NASHVILLE (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) is challenging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to evaluate its plans for the upcoming closing ceremony (Sunday, Aug. 11) and remove any content that would disrespect Christianity.

In a letter released July 29, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood asked the IOC to review its plans for the closing ceremony and “remove any overt or inadvertent depictions, language, or actions that would mock the Christian faith or any religious tradition.”

The letter came in the aftermath of the Olympics’ controversial opening ceremony (July 26) which seemingly recreated Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting with drag performers and LGBTQ+ dancers.

The ERLC voiced the uproar many Southern Baptists felt after viewing the ceremony.

Leatherwood wrote in the letter, “Southern Baptist men and women watching these Games were highly dismayed that, once again, an event meant to inspire unity on a worldwide stage instead became an occasion to deride and marginalize Christians.

“Regrettably, an obscene image made its way into billions of homes around the globe last week where families had gathered to watch the start of the Olympics. Of course, I am speaking of the scene in the opening ceremony depicting Leonardo da Vinci’s rendering of the ‘Last Supper’ featuring LGBTQ activist Barbara Butch and a host of drag performers and dancers. Christians around the world have raised an uproar about the inappropriate spectacle.

“The Olympics are meant to ‘develop harmony’ through instilling ‘a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.’ These opening ceremonies fall far short of the values of the Olympics and have tarnished the reputation of the International Olympic Committee.”

The full requests the ERLC made to the IOC , as stated in the letter, are below:

• Please personally review the production plans for the closing ceremony of these Games and remove any overt or inadvertent depictions, language, or actions that would mock the Christian faith or any religious tradition.
• For future ceremonies, including the 2026 Olympics in Milan and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, please put in place new protocols to ensure such degrading scenes as the ones that were included in these ceremonies are not created.
• Please engage religious scholars and experts from all traditions for future Olympic Games.

The letter marks the second consecutive Olympics during which the ERLC has released public comments directing Olympic organizers to evaluate content to be shown during the games.

The previous example came in January 2022 when the ERLC released a letter addressed to then-CEO of NBC Universal Jeff Shell asking the company to display “accurate coverage” during the Beijing Olympics regarding the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people.

“As you are no doubt aware, there is an ongoing genocide taking place in China,” Leatherwood said in the letter.

“I would respectfully appeal that NBC use its unique position as a broadcaster of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses and genocide of the Uyghur people happening in China and firmly refuse to broadcast Chinese propaganda.”

The letter appealed to a recently passed Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) resolution outlining Southern Baptists’ stance on the genocide. The entity asked NBC to evaluate what it would show during the opening and closing ceremonies in light of this.

“In June 2021, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 14.5 million members and a network of over 50,000 cooperating churches and congregations, unanimously passed a resolution rightly calling what’s happening to the Uyghurs a genocide. The SBC was the first denomination to pass such a resolution.

“The Chinese government would love nothing more than to use these Winter Games as an opportunity to hide these human rights abuses and lie to the world about the treatment of the Uyghurs. The Chinese Communist Party cannot be allowed to use the world stage to showcase a false version of itself and to cover up a genocide.

“This will be especially important in the opening and closing ceremonies, where China will likely attempt to portray itself as a hospitable nation to all and inappropriately highlight the cultures of ethnic and religious minorities. It is in these moments that NBC must be prepared with the truth and be ready to make a bold stand for human rights.”

The ERLC’s letter on the upcoming closing ceremonies concluded by offering to assist IOC President Thomas Bach in ensuring this and future ceremonies lack any mockery of Christianity.

“President Bach, please lead the IOC to uphold the values of respect and morality that it claims to support,” Leatherwood said.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Timothy Cockes is a writer in Nashville.)