Russell Moore to Replace Richard Land as SBC's Ethics Chief

Ethics Daily ran my latest article today, which is titled "Russell Moore to Replace Richard Land as SBC's Ethics Chief." It covers the vote to select Moore to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. It also compares and contrasts Moore with Richard Land, the controversial figure he is replacing. It will be interesting to see if Moore offers a more moderating and civil tone than his predecessor. In an interview with Christianity Today, Moore put that as his goal:

I hope to speak with convictional kindness. ... I don't view people who disagree with me as my enemies or my opponents. I hope to speak with civility and with kindness and in dialogue with people with whom I disagree.

This is the way Christian communication should go (as I argued in my book For God's Sake, Shut Up!), especially as a witness in the combative realm of politics. Perhaps he is already demonstrating this. Later in the Christianity Today interview he was asked about a claim Land made regarding gay marriage leading to polygamy. Moore sidestepped the claim, refusing to take such a strident position. Over time we might see more times when Moore and Land split in tone.