What is the Southern Baptist Church?
The Southern Baptist Church, formally known as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the country.
The SBC was established in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, following a split with northern Baptists over the issue of slavery. Southern Baptists supported the right of missionaries to own slaves, which was a point of contention leading to the division. Post-Civil War, the SBC grew rapidly in the southern United States.
Southern Baptists adhere to evangelical Christian beliefs with a strong emphasis on the authority of the Bible. They believe in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the significance of individual conversion experiences, and the importance of evangelism.
The SBC is not a centralized church but a network of cooperating Baptist churches. These churches work together through various entities, such as mission boards, seminaries, and commissions, but retain their independence in local matters.
Examples of Sexual Abuse in the Southern Baptist Church
Sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Church has taken many forms. Survivors have reported abuse at the hands of pastors, youth leaders, volunteers, and other trusted figures within the church. These cases often involve individuals who use their positions of authority to exploit vulnerable members of the congregation, including children, teens, and adults seeking spiritual guidance.
Some examples of abuse include:
- Child Sexual Abuse: Perpetrators have targeted children in Sunday school programs, youth groups, and other church-sponsored activities. The power imbalance between adults in leadership and minors under their care has made this type of abuse especially insidious.
- Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults: Adult church members, particularly those seeking counseling or spiritual support, have been subjected to inappropriate relationships or coercive sexual advances by church leaders.
- Clergy Misconduct: Instances of pastors and other clergy members abusing their positions of trust to engage in sexual misconduct with congregants.
- Cover-ups and Negligence: Some survivors have reported that church officials ignored or actively concealed allegations of abuse, allowing perpetrators to continue their behavior unchecked.
This pattern of misconduct has left a lasting impact on countless lives, with survivors often facing physical, emotional, and psychological scars that persist long after the abuse ends.
Act Quickly If a Southern Baptist Church Member Sexually Abused You
A recently released report from Guidepost Solutions, an independent investigative firm, revealed that hundreds of Southern Baptist Convention members – including reverends, ministers, pastors, and even a former-SBC President – have been accused of sexual abuse by churchgoers for decades.
Instead of investigating these accusations, the SBC repeatedly tried to ignore the survivors. In some cases, survivors who bravely came forward were belittled, harassed, and bullied by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (SBCEC) to keep them from speaking up again. In at least one incident, a sex abuse survivor was accused of conspiring with the Devil to lie about the abuse.
The Southern Baptist church must be brought to civil justice for failing to protect and actively harming its churchgoers by harboring and defending sexual abusers within its folds. You and hundreds of others – if not more – deserve to be fairly compensated for your pain, suffering, and traumas.
Lawsuits are expected to soon form en masse against the Southern Baptist Convention now that the report has been released to the public. Do not miss your opportunity to take legal action, too. Even if you were abused many years ago and as a child, you could still have a valid claim.
