Georgia Pastor Mike Stone to Challenge SBC President Bart Barber This Summer
For only the second time in more than three decades, a Southern Baptist Convention president will face a challenge for reelection.
Southern Baptist Task Force May Split With Guidepost Over LGBTQ Views
Task force leaders have tried over the past year to talk a fine line between finding the best firm to set up a database to track abusive pastors and finding a firm their fellow Southern Baptists would accept.
Todd Benkert Leaves SBC Abuse Task Force After Conflict Over Pastor’s Restoration
An Indiana Baptist pastor, Benkert played a key role in setting up an investigation into how SBC leaders have responded to the issue of abuse. He also reported a church that had platformed former SBC President Johnny Hunt, who has been credibly accused of sexual
To Be Ordained, Would-Be PCUSA Pastors Had to Interpret the Worst Story in the Bible
For students hoping to become pastors in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the exegesis exam is already stressful. But the most recent exam was made even more difficult when the committee developing the test chose one of Scripture’s “texts of terror.”
Trial Date Set for Case Involving Patterson, SWBTS
A court date has been set for a trial involving former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, the school, and an alleged sexual abuse survivor. A former SWBTS student filed suit against them in March 2019 alleging negligence, violation of privacy, and liability.
Dispute Over Abuse Hotline Reveals How Far the SBC Still Has To Go
For years, Southern Baptist Convention leaders refused to listen to abuse survivors, ignoring their concerns and labeling them as enemies of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. One of the first steps toward changing was setting up a confidential hotline.
Agape Boarding School Will Close Its Doors This Month After Years of Abuse Allegations
Agape Boarding School announced it will shut down Jan. 20. The closure is long-awaited for dozens of former students who have gone public with their allegations of physical, mental, and sexual abuse at Agape, which opened in Missouri in 1996.
‘Emotional Roller Coaster’: Delays in Effort to Shut Down Agape Dishearten Former Students
The delays are just the latest frustration for former students who have publicly accused the school of physical, mental, and sexual abuse. The school, which has been subject to intense social media pressure from activists and at least 20 lawsuits, remains open and has vehemently denied
Judge Grants Injunction Keeping Longtime Agape Director off Missouri Child Abuse Registry
Agape Boarding School’s longtime director won a court order Wednesday keeping his name off Missouri’s central registry for child abuse and neglect. The state has been trying to shut the school down over mounting allegations from former students that staff physically, psychologically, and sexually abused
The US Department of Justice Is Investigating the SBC. What Does It Mean?
More than four decades after sexual abuse claims against a Catholic priest first made national headlines, spurring accusations, lawsuits, a series of newspaper investigations and billions in settlements, the DOJ is investigating a religious group’s handling of sexual crimes by clergy and church staff. This