Using Sex Abuse Allegations to Consolidate Power: SBC Moderates

A couple of important revelations arose within the last couple of weeks.

First, a couple of state conventions within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) condemned the fact that SBC leaders had contracted with a private firm that supports the LGBTQ agenda to handle sexual abuse claims that had been made within the denomination. This was followed by a statement by the Conservative Baptist Network which includes the following:

The decision by the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force to hire LGBTQ+-affirming Guidepost Solutions to establish and maintain an SBC “ministry check” website database is neither positive nor biblical and serves as a major impediment to our cooperative work as a convention of churches.

We unequivocally support the published statement by the board of the Florida Baptist Convention and a recent similar action by the leadership of the Ohio Baptist State Convention.

Southern Baptists give millions of dollars per year through SBC channels to fund the Great Commission, not to support sexual depravity. Therefore, we implore the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force to reverse course on this unfortunate, unacceptable, and untenable decision.

The fact is that moderates in the SBC used the matter of sexual abuse allegations to solidify their hold on control of the convention and undermine conservatives who seek to influence matters. One example of how wrongheaded this is was published on the Disntr website.

Paige Patterson was one of the key figures in the conservative resurgence within the denomination from the late 1980’s until approximately 10 years ago. He was one of those accused of inappropriately handling sexual abuse claims. It turns out that the allegations against him were not supported when litigated in court. Yet, moderates had taken the opportunity to lob shots at Patterson over this matter.

This crowd still holds power. To their credit, they removed Rick Warren’s church from the denomination recently after it had made the decision to hire female pastors. Yet it is obvious that much is still amiss within the convention.

Addendum: There is additional good news. The convention is apparently moving away from Guidepost Solutions and toward evaluating other firms apparently because of pressure exerted by these two state conventions and the Conservative Baptist Network.