In a statement, the SBC’s highest governing body, the Executive Committee, confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating “multiple” Southern Baptist entities. The statement was signed by all seminary leaders and major bodies of the SBC. They said they would co-operate fully with the criminal investigation and “will continue to mourn and mourn past wrongs”. Leaders also noted that the faith group has taken several steps to correct the abuse problem in the wake of a 2019 investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News. “Individually and collectively, each SBC entity is committed to fully and fully cooperating with the investigation,” the Nashville-based SBC Executive Committee said in a statement. The Southern Baptist committee received a federal subpoena from the Department of Justice, but no individuals have yet been subpoenaed. Justice Department officials could not be reached for comment. Albert Mohler, the longtime president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, told the Chronicle on Friday afternoon that he was awaiting details of the investigation, but like other leaders, he promised that his school would cooperate with law enforcement. “I don’t know anything specific about the investigation other than what was communicated to me by the Executive Committee counsel,” Mohler said in an interview before the investigation was made public. “But as far as we are concerned, we believe in the rule of law. We respect law enforcement and will cooperate fully with federal authorities.” The federal investigation introduces an unprecedented level of scrutiny into the coalition of 47,000 churches. The SBC is the largest Baptist church in the world. ABUSE OF FAITH: 20 years, 700 victims: Sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reforms The SBC’s handling of abuse has been in the public spotlight since 2019, when the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News published the first in an ongoing series, Abuse of Faith, that found hundreds of church leaders and volunteers had been convicted of sex crimes . . They left behind at least 700 victims, almost all of them children. The newspaper report prompted members of the Southern Baptist church to request a third-party review last year of the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of abuse reports dating back to 2000. FALLOUT: As ex-Southern Baptist figure claims ‘criminal conspiracy’, prominent leader defends abuse response SBC church representatives also asked the Executive Committee to grant Guidepost Solutions unprecedented access to confidential attorney-client records for its review. Guidepost spokesman Montieth Illingworth declined to say Friday whether the company had been subpoenaed or to answer other questions about the federal investigation. Under the company’s agreement with the SBC, Guidepost is required to notify Southern Baptist officials when it receives law enforcement requests for documents. “Guidepost will notify SBC of any attempt … whether by subpoena or otherwise to gain access to information, documents, materials or work product or information of any kind in Guidepost’s possession that is created, acquired or learn. as a result of work performed by Guidepost,” the agreement states. FROM MAY: 400-Page Bombshell Report Finds Southern Baptist Leaders Routinely Silencing Sexual Abuse Survivors In May, Guidepost revealed that a handful of longtime Southern Baptist leaders and lawyers had mishandled sexual abuse allegations, discredited victims and rejected proposed reforms that could protect children from predators. Among the revelations was that a longtime SBC lawyer, August “Augie” Boto, had secretly kept a list of accused sex offenders in Southern Baptist churches. The Chronicle found 75 ministers on the list who had worked in Texas churches. SURVIVORS SPEAK OUT: Christa Brown spent decades warning Southern Baptists against abuse. The recent revelations brought her “no joy.” Meanwhile, Botto said a public version of such a database was not feasible and dismissed efforts by advocates to create one as a key tool for churches to weed out problematic employees and volunteers. Guidepost also uncovered allegations of sexual assault against a former SBC president, Johnny Hunt, that allegedly occurred shortly after he left office due to term limits in 2010. Hunt has admitted to having an inappropriate relationship, but maintains that it was a consensual affair. RELATED: Explosive report of alleged sexual abuse by SBC leader Johnny Hunt. His accuser is still awaiting justice. The response to the Guidepost report was swift. A former SBC official, prominent evangelical leader Russell Moore, called it the “Southern Baptist Revelation” and said the findings amounted to a “criminal conspiracy.” As fallout from the report continued this summer, SBC church representatives overwhelmingly approved safeguards at their June meeting, including a database of accused ministers that churches could consult when making hiring decisions. The SBC has also elected new leaders who have been vocal about the need for abuse reform, including Texas pastor Bart Barber, who has vowed to turn the SBC’s 47,000 congregations into places where predators are “hunted down.” [email protected] [email protected]
