This was not the first post that I wanted to write
I planned out my blog about a month ago. I have watched dozens of YouTube videos on how to set it up on WordPress, learned what SEO is, and designed my own graphic header! I even made a three-page list of topics that I was going to write about because I am very passionate about helping other people.
Those of us who are abuse advocates that are regularly on Twitter knew this expose’ was coming. I have attended SBC churches and currently attend one now. I was in no way surprised that this was coming. What I was not prepared for were the stories. The interviews with the incarcerated ex-pastors who had preyed on the most innocent in the church. One elderly man who was interviewed from jail said that he felt like the victim, because HE had confessed to the detective (about molesting little girls) and that they didn’t take into account all the souls he had led to Christ. I wanted to vomit.
For Such A Time As This
The initial response from SBC leaders was of course, a call to action, promises to change, new policies. It’s what we’ve asked for all along. in 2007, Oklahoma pastor Wade Mullen proposed at the annual SBC Convention that a database be established to keep track of convicted and credibly accused sex offenders. The motion was not approved. Christa Brown, a well known abuse advocate has been pleading for years for the SBC to create a database and enact stricter policies for tracking sexual abusers. It all seemed to fall on deaf ears. Just this last year at the 2018 SBC annual convention in Dallas, a rally was held just outside the convention center, where multiple speakers pleaded with the convention to take abuse in the church more seriously in light of the #metoo and #churchtoo movements. The rally was largely ignored by SBC leadership, which now shows that it would take a secular news organization to shed light on abuse and force change in the denomination.
platitudes
In the initial tidal wave of responses to the Houston Chronicle articles, the SBC leadership SEEMED to take things seriously. They admitted there was a huge problem, that changes needed to be made, and apologized to the victims. Leaders like Russell Moore, Al Mohler & JD Greear jumped out in front to offer what appeared to be a holy outrage over the reported 700 documented abuse cases that the Chronicle uncovered. We cheered them, thanking them for taking that long awaited stand, however, it was short-lived. Greear named 10 SBC churches that would be investigated and possibly removed from the SBC for cover ups of child sexual abuse. Very quickly 7 of those churches were ‘cleared’ of any wrongdoing, including the very large Second Baptist Church of Houston, where the popular Ed Young Sr. is the lead pastor. (see Houston Chronicle report)
Will there ever be any real change in the sbc?
My guess is no – not at the current trajectory. As I see it now, the leaders are in damage control. I don’t know if the SBC will fully recover from this scandal, but then again, the SBC is only a man made entity subject to man’s rules. They have already been caught exchanging emails behind the scenes trying to figure out a way to best preserve the ‘brand’ and silence the naysayers, as evidenced by this email that Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary (and now former CJ Mahaney supporter) sent out to SBC leaders a couple of weeks ago. This email clearly shows that the agenda is clear – to reestablish trust in the SBC and silence naysayers. Not a word about the cover up of abuse at Second Baptist – just concern about how to deal with the image control problem.
Why am I concerned?
I still believe in the church and that it will prevail until Christ returns. I also believe that those of us IN the church are called to hold leaders accountable when they are failing to lead properly by protecting the most vulnerable within the church, or are abusers themselves. I know many survivor bloggers that have been called names that I can’t repeat here, by some well-known Christians, for simply speaking out against these injustices. It’s shameful the extent that many churches will go to in order to protect a predator pastor or someone else in a ministry position, thinking they are protecting the church. How many children have been abused by those supposedly called by God, who will now never darken the doors of a church because of the heinous crimes perpetuated against them? Not just children, but also teenagers and adults – preyed on by those who had the power to impart words of life, but instead poisoned hearts and minds and abused the bodies of the precious ones that Christ died for? For this, I will continue to speak out. For this, I will continue to advocate.
The “always deny technique” is so effective here. The unchurched public doesn’t care, and it’s so hard to find staff, the the SBC just continues to shuffle the rapists and perverts from church to church…
Thanks for you efforts to expose the corrupt back room of the SBC!