Richard Land was a 41-year-old academic when he accepted the call in 1988 to right the Southern Baptist Convention’s moral concerns entity. He quickly began transforming the organization now known as the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission into a stalwart advocate for such biblical truths as the sanctity of all human life and religious liberty for all people, while maintaining the entity’s commitment to such values as racial reconciliation and the biblical model for marriage. In the quarter of a century since, there is no disputing Land has made an impact in whatever arena he has spoken. While some have pilloried Land’s positions, most observers have expressed deep admiration for his willingness to wade into the deep end and to communicate his views without malice. Not known to shrink from a dustup or to run from a controversy, he has been gracious in dissent and not haughty in victory. Upon Richard Land’s retirement, this is a look back at his nearly 25 years of steadfast advocacy for biblical truth and practice.
During decades when powerful elements in our nation have engaged in an all-out assault on Biblical values and have attempted to rewrite our national history to eliminate all vestiges of God from our
When the history of the pro-life movement among Southern Baptists is finally written, Dr. Richard
founding, Richard Land has stood tall as the key voice challenging us to become salt and light in our
Land will figure prominently in it. During the turbulent decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the SBC was
society.
drawn more and more into the orbit of mainline Protestantism, at least at the level of denominational leadership. Nowhere is this more evident than in the support voiced for the abortion license, often
He has always spoken with the voice of a prophet, calling us out of the vagueness of religious
on the slimmest of pretexts. When the most horrendous decision in the history of the United States
formality to demonstrate the convictions of genuine followers of Christ. Consistently he has
Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade, came down in 1973, the SBC was prepared to accept it as a step forward.
reminded us that we must stand with what the Bible reveals is right and always stand against what it
The moral voices raised in dissent against this judicial travesty were few and far between.
declares is wrong. He will not let us forget that we are not spectators but participants in the cultural challenges of our day.
However, over the next three decades evangelical believers and Roman Catholics, among others, formed an unofficial coalition of conscience on behalf of the sanctity of every single human life. At the
His influence has led the Southern Baptist Convention to speak up concerning the critical issues confronting America: sanctity of life, sacredness of the family, Christian involvement in all areas of national life, social justice, racial equality and reconciliation, religious freedom, human rights, and
forefront of this new movement was Dr. Richard Land. In addition to his work as an educator, he served ably as an advisor to the governor of Texas where he gained a national reputation as a champion of the most vulnerable members of the human community, children still waiting to be born.
scores of other significant issues. Richard Land has always admonished us to embrace the moral and civic responsibilities God has given to us. He has called us continually and effectively to always live and minister with integrity and to stand upon the principles and values that have made America the greatest nation in the world. While leading us effectively these past 25 years, Richard has maintained his passion to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has served as interim pastor in
The election of Dr. Land as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (then known as the Christian Life Commission) of the SBC signaled a major transition in the ethics leadership of the denomination. Since then, through his writings, public speaking, and advocacy, he has emerged as one of the most articulate, thoughtful, and persuasive promoters of the sanctity of life in our country today. Though a Southern Baptist through and through, his influence has extended far beyond the bounds of his own denomination.
many churches and as a speaker at events of all kinds. He is widely acclaimed as a brilliant thinker and strategist, a consistent man of courage, one whose sound counsel has been sought by leaders in our states and nation. For me, Richard has been a cherished friend and co-laborer for our Lord Jesus Christ for over 40 years. His energy and enthusiasm have been mainstays for all of us. His leadership at the ERLC will be sorely missed, but we rejoice that his voice will not be silent as he moves into a new ministry in the years ahead. Jimmy Draper, President Emeritus LifeWay Christian Resources
I am pleased to be a friend and fellow traveler with Richard Land in his courageous witness as a defender of the rights of the unborn. May the next leader of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission stand with similar courage, conviction, and consistency! Timothy George, Founding Dean Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
It is with pleasure that I write in commendation of the work of Dr. Richard Land in his service as the
About a decade ago, I was prompted to write a book, entitled The Mighty and the Almighty, about
President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
religion and U.S. foreign policy. One of the reasons was Richard Land.
As a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, I had several opportunities to engage in discussion with Dr. Land regarding matters pertaining to the specific work of the Committee as well as general dialogue regarding the cultural and ethical challenges we face as evangelicals. I have met few thinkers with the breadth of knowledge and insight as that of Dr. Land. Conversations were always exhilarating. In 1994 I was privileged to work directly with Dr. Land in preparation for the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Southern Baptist Convention. Recognizing the role that slavery played in the formation of the Convention, it was imperative that this matter be directly addressed if there was to be integrity in the Celebration. I can remember working closely with Dr. Land to assemble a select task force of African American and Anglo leaders to literally “sit across the table” and have an open and painful discussion regarding the race issue as it pertains to the history of the Convention. The Spirit of God was obviously in attendance, providing great grace as extremely difficult matters were frankly addressed; emotions swelled, tears flowed, and sin was confessed. Out of that extended council came the Racial Reconciliation resolution that was overwhelmingly approved at the 1995 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Atlanta. This document has served as a model for other Christian entities in addressing the institutional evils spawned by racism. I gained tremendous respect for Dr. Land in the course of that journey we shared almost 19 years ago, and that respect remains intact today. I am certain there is significant service God has assigned for the next chapter in the life of my brother. In the midst of the increasing moral darkness and familial decay engulfing our nation, Richard’s voice and the voices of numerous others must be prophetic in “speaking the truth in love.” Thanks, Dr. Land, for your service to the Convention, but more so to the King and to His Kingdom. Gary L. Frost, Pastor Evergreen Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York
Although we’ve occupied different places on America’s political spectrum, I found myself responding to many of his quotations in newspapers and magazines with the thought: “This guy makes sense.” I contacted him; he was eager to exchange ideas with me; we became friends and his vision and passion helped guide me along the right path. As my book neared publication, I risked asking the question: “What would happen if Madeleine Albright invited an Imam, a Rabbi, and a Baptist minister to dinner?” The answer, I discovered, was fascinating, occasionally loud, witty, profound, and deeply encouraging to someone who believes that God would like all of us to cooperate and think hard about doing the right thing. I have had many dinner guests over the years, but Dr. Land was among the most gracious; he even pretended to like the food. Retirements are often a time for sentiment and superlatives, but I can think of no higher praise for anyone than this: Dr. Richard Land took on a difficult and important job and did it so well that, after a time, no one could imagine another in his place. In the process, he earned the affection of many, the respect of all, and the satisfaction of knowing that his example will be honored for generations to come. Madeleine Albright Secretary of State
Portrait by Timothy Greenfield Sanders
Arguably, the leading conservative faith and family voice on the issue of immigration reform stands as none other than Dr. Richard Land, who frames the optics of an immigration reform solution incorporating a biblical framework reconciling Leviticus 19, treating the immigrant as one of our own, with Romans 13, respecting the rule of law. Moreover, Dr. Land led the charge on behalf of evangelicals when the majority of Bible-believing Christians opposed a solution that included integrating the millions of undocumented. He assisted in contextualizing the narrative of immigration by dispelling the idea that any action other than deportation equates to amnesty. For that matter, Richard received the Champion of Justice Award from the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and the Hispanic Evangelical Association, which represent over 40,000 member churches. Dr. Land’s legacy reconciles the vertical and horizontal planes of the Christian cross; righteousness with justice, sanctification with service, and conviction with compassion. At the end of the day, Dr. Richard Land taught us by example that in the midst of moral relativism, cultural decadence, and spiritual apathy, truth must never be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Be it immigration reform, defending life, or reconciling the races, Dr. Land’s life exists as a clarion call for Christians to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God.
