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Christianity Today, June (Web-Only), 2008 |

Southern Baptists Elect President, Dismiss Abuse Database

Johnny Hunt says he'll be challenging spirit of lethargy.

Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service | posted 6/11/2008 09:10AM

Southern Baptists on Tuesday, June 10, elected a Georgia pastor, the Rev. Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, as president after the most wide-open leadership race in three decades.

Hunt, ...

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Raleigh

Posted: June 13, 2008 6:42 PM

I have mixed reviews on my former church. The most recent case was from 2006, in which a youth director in West Virginia was caught by the police soliciting sex from a minor online ended in his being defrocked. Another case, not well documented, in 2002, was in my local church in the Houston area. The elected unpaid pastor felt that part of his duties as pastor was "counseling" single women in the congregation by way of acting as a sexual surrogate. There was no investigation--he simply resigned the post and retained his ordination. In a third event televised by the local consumer action TV station, a convicted. inordained sex offender was found to be in violation of his parole by being allowed to work in the church resale shop where women and children visited. The priest in charge of the facility was caught by the TV crew unawares, but the man was reported to his parole officer and arrested.

Mark	Posted: June 13, 2008 2:48 PM

I'm surprised at the survey results that 59% said the church would ty to determine if it was a valid accusation. It is not their job to investigate. If there is ANY suspicion of child abuse it needs to be reported. Yes, there will be false accusations but that's the way it goes. Most people in the helping professions are mandated to report even based on a hunch. They need not wait for evidence or a valid accusation. The trauma inflicted on a child from abuse lasts a lifetime. And I don't really care about a stigma.

Glenn

Posted: June 11, 2008 6:32 PM

As implied in the article, a denominational database of sex offenders wouldn't be very effective given the nature of the autonomy of the Baptist churches -- and the fact that there are some pastors who cross over from one denomination or tradition to another. However, having some experience in the social work side of abuse cases, I have to say I applaud any church that has the guts to report the allegations to the proper authorities before beginning any witch-hunt or rug-sweeping of its own. Believe it or not, the police really are better equipped to investigate such things, and if the pastor is cleared or convicted, there is no stigma attached to the church either way, as a third party did the work. Let's not let things happen the way they have for so long in other churches around the world, where clergy were moved and allowed to continue their crimes.

Anglican

Posted: June 11, 2008 4:41 PM


Amen, Brothe Poedel, but what's the difference (talking about the database) between transparency and obscurantism ?

Pastor Dave Poedel, STS

Posted: June 11, 2008 1:53 PM

While wanting to encourage my Baptist Brothers and Sisters in their evangelism (my own LCMS is involved in the Ableze! initiative to do the same) I can't help but wonder how many SBC "baptisms" are actually a washing of someone who has been validly Baptised in a congregation of a Liturgical Tradition that practices pedobaptism. Perhaps a more accurate count would separate out those previously Baptised and those never before Baptised.

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