I read an article concerning a financial difficulty in the Southern Baptist Convention due to several
lawsuits regarding the Convention’s handling of sexual abuse claims. The primary, and most expensive,
suit was bought by Johnny Hunt, a well known and respected SBC pastor, speaker, and personality. I
mention that because his action wasn’t taken because he was a sexual abuse survivor but because he
was accused of sexual abuse and the Convention took certain actions because of that allegation.
There are, indeed, several lawsuits on behalf of sexual abuse survivors alleging cover ups of their horrific
stories by leadership in the Convention and an SBC seminary. Should that be proven true…and I’m
afraid it looks pretty bad for those accused…they should be dealt with seriously and the victims find
closure in the outcomes.
However, when the secular media reports on the series of events that led up to all this, they never fail to
blow it out of proportion and insinuate things that are just not true. For instance, there is much talk
about a “secret list” of over 700 predators in local churches. They insinuate that the Convention had a
list of known offenders and tried to cover for them as they were moving amongst the churches. Nothing
could be further from the truth! The list did exist, but it was a list of those who were credibly accused,
prosecuted, and convicted. The list was gleaned from local, public sources and only a “handful” (as one
article put it) were still involved in churches and the majority of those were involved in other
denominations where their sexual history was not known.
In addition to that, the incidents of 700 sexual abuse situations…again, that were known and
prosecuted, occurred over a period of 22 years in a group comprised of over 47,000 churches. I can’t
see where that constitutes a “crisis”. But it sure makes for great headlines, doesn’t it? Added to that,
though, is the fact that the U.S. Justice Department just finished an in-depth investigation of the SBC
looking for sexual abuse charges and found none. Zero. Nada. Does that sound like a crisis to you?
The stories all suggest that, because we are a group of autonomous churches, cooperating, but with no
hierarchy to report to or to keep us in line, we are enabled to keep sexual predators on staff with no
accountability. One reporter spoke of our “wild, wild, west” system of inadequate information of
ordination and the manner in which we call pastors and other staff. Churches are called to be diligent
and smart when it comes to staff and volunteers. At Church on the Bluff we do background checks on
anyone who works on staff…as well as every volunteer who works with kids.
Here are some die-hard facts: Southern Baptist churches are not harboring sex offenders. We do not
knowingly transfer pastors or staff who are sexual predators to other churches or recommend them to
our affiliated entities. The so-called “secret list” was not meant to cover up anything or protect anyone.
And last, but not least, our structure of autonomy for individual churches who band together to
promote missions is an awesome, God-blessed method of cooperation.
Say good things about your Savior.
lawsuits regarding the Convention’s handling of sexual abuse claims. The primary, and most expensive,
suit was bought by Johnny Hunt, a well known and respected SBC pastor, speaker, and personality. I
mention that because his action wasn’t taken because he was a sexual abuse survivor but because he
was accused of sexual abuse and the Convention took certain actions because of that allegation.
There are, indeed, several lawsuits on behalf of sexual abuse survivors alleging cover ups of their horrific
stories by leadership in the Convention and an SBC seminary. Should that be proven true…and I’m
afraid it looks pretty bad for those accused…they should be dealt with seriously and the victims find
closure in the outcomes.
However, when the secular media reports on the series of events that led up to all this, they never fail to
blow it out of proportion and insinuate things that are just not true. For instance, there is much talk
about a “secret list” of over 700 predators in local churches. They insinuate that the Convention had a
list of known offenders and tried to cover for them as they were moving amongst the churches. Nothing
could be further from the truth! The list did exist, but it was a list of those who were credibly accused,
prosecuted, and convicted. The list was gleaned from local, public sources and only a “handful” (as one
article put it) were still involved in churches and the majority of those were involved in other
denominations where their sexual history was not known.
In addition to that, the incidents of 700 sexual abuse situations…again, that were known and
prosecuted, occurred over a period of 22 years in a group comprised of over 47,000 churches. I can’t
see where that constitutes a “crisis”. But it sure makes for great headlines, doesn’t it? Added to that,
though, is the fact that the U.S. Justice Department just finished an in-depth investigation of the SBC
looking for sexual abuse charges and found none. Zero. Nada. Does that sound like a crisis to you?
The stories all suggest that, because we are a group of autonomous churches, cooperating, but with no
hierarchy to report to or to keep us in line, we are enabled to keep sexual predators on staff with no
accountability. One reporter spoke of our “wild, wild, west” system of inadequate information of
ordination and the manner in which we call pastors and other staff. Churches are called to be diligent
and smart when it comes to staff and volunteers. At Church on the Bluff we do background checks on
anyone who works on staff…as well as every volunteer who works with kids.
Here are some die-hard facts: Southern Baptist churches are not harboring sex offenders. We do not
knowingly transfer pastors or staff who are sexual predators to other churches or recommend them to
our affiliated entities. The so-called “secret list” was not meant to cover up anything or protect anyone.
And last, but not least, our structure of autonomy for individual churches who band together to
promote missions is an awesome, God-blessed method of cooperation.
Say good things about your Savior.