Dr. Richard Land has done more than any American church leader today to raise his voice, take up his pen, and travel across this nation and throughout the world in an impassioned defense of religious freedom. I met Richard sixteen years ago when he stepped up to become one of the leaders of a movement to uphold religious freedom in American foreign policy. I cheered when he testified before the House of Representatives in the first Congressional hearing on the persecution of Christians. In his booming, Texastwanged, and supremely articulate voice, he challenged America’s foreign policy establishment to help persecuted Christians in China and Sudan. He called out American elites for being largely “indifferent and often uncomprehending of a spiritual worldview which endures persecution and death for the sake of belief.” Secretary of State Madeleine Albright later apologized for her opposition and endorsed the importance of religious freedom. I doubt the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 would have passed without Richard’s support. One outcome was the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which I served with Richard for some twelve years. As a Commissioner, he wrote articles and presided at hearings and briefings. He comforted persecuted believers and pleaded their cases in person to their oppressors. He led a campaign on North Korea and travelled to Saudi Arabia and some other of the most inhospitable places on earth. Richard wages a “charm offensive” that is all his own, playing offense with openness and grace and communication skills that reflect his preacher roots. Deploying a vast arsenal of humorous stories–at once historically accurate and hilariously preposterous, and usually involving hapless politicians–he has a human touch that can bridge any gap, whether political, national, cultural, or religious.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Hispanic Evangelical Association
Richard has been a pillar of the international religious freedom cause and an exemplar of interfaith cooperation–someone who can work with people of all faiths without compromising his core beliefs and principles. He has left a legacy from which the fight for religious freedom will continue to draw strength. I will always treasure Richard’s leadership, friendship, and unwavering moral support. Nina Shea, Director Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute
Richard Land is a friend of mine. We began meeting when we were both speaking at the same events, or were guests on radio or television shows–often representing different “political sides.” I remember when we were at the World Economic Forum at Davos, both for the first time. At the opening reception the only other person that each of us knew was each other! That led to a two-hour, wide-ranging discussion on a variety of theological and political questions. That became our pattern, just talking, and both enjoying the conversation. After a while, we began to call each other to get the other’s perspective and even plan things together that we both thought were important. It has been a delight for Richard and me to speak at Christian colleges to show that a critical issue shouldn’t be a Republican or Democratic issue, but a moral one. We have been on television shows together, like Morning Joe, where the host said he expected us to arm wrestle instead of agreeing on some common concerns. And we have walked the halls of Congress together, leading delegations of faith leaders coming to talk to their legislators about a fundamental moral matter. Richard leads the Republican meetings, and I lead the Democratic meetings; but we each attend both, and the elected representatives can see that we agree on the basic issue. Both Richard and I are Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians; and that brings us together on many things. I sometimes say to Christians, “Don’t go left, don’t go right, go deeper.” Richard and I have tried to do that on a number of social justice issues, including immigration reform. And when we have come together on some of those questions, it has upended those political categories and surprised people to see us on the same side of an issue. We also have disagreed on key issues but have learned, and showed, how to be respectful and civil in our disagreements. I think we also have learned things from each other, and given each other a broader perspective sometimes than we might have had before. Jim Wallis, President and CEO Sojourners
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“Southern Baptists and Race” conference (Jan. 16-17) is the first official function of Land’s tenure. Foy Valentine speaks on “Reflections on a Journey Through the Racial Crisis.”
Richard Land is elected Executive Director of the Christian Life Commission. Land being interviewed by the CLC’s Board of Trustees, September 1988.
Richard Land’s family during his March 27 installation service in Kansas City, Mo. From the left are Dr. Spurgeon Gibbins and Mrs. Roland VanHooser (Becky Land’s uncle and mother), Mr. and Mrs. Leggette Land (Land’s parents), Richard Jr., Rachel, Dr. Lamar Cooper, Jennifer, Dr. Rebekah Land, and Richard Land.
1990 > Land participates in European meetings with the makers of abortion drug RU 486, expressing opposition to its sale in the U.S. The Christian Life Commission receives the assignment previously held by the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.
Land speaks at the National Right to Life Rally in Washington, D.C. PHOTO BY DR. RICHARD GLASOW
I M P A C T I N G
Land’s paper applying Just War Theory to the Persian Gulf crisis is prepared at the request of the White House for President George H. W. Bush and published in the April-June 1991 Light magazine.
