Smackdown on the Southern Baptist Convention

1st Feline Battalion
June 9, 2014

http://www.singlemind.net/?p=8440

In the early 200s, the Roman Catholic world suffered what turned out to be a major earthquake: for decades, many clergy committed acts of sexual abuse against both children and adults. The extent of the abuses was global. Worse, many Archdioceses were complicit in covering up the abuses. This was a huge black eye for Catholics.

When the Catholic scandals hit the fan, many Protestants decried–with some merit–the institutional problems within the Catholic Church that permitted the culture of abuse to fester: notably (a) celibacy requirements for clergy and (b) a severe lack of transparency and accountability.

Still, Protestants had issues of their own on this front, and–while Protestants don’t require clergy to be celibate–many congregations have a deep-seated culture of hypocrisy that nurtures coverups of abuses, including sexual abuses.

During my seminary days, I had a friend–ND (not her real initials)–who spilled the beans:

She was raised in a Baptist Church.

She was in an outwardly “good, Christian family”.

Her father started having sex with her when she was 13.

The abuses continued for about four years.

She finally decided to do the right hing: she moved out of the house, reported her father to the police, and he was promptly arrested.

He was sent to prison, and ND found herself abandoned by her family and effectively made persona non grata at her church.

Yes, I know that this is anecdote and it isn’t data. At the same time, the Southern Baptist Convention–in spite of passing resolutions decrying sexual abuse–has made no credible effort to assess the depth of the problem in their ranks (in spite of passing a resolution to do so). Nor have they made any effort to develop a database for pastors who have been credibly accused. In fact, Dr. Frank Page–the President of the SBC Executive Committee–has dismissed sexual abuse victims as “opportunists”.

And while there is a case for the Southern Baptists to address hot-button issues of the day–although I would contend that transgenderism can be a complicated one because there are legitimate medical cases where such surgery is in order, and the people involved are merely trying to get their bodies medically-corrected so they can live decent lives–the folks at Wartburg Watch are correct in calling out the SBC for providing mere lip service regarding sexual abuse among clergy.

Right now, the Protestant and evangelical world–and yes, that includes the SBC–is awash in sex and various abuse scandals. From pastors, deacons, and elders cheating on their wives to clergy abusing children and covering for those who do, major housecleaning is in order.

While I oppose homosexuality as much as the next person, I would also contend that far more evangelicals cheat on their wives than sleep with members of the same sex. And the coverups of sexual abuses are more numerous than those engaging in gay and lesbian sex.

Churches need to eat some humble pie and address some long-hidden family jewels, bring them out in the open, allow justice to be done, and make restitution to the extent possible.

In fairness to conservatives, this is not merely a conservative problem. But conservatives need to take the lead in addressing the problem.

Orthodoxy requires orthopraxy.