Report on Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

I was never a part of a Baptist Church, yet I was a part of Evangelicalism for nearly two decades, including a bachelor's degree from a Bible College. So, I'm familiar enough with the dynamics of the largest Protestant denomination in the United States to say that I am not surprised by this report. That's not to say that I'm not livid, horrified, and disgusted by the flagrant use of power and distortion of Christianity that has been mobilized to perpetuate abuse, discount survivors, and protect abusers and oppressors.

The article on the 300-page report by Sarah Bailey for the Washington Post lays out that the third-party investigation found "that sex abuse survivors were often ignored, minimized and 'even vilified'" by top leaders at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The report investigates the SBC Executive Committee's actions between 2000 and 2021. The article and report both show that the coverup of abuse was often motivated by two intertwined motives of saving face and avoiding financial liability - two motivations that serve to protect and entrench power. Jennifer Lyell, an abuse survivor whose case is documented in the report, said, "This is a denomination that is through and through about power. It is misappropriated power. It does not in any way reflect the Jesus I see in the scriptures. I am so gutted." Jennifer Lyell

The history of Christianity, and to some extent religion broadly, is woven together with stories like the SBC abuse and coverup. The work of researchers and scholars like myself is to reveal this power, not in a fit of anti-religious pique, but rather as part of the broader work of abolition.