ERLC Podcast

Don Currence has become a staple at SBC annual meetings over the years in his service as registration secretary and assisting his predecessor. Don has a unique insight into ministry and public service. In addition to his responsibilities within the SBC, Don has also served as mayor of Ozark, Missouri since 2023 and as the administrative pastor at First Baptist Church of Ozark since 1993. He also v...

This summer's Supreme Court case, First Choice Women's Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport was about the state of New Jersey issuing a subpoena for the personal information of First Choice donors all in an attempt to intimidate the supporters' pro-life mission. On April 29, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous victory for First Choice, upholding the ruling that First Choice cou...

Dr. Hollingsworth joined the ERLC as the entity's interim president on October 1, 2025 and concluded his tenure on May 31, 2026. On today's episode, you'll hear from Dr. Hollingsworth as he reflects on his time leading the ERLC and the firsthand impact he has seen the ERLC's work have on assisting churches in how to address cultural issues from a biblical perspective.  He also...

North Carolina Baptists have been a longtime partner in advocating for the lives of our smallest neighbors, pre-born children. They have generously donated nearly 10% of the ultrasound machines that the ERLC'S Psalm 139 Project has placed in pregnancy resource centers.  On today's episode, ERLC President-Elect, Dr. Evan Lenow speaks with Todd Unzicker about this ongoing partnership to sa...

As the executive director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Dr. Nathan Lorick has a passion to see the Lord work in his state. The SBTC's mission is to mobilize its 2,880 churches to multiply disciple making movements in Texas and around the world. In the past year, the convention has planted 68 churches and projects even more in the year ahead.  In addition to planting churches...

On April 13th, we were excited to announce that Dr. Evan Lenow was unanimously elected by the ERLC’s Board of Trustees to fill the role as the Commission’s next president.  On today’s episode, Dr. RaShan Frost, ERLC director of research, speaks with Dr. Lenow about his vision for the ERLC as he steps into his new role on June 1 and how his Southern Baptist background has shaped him personally and...

This July marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we approach the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, we’re developing resources to help you equip your congregation to live out their faith in the public square—engaging in cultural issues with a faithful gospel witness.  On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Dr. RaShan Frost, ERLC director of research, as he speaks with D...

As Southern Baptists, we believe in the sanctity of all lives, from conception to the natural end of life. But in recent years, we’ve seen the value of human life increasingly challenged through legislation, both domestically and internationally, that seeks to legalize physician-assisted suicide.  Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed heartbreaking developments related to end-of-life issues. In...

More and more pastors and ministry leaders are walking alongside couples facing infertility and the difficult questions surrounding assisted reproductive technologies. For many couples, the good longing for a child is accompanied by deep grief, complex decisions, and quiet heartache. Often, these struggles remain largely unseen within the life of the church.  To equip churches, the ERLC recently r...

Chemical abortion, or what many refer to as the abortion pill is now the most common method of ending a pregnancy in the United States. Yet the legal landscape surrounding its approval, safety standards, and reporting requirements is riddled with gaps, inconsistencies, and misconceptions. The medical realities behind how these drugs work—and what happens when they don’t—are rarely discussed honest...

In this episode of the ERLC Podcast, Interim President Dr. Gary Hollingsworth sits down with Dr. Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, to discuss racial reconciliation in the life of the church. Together, they reflect on the power of the gospel to break down dividing walls, share encouraging stories of progress within t...

Southern Baptists have had a longstanding commitment to advocating for the protection of preborn lives and opposing abortion in every form. This is rooted in the biblical revelation that all people are created in God's image and have inherent value. During a recent pro-life advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., Southern Baptist college students, leaders, and pastors joined us for the 2026 March...

Every year, the ERLC puts together a Public Policy Agenda which focuses on policy priorities that are rooted in Scripture, reflective of the Baptist Faith & Message , and responsive to actions taken by messengers from SBC churches. This year’s Public Policy Agenda hits on a range of issues, including domestic and international religious liberty, opposing taxpayer funding for "gender trans...

