An investigation into Southern Baptist churches, reported on 12 February, revealed that 380 leaders, staff and volunteers had been accused of sexual misconduct in the past 20 years.
Of those, 220 had been convicted. Victims numbered more than 700 and included children aged three.
100 abusers were in prison, but some registered sex offenders had resumed preaching.
Double standards
One woman said she had become pregnant at 18 by ‘a pastor’ and had been raped aged 15 by him. She was forced to stand before the congregation and ask forgiveness and had been told ‘not to tell who the father was’. When asked for comment he said: ‘It happened a long time ago.’
The Southern Baptist Convention [a very diverse and mixed group] has 47,000 churches as autonomous self-governing members. A spokesperson for the group said: ‘If your understanding of the gospel means that rapists and sexual offenders still have access to those who can be harmed, you do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.’
