The ERLC and the Cooperative Program

This e-book written by Alex Ward shares how the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention has guided the advocacy work of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for over 75 years. Below is a message from ERLC President Brent Leatherwood:

In 2019, Dr. Paul Miller, a leading conservative intellectual and professor at Georgetown University, led a research initiative for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission that examined how faith interacts with public policy and political preferences. The study came back with some surprising results that confirmed what many suspect about the state of the discourse in our nation right now. Those who were interviewed used telling words to describe our current public square: caustic, toxic, ignorant, and corrosive.

Of course, throughout history, the public square has always been a boisterous, noisy, and even dangerous place. In ancient Greece, the agora was an open, public space where politicians and merchants mingled with the citizenry. In mid-1800s
Illinois, town squares around the state hosted what is arguably the greatest series of debates in American history: the Lincoln-Douglas debates. More recently, and tragically, Tiananmen Square in China is the spot where the Communist Chinese government snuffed out the public demonstrations for freedom so many of that country’s citizens are still aching for today.

More broadly, the public square has come to be known as nearly any setting where ideas can be traded and debated. Obviously, in the 21st century, our public square not only encompasses marbled halls of decision-making but also the digital realm with websites, messaging applications, and social media platforms. With the advent of those technologies, effectively giving any individual a megaphone, it is understandable one would think our public square is being buffeted by some unique forces. While I am skeptical this is a new phenomena (after all, even in the times of yesteryear, any individual could grab a soapbox and make a speech or a spectacle), one thing is undoubtedly true: Navigating this chaotic environment is a challenge.

Whether we are discussing an individual or an organization, successfully engaging the public square requires several traits––fixed principles that are abided by and a consistent voice that engages the topics that matter. Why are these essential? Because they are necessary in order to cut through the noise and commotion.

As I survey the last 75 years of the Cooperative Program-powered advocacy of this Commission, I would submit we have exhibited those traits all along the way. In fact, that has been the throughline of the work of this entity for that timeframe.
It is a history that every Southern Baptist can not only appreciate but can take credit for. The accomplishments and work of this Commission represents a shared achievement for any member who has ever put forth an offering of any size at his
or her SBC church.

I can say this with confidence because of the multitude of examples that are covered in these pages. Our Great Commission work, based on the unchanging principles of human dignity and religious freedom, spans generations. These principles spring forth from both the Scripture and the Baptist Faith and Message and serve as the anchor for our activities––and have now for 75 years.

You see it when you read through the instrumental and countercultural work of Dr. Foy Valentine who, as one obituary wrote of his efforts, was “tireless and courageous (in) helping Southern Baptists see racism as a spiritual issue.” One cannot help but notice it when you read through the valiant ways Dr. Richard Land led this Commission to be a foremost voice for the dignity of every preborn life (Psalm 139) and welcoming those seeking to enter this nation (Matthew 25) to pursue a better life. In more recent years, this same spirit has been evident in Dr. Russell Moore’s leadership
in defense of God’s first institution of marriage (Genesis 2) and his willingness to call the convention to combat the scourge of sexual abuse.

Our Baptist principles have also underpinned less high-profile initiatives that have been advanced over the years. In my own time serving at this entity, the examples are too numerous to count. We have led discussions with the U.S. State Department about confronting the Chinese government for its heinous treatment of the Uyghur people; been cited by the majority in a consequential U.S. Supreme Court opinion that affirms the hiring authority unique to churches and religious organizations free from government interference; and are driving toward the placement of 50 life-saving ultrasound machines in America and beyond. In all of this activity, we eagerly anticipate that the Lord may be using any conversations we have as a pathway to sharing the gospel with whomever we are engaging.

Ultimately, this brief volume could never adequately present all the substantive work (including all that took place prior to this Commission becoming a CP-funded entity) that has been accomplished on behalf of Southern Baptists over the last 75
years. Perhaps, someday, some enterprising young scholar will make it the focus of his or her doctoral work.

The content of these pages should be viewed through the lens of gratitude; gratitude from this organization to our churches for allowing the present staff, and those who came before us, to be able to do this unique kingdom-advancing work. I choose the word gratitude purposefully because, underlying it, is joy (Romans 15:13). In the oft-times obnoxious public square we operate in, full of self-interested politicians, professional grifting organizations, hostile actors, and algorithms that promote outrage, our joy is truly a trait that sets us apart.

So, just as it has for the last 75 years, that spirit will continue to animate our work as ambassadors for Christ, being sent by a convention of churches that wants to implore the world to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5). That is a message that will carry forth in any public square, no matter the clatter.

F. Brent Leatherwood
ERLC President