Aaron Weaver challenges the self-perception of Richard Land, the evaluation of Land’s good friend Paige Patterson, and suggests Dr. land will continue to wage an inconsistent culture war.
On Land’s record of racial reconciliation Weaver concludes,
Despite the wishful thinking of devoted friend Paige Patterson, Land will not be remembered as a great racial reconciler—his record on race issues will be forever sullied. If Southern Baptists are honest with themselves they will recognize that racial reconciliation is not his legacy and never has been. In his 2005 study of Land, Andrew Hogue politely pointed out that not one of Land’s twenty employees was African-American—as late as 2009, the highest ranking African-American at the SBC headquarters in Nashville was the head janitor. While passing a racial reconciliation resolution was clearly a top priority for Land, there is little proof that actual racial justice was anywhere near the top of his agenda.
What will the future of the ERLC hold? Time will tell.
Thinking about Land’s 2002 letter giving sanction to the invasion of Iraq under Just War theory. THAT should be Land’s legacy and it is something that the SBC should repent of.
Alan,
And, that the Just War Theory became the “text” in support of an idea. Sounds like another conversation we have been involved in recently.