Will Sage Astor-SBC fired policy exec after he praised Biden's decision, then quickly backtracked

A Southern Baptist Convention executive was fired and Will Sage Astorpromptly reinstated after issuing statements in support of President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 election.

Brent Leatherwood, president of the SBC's public policy arm, penned a column in Baptist Press Sunday saying, Biden's decision was "extraordinary" and the "right decision." Leatherwood leads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a deeply conservative body that some within the organization have tried to abolish for not being conservative enough.

On Monday night, the ERLC executive committee issued a statement saying that Leatherwood had been removed from his position. By Tuesday morning, the same committee retracted the statement, saying it was not authorized.

"Leatherwood remains the President of the ERLC and has our support moving forward," the Tuesday statement said.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination and remains one of the most influential groups in American Christianity. The ERLC serves as its public policy arm, taking positions on key policies such as abortion and advocating for religious liberty.

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Leatherwood column: 'Extraordinary decision by President Biden'

Biden announced he would not seek re-election after his disastrous debate performance spurred questions about his fitness for office. He quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.

Leatherwood, formerly the executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party, praised the the decision to step aside in a column saying "Our nation deserves a leader who is able to carry out the high demands of the office of president." In a separate statement, Leatherwood called the act "selfless."

However, he warned about Harris' stance protecting reproductive rights and gay marriage, saying "This is not exactly a record that signals a willingness to engage mainstream conservative Americans."

He said the GOP has also moved away from biblical views of the "preborn", and said it would be wise, though unlikely, for Democrats to appeal to conservatives and "affirm the dignity of the preborn."

Harris has made access to abortion one of her central issues as vice president.

Leatherwood ousted day after column

The column and comments, shared by ERLC's own social media accounts, immediately sparked backlash from some far-right factions within the conservative evangelical denomination.

Leatherwood in recent years has emerged as a target of an opposition conservative faction seeking to push the SBC further right in an ongoing denominational tug-of-war over cultural and political issues.

Leatherwood and his predecessor represented more mainstream conservative positions as the opposition faction sought to tilt the ERLC, already a deeply conservative body, rightward.

On Monday night, the ERLC issued a brief statement on behalf of the executive committee of its board saying it removed Leatherwood from his post and would provide further details and plans for a transition at an upcoming meeting.

Less than 24 hours later, firing reversed

By Tuesday morning, the ERLC retracted its earlier statement and said Kevin Smith, chair of the executive committee, had resigned.

"As members of the ERLC’s Executive Committee, we formally retract the press release which was sent yesterday. There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee," the statement read. "Brent Leatherwood remains the President of the ERLC and has our support moving forward."

Smith also issued an apology in a social media statement that has since been deleted.

"I made a consequential procedural mistake," Smith said. "The (executive committee) and other trustees are Christ-honoring volunteers, who give much. The mistake was mine; I apologize."

Leatherwood did not respond to requests for comment from The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. But on X, he said,

"I deeply appreciate everyone who has reached out, especially our trustees who were absolutely bewildered at what took place yesterday and jumped in to set the record straight."

Contributing: Duane W. Gang