Throughout the history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), few figures stand out as provocatively as Russell Moore, whose tenure blatantly showcased the insidious creep of progressive ideology into the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination. His role in the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), particularly during the incendiary 2016 Presidential Election, was a revelation of the former Democrat staffer, Russell Moore’s personal progressive agenda in stark contradiction with the deeply ingrained conservatism of Southern Baptists.

As Donald Trump surged forward in the pre-election polls, Moore took an incongruous stance against the wave of support he was receiving, particularly among Southern Baptists. He orchestrated a campaign cloaked in the language of moral conscience and spiritual obligation, urging Southern Baptists away from casting their votes for Trump.

Despite what you think about Trump, Moore’s contrarian stance was not simply out of sync with the mainstream beliefs and political leanings of Southern Baptists, but a challenge to the traditional values that many conservative Southern Baptists shared. Yes, Donald Trump is a dirty, foul-mouthed man. But for Moore, baby killers, child-groomers, and the LGBTQ mafia held the moral high ground.

After the election, Moore was faced with the decision to leave the ERLC after much backlash for his brash and unfettered campaign against conservatives in the denomination. Yet, in a recent podcast episode, Moore says it was Tim Keller who convinced him to stay. And according to Moore, he didn’t stay because he thought it was the right thing to do, or that he had recognized his error and wished to correct his path (because he didn’t). Rather, according to Moore, Keller convinced him that all of his critics were merely old, straight, white men over the age of 65 who didn’t matter. Watch: