I’ve spent a heckuva lot of time at the pottery studio this week. Working with clay is one of the things I do to try to keep myself steady when everything else seems too overwhelming. And with the release of…
What’s behind Denhollander’s apparent conflicts of interest?
Conflicts of interest are a bear, and sooner or later, the bear almost always bites. Three years ago, I wrote a mild-mannered column raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest issue involving Rachael Denhollander’s abuse-related work within the Southern…
Southern Baptist leaders’ duplicity betrays abuse survivors
Newly released court documents depict an image of Southern Baptist leaders’ duplicity in dealing with clergy sex abuse. The documents derive from the defamation lawsuit brought by former seminary professor David Sills, and that lawsuit stems from the sexual abuse…
Matt Queen’s return to the pastorate sends a message
In October 2024, Matt Queen pled guilty to lying to the FBI in a sexual abuse investigation, and now, just a year later, Queen has been hired as associate pastor at a prominent Southern Baptist church. At the time of his crime, Queen…
The inhumanity of SBC leaders’ indifference
“Where are the SBC leaders who will call Allen Jordan to account?” This was the question Mark Wingfield posed in a June 24 column, and I’ve been pondering it ever since. In part, I ponder this because it’s personal —…
For abuse survivors, SBC meeting brings pain and lessons
When the Southern Baptist Convention meets next week in Dallas, many clergy sex abuse survivors will feel the hurt and betrayal of it. This will be the first SBC annual meeting since Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg made it clear…
SBC clergy sex abuse crisis doesn’t stem from ‘the Sexual Revolution’
Sexual abuse is “the rotten fruit of the Sexual Revolution,” says Jeff Dalrymple, director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s newly created Sexual Abuse Prevention and Response department, which operates under the SBC Executive Committee. In two Baptist Press columns published…
The SBC’s clergy sex abuse database is dead, so why the hotline?
After years of trailing out hollow words, impotent task forces and phony dog-and-pony shows of purported reform, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top CEO straight-up admitted that a database of clergy sex abusers is “not a focus for us.” This bit…
Closure of DOJ probe doesn’t mean no SBC sex crimes
The United States Department of Justice has shut down its investigation into sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. Attorneys for the SBC Executive Committee said they were notified last Wednesday of the investigation’s closure, and since then prominent Southern…
Archbishop of Canterbury waffles, bringing more pain for survivors
In his first public speech since announcing his resignation, the archbishop of Canterbury struck a “frivolous tone” that left childhood abuse victims “dismayed” and “disgusted.” “Whether one is personally responsible or not,” a head had to roll, said the archbishop,…
Matt Gaetz: Another Southern Baptist impunity story
Lo and behold, Matt Gaetz is a Southern Baptist. So too is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is trying to deep-six the House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz — a report that is said to include evidence about Gaetz’s sexual abuse of a 17-year-old…
Archbishop of Canterbury sets an example of accountability
In the wake of a scathing report about an abuse coverup, the archbishop of Canterbury has announced his resignation. “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility,” said the archbishop, Justin Welby, in a Nov. 12…