On today's episode, you'll hear from Jennie Lichter, president of the March for Life, as she speaks with ERLC Interim President Dr. Gary Hollingsworth about the importance of the March for Life, its impact on our culture today, particularly since the overturn of Roe v. Wade , and why Southern Baptists should be invovled.  The March for Life in Washington, D.C., is the world’s largest ann...

As part of our Across State Lines emphasis, New England Baptist partnered with the ERLC'S Psalm 139 Project to donate an ultrasound machine to Aspire Now Pregnancy Care Center in Vermont, a pro-choice state.  On today's episode, you'll hear from Terry Dorsett, executive director of the Baptist Churches of New England, about the unique challenges facing New England Baptists, particul...

Cooperation is at the heart of being a Southern Baptist. And with over 46,000 churches across our country, state conventions are critical in mobilizing and supporting pastors and ministry leaders in each state. That's why at the ERLC, we seek to come alongside these state directors and the churches they serve.  On today's episode, you’ll hear from Thomas Hammond, executive director of th...

The ERLC's Psalm 139 Project is an incredible initiative that places ultrasound machines in pregnancy centers, giving vulnerable mothers a window into the womb so they can see the precious lives growing within them. And now, through a new initiative of the Psalm 139 Project called "Across State Lines," Southern Baptist individuals, churches, state conventions, and other entities can...

State Baptist Conventions help mobilize, unify, and equip churches who are bound together by state lines. On today's episode, Dr. Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, talks with ERLC Interim President Dr. Gary Hollingsworth. They discuss the unique challenges Alabama Baptists are facing from supporting bi-vocational pastors to navigating pressing cult...

On today's episode, we talk with the chairman of the ERLC Presidential Search Committee, Mitch Kimbrell. He shares where the search committee process currently stands and how prayer has shaped and sustained the committee's work. He also shares the search committee's hope that the next leader will continue to advance the ERLC's mission by equipping Southern Baptist churches, pas...

Today we're talking with Dr. Stephen Rummage of the Florida Baptist Convention. Our Baptist State conventions are vital in equipping and supporting Southern Baptist churches in their gospel mission.  On today's episode, ERLC interim president Dr. Gary Hollingsworth talks to Dr. Rummage about the unique challenges churches in Florida are facing and how the ERLC can continue to serve them...

Technology has always shaped the way we live and think with AI rapidly evolving. The question is an if it's shaping us. On today's episode, we're joined by RaShan Frost, director of research and senior fellow at the ERLC and Jason Thacker, director of the research institute at the ERLC. Together, they'll walk through the ERLC's new AI guide for churches, sharing the princi...

Welcome to the ERLC Podcast, where our goal is to help you think biblically about today’s cultural issues. I’m Lindsay Nicolet, and today we're talking about Artificial Intelligence and the Church.  This summer, the White House released its AI Action Plan, highlighting how winning the race for AI “will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national secu...

Before the Supreme Court rightly ruled in favor of a Tennessee law protecting minors from gender transition procedures, we hosted a discussion at SBC25 to talk through this important case. ERLC President Brent Leatherwood spoke to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Vice President Ryan Bangert about why this case matters, how we can protect our kids with h...

This summer, in conjunction with anticipated Supreme Court decisions, we hosted a conversation about how Baptist state conventions are partnering with the ERLC to protect their churches’ biblical convictions when they are challenged at the Supreme Court. Panelists Nathan Lorick, executive director of Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; Julio Guarneri, Executive Director of Baptist General Conve...

How does being a Christians affect one’s public service? And what can Southern Baptists do to influence the public square? During SBC25 in Dallas, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood spoke with Ambassador designate Mark Walker, President Trump’s appointee for the Office of International Religious Freedom, Congressman Nathaniel Moran from Texas, and Sen. James Lankford from Oklahoma about being a Chri...