Southern Baptist Convention Needs Leadership Willing to Tackle Cases of Clergy Sex Abuse
Al Mohler wants to lead the Southern Baptist Convention, but when it comes to dealing with clergy sex abuse, he has not shown leadership. To the contrary, he has long dragged his heels and has found himself forced to acknowledge a problem only because of courageous survivors, determined attorneys and tenacious journalists.
For example, it was only after massive media exposure that Mohler finally admitted to "serious errors" in his support for C.J. Mahaney, a pastor at the heart of claims about a longstanding cover-up of abuse reports involving 13 alleged perpetrators.
That is not leadership; that is belated bare-bones acknowledgment of a problem.
And now, though Mohler has learned to say nice-sounding words, they are words that we as survivors have all heard before. So words are not nearly enough nor are they evidence of leadership. The time for meaningful action is overdue.
Mohler is right, of course, that the SBC "can - and should - do more to track predators who've worked in affiliated churches." But absent a concrete plan, Mohler's words remain as just words.
SNAP remains wary of seeing too much praise and hope heaped onto any single individual who might lead this denomination, which is the country's second-largest faith group.
No matter how well-intentioned an individual may be, the core of the problem rests not in the particular faces that lead the SBC but rather in the SBC system itself. It is a system that fosters a climate for rampant abuse and cover-ups because it lacks effective structures for clergy accountability and for information-sharing about accused clergy predators.
Decades of entrenched institutional patterns will not be changed by simply repopulating the same dysfunctional structures with new faces. Instead, here is a look at what meaningful change in the SBC might actually look like.
CONTACT: Christa Brown, SNAP Board Member (christa.brown@prodigy.net), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director