HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Chronicle
January 31, 2020
By Robert Downen and Sarah Smith
Three decades after he was sued for sexual misconduct, pastor Terry Smith is again facing public scrutiny.
This time it’s from abuse survivors and activists who say Smith’s continued ministry, following a judge’s ruling that his conduct was “improper and outrageous,” shows the limitations of the Southern Baptist Convention’s efforts to combat sexual abuse.
The renewed attention to Smith started with former SBC President Paige Patterson tweeting earlier this month that Smith’s congregation, Victory Baptist Church in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett, had honored him as a “defender of the faith.”
Many abuse survivors and activists quickly denounced the decision to recognize Patterson, citing his recent ouster as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over his handling of multiple abuse claims.
Attention then turned to Smith, who has a record of abuse allegations and was sued by a woman who said he took advantage of counseling sessions to sexually abuse her. Critics asked why that history — easily available by googling his name — hadn’t kept him and others with similar histories out of Baptist pulpits.
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