L I V E S
In 1989 Dr. Richard Land asked me to join the staff of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (then the Christian Life Commission), entrusting me with the privilege and unique distinction of being the first Washington, D.C., staffer solely serving the Southern Baptist Convention. As a 23-year-old who had worked for two years in the U.S. House of Representatives, my life was literally changed when Dr. Land allowed me tangibly to see that Christian ministry was compatible with working to address public policy concerns. Far more than one young man, in 25 years of prophetic leadership of the ERLC, Dr. Land has changed an entire denomination’s understanding of following Christ’s call to be “salt” and “light.” I’m deeply grateful for the incredible influence Dr. Land has had on me, and even more for his incalculable influence on the entire Southern Baptist Convention, the broader Kingdom of God, and our society. James A. Smith Sr., Executive Editor Florida Baptist Witness
Five Works That Have Most Influenced Land 1 2 3 4
The Bible The Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan) God, Revelation, and Authority (Carl F. H. Henry) “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Martin Luther King Jr.) 5 Witness (Whittaker Chambers)
RICHARD LAND has testified before Congress twelve times on a variety of issues: 1991 Government funding of obscenity by NAE 1996 Religious freedom 1996 Church fires in the Southeast 1996 Christian persecution 1997 Religious Persecution Act of 1997 1998 Religious Persecution Act of 1998 1998 Christian persecution 1999 Religious Liberty Protection Act of 1999 2005 Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2005 2007 Human rights in Vietnam 2007 FDA regulation of tobacco products 2010 Immigration reform
Land and other Baptists visit the Republics of Georgia and Russia to express concern about religious liberty in the former Soviet republics. Land tells over 500 law students that religious faith is “absolutely necessary to the foundation and maintenance of a moral and free society.”
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The Earth Is the Lord’s: Christians and the Environment is published by the CLC. Land meets with Roman Catholic leaders and members of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography at the Vatican, followed by an audience with Pope John Paul II. The meeting produced the “Declaration of Concern and Common Conviction Regarding the Problem of Pornography.”
Land attends the signing of National Sanctity of Human Life Day proclamation by President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office.
1994 >
Land speaks about the National Health Care Initiative at the National Press Club.
Land joins religious leaders from 37 countries and 40 faith groups in Manila for “Protecting Our Children’s Future,” a conference sponsored by The Religious Alliance Against Pornography. The “Manila Declaration on Pornography” is issued.
“Health Care Reform: A Statement of Concerns” is published as a result of a CLC-sponsored consultation on health care in Washington, D.C. “Our medical delivery system is in significant need of repair,” Land says, with “significant numbers of people...not now covered by medical insurance.”
The CLC purchases office space near the U.S. Capitol and names the building Leland House, after John Leland, the 18th-century Baptist preacher and champion of religious liberty.
Baptist History and Heritage includes Land’s article “The Southern Baptist Convention, 1979-1993: What Happened and Why?”
THE “NASHVILLE DECLARATION OF CONSCIENCE,” CRAFTED BY LAND AND OTHER SBC LEADERS AFTER THE SLAYING OF A PENSACOLA ABORTIONIST, READS IN PART, “THE KILLING OF ABORTION DOCTORS IS NOT A MORALLY JUSTIFIABLE OR PERMISSIBLE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO ABORTION. WE UTTERLY REJECT SUCH CONDUCT AS INCONSISTENT WITH SCRIPTURE AND CALL ON ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE TO JOIN US IN THIS STANCE. WE BELIEVE THAT CHRISTIANS ARE, NEVERTHELESS, MORALLY OBLIGATED TO OPPOSE LEGALIZED ABORTION ON DEMAND AND TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS THROUGH OTHER, MORALLY LEGITIMATE, CHANNELS.”
President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore greet Richard Land and Rex Horne after Religious Freedom Restoration Act signing.
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Life at Risk: The Crises in Medical Ethics is published by the CLC.
PHOTO BY DOUG CARLSON
A RACIAL RECONCILIATION CONSULTATION IS HELD IN THE CLC OFFICES TO DISCUSS SUBMITTING A RESOLUTION ON RACIAL RECONCILIATION AND AN APOLOGY FOR SOUTHERN BAPTIST COMPLICITY IN THE SLAVERY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. A SIGNIFICANT POINT REVOLVES AROUND USE OF THE WORD “REPENTANCE.” “THERE ARE MANY SOUTHERN BAPTISTS . . . WHO ARE GRIEVED BY THE ROLE THAT RACISM HAS PLAYED IN OUR DENOMINATION’S PAST,” LAND SAYS, “AND WHO ARE EAGER TO APOLOGIZE AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS; BUT WHO HAVE GRAVE THEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CONCEPT OF REPENTING FOR THE SINS OF OUR FORBEARS SINCE WE BELIEVE THAT ONLY THE INDIVIDUALS WHO COMMITTED THE SINS CAN REPENT FOR THOSE SINS....OUR STATEMENT EMPLOYS LANGUAGE WHICH ALLOWS US TO REPENT OF THE CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS SINS IN OUR LIFETIME. WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND A RESPONSIBILITY TO CONFESS OUR OWN SIN.”
By a nearly unanimous vote the SBC adopts the “Resolution on Racial Reconciliation on the 150th Anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention,” which reads, in part: “We lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery...[and we apologize] to all African-Americans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime; and we genuinely repent of racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously (Psalm 19:13) or unconsciously (Leviticus 4:27).” Gary Frost, left, then SBC second vice president and pastor in Youngstown, Ohio; Charles Carter, then chairman of the Resolutions Committee and pastor in Birmingham; and Land address the media following the vote. PHOTO BY VAN PAYNE/BAPTIST PRESS
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Land with Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and James A. Smith, CLC Director of Government Relations, in the national March for Life. Land participates in a Washington, D.C. press conference calling for a ban on the patenting of human genes and genetically engineered animals. The New York Times calls the event “a passionate new battle over religion and science.” Jeremy Rifkin (center) and Kenneth Lander also shown.
