Seth Brown, executive editor at the Biblical Recorder, joined co-hosts of the “ERLC Podcast” to talk about the importance of faith-based journalism and concerns about conspiracy theories in the wake of violent riots that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The weekly show is co-hosted by three staff members at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC): Lindsay Nicolet, managing editor of content; Josh Wester, chair of research in Christian ethics; and Brent Leatherwood, chief of staff.
“Faith-based journalism is very important because Christians care about things like truth and beauty,” Brown said. “Journalists are here to capture snapshots of the humanity around them, to let people see the joy and the pain, the fears and hopes of their neighbors. What a great place for Christians to enter … we have the tools to help our neighbors know what truth is, know what beauty is, understand this is a good creation marred by sin, but there’s a story of redemption.”
When asked about a recent article Brown wrote denouncing the Q-Anon conspiracy theory, which centers on the idea that a global cabal of super-wealthy pedophiles is plotting against President Donald Trump and his supporters, Brown said, “It’s unthinkable that we would ever let genuine convictions, that genuine voice, become entangled with fanatical conspiracy theories.
“When the outside world looks into Southern Baptist life, and when we say child sex abuse is wrong, I don’t want them to think we’re wacky conspiracy theorists. I want to disentangle what we read online that is baseless and what are genuine convictions are that are based in reality.”
Listen to more episodes at ERLC.com.