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Southern Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Mishandling Report Overview:
- Who: Guidepost Solutions conducted an independent investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC).
- Why: Guidepost Solutions determined the EC mishandled allegations of sexual abuse for nearly two decades.
- Where: The Southern Baptist Convention is a Christian denomination based in the United States.
An independent investigation revealed that the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) mishandled sexual abuse allegations and intimidated victims over the course of nearly two decades.
The report, which Guidepost Solutions published on May 15, looked into the of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC)’s response to sexual abuse allegations by its members.
Guidepost found that sexual abuse survivors who contacted the EC to report child molestors or abusers within the church were consistently met with “resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC.”
“Our investigation revealed that, for many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to these reports of abuse,” Guidepost says in its report.
Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Focused On Avoiding Liability, Report Says
Further, Guidepost found that members of the EC “singularly focused” on avoiding liability for those in the SBC accused of committing acts of sexual abuse.
“In service of this goal, 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 policy 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 Southern Baptist Convention report states.
The SBC approved a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the EC’s handling of sexual abuse allegations during the 2021 Nashville Convention, according to the report.
The report focused on incidents that occurred between Jan. 1, 2000, to June 24, 2021, and included “allegations of abuse, mishandling of abuse, mistreatment of victims, patterns of intimidation of victims or advocates and resistance to sexual abuse reform initiatives.”
In related news, a woman who formerly studied at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary filed a complaint against a former Southern Baptist Convention president in March over claims he “humiliated” her over her sex abuse claims.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault by any person in an athletic, school, medical or employment setting, you are entitled to a free case evaluation to find out your potential remedies and compensation (links to paid attorney content).
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