Southern Baptist leaders are under fire from the public after a

sexual misconduct report was released

By: Skylar Staples

In a shocking report released by Southern Baptist leadership detailing the ongoing sex abuse
within congregations, many are in outrage with the association for witholding condemning
information.

Giselle Hernandez, a 21 year-old worker at Arizona State University, said “I think it's a good
thing that they released it but I feel like they should have released the list a long time ago. How
many more people did those people abuse?”

According to the Washington Post, the report was retained by leaders to record how sexual abuse
was dealt with by officials. It also recorded the abuse cases of members.

The report has many questioning the motivations of the church and the secretiveness of the list.

“I think it's good that they finally released it but I think it's 20 years too late. The fact that they
are keeping a list influences a lot of things. My opinion on the church releasing the list is that it's
a little too late; even though they are trying to do the right thing now… Since it has been
happening for 20 years it will do more harm than good,” said Avion Wick, a student at Arizona
State University.

As reported by the Washington Post, the list was kept secret for liability issues, but also for
image. The list was kept hidden from the public because at any time it could have disrupted the
christian/pure image the church embodied.

“It makes sense that it would be kept secret, they were trying to protect the people that they work
with and trust. I think it’s a shame to keep something so disgusting from the public. Sharing it
years ago could have stopped many more incidents from happening,”said Hayden Scoplitte, a
college student.

The publication of the report, notably during the #Metoo movement has many questioning the
motivations of the church.

“I always say that everything is related to PR, especially since it's a national release. They could
have just released the names to the local communities. They chose to release it openly and
widely,” said Wick.
According to the Washington Post, “Floyd, an executive committee head, told SBC leaders in a
2019 email that he had received ‘some calls’ from ‘key SBC pastors and leaders’ expressing
‘growing concern about all the emphasis on the sexual abuse crisis.’”

Pastors within the church understood that unwarranted actions were being recorded and held
safely away by a larger power. A period of social growth against harassment culture caused
officials to feel remorse and guilt for previous actions.

Many are led to question the appropriation of sex abuse within the church and if it is deep rooted
within the system.

“I definitely do associate sexual misconduct with religion. I think it's more of a connection with
physical churches and white male figures,” said Wick.

The church is a dying industry and is losing members/followers rapidly.

According to a Forbes article, a 12% decrease has been reported of christian followers between
2012-2021.

The culmination of bad press and a dying industry has caused a massive breakdown within the
Southern Baptist church. The list is still being debated by the press and the public.

As seen in the Washington Post, the list is presently available for public viewing. Some offenders
within the list are being charged for their crimes.

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