Low expectations

The first step for dealing with a problem is admitting there IS a problem.

That’s what I think we may see from Southern Baptist leaders at this year’s annual meeting June 10-11. Maybe they’ll publicly acknowledge that there’s a real problem with clergy abuse and cover-ups in Southern Baptist churches.

Oh, I know it’s not much, and it’s not nearly enough. Perhaps I’ve set my expectations too low. But Southern Baptist leaders have taught me that. When it comes to clergy sex abuse, they’ve shown a pattern of being big on words but terribly puny on deeds.

So, while I always hope for more, the reality is that I’ve seen too much of a pattern to let hope give way to expectation.

Yes, I know… the Executive Committee is supposed to have conducted a study on the feasibility of creating a database of “Southern Baptist ministers who have been credibly accused of, personally confessed to, or legally been convicted of sexual harrassment or abuse.” That’s what over 8000 “messengers” instructed them to do at last year’s annual meeting. (The photo is of SNAP members at last year’s SBC annual meeting.)

If they actually created such a database, it would necessarily mean creating a system for assessing whether ministers are “credibly accused.” This is what other major faith groups are already doing -- assessing credible accusations from victims. But of course, Southern Baptists are far behind the curve, and at this point, it looks as though their leaders are determined to stay there.

Despite last years’ vote by the delegates, I’m not optimistic that we’ll actually see much meaningful action on the database this June. I wish I thought otherwise, but Southern Baptist leaders have given us no reason for optimistic expectations on this. None.

I hope I’m wrong. If I am, I’ll be the first to shout “Hallelujah!”

But even if all they do is to clearly acknowledge the problem, progress will have been made.

After all, it was just a year ago that SBC spokesperson Will Hall suggested that there had been only about 40 incidents of Southern Baptist clergy sex abuse in the past 15 years. Hall told WKRN-TV that the relatively low number of cases showed that the way Baptists deal with the problem is working. [On WKRN reporter Jamey Tucker’s blog, you can still see some of the heart-wrenching comments from abuse survivors who wrote in that day.]

It was an outrageous statement. 40 incidents in 15 years!?!? Hall was either deliberately pushing propaganda or he was shamefully clueless. Either way, it was grotesquely insensitive and oblivious. He effectively negated the horrific harm that countless more kids have endured in Baptist churches.

EthicsDaily called on Hall to issue a correction, but of course, that never happened.

Southern Baptist president Frank Page also chose to publicly minimize the problem by characterizing it as merely “several reported cases.”

Of course, Page was wrong. There were way more than “several” reported cases and, of all people, Page should have known that and acknowledged it.

There were way more than “several” even if you counted only the reported criminal convictions of Baptist clergy. And criminal convictions are just the bare tip of the iceberg.

There were also many more cases of abuse survivors who reported their clergy-perpetrators to church and denominational leaders… only to be ignored while their perpetrators stayed in their pulpits.

As Southern Baptist president, Page should have also been gravely concerned about these sorts of abuse reports. But apparently he was too focused on kicking the messengers to give much attention to the reality of the problem.

Remember? Just a year ago, Page publicly proclaimed that the victims’ support groups were “nothing more than opportunistic persons.”

Sad, huh? Such mean-spirited words came straight from the mouth of the president of the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

Even sadder is the fact that Page’s “minimize and kick” reaction was so remarkably similar to what we see in local churches when people attempt to report clergy abuse. Staff, deacons, and often congregants as well, find all manner of ways to minimize the unwelcome news brought by the victim and to convince themselves that it couldn’t possibly be so bad. Then they typically set out to kick the messenger.

Why do Southern Baptist leaders imagine that churches will do any better than they themselves do in addressing clergy abuse? When even the denomination’s president sets an example of minimizing the problem and kicking the messenger, why should people imagine that local church leaders will do any better?

If Page wanted to now show leadership and decency on this issue, he would apologize for the hurtfulness of his own prior words, for the dreadful example he set in minimizing the problem, and for his own “kick the messenger” reaction. THAT would be something that would set a very different sort of example for Baptist churches.

But, of course, I’m not holding my breath for that. I hope for it, but I don’t expect it.

I figure it will be progress if Southern Baptist leaders like Page do nothing more than to bite their tongues and refrain from kicking the victims any further.

And it will be progress even if Southern Baptist leaders do nothing more than to squarely acknowledge the seriousness of the problem in Southern Baptist churches.

One thing for sure…. they can no longer get away with telling people that there’s been only 40 cases in 15 years.