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sexual abuse

What is going on with the Southern Baptist sexual abuse investigation?

John Fea   |  March 17, 2025

In case you missed this, the Southern Baptist Convention has announced that the federal investigation into the Convention’s treatment of sexual abuse survivors has come to an end. Here is Liam Adams at The Tennessean: A historic federal investigation into […]

When evangelical leaders fail: Some thoughts from Augustine

John Fea   |  June 18, 2024

Christianity Today news editor Daniel Silliman is trying to make sense of the recent spate of moral failures in evangelical leadership. Some good words here from Dan and Augustine: Today is not a day when I feel particularly optimistic about […]

What happens when the “greatest” moment in your denomination’s history was orchestrated by a sexual abuser of boys?

John Fea   |  June 17, 2024

This weekend we learned that Paul Pressler, the lawyer who co-led the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention and a sexual abuser of boys, passed away at the age of 94. He died on June 7. Baptist News Global […]

The U.S. Department of Education hits Liberty University with a $16 million penalty for creating a culture of fear on campus

John Fea   |  March 5, 2024

Back in October 2023 we brought your attention to Liberty University’s failure to keep its students safe. One campus safety consultant called the U.S. Department of Education’s review the “the most blistering Clery report I have ever read. Ever…I cannot […]

Romney: “I must admit that I find sexual assault to be a line I will not cross in the people I select to be my president”

John Fea   |  February 16, 2024

Mitt Romney still believes in the politics of character. What a dinosaur! 😉 Watch: Compare with this: For those who are not on X, here is Graham’s full text: We need to pray for our country and where it is […]

Nancy Mace’s endorsement of Trump is “more hypocritical than it seems”

John Fea   |  January 23, 2024

Last night we called your attention to South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace’s endorsement of Donald Trump. Over at The New Republic, Tori Otten writes, “You won’t believe the grossest part of Nancy Mace’s Trump endorsement.” Here is a taste: Republican […]

The Southern Baptist Convention: Who’s in charge?

John Fea   |  October 31, 2023

We covered the sexual assault amicus brief controversy here and here for those who need to get up to speed. The disarray in the Southern Baptist Convention reached new “heights” this week, prompting one Virginia pastor to ask “who’s driving […]

Bart Barber, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, admits that his approval of the Kentucky sexual abuse amicus brief was a “mistake”

John Fea   |  October 30, 2023

We covered this story yesterday. It doesn’t look for the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, or SBTS president Albert Mohler. Here is Barber’s statement: Last week a reporter published a story about an amicus curia brief that the […]

Rick Warren on the SBC’s Executive Committee & Albert Mohler’s seminary: “They have no intention of helping victims of the sexual abuse they covered up.”

John Fea   |  October 29, 2023

Here is Jeremy Gray at Alabama.Com: The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Kentucky State Supreme Court arguing an expanded child abuse law should not allow claims to be brought against “non-perpetrators” such as religious organizations, the Louisville […]

Bruxy Cavey is back

John Fea   |  August 5, 2023

Some of you may recall the recent scandals surrounding the Toronto megachurch pastor. Get up to speed here. Bruxy Cavey has started a new “ministry” called “The Ghost of 1820.” He is even asking for money. Here is a taste […]

Did the Rick Warren-Saddleback controversy at the SBC Annual Meeting detract attention from abuse reform?

John Fea   |  June 15, 2023

Here is Kate Shellnut at Christianity Today: The issue that once dominated Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meetings—sexual abuse in churches—almost receded into the background at this year’s gathering, which was overrun by debates around women serving as pastors. Only […]

The “Jane Doe” in the Liberty University sexual assault case speaks out

John Fea   |  July 25, 2022

Here is WFXR reporter Rhian Lowndes: For the first time since multiple Title IX allegations involving mishandled sexual assault cases were made in lawsuits against Liberty University, WFXR News is hearing from one of the two dozen women accusing the […]

What is going on at the Toronto Meeting House?

John Fea   |  June 28, 2022

We’ve done some blogging about this in the past. Check out some of our coverage here. Christianity Today is also covering recent developments. Here is a taste of Meagan Gilmore’s piece, “At Canadian Megachurch, One Abuse Investigation Spurs Another and […]

Day 1 of the 3-ring circus is over. The Southern Baptists elect a new president.

John Fea   |  June 15, 2022

Anyone following the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting this week in Anaheim is witnessing a denomination in shambles. The Convention has a serious sexual abuse problem to deal with and not everyone agrees that there is a problem or how […]

“Turns out the Roman Catholic Church has nothing on the Southern Baptists when it comes to covering up sexual misconduct”

John Fea   |  May 27, 2022

Randall Balmer, a Dartmouth religion professor and one of the country’s most prominent religious observers, addresses the Southern Baptist sexual abuse report. Here is a taste of his piece at the Los-Angeles Times: In an origin story oft-repeated in SBC circles, […]

Wehner: “No atheist has done this much damage to the Christian faith”

John Fea   |  May 25, 2022

David August “Augie” Boto, a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, referred to outcries of sexual assault victims as part of a “satanic scheme” to “distract us from evangelism.” After reading the report, Boto may want […]

A word to Southern Baptist culture warriors: Please shut your mouths and start dealing with the systemic immorality in your own house

John Fea   |  May 24, 2022

I am guessing a lot of the Southern Baptist theobros and others will be upset with the title of this post. But it was all that came to mind after I received a note from an old friend from Bible […]

More responses to the Southern Baptist sexual abuse report

John Fea   |  May 24, 2022

We gathered some very early responses here. These are responses we have seen since Sunday night: JOURNALISM: Adelle Banks of Religion News Service has a timeline. Ruth Graham and Elizabeth Dias at The New York Times. Some nice context here. […]

Systemic immorality or just 700+ bad apples?

John Fea   |  May 24, 2022

Shane Claiborne gets the tweet of the day: Context.

“The scale of malfeasance is truly shocking”

John Fea   |  May 24, 2022

Michael Gerson responds to the Southern Baptist sexual abuse scandal. Here is a taste of his Washington Post column: In nearly 300 pages, a third-party investigator has produced the Warren Commission report, the 9/11 Commission report, of Southern Baptist Christianity. And the scale of […]

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