There have been a number of people in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump who have spoken with disdain regarding [Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president] Russell Moore being a “never Trumper.”
Let me begin by saying that I chose to vote for president-elect Trump because of several issues, primarily because of his commitment to nominate pro-life Supreme Court justices.
Secondly, Russell Moore is a friend, and I have a deep affection and admiration for him. But on this issue we disagreed in a pointed fashion, and we had a thoroughgoing conversation regarding this disagreement.
I think that in God’s kind providence Russell Moore has represented Southern Baptists and evangelical interests with incredible grace and dignity in Washington, and it is my prayer that he would continue in that position for many years to come. I admire Russell for several reasons:
1. He has a unique and winsome ability to communicate biblical concerns to a broad audience in a pointed and gracious fashion.
2. He thinks well and he thinks in a deep and embracive fashion regarding a plethora of cultural issues that affect a biblical world and life view.
3. He and his wife, Maria, live out the reality of Christ in the way they love one another and nurture and embrace their numerous children to the glory of God.
4. In my conversations with him, I find him to be approachable, kind and earnest, even when we disagree. He shows a marked humility and a reasonable spirit (which I believe will serve him well in the corridors of power in our nation’s capital).
5. He is a man of biblical and principled integrity and shows a marked degree of courage.
For these and other reasons, I applaud Russell Moore and I am thankful for his leadership in the ERLC. May the Lord sustain him and empower him to represent the reality of Christ and to communicate the good news of the gospel for many years to come.
C. Buster Brown
Senior Pastor
East Cooper Baptist Church
Mt. Pleasant, S.C.