Note: The following opinion piece includes detailed descriptions of sexual assault. These past two weeks have been, to borrow a phrase from Russell Moore, an “apocalypse” for the Southern Baptist Convention. On May 22, an independent Sexual Abuse Task Force…
What Southern Baptists must do now to address clergy sex abuse
Editor’s note: After this article was published, the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force pulled its June 1 set of recommendations from the website. Those recommendations eventually were replaced by an updated document June 8 that now exists in the same…
The three wise men of the Southern Baptist Convention
I love Christmas and usually start playing Christmas music during the end of summer. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is that of the three wise men. I love that these men were courageous enough to follow…
On Russell Moore’s ‘apocalyptic’ moment for the Southern Baptist Convention
The findings of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force report are earth-shattering, even if not surprising to those familiar with the SBC and its doctrines. In response, Russell Moore called this moment “the Southern Baptist Apocalypse.” Moore knows…
‘Un-friendly’ fire in the Southern Baptist Convention unearths layers of deceit, resurfaces old wounds
The bombshell investigative report of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee by Guidepost Solutions comes as no surprise, given each of the items mentioned is hardly new. What is new is that these items have been “objectively” considered by a…
My husband and I created a database of clergy sex abusers; why couldn’t the SBC?
Many of us are struggling to come to terms with the news that the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has covered up abuse, maligned survivors, and even kept a secret list of 700-plus sex offenders for years. In…
Does the SBC have enough sackcloth?
There’s a saying that’s been around for a long time that goes something like this: “God created man in his image, and then man returned the favor.” The suggestion is that our god is what we want him to be,…
After the Guidepost report: Dwelling with evil while living into hope
Like many Southern Baptists, former or current, I have read much of the abominable report released by Guidepost Solutions. It documents the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s response to numerous sexual abuse allegations and includes an audit of the Credentials…
Letter to the Editor: Where are the repentant SBC leaders?
Letter to the Editor March 25, 2022 Dear Editor: Thank you for writing an open article that appears to be uninfluenced and uncontrolled by those in the center of the spotlight of this (SBC) controversy. The Guidepost independent report and…