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Land writes “A Baptist’s View of Prayer in Schools,” advocating for a constitutional prayer amendment that “would prohibit the government from sponsoring religion as was done prior to 1963, but would also forbid the government and the court system from censoring or segregating voluntary student religious expression from the public school milieu.”
1997 > Christians in the Public Square: Faith in Practice? is published by the CLC. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary names Land Distinguished Alumnus.
The Christian Life Commission becomes The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission on June 19, as part of the Covenant for a New Century.
Land crafts a chart showing how three church-state postures apply to religious expression in America, noting the position in which the government seeks to “accommodate” religious beliefs is most true to the nation’s founders’ ideals.
Land delivers the Convention Sermon, titled “Watchmen on the Wall,” at the SBC meeting in Dallas.
“When you take your money and you go to the Disney theme parks or you rent the animated features or you go to the animated features, you’re helping them subsidize the material in other venues that is going to be an attack on your values and your beliefs,” Land tells Lesley Stahl in a CBS News 60 Minutes segment on the SBC boycott of the Walt Disney Company.
DURING HIS TENURE AT THE SBC’S ETHICS & RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION, RICHARD LAND’S COMMENTS WERE FEATURED IN OVER 25,000 ARTICLES OR REPORTS IN THE PRESS.
1999 >
1998 > Article on “The Family” is drafted by a Convention-elected committee, including Land, and adopted as Article XVIII of the Baptist Faith and Message at the SBC meeting.
The For Faith & Family radio program is launched.
I M P A C T I N G
The ERLC-sponsored tour of civil rights sites in Georgia and Alabama immediately after the SBC meeting “gave Southern Baptists an opportunity to see firsthand historical sites that had an impact on the life of every American alive today,” Land says. “These events led to full citizenship for millions of African Americans and have transformed the nation....We need to rededicate ourselves to finishing the journey begun with much pain and sacrifice....”
Broadman & Holman publishes Land’s Send a Message to Mickey, detailing ways that families can express their concern about Disney’s corporate decisions.
ERLC trustees award Land the John Leland Religious Liberty Award.
L I V E S
In January 2002 God was pressing on my heart that I needed to do something to honor the sacrificial choice of my son’s birthmother. One day as I listened to Dr. Land interview Janet Folger on For Faith & Family radio, he asked what she would say to someone who wanted to impact our culture for life. She said something to the effect of “Stop thinking about whether or not God wants you to do something--He does!” I felt as if they were in my kitchen talking to me! Later that year I began a program to speak to teenagers on teen pregnancy, abstinence, abortion, adoption, and single parenting. Today we have reached over 75,000 students and have merged with an orphan care and adoption ministry. God used Dr. Land to take me from “thinking about ministry” to actually doing it! He is one of
1999/ 2000 > Land speaks at the Baptist World Alliance International Summit of Baptists Against Racism.
my heroes of the faith.
The ERLC launches its Research Institute. In an address to its first meeting, Carl F.H. Henry says, “The time has come for America again to exhibit to the world the moral leadership and integrity that exhibits and commends ethical democracy to the world.”
Joi Wasill, Executive Director Decision, Choices and Options
SBC messengers approve revisions to the Baptist Faith and Message, drafted by a committee on which Land serves on an executive committee named by chairman Adrian Rogers. (Adrian Rogers at the podium. Also pictured are Albert Mohler, Chuck Kelley, and Richard Land.)
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U n i t ed
President George W. Bush appoints Land to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on which he served until 2012. The ERLC’s presentation at the SBC annual meeting highlights eight “champions for the faith” known for “taking a stand, speaking the truth and making a difference” in their communities.
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2002 >
Richard Land Live! begins airing on weekends. For Faith & Family is published.
LAND PENS A LETTER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IN ANTICIPATION OF MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQI LEADER SADDAM HUSSEIN. THE LETTER, ALSO SIGNED BY CHARLES COLSON, BILL BRIGHT AND D. JAMES KENNEDY, READS IN PART, “WE BELIEVE THAT YOUR STATED POLICIES CONCERNING SADDAM HUSSEIN AND HIS HEADLONG PURSUIT AND DEVELOPMENT OF BIOCHEMICAL AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ARE PRUDENT AND FALL WELL WITHIN THE TIME-HONORED CRITERIA OF JUST WAR THEORY AS DEVELOPED BY CHRISTIAN THEOLOGIANS IN THE LATE FOURTH AND EARLY FIFTH CENTURIES A.D.”
2003 >
During a USCIRF forum in Afghanistan, Land warns officials that U.S. assistance could be threatened if freedom of conscience is not protected in the country’s new constitution, noting Americans “will not subsidize” religious suppression.
Land joins SBC ethicist panel at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss Just War Theory and why the U.S. war with Iraq was justified according to a biblical standard. “The biblical standard is not peace at any price,” Land said. “The biblical standard is a just peace.”
James T. Draper convenes the SBC’s Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals, formed in response to a motion requesting the SBC “establish a task force to inform, educate and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions.” “What we are calling Southern Baptists to do is to practice lifestyle-blind evangelism in the same way we have called upon our denomination to practice color-blind and ethnicblind evangelism,” Land says at the press conference. PHOTO BY KENT HARVILLE/BAPTIST PRESS
Land meets with the Dalai Lama during a luncheon at India’s embassy in Washington, D.C. ERLC trustees give Land the entity’s Distinguished Service Award for being a “commentator on the culture who is not afraid to call sin sin and whose moral foundation is inextricably rooted in his faith in Jesus Christ.” Trustees also present a portrait of Land, who is celebrating 15 years as president. PORTRAIT BY JOHN HOWARD SANDEN
2004 > Land and other SBC leaders sign the Kansas City Declaration of Marriage, affirming the biblical model of marriage. “We will not win this battle without pastors,” Land says.
Cover The Uninsured Week appoints Land to its National Interfaith Advisory Board.
President George W. Bush greets Land in the Oval Office following the signing of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.
