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BumRushDaShow

(158,623 posts)
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 08:41 AM Aug 2

'Good riddance': Top Baptist leader forced out by MAGA for not being 'aligned with Trump'

Source: Raw Story

August 1, 2025 8:59PM ET


On Thursday, July 31, Brent Leatherwood officially resigned from his position as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Leatherwood, in a press release, announced, "After nearly four years leading this institution, it is time to close this chapter of my life. It has been an honor to guide this Baptist organization in a way that has honored the Lord, served the churches of our Convention, and made this fallen world a little better."

Religion News Service's (RNS) Bob Smietana, reporting on Leatherwood's resignation, stresses that Leatherwood's last year at ERLC was "tumultuous" — and that he was often criticized by supporters of President Donald Trump who resented the fact that he wasn't overtly MAGA.

"Leatherwood, who took office in 2022 after serving as interim leader for a year, is the third ERLC president in a row to step down under fire," Smietana explains. "Like his predecessor Russell Moore, who stepped down in 2021, Leatherwood was criticized for not being in line with President Donald Trump's MAGA agenda. Critics also say the agency has been out of touch with local churches and has become too liberal on issues such as immigration. Those critics had called for Leatherwood's resignation.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/maga-baptist/

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
'Good riddance': Top Baptist leader forced out by MAGA for not being 'aligned with Trump' (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Aug 2 OP
For not being "American" enough and not being "Christian" enough. no_hypocrisy Aug 2 #1
Damn, Southern Baptist ethics will suffer due to this underpants Aug 2 #2
The SBC azureblue Aug 2 #10
ETHICS?!!? GiqueCee Aug 2 #16
Baptists have continued to fuel the right wing view of the bible...a view that is actually BComplex Aug 2 #21
Damn, this is so messed up FakeNoose Aug 2 #3
Confirmation of who the Southern Baptists REALLY worship as God Almighty. Paladin Aug 2 #4
Leatherwood was criticized for not being in line with President Donald Trump's MAGA agenda? patphil Aug 2 #5
Less than one mile from my home are two Southern Baptist churches LastDemocratInSC Aug 2 #12
They've revised their Holy Trinity lineup as... JHB Aug 2 #18
This line of his.. mwmisses4289 Aug 2 #6
Seems like a promising career opportunity for a bright young sociopath. Girard442 Aug 2 #7
So, to be of the Southern Baptist faith Farmer-Rick Aug 2 #8
One that sweeps their own sexual and pedophile scandals under the metaphorical rug? mwmisses4289 Aug 2 #14
With their established history of patriarchy and subservient women underpants Aug 2 #17
These people NJCher Aug 2 #9
And the sooner, the better. calimary Aug 2 #11
Where I grew up people didn't call it "being alligned" it was more like kissing or sucking something below the waist twodogsbarking Aug 2 #13
Do those people who pushed Leatherwood out know they are next? Biophilic Aug 2 #15
If MAGA christian nationalists ever had an inkling of Jesus, they would have known He is the GOAT embodiment of ancianita Aug 2 #19
So the Southern Baptists' god is the Orange Anus sakabatou Aug 2 #20
Ethics? The Southern Baptists split from the Baptists in 1845 because Bishops and Pastors kept enslaving people Marcuse Aug 2 #22
Because they ignore the real story of Sodom ...just a cult like the moonies JT45242 Aug 2 #23

no_hypocrisy

(52,733 posts)
1. For not being "American" enough and not being "Christian" enough.
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 08:48 AM
Aug 2

Same thing as not replacing Jesus with Donald Trump.

BComplex

(9,517 posts)
21. Baptists have continued to fuel the right wing view of the bible...a view that is actually
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 06:02 PM
Aug 2

contradicted by the actual life of the guy they claim to worship. The MEN who wrote the bible came out of the very group (the authoritarians) who keep doing leaps further to the right all the time.

FakeNoose

(38,335 posts)
3. Damn, this is so messed up
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 08:57 AM
Aug 2

Not that I'm a member of the Baptists, but still. I thought we Catholics were messed up, but I don't think something like this would ever happen in the Catholic church. Politics - especially MAGA politics - is ruining religions.

Paladin

(31,419 posts)
4. Confirmation of who the Southern Baptists REALLY worship as God Almighty.
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 08:58 AM
Aug 2

No surprise, whatsoever.

patphil

(8,167 posts)
5. Leatherwood was criticized for not being in line with President Donald Trump's MAGA agenda?
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 09:29 AM
Aug 2

As per Matthew 22:2, Jesus said:

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.

Looks like the Southern Baptists are stuck in the "render therefore unto Caesar" part of it.
Of course it could just mean that the Southern Baptist Convention now sees Trump as their god, since their ethics and religious liberty commission has been rendered unto MAGA.

LastDemocratInSC

(4,117 posts)
12. Less than one mile from my home are two Southern Baptist churches
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:06 AM
Aug 2

whose pastors resigned because they couldn't keep their pants on when meeting certain members of their congregations. And within 2 miles is another church whose new pastor was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention for years but resigned due to same clothing malfunction that affected the other two pastors.

Baptists love salacious scandals. They are the only interesting things in that culture.

JHB

(37,809 posts)
18. They've revised their Holy Trinity lineup as...
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:36 AM
Aug 2

Supply-Side Jesus,
Macho Jesus With Guns, and
God the Trump

mwmisses4289

(1,917 posts)
6. This line of his..
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 09:40 AM
Aug 2

"...and made this fallen world a little better.", cracked me up. Considering the various sexual and pedophile scandals and complete lack of ethics many of the SB leaders have shown, it's mind blowing how little self reflection is in that statement.

Farmer-Rick

(11,954 posts)
8. So, to be of the Southern Baptist faith
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 10:08 AM
Aug 2

You now have to be an idiot Trump supporter?

So you got to join the cult of the pedophiles in order to worship as a Southern Baptist now?

Geez, what kind of religion requires that you support a fascist Nazi in order to worship a god?

Just asking for a friend.

underpants

(192,325 posts)
17. With their established history of patriarchy and subservient women
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:36 AM
Aug 2

as well as the move to lower ages for marriage ……I know it’s a matter of degree but….

twodogsbarking

(15,184 posts)
13. Where I grew up people didn't call it "being alligned" it was more like kissing or sucking something below the waist
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:13 AM
Aug 2

Last edited Sat Aug 2, 2025, 03:20 PM - Edit history (1)

but they were more explicit in the description.

Biophilic

(6,000 posts)
15. Do those people who pushed Leatherwood out know they are next?
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:16 AM
Aug 2

The haters always find someone new to hate. Those who are jealous always find someone else to be jealous of. In the end there is nothing left except chaos.

ancianita

(41,441 posts)
19. If MAGA christian nationalists ever had an inkling of Jesus, they would have known He is the GOAT embodiment of
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:37 AM
Aug 2

liberal, liberty, diversity, equity, inclusion and woke, and they would never have become who they are -- worshippers of wealth & power (mammon) thus weaponizers of anti-Jesus lies so that money & politics prey on weak wills and sick souls. They are of that darkness that Joe Biden has spoken of.

Marcuse

(8,634 posts)
22. Ethics? The Southern Baptists split from the Baptists in 1845 because Bishops and Pastors kept enslaving people
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 06:22 PM
Aug 2

JT45242

(3,578 posts)
23. Because they ignore the real story of Sodom ...just a cult like the moonies
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 06:35 PM
Aug 2

The city was destroyed for mistreating the foreigner...period.

The twisted it to make it about gating gays.

They missed all the Jesus words about protecting the foreigners and wanderers.

The Southern Baptist denomination is now a cult like the Moonies.

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