A few weeks ago, I got sucked in to watching the current reboot of the old game show “To Tell the Truth.” In one round, one of the three panelists trying to persuade the celebrities that he was the person being described told in the reveal that he used to work as an undercover law enforcement operative. It had been a matter of life and death for him to know who was lying and who was telling the truth. Then they went to the next round, but after the celebrities made their guesses, they brought back the undercover guy to get his guess and what clues gave away the imposters. I was fascinated as he was right on the money.
Dr. Russell Moore has been the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) since 2013. Dr. Moore tends to be a polarizing figure in SBC life - many people are fans and many others are definitely not. Last month, he announced that he would be resigning from the ERLC. Within days of this announcement and within only a couple of weeks of the SBC’s annual meeting, two letters written by Moore were “leaked.” These letters were both highly critical of some other SBC leaders, one of which is a current candidate for the SBC presidency. Those that Moore is accusing in his letters, primarily Mike Stone, have responded with flat denials. Others have come along to corroborate Moore’s version. This was then followed by those who expressed affirmation of Stone’s narrative as well as his character.
So who is telling the truth? Honestly, I have no idea. I wish I had the skills of the law enforcement operative.
There are those that have pointed out that the accusatory letter puts Moore in a precarious spot. Moore makes allegations that Stone and others are actively working to cover up sexual abuse within the SBC. If his accusations are true, then besides what he may have said internally within the ERLC, he would effectively be complicit in the cover-up. In the months that this has supposedly been an issue, rather than standing up against evil deeds or making the issue publicly known, he sat on it and looked for his next job. And if the accusations are not true, well, obviously that’s not an ethical position either.
So why was the letter released, then? If you ignore the conundrum it puts Moore in, it actually carries a couple of big benefits for Moore. First, for those inclined to be fans, he looks like a hero, championing the cause of the sexually abused. This is a great way for him to enter into his next position, writing for Christianity Today. And second, he gets to stick it to his political enemies on his way out the door.
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