Recently I was surprised to see a post from one of my former seminary professors quoting leadership advice from John Ortberg. Perhaps he did not know what caused John Ortberg to resign from his church. Multiple credible media reports have noted…
SBC Executive Committee won’t explain McLaurin’s resume lies, and new interim president backs out one day after being announced
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee won’t release details of its investigation into how its former interim president lied about his resume, and the person lined up to be the next interim president withdrew his name the day after he…
Four things the SBC Executive Committee should do right now to address clergy sex abuse
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee will meet next Monday in Nashville. Here are four things it could do to address clergy sex abuse. All are within its own power and could be done without bumping up against church autonomy….
Conservative Presbyterians reject four proposals to curb sexual abuse
Southern Baptists aren’t the only U.S. denomination struggling with how to prevent and respond to clergy sexual abuse. The Presbyterian Church in America — the more conservative wing of U.S. Presbyterianism — finds itself in a knot as well. An…
Will Southern Baptists give abuse survivors stones for bread?
As the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention approaches next week in New Orleans, one line from the Gospel of Matthew keeps rising in our minds: “Who is there among you, who, if his son asks for bread, will…
Mike Stone has an unlikely nominator for his SBC presidential run
A Florida pastor who had to drop out of the race for Southern Baptist Convention president last year because of accusations brought against him from the most conservative faction of the denomination now will nominate this year’s conservative standard bearer…
Leader of Assemblies of God student group at Baylor arrested on child sexual abuse charges
A former campus minister serving an Assemblies of God organization on the campus of Baylor University was arrested May 23 on charges of continuous sexual abuse of two children in his charge. Waco, Texas, TV station KWTX reported Christopher Hundl,…
Five things Southern Baptists should do now to address clergy sex abuse
Seventeen years ago, the two of us wrote to Southern Baptist Convention officials, urging creation of a denominational database of pastors criminally convicted or credibly accused of sexual abuse. “Moral obligation demands it,” we said. That moral obligation still stands…
Missouri bill to increase statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims dies in Senate
A bipartisan bill to extend the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims by 10 years has died in the Missouri Senate, despite being passed unanimously in the state’s House of Representatives. House Bill 367 was sponsored by Rep….