Did you know that a prominent Christian leader allegedly refused to listen to complaints that his subordinate was having sex with teens? Unless the victims could produce three witnesses to the crime, he wouldn’t take their charges seriously. Did you know that sexual abuse is on the rise in all churches? Would it surprise you to learn that evangelicals are no better than their Roman Catholic friends in dealing with issues involving pedophilia?
Did you know that there are nationally recognized evangelical leaders who advocate that wives who have been beaten by their husbands stay in physically abusive relationships? Did you know that it’s the wife’s fault if she is abused by her own husband? We are not being flippant!
The next three issues are specific to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); however, there is an alliance forming between reformed thinkers from the SBC, charismatics, Presbyterians, and independent churches. As goes the Southern Baptists, so go many others. Ever heard of the website stopbaptistpredators.org? You need to click on this link. In the coming months, we will address these issues in depth and offer proof for our contentions.
1. Pedophilia, sexual abuse, and the church: Unfortunately, there are far too many examples of churches that dismiss the victim and protect the pastor. We believe this attitude stems from a denial that “God’s man” couldn’t possibly do something like that. We will be highlighting this issue in depth and will report on a number of ongoing problems, including those within the SBC, which has adamantly refused to set up a sexual predator database. Wait til you hear the excuse!
2. Domestic violence: Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and arguably, the architect of the neo-conservative lurch in the SBC, actually advised a woman to stay with her physically abusive husband and even bragged about it during a conference in 2000! Was there an outcry within the ranks? Nope. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary recently dedicated a building in his honor. Can’t believe it? Neither could we but we will highlight this dedication in the near future.
3. The Eternal Subordination of Jesus Christ to the Father: Do not yawn! Ideas have consequences and this one is a doozy! Bruce Ware, a theologian at Southern Seminary, flagship of the SBC, recently sent shock-waves through Christendom. Why? If Jesus (the Son) is eternally subordinate to the Father, women are eternally subordinate to men. We are not making this up!
4. Women are responsible for their physical abuse: Yep, that’s what Bruce Ware alleged from the pulpit, and his reasoning is a direct consequence of the third point. When wives are beaten by their husbands, it is because they are not being submissive enough. So just how submissive does a wife have to be to avoid physical abuse by her husband who is to love her as Christ loves the church? Bruce has yet to elaborate on this point . . .