While most Americans have opinions on the Cornell Seven — the frat boys accused of rape and sexual assault at Cornell University — you know who hasn’t said a darned word publicly about any of this?
Russell Moore, Beth Moore, John Piper, Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Sean Feucht or any leader of a major U.S. Christian denomination. Neither have we heard boo from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Nor have we heard from any of the eight ethics professors teaching at SBC seminaries. We haven’t even heard much from the usual suspects on the left.
Oddly, one of the few national religious leaders to address the Cornell situation is Al Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary who last Thursday said on his podcast, “The Briefing,” that the Cornell situation is awful and disgusting and immoral and no Christian young people should be mixed up in stuff like that.
Mark Wingfield
I did a ChatGPT search for what U.S. religious leaders have said about the Cornell Seven case, and the result that came back astonished me: “I found a surprisingly small number of prominent U.S. religious leaders who have publicly addressed the Cornell Seven case directly. Most of the religious commentary so far has come from pastors, theologians, Christian commentators and survivor advocates rather than denominational leaders. The clearest examples I found are these: 1. Braxton Wade — Baptist theologian and BNG columnist.”
That’s right: The “Super Intelligence” of AI research says BNG has produced the most compelling theological statement on the Cornell Seven. That’s great for us but it’s pathetic for everyone else.
The religious voices who jump at every chance to defend Donald Trump and fret about abortion and transgender people are silent on one of the most horrific college rape cases imaginable. And this cannot be because the facts are contested. Yes, some of the details are contested, but there’s enough already documented — as even Al Mohler says — to be disgusted by the whole thing.
“The religious voices who jump at every chance to defend Donald Trump and fret about abortion and transgender people are silent on one of the most horrific college rape cases imaginable.”
What we have heard is an immediate campaign from the political right to side with the accused rapists and abusers who worry the frat boys aren’t going to get a fair hearing. The denier-in-chief, of course, is President Donald Trump, who expressed his sympathies to the young men for having to go up against Prosecutor Letitia James, one of his sworn enemies because she challenged his shenanigans in court. Of course, he’s a convicted rapist himself, so …
Despite the ongoing investigation — one that should have been taken more seriously two years ago — there are plenty of verified facts to speak about. Here’s the summary:
A former Cornell University student has accused seven former Chi Phi fraternity members of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2024. Cornell conducted an internal Title IX investigation that resulted in two expulsions and two suspensions, while two students were found not responsible and another had graduated before sanctions could be imposed. Local prosecutors initially declined to bring criminal charges but reopened the investigation after the student’s September 2026 civil lawsuit brought new allegations and evidence to light. New York Attorney General Letitia James has now been appointed special prosecutor. No one has been criminally charged, and no court has determined that the seven men committed the alleged sexual assaults, but the evidence of a night of profoundly debauched activity — largely fueled by alcohol and other drugs — is secure. What remains is not a question of if this happened but largely a question of who did what when and with what level of consent.
And this bit of logic needs attention too: Why would a female college student go to local police and the campus Title IX office to report a consensual encounter? That makes no sense.
And on top of that, what are we to make of the more than 1,200 reports of sexual assault or rape that have been filed at Cornell in the past decade? Why is this such a big problem? If 1,200 abortions had been reported, conservative religious leaders would be calling for administrators to be fired. If 1,200 transgender students had been identified, the university would have been boycotted.
Why are America’s religious leaders not speaking out boldly about sexual assault? Most likely because they aren’t taking it seriously.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global.
Related:
You probably know a rapist | Opinion by Mallory Challis
I understand what the Tompkins County DA apparently doesn’t | Opinion by Liam Gent
As you read about the Cornell Seven, remember Tamar | Opinion by Braxton Wade
Dear men, it is time to wake the hell up | Opinion by Mark Wingfield