Yesterday, the Southern Baptist Convention released an exhaustive report on the epidemic of abuse within the denomination and the efforts of the SBC's executive committee to stonewall, shame, and silence survivors.
The horrifying report, drawn up by an independent consulting firm, shows an institution more focused on shielding itself from liability than protecting its most vulnerable members. Church leadership allegedly compiled a secret list of 703 abusive pastors, even as it accused advocates pushing for accountability of having secret agendas, acting as "professional victims," and even doing the work of the devil.
"Survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomy—even if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation," the report reads.
At one point, the executive committee's media wing, Baptist Press, went so far as to doctor an abuse survivor's testimony to read like a consensual affair, leading her to experience intense online harassment, according to the report. Another victim, who became pregnant after repeated assaults from her pastor starting at the age of 14, was forced to make a humiliating apology to her church, where she was reportedly barred from naming her abuser, investigators alleged. Some members of the executive committee were directly implicated in cover-ups.
"Crisis is too small a word. It is an apocalypse," wrote Russell Moore, a theologian and former head of the Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
If you want to read more about some of the forces driving this grim reckoning, I'd recommend the work of my colleague Becca Andrews, who's been investigating sexual assault in evangelical institutions for years. With a series of poignant articles, she's painted a damning portrait of a world where patriarchy and purity culture collide to punish survivors and protect abusers.
—Noah Y. Kim
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