During a USCIRF hearing Land notes, “It is clear the Saudis have been quite complicit in seeking to export through the use of their vast oil wealth a uniquely radical and narrow interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.” PHOTO BY TOM STRODE/BAPTIST PRESS
AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC DELEGATION, LAND MEETS WITH SHIMON PERES OF ISRAEL IN TEL AVIV AND YASSAR ARAFAT OF THE PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORGANIZATION IN RAMALLAH REGARDING THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OSLO ACCORDS.
Real Homeland Security is published. The ERLC sponsors the “iVoteValues” campaign, which registers 61,000 new voters and distributes 306,000 party platform comparison guides and 90,500 bulletin inserts.
RICHARD LAND, SPEAKING TO HARVARD STUDENTS AND STAFF, APRIL 2005
2004 >
On religion’s role in impacting the culture: “I do not believe that separation of church and state historically has meant what People for the American Way, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the ACLU, Land appears on NBC’s Meet the Press with Jerry Falwell, Jim Wallis, and Al Sharpton to discuss moral values that influenced the 2004 presidential election.
and sometimes, unfortunately, the Supreme Court recently have sought to explain to us that it means. I don’t think that our forefathers ever intended the separation of church and state to
Richard Land tells the Mayday for Marriage rally on the National Mall, “This is the critical moment... to boldly proclaim what God’s intention is for man and woman in the confines of holy matrimony.”
mean the separation of moral values from public policy, religiously informed moral values and non-religiously informed moral values. In other words, they believed in a secular state; they did not ever imagine a secular society. I believe that every major social issue in our history that has been corrected, every issue that has been an evil has been corrected primarily because people of religious faith brought their religious convictions to bear on public policy. Segregationists were trying to impose their immorality on Dr. King and were doing a fairly successful job of it, by the way. Dr. King, based on his convictions as a Baptist minister like the abolitionists before him, used his religiously informed moral values to challenge that immorality, and when he convinced enough Americans that he was right, it changed. And by the way, they did change
2005 >
the law. Yes, Dr. King and his supporters were trying to impose their moral values on George Wallace and Lester Maddox, and thank God they were, just as Lester Maddox and George Wallace were trying to impose their moral values on Martin Luther King and his fellow AfricanAmerican citizens. There are those in society who want to exclude religiously informed moral values from being a part of the debate.”
Speaking at Harvard University, Richard Land rejects the notion that the country’s forefathers “ever intended the separation of church and state to mean the separation of moral values from public policy...they believed in a secular state; they did not ever imagine a secular society.”
Imagine! A God-Blessed America is published.
On charges that conservative Christians are only concerned about two moral issues– abortion and same-sex marriage: “[Conservative Christians] have been engaged for a good while on a whole series of human rights issues both here and abroad. So I think it’s a caricature, a straw man, to say we’re only concerned about those two issues. But that’s sort of like criticizing Dr. King for only being concerned about racial equality and racial justice. We’re going to continue to be concerned about those two issues, but those are not the only two.” On abortion and women’s rights: “I am a strong supporter of women’s rights. Abortion is not about women’s rights. An unborn baby is plugged into the mother as a life support system. The baby’s heart has begun to beat before the woman has a biological indication that she is pregnant. The baby is a human being no different than anyone in this room except for time. I don’t see how killing an unborn baby affirms women’s rights. Women certainly know that pregnancy is a result of an activity that they voluntarily engage in. One of the consequences, one of the results is often pregnancy.”
Chris Matthews dialogues with Land as Tony Campolo listens during a broadcast of Hardball that focused on the role of religion in politics. The MSNBC show was taped with a live audience at Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville.
Time recognizes Land as one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America,” saying, “Princeton- and Oxford-educated, he is as formidable a public spokesman as he is in Washington’s corridors.”
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On a special Easter-morning edition of NBC’s Meet the Press, Land appears with a panel to discuss religious issues.
USCIRF sends Land and six others to China to meet with representatives of government-sanctioned Buddhist, Catholic, Islamic, Protestant and Taoist groups. They are accompanied by government officials and denied access to several leaders of unapproved religious groups.
Land appears at a press conference with President George W. Bush at the White House after a meeting on immigration reform.
Richard and Becky Land join President George W. and Laura Bush for a Christmas celebration at the White House.
Land greets Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State, at the Southern Baptist Convention. Rice told convention-goers, “Few have done more than Southern Baptists to ease the suffering of those who lost everything in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita...Whenever tragedy brings people to their knees, Southern Baptists have been there to help them get back on their feet.”
President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court is the focus of the discussion during Land’s appearance on Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Pat Buchanan is to his left.
Land appears on ABC’s World News Tonight to discuss the Evangelical Climate Initiative.
Land addresses the “Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide” on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The conflict in Israel and Palestine is discussed on Fox News’ Special Report with Brit Hume.
Land presents President George W. Bush with the ERLC’s John Leland Religious Liberty Award in the Oval Office.
The Council on Foreign Relations taps Land as a member. He says his participation is “entirely in line with the biblical mandate to believers to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in society.” He further explains, “The CFR membership extended an invitation for me to join the Council because of their desire to broaden the Council’s scope by having more Evangelicals involved in its deliberations.”
Land joins CNN host Anderson Cooper for a discussion of “What is a Christian?”
2007 >
Land holds up a TIME magazine issue asking “Is God Dead?” during his appearance on Fox News’ Hannity & Colmes.
Chris Wallace and Land walk in front of the ERLC’s Leland House in Washington, D.C. during a Fox News interview.
Land discusses the issue of divorce on CNN’s Headline News segment “Divorce on Steroids.”
I M P A C T I N G
Land’s article, “Human Rights, Genocide, and National Sovereignty: Just War Theory–Help or Hindrance?” is published in the Criswell Theological Review.
Senator Joe Lieberman appears with Land during a USCIRF press conference on the handling of asylum seekers in the U.S.
