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…
Conflicts of interest and ‘dual roles’ undermined SBC abuse investigation
Across four years of Southern Baptist clergy sexual abuse research, investigations and debate, one name continually rises to the surface: Rachael Denhollander. The woman who began the public accusations against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar in 2016 has played…
Mary Sills feared ‘disaster’ in family relationship with Lyell
One of the most peculiar claims to arise out of the defamation suit brought by David and Mary Sills is that the former missions professor justified his extramarital relationship with Jennifer Lyell by saying his wife knew about it. David…
Basham was advising Sills while condemning Lyell
In May 2022, Megan Basham wrote to Texas pastor Tom Ascol as an intermediary to seek clarifying information from David Sills about his relationship with Jennifer Lyell and subsequent firing from the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. That email…
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…
Court records reveal tangled trail in Sills sexual abuse case
A sprawling collection of discovery material now made public has unearthed explosive new details and previously unknown facts regarding the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the sexual abuse allegations involving former professor David Sills and his former…
David Sills won’t press case against Lyell’s estate
Since Jennifer Lyell is dead, David and Mary Sills will not seek legal damages against her estate but they will continue their litigation against the Southern Baptist Convention and 10 other people or entities. Sills, a former professor at Southern…
What a database can’t do
It is a dark irony that people who claim to stand for truth can so effectively bury the truth about abuse. Although it never should have been her story, Jennifer Lyell was one of many who bravely reported abuse at…
Megan Basham goes after Jennifer Lyell even in death
While evangelical leaders across the nation mourned the untimely death of Jennifer Lyell, Megan Basham took everyone to task for having too much empathy. And then she engaged positively with a conspiracy theorist who suggested — with zero evidence —…
Jennifer Lyell, key figure in SBC abuse crisis, dies after brief illness
One of the key figures in the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse crisis has died prematurely after reportedly suffering a massive stroke days earlier. Jennifer Lyell, a former executive at the SBC’s Lifeway Christian Resources, died Saturday, June 7, at…
The Department of Justice has closed its investigation of the SBC — maybe?
To add further intrigue to the Southern Baptist Convention’s reckoning with sexual abuse in its churches, the denomination announced March 6 that a federal investigation into the SBC has been closed — but abuse survivors who say they are in…
Judge rules discovery may continue in Sillses’ lawsuit against SBC parties
One of the multiple lawsuits currently pending against the Southern Baptist Convention and its various agencies got a green light to continue Nov. 22, despite objections that the case is “frivolous” and legal discovery could cause harm. U.S. District Judge…