If you haven’t yet read the Houston Chronicle’s “Abuse of Faith” series covering decades of sexual abuse and inaction within the Southern Baptist Convention’s churches and other SBC organizations, I encourage you to read them here.
Robert Downen and his team did a fantastic job telling such tragic stories. It is the perfect blend between narrative and documentation. They treated each survivor with respect and the dignity their stories deserve. It’s heartbreaking that the SBC was not more proactive in preventing sexual abuse from happening, reporting it to authorities when necessary, and caring for the survivors. I’m thankful for the Houston Chronicle shining a light on this issue, something the church should have done from the beginning.
Following the report, Rachel Martin on NPR’s Morning Edition interviewed Dr. Russell Moore from the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission on Tuesday and this morning, talked to me about my experience with being sexually abused as a teenager by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary student and youth pastor, Mark Aderholt, who was arrested and indicted for his crimes in late 2018.
You can listen to her interview with me here.
I realize that sex abuse is an evil within humanity, not just within one denomination of one church. Other religions, public institutions, organizations, companies, industries…it happens everywhere.
If you’re a survivor of abuse, I want you to know your story is important. It matters. You matter. Whether or not you choose to report it or to talk about it is your decision. Take care of yourself, and take care of others. If you need help reporting your abuse or taking the next steps, please contact me or visit the National Sexual Assault Hotline through RAINN. You do not have to do this alone.