Disclaimers: I have been friends with Ed and Kathy Litton for several years. I don’t know Al Mohler personally and have been critical of him in the past, primarily public statements he has made. Mike Stone was an acquaintance when I pastored in Georgia (where he also pastors), but I have not communicated with him in over a decade. To my knowledge, I do not know Randy Adams.
The Southern Baptist Convention meets in Nashville, TN next week to carry out business, hear reports from mission boards and seminaries, and elect its officers for the next year. I’ll be attending as a registered messenger.
Every two years (with the exception of 2020), the highlight of the convention’s business is the election of a new president. And, whilst I hate using phrases like “historic,” “important,” or “crucial” over something as mundane as the SBC presidency, 2021 feels different from recent years, as far as the presidential election goes. The Convention is fractured along at least two major lines: racial reconciliation, and whether and how the SBC will handle sexual abuse.
I will vote for Ed Litton because I believe he is the best person to address these issues wisely, compassionately, and led by God’s Spirit.
Ed is a local-church pastor and he is a pastor’s pastor. He has served Redemption Church in Mobile (Saraland), AL for 27 years. He’s been faithful and consistent in denominational life for decades. He’s pro-Jesus, pro-SBC, pro-mission, and pro-relationships. He’s earned respect across the SBC at every level.
Specific to the fractures weakening the denominational limbs, Ed has been involved for a long time with racial reconciliation efforts in Mobile. He’s respected by minority pastors locally and across the SBC. All the minority pastors I’ve talked to express hope that Ed will be elected.
Ed won’t hesitate to address the lingering problems and lagging progress on sexual abuse in the SBC. He’s not the kind of guy who ignores the suffering of others for political gain or the amassing of power.
No to entity heads as SBC president
My lack of support for Southern Seminary president Al Mohler (sorry, here) has nothing to do with his theology, though I prefer people-loving to culture-warring. I simply do not believe the SBC president’s office should be occupied by any sitting head of an SBC institution. Dual presidency is not something Southern Baptists should embrace. While it has happened in the past, it is thankfully rare, and, frankly, should be abandoned. The SBC has more than enough qualified pastors—and even lay folks—who can serve as president without resorting to someone who draws their salary and benefits from the Cooperative Program.
My objection is not about Mohler personally. I don’t believe Danny Akin, Jamie Dew, Ronnie Floyd, Jason Allen, Jeff Iorg, Kevin Ezell, Paul Chitwood, Adam Greenway, Ben Mandrell, or OS Hawkins should run for the presidency either or accept it if offered by acclamation. “If chosen I will not run and if elected I will not serve” should be stamped on their employment contracts.
The inherent conflict of interests (the SBC president makes appointments that can affect the selection of trustees for his own institution) aside, the presidency is not a Lifetime Achievement Award. In the case of Al Mohler, who hosts a widely consumed daily podcast, is a prolific writer, and often makes media appearances, it consolidates the public voice of the SBC into a single set of vocal cords. In the eyes of the public, such a person is the SBC with no other contour seen.
This amount of bishop-like influence in a single person is not a good proposition for our grassroots, non-hierarchical convention of churches.
No to the Pirates of Ponchartrain
While other ignominious issues can be raised concerning Georgia pastor Mike Stone—his role on the ad-hoc committee that investigated the ERLC and his role in the mishandling of a very public case of sexual abuse involving a Southern Seminary professor and his victim—Stone’s involvement with a group that mistakes the whole gospel for a liberal drift is by itself enough to lose my vote. Stone’s promulgation of the “CRT boogeyman” trope more than seals the deal.
Like candidate Ed Litton, Stone would claim to be an heir of the Conservative Resurgence. Unlike Litton, Stone seems to think the “Conservative” in CR is not conservative enough, hence his involvement as a leader in the Conservative Baptist Network. Litton speaks as if the Conservative Resurgence reached its aim. Stone speaks as if the Southern Baptist ship can only go starboard and evermore starboard.
Stone is on the Steering Committee of the CBN, a wedge-group of Southern Baptists who former (because fired) Southwestern Seminary president Paige Patterson helped organize in 2020. The CBN, under the guise of bringing together conservative Southern Baptists, has publicly attacked conservative Southern Baptists like J.D. Greear and Danny Akin.
The CBN cannot unify the SBC, nor can Mike Stone. The CBN is the LEGO block a sleepy SBC stepped on barefoot in the wee hours of the morning. That some of their number have adopted a pirate flag as their emblem and #taketheship as their motto leaves little doubt as to their aim.
No to Randy Adams
Randy Adams is the current Executive-Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention. His primary issue is to force transparency on SBC entities, with an aim at the North American Mission Board. While I support transparency from all our entities and also oppose “self-dealing, top-down centralized strategies and broken partnerships” as much as the next Southern Baptist, Adams’s concerns are too limited given the issues facing the SBC today. That said, if for some reason you cannot support Ed Litton, vote for Adams.
Here are two videos featuring Ed Litton. The first was released when he announced that he would run. The second, released yesterday, addresses how he will lead if elected. Ed is good for the SBC and I will gladly cast my vote for him.
