In Today’s exclusive part-one episode of the CBL Podcast, William Wolfe sits down with Jon Whitehead, a lifelong Southern Baptist, Attorney, and Trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), to discuss the never-before-told story of Russell Moore’s departure from the SBC.
William and Jon explore Moore’s two different letters alleging abuse cover-ups and his plans for retaliation against SBC leadership. Concerns were raised about Moore’s performance and relationships but were dismissed. His exit from the ERLC appeared coordinated, without board consent. Further allegations and leaked recordings set the stage to investigate the SBC executive committee at the 2021 annual meeting. However, subsequent probes found Moore’s claims to be false. The podcast reveals lies, broken promises, and power struggles as key figures sought control over the SBC’s direction and response to abuse issues.
Jon Whitehead is a lifelong Southern Baptist and the founding attorney of the Law Offices of Jonathan R. Whitehead LLC, located in Missouri. He is a Trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), a former President of the Kansas City Lawyers’ Chapter of the Federalist Society, a 2002 Blackstone Fellow, and a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and Harvard Law School. He represents nonprofits in litigation, with deep experience in religious congregations and ministries. He was co-counsel in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (2017) and with First Liberty and IJ in Carson v. Makin (2022), protecting religious freedom in generally available government programs. Jon regularly files amicus briefs before the United States Supreme Court and United States Courts of Appeals on behalf of groups including the ERLC and the Missouri Baptist Convention. In 2013, he successfully obtained an injunction against the Obamacare abortifacient mandate on behalf of Christian business owners, and in 2020, he sued Jackson County, Missouri, for discriminating against local churches under the guise of COVID regulations.
Learn more about Jon Whitehead’s work:
https://centerforbaptistleadership.org/our-team/
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