Posted on 05/22/2022 9:44:39 PM PDT by Morgana
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in America, stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a third-party investigation sought by the church's leaders.
These survivors, and other concerned Southern Baptists, repeatedly shared allegations with the SBC's Executive Committee, 'only to be met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC,' said a 288-page investigative report revealed on Sunday.
The seven-month investigation was conducted by Guidepost Solutions, an independent firm contracted by the Executive Committee after delegates to last year's national meeting pressed for a probe by outsiders.
'Our investigation revealed that, for many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC's response to these reports of abuse... and were singularly focused on avoiding liability for the SBC,' the report said.
'In service of this goal, survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomy – even if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation,' the report added.
The report asserts that an Executive Committee staffer maintained a list of Baptist ministers accused of abuse, but there is no indication anyone 'took any action to ensure that the accused ministers were no longer in positions of power at SBC churches.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Goats favoring the wolves over the sheep.
Now do public schools
As much as the SBC has apostatized over the past decade, this “report” should be viewed with a skeptical eye. It is ax grinding writ large. Also, The SBC is NOT a centralized organization, with all authority emanating from the top, which dictates policy and accountability to affiliated church bodies, like the Roman Church. It is decidedly decentralized. How, then, could an affiliated org be held accountable?
I’ve heard there had been trouble in the sbc for a long time. Just chatter. Also a lot of complaints they are going liberal. Back in the 70s and 80’s they were hard core conservative now they have gone the other way some have complained. I’ve heard chatter of sex abuse too.
then this story broke tonight. this is not good.
If only Baptist ministers were allowed to marry this wouldn’t happen... oh wait. Never mind.
Fail. They created liability for the SBC by not doing anything to protect peoplle.
I thought we had a policy of turning claims of abuse over to civil authorities to investigate and prosecute.
The local churches in the SBC do have autonomy. I'm not sure if the SBC provides any human resources assistance to churches in hiring. But if they are tracking them, and they should be, they should be alerting congregations that there has been an allegation or record of abuse. The local church needs to know.
So it’s horrid when it happened in the Roman Catholic Church but should not be believed or marginalized when it happened in the Southern Baptist Convention?
YES!
“So it’s horrid when it happened in the Roman Catholic Church but should not be believed or marginalized when it happened in the Southern Baptist Convention?”
Basically that is what they are saying. Baptist victims are not to be believed. Why should Morgana care about them or even post such stuff like this?
These are less than 3% of southern Baptist pastors.
This is about the same as the number catholic priesrs accusdd namely 2%.
You can’t blame all Catholic priests or Southern Baptist pastors for the sins of 3%
And many in that convention said many things about the Catholic Church as if they didn’t stink too
How about the elders did nothing when informed of such abuse. No defrocking just reassignment
Touché
But the hierarchy did nothing. That is the point. There were no defrocking. No warnings. Just reassignments.
Fact of the matter, though, is that there is a distinct possibility that Father X, Pastor X, Brother X, Rabbi X, Imam X, Teacher X, Sister X, Coach X, Troop Leader X, or Uncle Ernie is an abuser of youth. They are all called to their vocations from this society. This society is sick and perverse. While most of them, even the vast majority, will have genuine vocations and are assets to their churches, their schools, and their communities, some are going to end up being snakes.
Sure, you can (and should) do criminal background checks on them. But if the background check comes back negative, it only means that they haven't gotten caught (probably that's they haven't done anything, but that's all assumption). You can do psychological screening, but a psychopath can lie and pass any psych eval or polygraph out there. You could do a detailed background check with interviews, but that would only disclose if the person was careless.
I think the only way to protect our children these days is to adapt the Mike Pence rule to fit the situation. Never let a kid alone with a non-family adult unless there is a completely trusted third party in the room at the same time. If teacher wants to have a private conference with the kid, another adult had to be present. If Father or Pastor wants to counsel the kid, it doesn't happen without another adult in the room (maybe that other adult has to be sworn to secrecy about the content of the counseling, but another adult must be there). Overnight retreats? Lock ins? Only with plenty of chaperones.
As long as society is this way, I don't see any way around that. Will it be perfect? Hardly. But it's the minimum that can be done.
Bottom line: if you think it can't happen in your church, your school, your scout troop, your youth sports team, or whatever...you are deluding yourself.
Further unlike in the RCC there is no seal of confession and a pastor could be considered an obligated reporter for any type of abuse. Also unlike in the RCC there can be no threat of withholding of sacraments for a person who makes a claim against a church leader so coercion should be a non factor.
“You can’t blame all Catholic priests or Southern Baptist pastors for the sins of 3%”
What about those who knew it was going and did nothing, or even aided in the cover-up? They are guilty too.
“How about the elders did nothing when informed of such abuse. No defrocking just reassignment”
They would be well advised lawyer up. See Penn St.
In 2017 I fired one of those pastors. He stood trial for abusing a 15 year old girl on Guam
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