L I V E S
While a student at Southwestern Seminary, I was invited to preach a revival at First Baptist Dallas and speak in chapel at Criswell College. After a ten-minute discussion with Richard Land, I decided that on every free day I had, I was going sit in on his class. Later, while I was on the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, Children without health coverage is “a major problem that is unacceptable in a nation of our wealth and our ability to address the problem,” Land says at an event at the National Press Club. “That doesn’t mean we can ensure the same healthcare for everyone, but there should be a threshold below which no child in America should be allowed to fall.”
I leaned on him for help in unraveling the liberal mess. Afterward, I was placed on the Christian Life Commission to help bring about
The Divided States of America? is published.
change, and I was privileged to be there when Richard Land was called to be the new Executive Director. When I founded Student Leadership University and wanted to combine leadership skills with Christian Worldview, he was the man I turned to for teaching Worldview. For fifteen years he has taught in our SLU 201 in Washington D.C., and he just recently joined us as a special lecturer for our SLU 301 students at Normandy.
The Wall Street Journal runs a feature story on Richard Land titled, “Who Would Jesus Pick?” It noted Land “has often been credited with providing the intellectual heft behind the religious right’s political strategy.”
Carl Sandburg correctly asserted that the full measure and influence of Abraham Lincoln would not be measured in his lifetime, and I believe that is true for Richard Land. His influence, teachings, and ministry will live on for many generations to come.
Religion News Service names Land one of the “10 Most Influential GOP ‘King Makers.’”
In a Washington, D.C., press conference with Senators Edward Kennedy and Lindsay Graham, among others, Land calls on Evangelicals to unite in support of comprehensive immigration reform. PHOTO BY TOM STRODE/BAPTIST PRESS
Jay Strack, President/Founder Student Leadership University
Land more than holds his own on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.
INFLUENTIAL EVANGELICALS By Nancy Newberry, Time, Feb. 7, 2005 GOD’S LOBBYIST You can chart Richard Land’s clout by his phone log. The 58-year-old Texan, the Southern Baptist Convention’s main man in Washington, recalls that the Reagan Administration returned his calls promptly; the first Bush White House less so and Clinton’s staff (eventually) not at all. Now? The men around his longtime friend
In a hearing by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Land reiterates USCIRF’s recommendation that Congress support human rights in Vietnam.
George W. Bush don’t sit around waiting for
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice selects Land and seven others to represent the U.S. at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Conference on Combating Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding in Bucharest, Romania.
Land speaks at the Free North Korean Refugees in China rally at the U.S. Capitol.
Land’s call. They reach out to him, individually and as part of a weekly teleconference with other Christian conservatives, to plot strategy
2008 >
on such issues as gay marriage and abortion. Land, who helped engineer his 16-millionmember convention’s 1979 shift from moderacy to hard-line conservativism, has a hand in most of its key policies, from its 1995 apology for having supported slavery to its 1998 statement
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary establishes the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement for the study of ethics, public policy, and other cultural and philosophical issues.
Commentary on The Baptist Faith and Message, authored by Chuck Kelley, Richard Land, and R. Albert Mohler, is published.
that wives should submit to the leadership of their devout husbands. Since arriving in Washington in 1987, Land has cultivated dozens
Union University inducts Land into the Carl F. H. Henry Society of Fellows.
of sympathetic members of Congress. Princeton- and Oxford-educated, he is as formidable a public spokesman as he is in Washington’s corridors and regularly battles culture-war foes on venues such as Meet the Press. “People think they’re going to be dealing with some bootstrap preacher,” says Larry Eskridge, associate director of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College. “But he can match pedigree and training with the best of them.”
Discussing the role of religion in politics with Bucknell University students, Land says, “As long as there is a bright-line distinction between the two parties when it comes to the issue of when an unborn citizen’s life can be ended and under what circumstances it can be ended, there is not going to be a lot of shifting in the so-called values voters.” BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
Land prays for Bob Fu and his family and the persecuted church in China after presenting him with the John Leland Religious Liberty Award at the Library of Congress. Fu, an activist and house church pastor, fled China for the U.S. in 1996 and founded the China Aid Association, which monitors religious persecution by the Chinese government. PHOTO BY KATHERINE KIPP/BAPTIST PRESS
Land delivers Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Scudder Lecture Series, the only annual lecture series at any of the Southern Baptist seminaries to focus specifically on Christian ethics.
DID YOU KNOW? Richard Land certainly holds strong convictions on the pressing issues of the day. But did you know he also has strong preferences for restaurants, movies, and musicians? We’ve listed just a few of his favorite things. —The editors
LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer presents the recently released A Matter of Conviction: A History of Southern Baptists’ Engagement with the Culture, to Land and Jerry Sutton, the book’s author. Criswell College gives Land the W. A. Criswell Award for Public Service.
Land attends President George W. Bush’s signing of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 in the Oval Office. At the invitation of President George W. Bush, Land is an honorary U.S. delegate to Israel to celebrate “60 years of friendship” between the countries and to promote peace in the Middle East.
Land stands with Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Chris Smith, among others, in urging President Bush to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies to protest China’s human rights record. BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
THEOLOGIAN: CARL F. H. HENRY SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 12:1-2 RESTAURANT: GOODE’S BBQ (HOUSTON), TOLBERT’S CHILI (GRAPEVINE) MEXICAN RESTAURANT: THE ORIGINAL NINFA’S ON NAVIGATION (HOUSTON)
2009 >
FOOD: BLUE BELL HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM
Land speaks on the role of faith at the World Congress of Families in Amsterdam, describing the Declaration of Amsterdam adopted at the gathering as important “because it reflects the strong consensus of the world’s great faith traditions on the importance of the family.”
“If you are a human being, you have the right to life. That is the sanctity of life ethic upon which Western civilizations and the civilization of the United States have been based,” Land tells students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, citing concerns with the Affordable Care Act. PHOTO BY JONATHAN BLAIR/BAPTIST PRESS
Real and lasting societal change can only come through changed hearts, Land says in the ERLC’s report at the SBC. “The future of America is being determined one person, one family, one church, one community at a time all across this nation.”
