A prominent figure among Southern Baptist Calvinists has been accused of creating fake social media accounts, email addresses and Substack platforms to attack the very people who he allegedly associated with.
On May 12, the conservative ministry G3 released a public statement saying it has “irrefutable evidence” of Josh Buice publicly accusing and slandering a host of Christian leaders.
Josh Buice
Buice has been removed as president of G3 Ministries and as an elder and “leader among equals” at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglassville, Ga., where he was the regular Sunday preacher. He earned both a master of divinity degree and doctor of ministry degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later was the founder of G3 Ministries, which is best known for its “Dallas Statement” against social justice.
He was a high-profile leader among the most conservative branch of the already conservative Southern Baptist Convention.
In 2022, Buice criticized the SBC’s Guidepost Solutions investigation into mishandling of sexual abuse, calling it “another example of pragmatism driving theology” and “harmful.”
Also that year, Buice led his Georgia congregation to withdraw from the SBC in protest of Ed Litton’s election as president, which he said was the “final straw” in a leftward movement in the SBC.
Similar public statements from the church and the board of G3 stated: “In recent weeks, the elders of PMBC uncovered irrefutable evidence that Dr. Buice has, for the past three years, operated at least four anonymous social media accounts, two anonymous email addresses, and two Substack platforms. These accounts were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors (some of whom have spoken at G3 conferences), several PMBC elders, and others. These actions were not only sinful in nature but deeply divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife within the body of Christ, and particularly within the eldership of PMBC.”
“These accounts were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors.”
According to the statement, Buice “had been asked on multiple occasions over the past two years whether he had any connection to these anonymous accounts. In each case, he denied any knowledge of them.”
Then, on Sunday evening, May 4, “after clear and comprehensive evidence emerged linking the accounts directly to him, the elders of PMBC confronted Josh. For some time, he continued to deny his involvement. Only after further evidence was presented and much pleading with him to walk in the light did Josh finally confess to his actions.”
The statement says Buice “has acknowledged his sin, expressed sorrow and asked for forgiveness.”
This sin presently disqualifies him from ministry but is not “necessarily permanently disqualifying,” the statement says. “Accordingly, his content will remain accessible via the G3 website and G3+.”
The statement from the church ends with this: “We ask the church to join us in praying for Josh and his family. Pray that Josh’s sorrow would continue to lead to full and lasting repentance and that he would walk humbly before the Lord. We grieve for the harm caused to the body of Christ and to those faithful ministers who were targeted. We likewise reaffirm our commitment to walk in the light, to speak the truth in love, and to labor together for the building up of Christ’s church in holiness and unity.”
Jacob Denhollander, whose wife is a noted advocate for the clergy sexual abuse community, tweeted that no one should be surprised this happened. “The whole right-wing conference circuit begs for this kind of behavior,” he said. “Seems the reason he had to step down is not that he attacked or slandered — it’s that he attacked the wrong people.”
G3’s fall conference and all related events have been cancelled.
No explanations have been offered as to the names of the fake accounts or the names of those allegedly slandered.
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