Last Spring, I became aware of reports of mismanagment of sexual abuse cases in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). At this time, I do not believe that anyone has a completely clear picture of what has happened. There seems to be solid evidence that some mistakes were made, at the very least. There are suspicions that what has happened is worse than mere mistakes. A possibility exists that there has been a culture at the SBC Executive Committee of cover ups. Quite a few facts are in the public domain now, and some of those facts seem to be damning, but nothing like a coherent and complete picture has emerged. Basically, we do not know the whole story.
I went to the SBC annual meeting in June specifically because of the questions about the handling of sexual abuse cases. For various reasons, I had not planned to go this year, but I went anyway. At the end of the convention, I was relieved. "Pleased" would be too strong of a word to use because too many people are hurt. This is an ugly business, but I was relieved. The Southern Baptist Convention had done the right thing. There would be a full and independent investigation by a third party with a report to the whole convention next year.
Now, that outcome is in doubt. I watched most of the live stream of the recent SBC Executive Committee meeting, which ended yesterday. I am deeply disappointed in the result. For what may have been the first time ever, the Executive Committee did not follow the clearly expressed will of the messengers of the SBC. The headquarters of the SBC is supposed to be the local church, but they turned that upside down yesterday. One thread running through that Executive Committee meeting and through other conversations was that the messengers did not understand the ramifications of what happened in June. It was almost as if insurance policies and dollar signs were floating around the room during the debate. I want to be clear: I knew exactly what I was doing.
I have led Southern Baptists for decades. I have faced some ugly situations. I have been to law enforcement myself. I have talked to an attorney about a sticky situation. I have supported people in the aftermath of abuse. Some things will never leave me. I have the scars that come from leadership, but I am not unique. There were thousands of men with the same kind of experiences in that room in Nashville with me. There were thousands of pastor's wives in that room too, women who have served alongside their husbands helping people through every kind of suffering that exists. On top of that, there were the missionaries, and counselors, and many others who also face down evil as part of their everyday ministry. Many abuse survivors were in that room, many more than those who identified themselves publicly. Together, we have faced every kind of difficult and complicated situation that exists. We knew exactly what we were doing.
In a group of over 15,000, some people may have been confused. Some people obviously do not understand parliamentary procedure. Big meetings can be confusing, but anyone who was there remembers the mood of the room. The anti-establishment feeling was strong. The messengers wanted a full and independent investigation no matter what the cost may be. That was what we approved. Out of well over 15,000 people, I saw maybe 50 "no" votes from where I was seated. We knew what we were doing, and we voted for it overwhelmingly.
All of this hand-wringing and dithering around over potential lawsuits and insurance questions misses the point entirely. If there is moral rot, it must be exposed. If it costs tens of millions of dollars, so what? Hiding it will cost much more in the long run. Moral rot that is allowed to fester always costs more, and it costs much more than dollars. People have been hurt in ways that most of us cannot imagine. There is no price tag for that. There is no price tag for losing trust, and trust has been lost. If trust in the SBC wasn't already dead, then it died yesterday.
I remain committed to the SBC, and part of that commitment is to use whatever influence I have to do what is right. The rot must be exposed and removed. We must restore trust. If the people who were responsible had acted responsibly in the first place, we would not be here. It costs more to do the right thing now than it did back then. It will cost even more if we continue to put it off. Anyone who stands against exposing and removing the rot should be replaced. The next meeting in Anaheim is in my calendar, and I will be ready. We knew exactly what we were doing, and we still intend to do it.
