Forty years ago, the idea of seeing Roe v. Wade overturned in our lifetime was little more than a dream and a prayer. Those of us in the pro-life movement — including and especially Southern Baptists, through the work of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission — worked tirelessly to that end, but we did so without any assurance of seeing it come to fruition.
I had the privilege of serving as the head of the ERLC for 25 years (1988-2013), and I know from personal experience the critical difference the ERLC has made not just on the vital issue of life, but also on numerous other issues of tremendous importance to both American and Baptist life such as religious liberty and racial reconciliation.
The ERLC’s Southern Baptist Convention-mandated mission statement calls upon the Commission “to assist the churches by helping them 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 in cooperation with the churches and other Southern Baptist entities.”
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It is a divine assignment to assist and enable Southern Baptists to witness Gospel truth to the complex moral and ethical challenges confronting society today. It is difficult to place adequate value on the ability of the ERLC to help Southern Baptists provide their often uniquely biblical perspective on complex issues such as religious liberty and the sanctity of all human life.
I can say with confidence, based on much experience, that America will not get the issues surrounding religious liberty balanced correctly without significant Southern Baptist input. Likewise, if America grounds our protections for human life around utilitarianism rather than the imago dei, we will miss the mark.
As we prepare for our annual meeting next month, it appears that messengers will once again be asked whether they want an established, Convention-approved voice that speaks up on complex issues of life and religious liberty in our nation’s capital and helps our churches navigate the ethical conundrums of our day. In short: do we still need the ERLC?
In a word: yes! It would be a terrible mistake for the Convention to shutter the ERLC, whatever mechanism they may use to accomplish such an end.
I have often had people relate to me their disagreement with various positions taken by previous and present leaders of the ERLC, myself included. Such disagreements are inevitable, given the plethora of complex issues the ERLC is charged to help Southern Baptists navigate. The answer to such disagreements related to one of our entities is greater discussion and dialogue, not eliminating the entity altogether. Such a move would be analogous to amputating an arm to cure a hand infection.
It would be particularly tragic if the Convention were to use this present moment to end the ERLC’s ministry and abandon our outpost in the public square. Why?
Based on my several decades of experience in dealing with Southern Baptist public policy concerns, we currently have a more sympathetic and receptive audience among national and state-level appointed and elected officials than we have experienced in my adult lifetime. President Trump has shown himself to be perhaps the most pro-life president in our lifetime. The president has welcomed more evangelical Christians, both into his administration and as White House guests, than any administration in memory. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is not only a devout Southern Baptist, but served two terms as a valuable and active ERLC trustee.
How immeasurably sad it would be if we failed to “redeem” this particularly propitious moment (Ephesians 5:16) for good in the midst of the manifest evils facing our nation? And how ironic is it that while the current ERLC administration has prioritized defunding Planned Parenthood, some in our Convention want to defund the ERLC?
Many years ago, while still a college student, I came across the following statement from British historian and philosopher Edmund Burke (1729-1797): “History is a pact between the dead, the living, and the yet unborn.” That statement has stuck with me because of its timeless truth. As an American I am part of that covenant with an obligation to pass on our priceless heritage of freedom.
Burke’s statement is also true of Christianity. We have a sacred obligation to pass on our priceless spiritual heritage as Christians and as Baptists to the next generation. One of the most important tools to help us do just that is the ERLC. I pray that we will all embrace this precious resource and continue to employ it for our Lord’s Kingdom work.
This piece was originally published in the Baptist Press.
Dr. Richard Land, BA (Princeton, magna cum laude); D.Phil. (Oxford); Th.M (New Orleans Seminary). Dr. Land served as President of Southern Evangelical Seminary from July 2013 until July 2021. Upon his retirement, he was honored as President Emeritus and he continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Theology & Ethics. Dr. Land previously served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1988-2013) where he was also honored as President Emeritus upon his retirement. Dr. Land has also served as an Executive Editor and columnist for The Christian Post since 2011.
Dr. Land explores many timely and critical topics in his daily radio feature, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” and in his weekly column for CP.
