Outside Baptistland, there are consequences

As reported in the Waco Tribune-Herald, former Baptist preacher Matt Baker was disciplined in jail for “making obscene sexual hand gestures” toward two female inmates.

According to jail records, Baker was cited for “disorderly conduct, making sexual advances and creating a disruption.”

For this bad behavior, Baker was made to face some consequences.

The consequences lesson is one that Baker never had to learn during his many years in Baptistland. So now he’s learning it in prison.

Remember Matt Baker? He’s the “murdering minister” who, despite numerous reports of sexual abuse and assault, was able to continue his career through churches, schools and organizations affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He was always able to simply move on, and no one stopped him.

Not until he was arrested and tried for murder did people in the pews find out about his “secret life as a sexual predator.” That’s when prosecutors announced they had evidence that, during the course of his career, Matt Baker had made unwanted sexual advances and assaults on at least 13 young women, including 4 minors.

Of course, that’s just the ones they were able to find out about.

And now, Matt Baker has shown the same pattern of conduct even in prison, confirming what prosecutors demonstrated in court: “Matt Baker is a sexual predator, as well as a murderer.”

The difference is that, this time, there are consequences.

This time, Matt Baker will face consequences for even an obscene hand gesture. That’s more than he ever had to face in Baptistland even when he was reported for sexual assault of a freshman college girl, for cornering a teen church girl in a closet, and for accosting a female church custodian.

And even though other Baptist leaders knew.

For all this and more, there was no revocation of Matt Baker’s credentials, no suspension of his ministry, no docked pay, no negative letter of reference, no disciplinary deterrent, no nothing of any consequence. In fact, despite the many prior abuse and assault reports, and even after he was arrested on murder charges, Matt Baker’s paycheck still continued. Even at that point, he was merely suspended with pay.

Can you imagine any other job in which someone could repeatedly get away with so much horrific conduct while facing no consequences?

That’s Baptistland. It’s a paradise for preacher-predators.

Not only was there no consequence for the bad conduct of the preacher-predator, but there was no consequence for any of those who turned a blind eye either. And there still isn’t.

That too is Baptistland. It’s the land where clergy sex abuse is ignored, and clergy sex abuse cover-ups are ignored as well.

Baptistland: It’s the land of no accountability.

But now that he’s in prison, Matt Baker is learning that he’s no longer in the magic land of no accountability.

In the world outside of Baptistland, bad conduct has consequences.

For Matt Baker, it’s a lesson long overdue.
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Related posts:
Baptists threw kids a rattlesnake, 1/26/10
Complicity of Baptist leaders, 1/24/10
It shouldn’t take a murder, 1/21/10
Guilty! Jury says pastor murdered wife, 1/20/10
Excerpts from the Matt Baker murder trial, 1/20/10
Baptist leaders silent at start of murder trial, 1/12/10
Baptist leaders must consider possible consequences, 6/12/09
Risk: Another lesson from the Matt Baker story, 12/31/08
Baptists at their best? 12/30/08
Why didn’t Baptists bust him? 2/23/08