Patheos blog
February 11, 2019
By Josh Daffern
Yesterday the Houston Chronicle released a bombshell report (part 1 of 3) about sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. It is scathing and it is gut-wrenching to read as a lifelong Southern Baptist. The report names names, and while most will think the most important names are the denominational leaders and megachurch pastors called out, the most important names are the names of the victims, lives forever tarnished and ruined by vicious sexual assaults, assaults that took place within the sacred confines of our church buildings and within relationships fostered by the church. From the article:
Heather Schneider was 14 when she was molested in a choir room at Houston’s Second Baptist Church, according to criminal and civil court records. Her mother, Gwen Casados, said church leaders waited months to fire the attacker, who later pleaded no contest. In response to her lawsuit, church leaders also denied responsibility.
Schneider slit her wrists the day after that attack in 1994, Casados said. She survived, but she died 14 years later from a drug overdose that her mother blames on the trauma.
“I never got her back,” Casados said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.