Will the SBC Fire Russell Moore Over Trump Dissent?

While many Christian leaders eventually rallied around then-candidate Donald Trump, Russell Moore stayed firmly in the #NeverTrump camp. 

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s political position caused 100 churches to threaten to pull their funds from the SBC umbrella organization.

Executive Committee President Frank S. Page met with Moore this week to discuss the growing complaints, but did not demand a resignation.

“We met as colleagues committed to the same priorities of proclaiming the Gospel to every man, woman, boy and girl while also addressing biblical and gospel issues on a wide range of topics to a culture that seems to have lost its way—issues ranging from religious liberty and racial reconciliation to kingdom diversity and the sanctity of human life from the womb to the grave,” the duo said in a joint statement. 

“We deepened our friendship and developed mutual understanding on ways we believe will move us forward as a network of churches. We fully support one another and look forward to working together on behalf of Southern Baptists in the years to come. We will collaborate on developing future steps to deepen connections with all Southern Baptists as we work together to advance the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Page and Moore said. 

Moore boldly decried Trump for many of the candidate’s positions, including Trump’s perspective on Middle Eastern refugees.

Moore penned an op-ed in The New York Times and made an appearance on Face the Nation in which he called Trump’s campaign “reality television moral sewage.” 

But for now, Moore is still the head of the ERLC. {eoa}