The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s policy arm has resigned after nearly four years leading the staunchly conservative agency, which in recent years has fended off critics within the nation’s largest Protestant denomination seeking to push it even further to the right.

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission on Thursday accepted the resignation of its president, Brent Leatherwood, the agency confirmed.

The ERLC has advocated against abortion and transgender rights while promoting a strongly pro-Israel stance, a longtime evangelical priority, and an expansive view of religious liberty in the public square similar to how it’s been defined in recent U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Church representatives at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in June voted decisively to r

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