Newly elected leaders within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are increasingly downplaying the extent of sexual abuse within the denomination, a stance that prominent survivors and advocates say contradicts their experiences and perpetuates an unsafe environment.
Four years after a landmark report detailed how top leaders had minimized sexual abuse allegations, intimidated survivors, and obstructed reforms, a counternarrative is emerging from the highest levels of convention leadership. SBC President Willy Rice, a Florida pastor, has characterized the 2022 Guidepost Solutions report as a "snipe hunt," suggesting that some individuals with political motives "weaponized" the issue against the denomination. Similarly, former SBC President Jack Graham has denied that a "systemic sexual abuse crisis" ever existed, calling the entire matter a "reckless hoax" that has caused significant financial and reputational damage.
These statements are deeply hurtful to survivors. "For all those who watched us lead the reform, they also watched us get verbally attacked, maligned, bullied & in the end dropped," survivor Tiffany Thigpen posted on social media platform X, describing her experience after advocating for reform at the 2022 annual meeting. She, like many others, has since ceased attending conventions.
Rice acknowledged that churches and institutions have at times mishandled abuse cases, which has "damaged our witness," but maintained that the SBC has made efforts to correct these issues. He drew a parallel between the SBC's situation and the #MeToo movement, suggesting, as he did regarding allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, that the issue has been "weaponized."
Christa Brown, a survivor of sexual abuse by an SBC pastor and a longtime advocate, disputes the notion of politicization by victims. "For clergy sex abuse survivors, there has never been anything to gain in speaking out. To the contrary, it almost always comes with a heavy personal cost," she stated via email. "There's no political agenda." Brown emphasized that a safe reporting mechanism remains absent within the SBC, a reality she has observed over two decades of advocacy.
Efforts toward reform, including the authorized creation of a database for credibly accused church workers, have faltered. The task force overseeing reforms was discontinued, with the responsibility shifting to the denomination's Executive Committee. This committee has opted to refer churches to existing databases and focus on prevention and education, rather than establishing its own.
Advocates argue that clergy sexual abuse is uniquely traumatizing due to the manipulation of religious authority and trust. "Sexual abuse committed by clergy carries unique dynamics (and this is something that most SBC leaders just don’t seem to understand... or don’t want to understand)," Brown wrote.
Skeptics of a systemic crisis often point to statistics. A 2019 report by The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News identified approximately 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers facing allegations of sexual abuse over two decades, resulting in over 700 victims. They argue these numbers, while regrettable, do not constitute a crisis for a denomination of its size. However, advocates counter that abuse is often underreported, especially when perpetrators hold positions of authority and are protected by church leadership.
Concerns about failures at high levels persist. The 2018 firing of seminary president Paige Patterson over his handling of rape allegations and accusations against Paul Pressler, a former influential figure in SBC politics, are cited as examples. Bruce Frank, who chaired the Sexual Abuse Task Force, expressed that survivors have understandably lost faith in denominational reforms, stating, "We made some difference. It fell short of what a lot of people who suffered through that could reasonably expect."