Leazer Asked to Resign

by Martin King                                                                                                                                                                      Vol. VI, No. 9, December 1993

Gary Leazer, assistant director of the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board's interfaith witness department, resigned October 22 following publication of a speech he gave to a regional Masonic convention in August.

Last year Leazer led the department in writing a "Study of Freemasonry" as directed by the 1992 SBC meeting in Indianapolis. The lengthy study was submitted to HMB directors who then drafted their own brief "Report on Freemasonry." A concluding paragraph of the board's report was adopted overwhelmingly by SBC messengers in Houston.

HMB President Larry Lewis explained. "After he was relieved of duties as director of the interfaith witness department last March, Dr. Leazer was directed to refrain from any and all involvement in the Freemasonry issue. He has clearly violated that directive and in so doing has demonstrated his unwillingness to submit to the authority of his supervisors."

Leazer's speech was published in the October issue of The Masonic Messenger, a publication of the Grand Lodge of Georgia. Leazer has confirmed that the publication is accurate. In the speech Leazer criticized HMB administrators and the board of directors for their handling of the Masonic issue. Leazer also criticized a number of Freemasonry opponents. Lewis said, "Dr. Leazer's name-calling and disparaging remarks about several individuals is inexcusable. Throughout the transcript Leazer encouraged Masons to take action concerning the HMB report. "You should not be satisfied with the report. I hope you will, respond clearly and quickly ... you simply cannot afford to ignore the report," Leazer urged. Lewis responded that Leazer's "outright advocacy for the Masonic Lodge is extremely unprofessional and calls into question his ability or willingness at this point to be objective."

Lewis termed the action requesting Leazer's resignation "most unfortunate" but said, "I have conferred with my staff as well as the administrative committee of our board and am confident this is the right course of action." He asked Southern Baptists to remember Leazer and his family in prayer as they face this transition time. [BP]