Southern Baptist leaders have responded to the exposure of sexual abuse allegation mishandling within their organizations in a big way–but it looks like the full story may be even bigger.
Rather than continue the cover-up, the Executive Committee for SBC has released a list of abusers with the Baptist church system, and it is crushingly extensive.
Even though it only covers abuses from February of 2007 onward, the list is 205 pages long with anywhere from two to five entries on every page, meaning there have been hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of sexual abuse allegations within the Baptist church system reported just within the past fifteen years.
Related: Turns out the Southern Baptist Convention is even worse than we thought
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The document contains partially and/or fully redacted entries throughout (presumably based on pending litigation for some), but the unredacted text and sheer scale of entries are enough to paint of picture of the enormity of the documented abuses.
A report on many of the instances was published in the Houston Chronicle in 2019, while a number of the accused abusers were still in active ministry. This report forced SBC to act, with many voting to create a task force to oversee the third-party review.
SBC president Ed Litton, who assembled the task force, said in an interview, “I believe what we have is a revealing–a very rare revealing–from the grassroots Southern Baptists to say what’s really going on here.”
It seems, however, that there may still be much to be uncovered.
According to Jennifer Lyell, an abuse survivor of a former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor, this investigation is only a fraction of the work that needs to be done.
The SBC has NOT been investigated, nor has a report on the SBC been issued. Rather, the Executive Committee, the smallest, least known entity of the 12 SBC entities/boards was investigated. Thus, the findings are a mere sliver of the potential public risk and harm still hidden.
— Jennifer Lyell (@jenlyell) May 26, 2022
Lyell has been documenting her experience with trying to find justice within the SBC system for years. When it comes to getting to the heart of the abuses with the Baptist Church system, it seems that this latest bombshell of an exposure may only be the beginning.
In the wake of this scandal, many have noted the hypocrisy in SBC’s long history of condemnation of the queer community. The hate group has released many anti-LGBTQ statements in the past, including one calling homosexual relationships “sinful, impure, degrading, shameful, unnatural, indecent and perverted,” a sentiment that is wild for an organization housing at least hundreds of known sexual abusers among them.
Perhaps the SBC will take this well-deserved upending of their organization as a sign to focus on their own corruption before attempting to condemn literally anybody else.
maddog
Condemning other people is what religions do.
woodroad34
Well here’s a perfect opportunity to test the “thoughts and prayers” magical encantation— who better than a church. I’ll bet it’s met with silence-as always.
Kangol2
Given that this only scratches the surface of the extensive abuse in the SBC, that sect is clearly going to give the Roman Catholic Church a run for its money, figuratively and literally, when the full scope of malfeasance and criminality is revealed. Journalists, stay on this one!
Jaquelope
Religion would be great, if humans weren’t involved in it. The truth WILL come out. It always does.
miller2900
AMEN!!
miller2900
…. why humans still continue to this day to follow any kind of organized religion is beyond belief. I was raised Catholic back in small town Michigan during the 60’s & 70’s AND had to attend “Catechism” classes once a week up and until 8th grade. Thankfully my parents thought at that time I was old enough to make my own decisions when it came to church… although, I didn’t know at the time, my parents’ marriage wasn’t good from its beginning and more than likely had a major part in their decision about my religious “future” or that of my younger siblings. Fast forward to my 40’s (and being an “out” gay man since my mid-twenties), In the mid- 90’s I had a gay Hispanic best friend that had suffered the family intimidations of being a devote Catholic while growing up and had entered the Seminary in his late teens. Having a son become a Priest in a Hispanic family is very much a “status” symbol. Especially in poorer families as it elevates the family withing the community. Unfortunately, the horror stories that he told me of his experience in the Seminary only increased my anger towards the Catholic Church AND furthered my disbelief that so many were still such devote Catholics. Even I remember back in the 70’s hearing the adults talk about the rumors of the Priest and his “housekeeper” having a “relationship” and “some” Priest fathering children. That brings up another disbelief that Catholic followers still think Priest need to stay single and celibate all their lives…. even after paying attention to where that unbelievable “rule” came from…. nothing but greed generated by a 12th-Century Pope to steal the estates of dead Priest! My distaste with “organized religions” doesn’t end with the Catholic faith either. You can look at any of the well-known “organized religions” and trace their origins past and present, to the greed and desire to control other humans. Of course, we can’t forget all of the “so called” religions like the Church of Scientology and the like. There isn’t a day that goes by in all of my 65-years on this planet that I don’t thank my genetic heritage for giving me the where with all to be a strong-minded human. Far too many people are “weak” mentally and emotionally allowing themselves to get “suckered-in” to so many different things that are detrimental to their well-being and lives. The continued belief in what-ever organized religion is at the top of the list!
johncp56
I so sick Of tax free Religions shaming hating judging at the same time saying god love all never met the guy so I do not believe in fairytails