Top 10 Southern Baptist Stories of Decade?

[Bruce Gourley]

In the spirit of "Top 10 Stories of the Decade" lists, I wonder if any Southern Baptists might wish to offer their list of Top 10 Southern Baptist Stories of the Decade?

[William Thornton]

I don't know that BLife is representative of the SBC (or ABC, CBF whatever) but the posting traffic around the issue of clergy sexual abuse since 2006 indicates to me that the matter is taken much more seriously. In the past I probably couldn't have gotten more than a couple of polite replies on the subject.

[Christa Brown]

If you look to actual deeds, virtually nothing has changed in Baptistland for the prevention of clergy sex abuse or for ministry to the wounded. There is still no place within the Southern Baptist denomination to which clergy abuse survivors can safely report abuse. For this denomination to keep telling abuse survivors that they should "go to the church" is cruel and delusionally naive. It's like telling bloody sheep to go back to the den of the wolf who savaged them. Because over 90 percent of all cases cannot be criminally prosecuted, this means that Baptist clergy abuse survivors have nowhere to turn.

Baptists need to provide (1) a safe and welcoming place where victims may report clergy sex abuse with a reasonable expectation of being objectively heard; (2) a professionally trained panel for responsibly assessing victims' abuse reports; and (3) an efficient means of assuring that the assesment information reaches people in the pews -- i.e., a database.

There's nothing radical about this. As compared to other major faith groups in this country, Baptists are far, far behind the curve in treating clergy sex abuse with the seriousness it deserves.

[Sandy]

Clergy sexual abuse may be generating more "traffic" in terms of discussion in forums like this, but that is not necessarily an indication that something is going to be done about it. Baptist conventions run on a good-ole-boy political system of influence peddling and favor granting. There have been several grass roots efforts to get something like Christa has proposed on the table, but if such things are not proposed by the prominent and influential, they generally go nowhere. And I don't see the prominent and influential proposing anything that might allow something to get beyond their influence and control at some point down the road. Frankly, I haven't seen such a level of discussion about this in the various elements of the Baptist media to say that this would be one of the top 10 stories of the decade.

Efforts to bring the issue to the attention of people, such as Wade Burleson's motion in Indianapolis a couple of years ago, and Morris Chapman's mentioning of it last year, have not resulted in action, but Baptists have a knack for measuring progress by the amount of dialogue taking place, rather than by the amount of action.

[William Thornton]

No, I don't expect the SBC at a national level to take the steps advocated by Christa Brown and others, We've discussed it at lenght in the past but a system where the SBC at a national level (or even state level) assumes responsibility for personnel that they do not hire, supervise, set standards for, policies for, or fire is not realistic.

Christa's number three above ("an efficient means of assuring that the assesment information reaches people in the pews -- i.e., a database") is one I don't see a problem with, although I doubt such a database would be much more efficient in informing the 40k+ churches but I do believe that the money spent on that would be as helpful to the SBC as a couple of new high-level positions that the Executive Committee has added in the past decade or so.

As far as change goes, the difference between the SBC of 2000 and 2010 is quite noticeable. Here in Georgia, we pastors get a steady diet of material, policy recommendations concerning this. A church cannot participate in any GBC stuff that involves kids or kid ministry without a heavy dose of sexual abuse checks and policies.

I rather think that clergy sexual abuse is certainly one of the top ten stories of the decade past.

I'd be interested in what folks think the new decade will bring on this? Some states already have their own abuser files (though, as Christa often reminds us, the Texas one is a 'secret' file). The CBF in Alabama has a formal policy together with an investigative group. ABP never misses a story on SBC clergy sexual abuse.

[TimR2]

[Christa Brown]

[Jonathan]

[William Thornton]

[William Thornton]

The example of how to handle a decades old accusation is difficult. Should the GBC or SBC accept responsibility for investigating such cases, cases where they neither employed, supervised, or had any role at all? Should there be consequences for any SBC agency or officer, or any pastor who knowingly assists a child abuser in moving to a new position? Seems like there should.

I don't know of a solution to these cases beyond statutory limits other than civil litigation.

[David Flick]

[William Thornton]

The ABC is not the model for this, sorry. I am unwilling to allow any denominational bureaucrat to evaluate and approve of my credentials before I can serve a church. Let each church set their standards. It is a waste of time to even discuss it. The SBC would never have a system like this.

[Bruce Gourley]

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

[Big Daddy Weaver]

[Sandy]

[Sandy]

[Sandy]

[Mark]