The public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention is based in Nashville with another office in Washington. But the denomination has announced plans to also set up shop in the Middle East, where church officials say parts of the region have become “killing fields” for Christians.
The official name of the Baptist organization setting up a Middle East outpost is the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. A
nd right now, agency president Russell Moore says the real work for religious liberty needs to be done, “where our father Abraham and brother Paul once walked.”
“We must act,” Moore said at last week’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. “We must contend for religious freedom for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for everyone else wherever they are on the globe.”
The ERLC focuses primarily on defending Baptist beliefs, but it also advocates for the protection of all religious minorities. For instance, in the U.S., the organization applauded a Supreme Court decision allowing a Muslim prisoner to keep his beard and filed a
friend of the court brief for a Muslim woman who was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch store based on her headscarf.
Southern Baptists aren’t disclosing where they will locate for security reasons. They’ve hired Travis Wussow, pastor and attorney from Austin, to lead the Middle East office.
“Every day around the world, religious minorities face persecution and millions of people are held in slavery,” Wussow says in a statement. “We look forward to advocating on their behalf.”
What Will They Do?
- Train churches and organizations on religious liberty issues
- Create web content to raise awareness through research and storytelling
- Develop relationships with like-minded organizations in the region
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