After reports were issued on Sunday by the AP indicating that the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee inappropriately handled sexual abuse and misconduct allegations by "survivors and concerned Southern Baptists," Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, world-renown Intelectual, author, and podcaster Albert Mohler responded to the controversy on his daily podcast, "The Briefing" early Monday morning.
"I'm speaking today at one of the most difficult moments ever experienced by my beloved denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Considering the historical roots of the SBC, that's actually quite a statement, but it's true. This is a moment long in coming, and it is not over." Mr. Mohler stated as he went on to stress the importance of the allegations made and the SBC's commitment to resolving issues in a timely and just manner.
Mr. Mohler continued, "The report is devastating, heartbreaking, and infuriating. So why am I talking about this today? I am not a neutral or independent observer. I'm president of the SBC's oldest institution and I've been involved in the leadership of the SBC for 35 years. I speak daily on this podcast, The Briefing, to how Christians should understand issues and events from a Christian worldview."
Dr. Mohler finished his address of the issue by making clear his commitment to transparency and justice for the accused and the abused, proving many of the portrayals of the SBC as a whole made by the mainstream media to be an inaccurate representation of SBC leadership:
"Every single one of these sex abuse survivors deserve protection, but experienced predation. Every cry for help deserved to be heard, but many were not heard. Worse, some were denied and uninvestigated. Shockingly enough, at least some staff members were compiling a list of offenders. Evidently, they did nothing with it. Among at least some officials, there was an organized attempt to suppress the truth or to deny it. All, this is now documented for anyone to read."
Quotes are taken from the official transcript of Monday's edition of The Briefing.
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Al K. Scott, Sam Morris
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