BishopAccountability.org

Southern Baptist sex abuse crisis: What you need to know

By Duane W. Gang And Holly Meyer
Nashville Tennessean
February 19, 2019

https://bit.ly/2GzTiOR

[with video]

Southern Baptists across the country are grappling with a sex abuse crisis in the wake of a startling investigative report detailing more than 380 cases where church leaders and volunteers have been accused of sexual misconduct.

In total, the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News found more than 700 victims.

Here's what you need to know about the story and how Southern Baptist Convention leaders are responding.

Why did the news organizations investigate the church?

Victims of sexual abuse had long criticized church leaders for not doing enough to combat the problem, including tracking how many church leaders are accused of sexual misconduct. So the news organizations set out build their own database.

What was the reaction to the news?

Calls for reform and change came quickly. Southern Baptist leaders vowed to address the problem. 

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear, a pastor in North Carolina, called sexual abuse by church leaders and volunteers "pure evil," and apologized to victims.

"We are profoundly sorry," Greear, along with fellow Pastor Brad Hambrick, wrote in a article posted on Greear's website the day after the news broke. "It is an unjust tragedy that you experienced abuse in the past. And it is unjust and tragic that you feel fear in the present.

"We, the church, have failed you."

What is the church doing about the problem?

Greear on Monday night unveiled the initial recommendations from a study group on sexual abuse that got started last year when he took over as president.

Those proposed changes including providing free training for ministry leaders and encouraging churches to review their policies on abuse.

The recommendations also call for a re-examination of the ordination process and ensuring that Southern Baptist churches cannot have a "wanton disregard for prevention of sexual abuse" and still be in good fellowship with the denomination, Greear said.

Why can't the change happen right away?

The Nashville-based Southern Baptist Convention is a network of more than 46,000 churches that make up the nation's largest Protestant denomination. 

Unlike other Christian denominations, individual Southern Baptist churches are autonomous, which has been cited as a hurdle for reform in the past. 

That means the implementation of all 10 recommendations is not a done deal.

Greear has said that level of local church control is a factor. 

"The Baptist doctrine of church autonomy should never be a religious cover for passivity towards abuse," he wrote in a series of Twitter posts earlier this month. "Church autonomy is about freeing the church to do the right thing — to obey Christ — in every situation. It is a heinous error to apply autonomy in a way that enables abuse."

What can Southern Baptist leaders do if individual churches don't prevent abuse?

A particular area to watch is whether the Southern Baptist Convention expels churches that do not do more to prevent future abuse.

Greear on Monday night singled out 10 churches that deserve particular focus and could face removal from the network of churches.  

"I am not calling for disfellowshipping any of these churches at this point, but these churches must be called upon to give assurances to the Southern Baptist Convention that they have taken the necessary steps to correct their policies and procedures with regards to abuse and survivors," Greear said.

The convention has taken action against churches before. Last year, at the convention's annual meeting in Dallas, a Georgia church got the boot over accusations of racism.

Who is J.D. Greear and why does he matter?

Greear, who leads The Summit Church in North Carolina, took over as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention last year. 

He is in his 40s and his leadership marks what is widely seen as a generational shift in for the denomination. He succeeded Pastor Steve Gaines, who leads Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis.

In September, the convention's Executive Committee allocated $250,000 for the sexual abuse advisory group Greear created soon after he was elected in June.

The advisory group's purpose is to figure out how Southern Baptists can better respond to incidents and prevent abuse from happening.

Greear said he formed the group because church leaders have "known that there is a problem." 

The advisory group came in the midst of Southern Baptist's own #MeToo moment. In the run-up to the denomination's annual meeting last year where Greear was elected, Southern Baptists were embroiled in months of controversy over a prominent church leader's treatment of women and how he handled years-old allegations of sexual misconduct.

Are church leaders from Tennessee accused of abuse?

The Houston Chronicle database includes 16 people from Tennessee.

Here are the convictions found in Tennessee:

  • Larry Michael Berkley, a pastor convicted in Lauderdale County in 2014, was convicted of 16 crimes, including four counts of aggravated statutory rape and four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure. He is serving a 33 year sentence.
  • Mark W. Mangrum, a pastor convicted in 2007 in federal court, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and 20 years of supervised release for distributing child porn to “induce a minor to engage in sexual conduct.” He is a registered sex offender.
  • Steven Carl Haney, a pastor convicted in Shelby County, was convicted of a 2003 sexual battery by an authority figure and in state court of a 2001 rape. He was the pastor of Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Cordova for 20 years before resigning in 2006, according to an article from Baptist News Global.
  • Charles Alan Denton, an associate pastor convicted in Montgomery County, is now a registered sex offender for a 2014 sexual battery.
  • Christopher Douglas Ross, a youth pastor convicted in Wilson County in 2016, is serving a four year sentence in state prison.
  • Donald Brent Page, a youth pastor convicted in federal court, was convicted of crossing state lines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in Tennessee in 2008. He was sentenced to 36 months for coercion or enticement of a minor in Memphis.
  • Gregory Stanley Dempsey, a music minister convicted in Hamilton County, was convicted of a 2003 sexual battery by an authority figure.
  • Heath Tyler Ransom, a youth minister convicted in Madison County, is listed as a sex offender for a 2017 conviction of criminal attempt to commit solicitation of a minor.
  • Jason Evan Kennedy, a youth minister convicted in Knox County, is a registered sex offender for soliciting a minor for sex.
  • Joseph Todd Neill, a youth pastor convicted in federal court, is listed as a sex offender for two statutory rapes and a related pornography charge. He was convicted of the federal possession of pornography charge in 2014 and released in 2017.
  • Luke A. Cooke, a youth minister convicted in Shelby County and federal court in 2015, was convicted for “coercion or enticement of a minor” and transporting a juvenile with the intent of engaging in illegal sexual activity.
  • Timothy Neal Byars, a youth minister charged in Knox County in 2008, is a registered sex offender for rape and an attempt to commit sexual battery.
  • Timothy Ronald Felts, a youth pastor convicted in Cheatham County in 2009 and 2016, was convicted of sexual battery and later of three counts of aggravated statutory rape and attempted aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
  • Chad Eugene Luttrell, a church volunteer convicted in 2010 in Madison County, pled guilty to a charge of sexual battery and is a registered sex offender.
  • Cristopher Ryan Crossno, a Sunday school teacher convicted in 2015 in Montgomery County, is a registered sex offender with a conviction of sexual battery.
  • Mark Curtis Adams, a youth teacher convicted in federal court in 2018, pled guilty to a charge that he used a social media application to induce a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Contact: hmeyer@tennessean.com




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