There is much to say about the SBC report that was released this past Sunday. I have read about half of it and these are my feelings so far. (This is my personal response and is not an official response from the church I serve in.) All page numbers listed correspond to where the information referenced is found in the report that is linked at the bottom of this post.
The Southern Baptist Convention exists to allow 43,592 autonomous and like-minded churches to work together to send missionaries across the world.
The Executive Committee runs the day-to-day operations of the SBC. While they do not have any authority over individual churches, they are very influential throughout the convention.
My heart broke as I read the emails that said, “No response is needed” (pg. 74) as victims sought help.
My stomach turned at the way the Baptist Press edited a sexual assault account to read as a consensual affair. After a draft of the story that presented a corroborated account of sexual abuse by a seminary professor was presented to SBC leaders, it was changed to say that the seminary professor had a “morally inappropriate relationship” (pg. 6) with a student. The former student, who was working at a high level in LifeWay at the time of publication, was subject to victim shaming in the article’s comment section and eventually resigned their position at LifeWay due to mistreatment that came from the article.
My blood boiled at SBC leaders using church autonomy as an excuse to ignore those who were the victims of abuse within Southern Baptist churches. If 47,592 churches can cooperate in missions, then we can cooperate in reporting predators. I am hopeful that the release of the private database tomorrow along with the creation of a hotline to report abuse will be the beginning of the long road to reconciliation.
At one point, an SBC leader said focusing on the issue of sexual abuse in church was distracting us from the Great Commission. (pg. 93) This “issue” is not distracting us from the Great Commission, this is the Great Commission. How can we say we want to see the Gospel go to the ends of the earth when it does not even exist in our own Executive Committee?
It is easy to point the finger at a few and use them as scapegoats, but the Facebook comment section on the Baptist Press article makes it very clear that this a problem that extends past the Executive Committee. The church must become a place where victims can come forward and feel the love of Christ rather than be blamed for the sin of another person.
We cannot defend the sins of our leaders and protect abusers. Leaders are called to a higher standard and should be held accountable for any and all abuse. While grace and forgiveness should be sought, we should not aim to protect our “base” (pg. 104) or be concerned over what accountability means to the Gospel. Hiding abuse is not protecting the Gospel.
There is more to be said, but that will come later.
Executive Committee’s Initial Response to the Report
While the report and the Executive Committee’s response this week has been a good start, there is still much work to do.
James Dubuisson 
This is heartbreaking.. A person very close to me had a terrible experience with a local baptist missions person on a mission trip. When reported to pastor they just moved him to another church.. To this day she has not gotten over this. She left the church and hasn’t been back. I pray real change will happen.
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I wish there had been someone like you around when I was 19. My abuse was not by a church leader, but I was made to feel as though I caused it when I talked to my pastor. I was blamed and shamed, and as a result I turned away from church, and I never reported my rapist. If my own pastor thought it was my fault, why would the police feel any different?
I’ve lived with the shame and the guilt and I have overcome it, but I have fought tooth and nail to do so. Would have been a lot easier if I had been supported instead of blamed.
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