Decades of Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Scandals and Coverups

Southern Baptist leaders covered up sex abuse, kept secret database, report says

Among the findings was a previously unknown case of a pastor who was credibly accused of assaulting a woman a month after leaving the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention on Sunday released a major third-party investigation that found that sex abuse survivors were often ignored, minimized and “even vilified” by top clergy in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

The findings of nearly 300 pages include shocking new details about specific abuse cases and shine a light on how denominational leaders for decades actively resisted calls for abuse prevention and reform. Evidence in the report suggests leaders also lied to Southern Baptists over whether they could maintain a database of offenders to prevent more abuse when top leaders were secretly keeping a private list for years.

Editor's note:  Victims can join lawsuit at AbuseSurvivorLawsuit.com

Search the Houston Chronicle's  Abuse of Faith: The Database

See comprehensive coverage:  Abuse of Faith.