The Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Crisis Is Also Rooted in Toxic Gender Theology

A worldview that bestows men authority and headship also enabled abuse and coverup

A pastor, later convicted of sex crimes against two minors, had been described as merely a “woman squeezer.”

As sexual abuse survivors came forward, they were attacked openly by church leaders and within internal emails, called: “Whore.” Adulteress. Bitter, jealous woman.

Such response to allegations of sexual abuse and personal attacks on abuse survivors spills across nearly 400 pages of Guidepost Solution’s report and supporting documents of an external investigation spanning over twenty years and detailing the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) executive committee sexual abuse response — or lack thereof.

There was the excuse offered broadly for nearly two decades: SBC could not intervene in sexual abuse within its churches because each is an autonomous entity. The denomination, which is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., behaved as if its hands were tied.

(This logic did not appear to apply though to churches that embraced LGBTQ inclusion or calling a woman for a pastoral role. In those cases, churches have been disfellowshipped.)