Southern Baptist sexual abuse: who’s affected?

In May, the Southern Baptist Convention released a report of sexual abuse within the organization, which supports survivors’ claims that there had been rampant sexual abuse in the organization for decades. According to survivors, the Southern Baptist Convention made a practice of covering up reports of abuse, as opposed to taking action. 

If you experienced any of the following, you may have been affected by Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse, and you may have a legal claim:

If you suffered appropriate and unwanted contact by a clergy member or staff member of the Southern Baptist Convention

• If you reached out to church leaders about your abuse, and nothing was done in response
• If you reported your abuse to church leaders and you were disparaged, belittled, or accused of lying

Tragically, many survivors have had these experiences within the Southern Baptist Convention. A new report corroborates these experiences and indicates that the issue is systemic within the church.

Speaking with NPR, Robert Downen of the Houston Chronicle asserts that the report suggests that the organization had worked with lawyers since at least the 1960s to staunchly protect the liability of the organization in the face of sexual abuse allegations. According to Downen, this legal advice was a large factor that dictated the organization’s response to survivors, even if those choices failed to protect survivors and others. 

According to some survivors of Southern Baptist sexual abuse, church officials went so far as to disparage those who had come forward with claims of sexual abuse. In some instances, survivors found the response of the church to be additionally traumatizing, in addition to the trauma they had already experienced. NPR notes that some survivors had been called disparaging things like “evil doer,” “satanic distraction,” and “sex criminal” by church leaders after they had reported abuse.

The new report, detailing the church’s past strategy of dealing with sexual abuse, has caused polarizing responses within the church, writes The New York Times. Some church leaders saw it as a positive change in the church’s approach, representing a move towards accountability. Many were shocked at the report’s contents, having believed that the problem of sexual abuse was not as severe as the report indicated. 

However, a subset of Southern Baptists, the Conservative Baptist Network issued a statement saying that it disagreed “with certain aspects of the report,” writes The New York Times.

Southern Baptist sex abuse survivors have also responded to the report, many saying that the church has a long way to go. Survivors have called for accountability for what they see as past injury suffered due to the church’s former policies, and urge the church to take steps to change its policy moving forward, in the hopes of making the Southern Baptist Convention safer for members. Survivors have expressed urgency over the church reexamining its relationship with women, and working harder to ensure the rights of women, as they are most often those affected by Southern Baptist sexual abuse. 

What can you do if you were a victim?

If you suffered sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Church, reach out to qualified attorneys to see if you could file a legal claim. Filing a Southern Baptist sex abuse lawsuit is one way to receive compensation for your pain and suffering, and legal action may be able to help hold the church accountable for its past practices.