“Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” –Matthew 10:16

“Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot.”—Niccolò Machiavelli 

“Men injure either from fear or hatred.”—Niccolò Machiavelli

Ronnie Floyd resigned as CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee in a late evening email sent to Southern Baptists. Floyd said his integrity would no longer allow him to serve as a fiduciary of the SBC after the Executive Committee voted to waive attorney-client privilege—an action that lawyers warn likely will result in the cancelation of the SBC’s insurance policy.

However, that is not the real reason Ronnie Floyd resigned. The real reason Floyd is out of a job is that he fought lifelong Democrat Russell Moore. Ronnie Floyd fought this battle like a gentleman. Russell Moore and his cronies fought Ronnie Floyd like the lifelong Democrats and Democrat enablers that they are. In other words, Floyd did not understand the forces he was fighting. He fought with honor. His enemies fought like Democrats.

It is well known in SBC circles that Ronnie Floyd is a conservative. He is a conservative theologically and politically. Floyd supported Donald Trump as President.

Floyd, and for that matter most Southern Baptists, were irritated at how Russell Moore attacked them when all they did was vote for the only electable pro-life candidate in 2016. Yet, Russell Moore slandered these Christians. Moore slandered these Christians on the pages of the Washington Post. He slandered them on cable interviews and in other publications. Russell Moore did his best to help elect Hillary Clinton. (After all, Russell Moore said Hillary Clinton was the type of woman he wanted to marry.)

Floyd supported the recent SBC Executive Committee investigation into the ERLC and how the ERLC’s progressive politics was harming the Cooperative Program.

This put Floyd atop Russell Moore’s enemies list.

However, Floyd did not stop there.

Floyd released a statement condemning Russell Moore’s false claim to the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Floyd’s statement sparked a crisis in the SBC by highlighting how SBC entities were ignoring the basics of SBC polity (claiming the SBC is a hierarchy.)

While Floyd’s statement was restrained, and he did not take the needed course of intervening in the case to contradict NAMB’s many lies or the ERLC’s lies, it was a sign that Floyd would not go along with the plans of Kevin Ezell or Russell Moore. (This failure to take strong action enabled his enemies to strike.)

It was Floyd’s last chance to stand. Instead of taking decisive action that would eliminate the threat to the SBC (and himself) of Ezell and Moore, Floyd’s action only served as a slight aggravation. At best it was a little humiliation.

Floyd made a huge political error. As Machiavelli observed in 1532, if you only slightly injure a man, they will avenge themselves. Floyd’s half action invited this type of political response from his enemies. And that is an important point. Floyd as a Christian gentleman did not view Moore or Ezell as enemies. That was another fatal error. His charity and desire to serve Christ were exploited by political operatives who care for neither.

If you doubt that, then look no further than how Russell Moore manipulated the SBC with a leaked letter.

In a bid to spark a political crisis, Russell Moore released a letter that was designed to spark a political crisis. The letter alleged all sorts of tawdry things. Its release was timed with sinister precision. It was such an obvious demonic ploy that one ERLC trustee said Moore deliberately hide the letter and released to create a crisis of trust in the SBC.

Not to mention, that if Russell Moore had all this knowledge of sexual abuse and mistreatment of sexual abuse victims—then sat on that information silently for over a year, that is despicable. Well, we’ve already said he is a lifelong Democrat, so that last phrase is redundant. But, it was worth repeating for emphasis.

As the trustee said, “What I am opposed to is sitting on allegations of abuse for political ends, and then deceiving legal authorities who should know about them – apparently out of a mix of pride and revenge.”

That’s why Russell Moore and his cronies are on the attack. This is about revenge.

As Machiavelli said, “Men injure either from fear or hatred.”

Floyd’s stand against Russell Moore angered the lifelong Democrat. So, Moore retaliated.

Moore was able to retaliate because Floyd failed to neutralize the threat. Floyd’s forgiving style and brotherly love was exploited by the lifelong Democrat.

Conservative Southern Baptists should take heed of the biblical admonition to be as wise as serpents. It is after all, serpents that you are fighting. Never forget that.

The SBC today needs a Joshua or at least a Jael to fight its battles. The SBC needs leaders who recognize these men they are fighting are not brothers, but lifelong Democrats bent on the total destruction of the Church.

Understand that and you can deal with them in the manner they deserve.