Here’s what it says: “RESOLVED,
that we remind all Southern Baptists of their legal and moral responsibility to
report any child abuse to authorities . . . .”
Thus, Southern Baptists “RESOLVED”
to “remind” people to obey the law . . . i.e., to do what they should be doing
anyway.
But for Southern Baptists, a
reminder to obey the law took a convention with 5000 delegates and heaps of
hoopla. And of course, it’s still just talk. It doesn’t actually do
anything at all. It sure as heck doesn’t impose any consequences on pastors who
choose not to obey reporting laws and who instead keep quiet about sex
abuse allegations against their clergy-cronies.
Southern Baptists also “RESOLVED,
that we strongly urge Southern Baptist churches to utilize background checks”
to screen prospective employees and volunteers. So, again, it took the vote of 5000
delegates to “urge” churches to use this bare-bones minimum of safeguard
measures? And it’s still just talk, nothing more.
Furthermore, even
if all Southern Baptist churches were to suddenly start doing
background checks, what are Southern Baptists going to do to track the reports
on clergy-predators who have not been criminally convicted? Nothing. Yet, almost
all experts recognize that the vast majority of child molesters won’t show up
in any sex offender database. Thus, while background checks are essential, they aren’t nearly enough.
Other
major faith groups have implemented denominational accountability systems
that provide review panels to receive and assess clergy abuse reports. Such
systems allow for the possibility that, even when clergy abuse reports are too
late for criminal prosecution (as they so often are), denominational
authorities may at least be able to warn people or to remove the mantle of ministerial
trust.
But not so with Southern
Baptists. They’re light-years behind on dealing with clergy sex abuse. If a Southern
Baptist pastor isn’t literally sitting in prison, he can probably find a pulpit
to stand in. There is no denominational system that will even attempt to stop
him or to warn parents in the pews.
Finally, the 5000 Southern
Baptist delegates voted that it be “RESOLVED, that we urge all Southern
Baptists to pray for children who are victims of abuse.”
Southern Baptists have no denominational
office for even hearing the reports of those who are trying to tell about Southern
Baptist clergy child molesters -- no system for providing professional
counseling to people abused by Southern Baptist clergy – and no denominational system
for protecting against predatory pastors who church-hop.
But oh gee whiz. . . . they’ll pray
for us.
Count me among the
unimpressed. It’s another status-quo year of Southern Baptist do-nothingness on
clergy sex abuse.
_________________________
For a concise response to the standard Southern Baptist excuse for do-nothingness -- "local church autonomy" -- consider NapaMan's comment: "The suggestion that a reform ... would undermine the independence of congregations to hire and fire is at best a straw man and perhaps intentional deceit. Maintaining a list of church staff with a history of abuse would only shed light on who is being hired . . . ." (Read the rest of NapaMan's comment here.)
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