harmful policies that violate our biblical convictions. To help us better understand the executive branch, why Christians should care about this part of our government, and how organizations interact with it is Rachel Morrison. Rachel is a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where she directs EPPC’s Administrative State Accountability Project. As an attorney, her legal and policy work focuses on religious liberty, health care rights of conscience, the right to life, nondiscrimination, and civil rights. She is also a member of an SBC church. Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

The ERLC operates out of two locations—Nashville, as our home base, and Capitol Hill, where we’ve had a permanent presence for 31 years. Our work in D.C. is focused on making the voice of Southern Baptists heard in the public policy space. We do this by regularly working with lawmakers, coalition partners, and like-minded organizations to increase our influence and maintain the stance of our SBC churches, shape the cultural debates of the day, provide pastors with information they need, and equip the SBC to stand for truth in their communities. On today’s episode, we’re talking with Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, Hannah Daniel, ERLC’s director of public policy, and Allison Cantrell, senior policy associate for the ERLC, to get a better idea of the important work your ERLC does in the public square.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

Throughout our marriage and family podcast series, we’ve looked at our society’s gender confusion and how it’s affecting our children, especially in schools. We’ve also heard about an important Supreme Court case that involves protecting our children from “gender transition” medical interventions. In order to hold fast to God’s good design for marriage, family, and sexuality, it’s important to understand some of the underlying problems with how our society views these fundamental realities. Joining us today to talk about this is Dr. Gregg Allison. Dr. Allison is a senior fellow in Marriage and Family for the ERLC Research Institute. He also serves as professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to that, he taught theology and church history at Western Seminary in Oregon. He is an author and has 18 years of ministry experience at Campus Crusade as well as serving as a missionary in Italy and Switzerland. He is a member at his church in Kentucky.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

Part of the mission of the ERLC is to assist churches by helping fellow Baptists understand the moral demands of the gospel. We also apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy. One of the ways we fulfill this mission is by partnering with like-minded individuals, churches, and institutions across the Southern Baptist Convention to produce work that is accessible and applicable to both the layperson and the scholar. Today, we’ll highlight two instances of cooperation in the area of gender and sexuality issues. The first involves our resource, “God’s Good Design: A Practical Guide for Answering Gender Confusion.” The second involves our public policy advocacy with the Baptist Convention of Iowa. Together, we signed onto an amicus brief in defense of parental rights.We’ll talk to Dane Hays, family pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Decatur, AL, about the “Gender Guide.” Dane has served in counseling and discipleship for over 20 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology from UAB and a Masters of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he studied biblical counseling and theology.You’ll also hear from Tim Lubinus, the executive director of the Baptist Convention of Iowa, about the amicus brief. Prior to his current role, Tim was a missions pastor and served overseas on the mission field with the International Mission Board. He received a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.

As Christians, we know that God’s design for raising children is in the context of a home with a loving father and mother—and he gave parents the responsibility to raise their children in accordance with His Word. This may seem obvious, but our society is increasingly pushing back against God’s design by undermining “parental rights.” While in a fallen world parents don’t always seek what is best for their children and should be held accountable by God-given authorities, in most cases, moms and dads should be able raise their children according to their deeply held beliefs, ensuring their children are protected from things like the harmful effects of radical ideas about gender and sexuality.So, why and how are parental rights being brought up at the Supreme Court this term in a case titled United States v. Skrmetti? On today’s episode, you’ll hear from two lawyers—Matt Sharp and Kayla Toney—who are well acquainted with these legal challenges and how they are related to radical gender ideology. Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF’s team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life.Sharp has also worked on important cases advancing religious freedom and free speech. He earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.Kayla Toney is Associate Counsel with First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights for clients of all faiths. Prior to joining First Liberty, Kayla litigated religious freedom cases as a Constitutional Law Fellow at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. She clerked for Judge Gregory E. Maggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Kayla also worked as a litigation associate.Kayla earned her law degree from George Washington University. A native of Michigan, Kayla is based in First Liberty’s Washington, D.C. office and is licensed to practice law in Virginia and D.C.Listen to more episodes of The ERLC Podcast at erlc.com/podcast.