BEEF JERKY: ROBERTSON’S
BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
PRALINE: AUNT SALLY’S
2010 > ATHLETE: TED WILLIAMS
SPORTS TEAM: TEXAS LONGHORNS
Land contributes a chapter titled “Congruent Election: Understanding Salvation from an ‘Eternal Now’ Perspective” to the book, Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism.
“Our country has sent a mixed message,” Land tells members of the National Hispanic Fellowship of Southern Baptist Churches. “Too often at the border we’ve had two signs. One says ‘No trespassing’ and the other says ‘Help wanted.’”
Fan Yafeng, a Chinese human rights lawyer and religious liberty advocate, receives the ERLC’s John Leland Religious Liberty Award via Skype in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Fan is prohibited from leaving China by government authorities.
ACTRESS: NATALIE WOOD
PHOTO BY MATT MILLER/BAPTIST PRESS
PHOTO BY NOAH BRAYMEN/BAPTIST PRESS
MOVIE: JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
ACTOR: CARY GRANT
DID YOU KNOW?
2011 > MUSICIAN: ELVIS PRESLEY “Just Immigration Reform: Foundational Principles,” by Land and Barrett Duke is published in the Regent Journal of Law & Public Policy. “If we don’t have a revival that becomes an awakening and ripens into a reformation, many of us–if we live out our full lives–are going to walk the streets of our neighborhood, drive the roads of our city and our state, and, oh, we’ll recognize the place names, but the America we’ve known will be gone,” Land says at the annual Watchmen on the Wall pastors briefing. BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
Biola University honors Land with the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth, in recognition of “his advocacy for human dignity, the rights of the unborn and infirm, pro-family policies, and other conservative evangelical bioethical concerns.”
POLITICIAN: LADY MARGARET THATCHER Land travels with a USCIRF delegation to Saudi Arabia. They are disappointed when many religious leaders are unable to meet, heightening concern over the nation’s harassment of minority religious practice and the dissemination of intolerance literature and extremist ideology.
PRESIDENT: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Regent University names Land Ambassador of Christian Ethics. COLLEGE CLASS: THE RISE OF ENGLAND AS A WORLD POWER: 1487-1688
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PUBLISHES LAND’S EDITORIAL, “AMERICANS DON’T WANT A ‘TRUCE’ ON SOCIAL ISSUES,” IN WHICH LAND WROTE, “THERE IS A DEEP LONGING IN LARGE SEGMENTS OF THE AMERICAN POPULACE FOR A RESTORATION OF A MORALITY THAT EMPHASIZES PERSONAL OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OVER RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES.”
CLASS TO TEACH: BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES AND THEOLOGY Land joins other USCIRF members in presenting the commission’s annual report, which adds Egypt to their list of the world’s worst violators of religious liberty. BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
CITY: AUSTIN, TEXAS
The Return of Christ: A Premillennial Perspective is published, featuring Land’s essay “The Great White Throne Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.” DOG: GERMAN SHEPHERD
DREAM CAR: JAGUAR XJ-12
Criswell College appoints Land to its board of trustees. Land served as the college’s Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1980 to 1988 and had taught Theology and Church History there since 1975.
Land addresses Student Leadership University participants at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, a clifftop location between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. “Student Leadership University uses innovative teaching locations and techniques to reach and teach young people to be salt and light in their community,” Land says. He has participated in SLU events for 15 years.
Land joins C-SPAN’s Washington Journal to discuss the 2012 campaign and religious conservatives.
QUOTE:“THE GREAT ENEMY OF TRUTH IS VERY OFTEN NOT THE LIE–DELIBERATE, CONTRIVED AND DISHONEST–BUT THE MYTH–PERSISTENT, PERSUASIVE, AND UNREALISTIC. –JOHN F. KENNEDY
“THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”
2012 >
from Richard Land’s Installation Address March 27, 1989 The downward spiral of sin outlined by Paul for the Roman Christians has materialized before our very eyes. As “their foolish heart was darkened, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” and they “changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.”...If they triumphed in their time and place, so can we, with God’s power, guidance, and assistance. How do we begin? We start with a renewed understanding that, as Charles Colson wrote, the “kingdom of God embraces every aspect of life: ethical,
Land appears on a special Easter edition of ABC’s This Week with Christiane Amanpour. Regarding a poll showing 18 percent of the country believed Obama is Muslim, Land says, “I think they’re irrational, and a little imbalanced. I have no doubt whatsoever that Barack Obama is a very typical 21st-century mainline Protestant.”
The Christian Post names Land as executive editor.
spiritual, and temporal.” We must recover a comprehensive understanding
Calling cockfighting a “pornography of violence,” Land encourages South Carolina lawmakers to crack down on those involved in the ‘sport.’ “We do not have the right to treat living things as if they were inanimate objects.” he states.
Land joins Matthew Soerens with World Relief to discuss immigration reform at Wheaton College.
PHOTO BY TOM STRODE/BAPTIST PRESS
I M P A C T I N G
L I V E S
of Christian truth and of its applicability to every area of life. Scripture tells
Richard Land has been a mentor to me for many
us this will be done through the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph.
years. I met him in his seminary class, “Church,
4:23; Rom. 8:5-10; Col. 3:1-2). What is a Christian mind? Blamires and Barclay
World, and Society.” I recognized in Dr. Land a strong
defined it as a “Christian outlook that controls our life and our thinking” and “‘A mind trained, informed, equipped to handle data of secular controversy within a framework of reference which is constructed of Christian
Land joins other conservative commentators in a Time magazine feature asking “Is there a crisis in the Christian movement?”
