SBC Releases List of Abusers in the Wake of the Third-Party Report Detailing Decades of Abuse and Cover-ups
An explosive third-party report by Guidepost Solutions revealed that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) suppressed reports of sexual abuse, opposed reform proposals, and humiliated and discouraged survivors from reporting. Survivors were vilified, and SBC’s Executive Committee focused on shielding themselves from liability instead of helping survivors. The report also uncovered a secret database of sexual abusers that SBC’s leadership kept hidden for over a decade.
SBC Releases a List of Abusers After Explosive Third-Party Report
In the wake of the bombshell report published by independent investigators, on May 26, 2022, SBC’s leadership released a previously hidden list of hundreds of clergy members, pastors, and church workers who were accused of sexual abuse. The 205-page database was maintained by SBC’s executive committee for more than a decade.
Despite repeated requests from survivors to disclose the list of abusers, SBC denied that a database existed while, at the same time, its Executive Committee added abuse after abuse to the national database for over a decade. The database contains more than 700 entries from cases from 2000 to 2019.
Each entry includes the offender’s name, the year the offense was reported, the state where the abuse took place, and a description of the abuse. Although the SBC kept a detailed secret list of the accusations, the SBC appeared to take no action to help survivors or remove offenders from the SBC. The SBC instead focused on covering up the allegations.
In a statement accompanying the list, the SBC said: “This list is being made public for the first time as an initial, but important, step towards addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Convention. Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse.”
GoldenbergLaw Can Help You
If you or a loved one suffered abuse by a Southern Baptist clergy member, pastor, or church worker, the Southern Baptist Convention Abuse Lawyers at GoldenbergLaw are here to help you. Contact our team today so that we can help you get justice.
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