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The Baptist Church is a group of Protestant Christian churches that share a common belief in the importance of baptism by immersion as a public profession of faith. The Baptist Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the world, with an estimated 50 million members worldwide. Due to the decentralization of Baptist churches, cases of abuse are often hidden, and nothing is done about them. Furthermore, each individual church has their own leader, which leads to a greater abuse of power and keeping things hidden. [1]
Recently, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle found that over 700 people had been sexually abused by Southern Baptist (largest Baptist denomination in the US) pastors and church officials over the past 20 years. This is one of the largest sexual abuse probes by a religious organization ever. The investigation also found that many church leaders had failed to take adequate steps to prevent abuse or protect victims. The report was based on an analysis of court records, police reports, and interviews with victims, their families, and church officials. [2]
The investigation found that many of the accused abusers had been allowed to continue serving in church leadership roles despite allegations of abuse. Some had even been allowed to move from church to church, where they were able to abuse more victims. The investigation also found that many of the victims had been silenced or ignored by church officials when they tried to report the abuse. Without a centralized branch overseeing it, this abuse was allowed to take place without anyone stepping in. [3]
Here at the Michael Brady Lynch Firm, we handle Clergy Sexual abuse cases. If you or a loved one has been sexually abused, please give us a call at 888-585-5970
Dated: March 15, 2023
Author: Brandon Salter
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/baptist_1.shtml#:~:text=Baptists%20are%20congregational%3A%20each%20church,where%20all%20decisions%20are%20made
[2] https://news.wgcu.org/2019-02-11/700-victims-listed-in-sexual-abuse-probe-of-southern-baptist-churches
[3] https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117362904/southern-baptists-doj-investigation-sexual-abuse