The Obama administration’s abortion/contraception mandate is the focus of “A Civil Dialogue: Are Religious Institutions and Individuals Being Treated Like Second Class Citizens?” at the Heritage Foundation. Land says, “It’s hard for me to imagine that we’ve come to the place in America where unless the HHS [mandate is] rescinded or unless [it loses] in court … that people will be forced to subsidize that which they find unconscionable or pay a fine for not having health insurance for their employees or for themselves.”
character and a steadfast determination to do what is right, even when the status quo was of this world. He encouraged me “to stand for those who cannot
presuppositions,’ (for example) of the supernatural, of the pervasiveness of
stand for themselves” regardless of their social status,
evil, of truth, authority and of the value of the human person.”
race, gender, or age. Dr. Land also demonstrated the
In a New York Times commentary, “An Ally to Israel, but Not Unquestioning,” Land writes, “Yes, most Americans will ‘side with’ Israel in its right to exist. That does not mean blind support for everything Israel does, or wants to do.”
significance of understanding and relating to those in To be truly effective, to change lives, we must first be changed. Conversion
opposition for the sake of the Gospel. I was blessed to
to faith in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior must precede the
serve under him as an intern and on the ERLC staff. Dr.
“renewing of your mind.” Conversion does not, however, make that
Land’s life and lessons continue to have a significant
renewal automatic. Otherwise, we would not be commanded and exhorted
impact on my life and ministry.
to “present” ourselves for the Spirit’s transformation (Rom. 12:1). Rob Chambers, Senior Consultant When we have experienced regeneration, and we can begin to allow
Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission
the Holy Spirit to develop our Christian character, then as citizens of our Savior’s kingdom, we have responsibilities. The Scripture passage adopted by the Christian Life Commission for its official seal contains in sublime simplicity the foundation of our Lord’s teaching in applied Christianity. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells His disciples that they are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.”
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference gives Land the “Champions of Justice” award for his “Biblical and humanitarian commitment to the immigrant community.”
Land’s opinion piece, “Romney’s problem with evangelicals will end,” runs in USA Today, suggesting “the most fateful decision Romney will make between now and the election, if nominated, is his running mate,” and that Paul Ryan, among others, would be a strong pick.
“The American people are ahead of their political leaders on this issue. They’re ready for comprehensive immigration reform,” Land says during a conference hosted by Human Rights First. PHOTO BY CHRIS MADDALONI/BAPTIST PRESS
“WATCHMEN ON THE WALL” from Richard Land’s Convention Sermon, 1997
2013 >
When Abraham Lincoln was running for the presidency of the United States in another time of great moral crisis, he got a lot of criticism for making slavery an issue. Here’s what he said in 1860, in the midst of the presidential campaign: “You will not let us do a single thing as if it was wrong: there is no place where you will allow it to be even called wrong. We must not call it wrong in the free States, because it is not
Land is among a group of religious leaders calling for increased civility among government officials: “We need to heed Lincoln’s admonition to listen to ‘the better angels of our nature.’ We are in a time of crisis in this country. We need first of all to quit questioning people’s motives and intent, and agree to disagree without being disagreeable, and seek areas of common ground where we can work together on issues that are important to the country.”
Land appears on CNN’s Starting Point to discuss the Boy Scouts of America and their ban on homosexuals. He notes, “Do parents really want to allow their teenage boys to go on campouts with men who are attracted to the same sex? They wouldn’t let their girls go on campouts with men who are attracted to women. This verges on being beyond the realm of the rational.”
IN A FORUM TITLED “CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN RESPOND?” AT MALONE UNIVERSITY, LAND SQUARES OFF AGAINST STEPHEN DEAR OF PEOPLE OF FAITH AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY. “IT IS THE STATE’S RESPONSIBILITY AS GOD’S CIVIL SERVANT ON EARTH TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS AND PUNISH THOSE WHO HARM THEM,” LAND SAYS, YET NOTES “WE MUST BE COMMITTED TO ITS EQUITABLE AND JUST APPLICATION” AND IT SHOULD BE “EXERCISED UNDER THE STRICTEST CONDITIONS.”
there, and we must not call it wrong in the slave States, because it is there; we must not call it wrong in politics, because that is bringing morality into politics, and we must not call it wrong in the pulpit, because that is bringing politics into religion...” Lincoln concluded by saying, “There is no single place, according to you, where this wrong can properly be called wrong.” I’m glad Abraham Lincoln didn’t listen to his critics. We have allowed ourselves to believe this lie that somehow Christians don’t have a right and an obligation to be involved in public policy, and we have withdrawn and left the field to those who do not care to hear our faith-based convictions. And we are reaping the consequences. There was a study done several years ago to determine which were the most religious countries in the world. They came to the conclusion that India was the most religious country in the world and Sweden was the least religious country in the world. When Peter Berger, the famous sociologist, was told of this, he
Land appears at a news conference where a bipartisan group of U.S. senators announces it has developed a workable proposal to address the immigration issue. The New York Times calls it “an impressive display of unity from business and labor, conservatives and liberals, and members of the various faith-based communities.”
commented that...America is a nation of Indians ruled by Swedes. There’s a great deal of tragic truth in that. Do you know whose fault that is? It’s our fault! It’s our fault for not being willing to get involved and to be part of the process.
Statehood was on the agenda as Land joins a diverse group in favor of Puerto Rico being named the 51st state, during a press conference held by the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles at the National Press Club. BAPTIST PRESS PHOTO
PHOTO BY STEPHEN CROWLEY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Land joined Glenn Beck on The Blaze for a discussion of why Evangelicals seem to be turning the tide in favor of immigration reform.
ABOUT THE LAND CENTER
JOIN US FOR ONE OF OUR EVENTS:
The Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement promotes
• Kingdom Professionals Conference ( jointly sponsored with IMB)
the study and research of ethics, public policy and other
• Cultural Engagement Conference
cultural and philosophical issues. The center is named in
• Documentary & Discussion Nights
honor of Richard Land, a visiting professor at the seminary
• Institutes on Faith, Work and Economics
and president emeritus of the Ethics and Religious Liberty
• Land Center Luncheons on Work and Economics
Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention.
For more information, visit us at
THELANDCENTER.ORG thelandcenter@swbts.edu | 817.923.1921 x6600 | facebook.com/landcenter
NASHVILLE * WASHINGTON, D.C.