As Southern Baptists convene in Birmingham, we ask again: what will it take for denominational leaders to take meaningful action on clergy sexual abuse and the incalculable harm done to so many lives? Recent proposals are bare half-measures at best, with too many unknowns and too little transparency.
SBC’s sexual abuse study should include a probe of its own files on reported abuse
The Southern Baptist Convention purports to be studying the problem of clergy sexual abuse. But if the SBC is sincere about wanting to get a handle on this scandal and to understand its institutional failures, it should authorize an independent commission to delve into its files containing reports of abuse.
What’s wrong with the proposed sexual abuse amendment to the SBC constitution
By suggesting the need for prior judicial determinations, the workgroup set in place a remarkably high threshold for denominational action, effectively rendering even egregious cases outside the realm of inquiry.
Another alarm sounds on clergy sex abuse: Will Southern Baptist leaders just hit snooze again?
Sooner or later – and probably sooner – Southern Baptists will get their turn in the spotlight of still another media exposé on clergy sex abuse and cover-ups. When that happens, will anything change?
Southern Babtoys Corporation: a satirical look at the pervasive problem of clergy sexual abuse
Most people wouldn’t accept excuses from a company whose product caused serious injuries to children. So why do people accept evasive explanations from a Baptist denomination for clergy sex abuse?
Clergy sex abuse: why the SBC’s ‘studying it’ response isn’t enough
For far too long, officials of the country’s largest Protestant denomination have done nearly nothing to effectively address clergy sex abuse. The time for action is long overdue, and the SBC’s version of “studying it” does not suffice.
Change is coming to Baptistland
By Christa Brown Last Saturday in Florida, a unanimous jury awarded $12.5 million to a man who, as a child, was sexually abused by a Southern Baptist minister. Significantly, this verdict was assessed, not only against the local church, but…
Why Paige Patterson’s anti-outsider stance is wrong
By Christa Brown Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Paige Patterson preaches that churches should resolve their conflicts internally and should not take them to “the world of unbelief.” This means, he explains, that when a person has been “offended ……
When will SBC address clergy sex abuse?
While other major faith groups have recognized the need for clergy accountability mechanisms, Southern Baptists persist in denominational do-nothingness.