The ERLC announced today that they have hired Steven Harris as the “Director of Advocacy” for the entity’s Washington DC office.
In this role, Harris will work with government leaders in the legislative and executive branches to advocate for the ERLC’s position on important issues. He will also analyze legislation and produce content for ERLC outlets.
In the press release, the ERLC includes glowing recommendations from both Mark Dever and Thabiti Anyabwile.* Harris, in fact, has blogged for Dever’s 9 Marks (but if you follow the asterisk at the end of the last sentence, you’ll see why Dever’s recommendation isn’t enough for us not to be curious as the political perspective of Moore’s new hire).
We decided to look into exactly who Steven Harris was, considering the socially-progressive trajectory of the ERLC. To explain why we’re incredulous when it comes to Moore, the following list is just a dose of what the P&P has covered in regards to the not-so-slow left turn upon which Moore is taking the ERLC.
Response to Russell Moore’s Flawed ‘Evangelical Declaration on Marriage’
Douglas Wilson’s Glorious Response to Russell Moore’s Racial Grandstanding
‘Moore’ Fellowship With Darkness
Douglas Wilson Schools, Scolds Russell Moore
Russell Moore Says He is Unsure of Difference Between His and Pope’s Gospel Focus
Why Russell Moore’s Race Fixation Sits Uneasy With Us
Russell Moore Gets a Head Pat and Hand Smack from Douglas Wilson
Russell Moore Summoned to Vatican, Happily Wags Tail
Russell Moore Dodges Question About Jesus Being an Illegal Alien
Southern Baptists, Tear Down These Buildings
The Problem with Ecumenism and Interfaith Coalitions
A Great Commission Suggestion: Pink Slip the ERCL (by Dave Miller)
ERLC Employee Warns Us, Don’t Start a Watchblog – EVER!
Sychophant to Colleague: How the SBC Bureaucracy Works
The SBC: A Denomination in Tatters
Ferguson and the Soft Bigotry of America’s Leading Evangelicals
Southern Baptists Embrace Gay Community
Stevn Harris was pastoral assistant at Consolidated Baptist Church, where he remains a member. The Consolidated Baptist Church is a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The Progressive National Baptist Convention is a denomination founded upon and focused upon the precepts of “social justice.” The convention supports liberal activist groups like the NAACP and ordains female clergy. The PNBC website says that its goals are to…
New generations of Progressive Baptists are continuing the struggle for full voter registration, education and participation in society, economic empowerment and development, and the realization of universal human rights and total human liberation for all people.
Churches from this denomination have been replete with scandal, sin and compromise on social issues. A quick Google search would reveal the depth of the theological and moral problems of churches associated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The organization has refused to take a stance on homosexuality. In fact, the SBC overwhelmingly voted to sever ties in 2004 with the Baptist World Alliance over theological concerns, in part, like those espoused by BWA member denomination, the PNBC.
Harris regularly attended TD Jakes’ Word-of-Faith, Properity and Social Gospel church, The Potter’s House, while attending seminary at Dallas Theological (thankfully, he has since criticized the church and Jakes’ ministry in a review of one of his books).
In recent days, Harris has Canerized his Twitter and sermon audio. All has been scrubbed, just prior to the ERLC’s announcement of his hire. Perhaps that’s because of his speaking engagements with very socially-progressive ‘Christian’ organizations, sharing the stage often with female clergy and other very liberal clergy members.
Harris is a graduate of Southern Seminary and seems to be – at least through 9 Marks – affiliated with Dever. As Dever was instrumental in the hiring of Moore at the ERLC, this may be a mutually scratched back scenario (or maybe not). Regardless of Harris graduating from a conservative seminary and having some kind of relationship with Dever, he’s a member and staff-person of a socially-progressive, politically-liberal, social-gospel church.
In other words, it sounds like he’ll fit in great at the ERLC.
[Contributed by JD Hall]
*An Aside: Troublingly, as Moore is losing more and more confidence from conservative Christians regarding his social stances and ecumenism, he seems increasingly flanked by the support of Mark Dever. Dever’s church members – serving as trustees of the ERLC and with his advisement – were pivotal in the selection of Moore to head up the ERLC. Regardless of what Dever feels he has invested in Moore, we pray that Dever figures him out soon]
