By Will Hall NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—Trustees and the embattled president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission issued separate comments in a joint “Seeking Unity in the Southern Baptist Convention” statement published by Baptist Press, March 20. The combined official release, meant to sooth “tensions in our denomination over the state of American politics and the role of religion,” comes about three months after Moore issued an online article, “Election year thoughts at Christmastime,” to address criticisms; and, follows by about a month the actions taken by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention to form two committees -- one from members of the Cooperative Program committee and the other composed of the trustee officers -- to study actions by national entities that are causing churches to withhold support for national causes. THEN In the December statement issued just by Moore, he urged “after a divisive election” that readers “try to see where there are misunderstandings,” and he confessed to “one situation” when he was “pointed in my criticisms,” and described the target of his harsh words “a handful of political operatives” and apologized to “pastors and friends” who thought he was … [Read more...]