How many does it take?

How many wounded women and girls does it take before Southern Baptist leaders will take a stand?

Yesterday, it was reported that hundreds of pages of documents detail the sexually explicit text messages allegedly sent by pastor Darrell Gilyard to 14 and 15 year-old girls. Another news account provides details of the molestation allegations against Gilyard.

So this is the current news, but let’s review a bit of the history on this pastor.

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, Gilyard left Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas in 1987 after about 25 women complained of his “sexual misconduct.” The senior pastor, Rev. E.K. Bailey, “assumed that would be the end of Darrell Gilyard’s bright evangelistic career.” How tragically wrong he was.

At that time, the First Baptist Church of Dallas and Criswell College president Paige Patterson were promoting Gilyard in Southern Baptist churches. He was considered a rising star. Despite the many allegations against Gilyard, First Baptist officials “decided there was not enough evidence” to further investigate Gilyard, and, according to Rev. Bailey, Paige Patterson wrote him “an unkind letter” saying that “he would have come out to my church and solved the problem for me if I had told him first.” (That's Paige Patterson in the photo.)

Apparently, 25 accusations weren’t enough for Paige Patterson. In fact, according to the Dallas Morning News, Patterson painted “Gilyard as a victim” and suggested the accusers were motivated by “jealousy, frustration and racism.”

Even under the Taliban, a woman’s testimony is said to be worth half that of a man’s. But for Patterson, it appears a woman’s word is worth even less. Patterson wanted “demonstrable evidence” such as “photographs, videotapes or laboratory tests.” Despite 25 women’s accusations, Patterson and First Baptist “continued to recommend” Gilyard.

Hilltop Baptist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, was Gilyard’s next stop. Senior pastor Dan Maxwell said he “had heard rumors” about Gilyard, but “Paige Patterson said he had been out there and talked to the women and there had been nothing to substantiate the allegations.”

At Hilltop, 3 more women reported Gilyard’s sexual advances and sexual misconduct. Reverend Maxwell took the information to Paige Patterson, who said “he did not believe” the stories.

In 1989, Gilyard became an assistant pastor at Shiloh Baptist in Garland, and “allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced again.” Some women met with Paige Patterson in person to discuss their allegations. Counselor Don Simpkins, who was at those meetings, told the Dallas Morning News that, rather than focusing on the allegations against Gilyard, those meetings delved into the women’s own pasts, looking to see whether they were divorced or had psychological problems. More recently, Simpkins gave a stark video interview in which he said that 6 to 8 women met with Patterson at that time and reported everything from rapes to sexual assaults.

During that same time period, one woman reported that she requested a meeting with Paige Patterson to talk about Gilyard, but that her phone calls were not returned.

One more woman said that Gilyard “pulled me down onto the floor right there in the church” and that, when she tried to report it, Paige Patterson “would not take her calls.” She wrote Patterson a detailed, 10-page letter, but Patterson still “wouldn’t agree to meet” with her.

Next, Gilyard went to Victory Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas, where “at least 4 women” made accusations against him. As reported in the Dallas Morning News, one woman said she was “raped.”

Gilyard was allowed to resign from Victory Baptist after confessing to “several adulterous relationships.” That was the characterization Paige Patterson gave to Gilyard’s conduct, as quoted in the Dallas Morning News.

The morning after Gilyard’s resignation, Paige Patterson described Gilyard as one of the “most brilliant men in the pulpit.”

Just two weeks later, Darrell Gilyard was preaching in the pulpit of another church.

In 1993, Darrell Gilyard became pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. The church grew to 9,000 members. Gilyard was encouraged by former Southern Baptist president Jerry Vines, who “agreed to forgive” Gilyard for his “out-of-state troubles.” Reportedly, Vines also gave credence to Gilyard by speaking from the pulpit of Gilyard’s church.

Now, finally, Gilyard faces trial in Florida on criminal charges of child molestation and lewd conduct.

Consider how many have likely been hurt. Based on published news accounts, 42 women made accusations against Gilyard. Some of them were mere college students. Now 2 underage teen girls have reported Gilyard. That’s a total of 44.

And that’s just the ones who reported Gilyard. How many more were so traumatized that they stayed silent?

Yet, even in the face of so many published accusations, “Gilyard is said to be preaching and teaching at another church in Jacksonville.” Numerous blog comments, emails, and a reliable source have said the church is First Timothy in Jacksonville. It’s a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

So where are the voices of Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines now? These two former Southern Baptist presidents were plenty willing to use their powerful voices to promote Gilyard. Why aren’t they now willing to use their powerful voices to get Gilyard out of the pulpit?

Why aren’t there other Southern Baptist leaders who are speaking up?

Why isn’t anyone in Southern Baptist leadership willing to take a stand and say how wrong it is to allow Gilyard in the pulpit?

Why isn’t anyone in Southern Baptist leadership willing to take a stand on behalf of the 44 wounded women and girls?

Aren’t 44 enough?

How many does it take?
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Paige Patterson was president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1998-2000, and he is currently president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, setting an example for a whole new generation of Southern Baptist pastors.