Please note that the resolution was also amended, in the second "RESOLVED", to "remind all Southern Baptists of their legal and moral responsibility to report any ACCUSATIONS OF child abuse" (amendment in caps…). That change recommends against the ability of a church to investigate allegations, themselves, and decide whether they should be reported. With that on the record, I'd imagine any SBC church would dare not fail to report such allegations, lest they be without defense should the allegations later be proven true.

@ Bob Cleveland:

Yes, that amendment is of vital importance.

TW wrote:

I am glad this passed and now I will be watching to see if Mark Dever and Al Mohler continue their partnership with C.J. Mahaney in Together For the Go$pel.

TW — The more I read on the Gospel Coalition’s own site, the more I wonder if the Coalition council members such as Al Mohler and Mark Dever, adhere to their own “Blue Code of Silence,” the “unwritten rule among police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague’s errors, misconducts, or crimes.”

Maybe it’s my imagination, but this video that the Gospel Coalition released 2 days ago has a odd feel to it. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/06/18/the-gospel-coalition-where-weve-been-where-were-going/

Minute 5:40-6:45 – Gospel Coalition founders explain that their relationships with other high ranking pastors were more important to them than theology. In fact, after meeting the first time with this incredible group, they were worried that these famous leaders might not come back (6:09) and meet again. They sound like sorority girls.

Minute 5:10 – TGC co-founder Don Carson talks about these pastors having love for one another in a way they had never experienced before. He calls it a mark of the Lord’s blessing.

Perhaps this explains what’s wrong with the nearly 50 Gospel Coalition council members who have stood silently and given their tactic approval to the C.J. Mahaney endorsements by Mohler, Dever, Duncan, DeYoung, Carson, and Taylor.

Fortunately not all pastors are as wimpy as the council members. Here’s one pastor who rejected the wording and suggested his own: http://headhearthand.org/blog/2013/06/18/an-alternative-to-the-tgc-and-t4g-statements-about-sgm/

For The Gospel Coalition it seems that loyalty to other council members is more important than loyalty to Jesus Christ or even common decency — at least in the area of reporting child sex crimes in their churches and warning families who attend.

Now if they would just resolve to repent openly of all the past injustices and coverups.

Who will police this resolution? What are the consequences for failure to comply? Who will oversee accountability and action? What discipline is there now for already documented cases of failure to report child sexual abuse by Baptist clergy?

Should read:
“RESOLVED: that we encourage all denominational leaders and employees of the Southern Baptist Convention to utilize the highest sense of discernment in affiliating with groups and/or individuals that possess questionable policies and practices in protecting our children from criminal abuse and COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND DENY ALL FURTHER AFFILIATION WITH SAID GROUPS; and be it finally…”

TedS wrote:

Should read:
“RESOLVED: that we encourage all denominational leaders and employees of the Southern Baptist Convention to utilize the highest sense of discernment in affiliating with groups and/or individuals that possess questionable policies and practices in protecting our children from criminal abuse and COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND DENY ALL FURTHER AFFILIATION WITH SAID GROUPS; and be it finally…”

When the resolution was in its early stages on Lumpkins blog, it did have stronger language for there to be ceasing of affiliation. But, such a resolution would not pass in its initial form because it was too pointed. The resolution committee would rework it. Although everyone who has been keeping up with the news knows that SGM’s and CJ’s connection to SBTS and SEBTS plays a large factor in the resolution. I think you will see the state conventions have more strongly worded resolutions which are more in keeping with what the original resolution intended.

Here is the blog post which detailed the working of the resolution. You can read commentors thoughts as well and the feedback that they gave Peter.

http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/2013/05/resolution-on-sexual-abuse-of-children-by-peter-lumpkins.html#more

For what its worth, I’m Reformed and support Lumpkins original wording.

Can Christians work together to eradicate child sex abuse?

We’d better, before “Christian = Pedophile” to the outside. “Catholic priest” is already synonymous with child sex abuse in popular beliefs, and it looks like the SGM/IFB/SBC is doing their best to catch up.

Unfortunately, when you get to the “splinter church” Protestants, you have thousands upon thousands of One True Churches, each denouncing the others as Heretics and Apostates over Parsings of Doctrine/Ideology. As Jonathan Swift would put it, “Do you break your egg at the big end or the little end?”

I have talked to Dee more about that phone call I received from the Houston police prior to our event, which as anyone with eyes could see was not a “protest or rally” but simply an awareness/media event…with me and Pam and another survivor, Miguel Prats. I called that officer back that left me the voicemail. After a several minute long conversation with me asking him questions about how he was alerted to our plans, my cell phone and David’s, I came away with more questions and an unsettled feeling. He claims to have searched for “protest” and “rally.” I never used those terms on my blog, only “awareness event.” I asked if he called anyone else who had “protested” the SBC and he said no, only me and David. I asked if he was aware that Westboro Baptist was there, and their counter protesters. He said he didn’t know they were there. I said really? He seemed a bit nervous at this point, actually throughout the phone call. He explained that he had been off for a week. He then fumbled a bit and said that Westboro was someone else’s job, yet he had told me that his job was to “search for groups planning to protest or rally.” I finally realized that he had not mentioned my blog post but that he learned about me and our plans from the email that we sent out that Friday morning, June 7. We sent it to Gregg Matte, Doug Bischoff, Frank Page, Russell Moore and Fred Luter: http://www.scribd.com/doc/146329026/Survivors-Network-of-Those-Abused-by-Priests-SNAP-Letter-to-the-SBC

At some point late that morning, SNAP posted this letter online, but this officer told me he learned about us from the email we sent out. The voicemail I received from Officer Trinh came in about 11:00 am.

@ Amy Smith:

Why would a police officer care if a person or persons wanted to stand there in front of a convention meeting holding picket signs or peacefully handing out leaflets or what not? That just seems a little weird to me.

I think for larger groups, and to hold a parade on a city street or whatever, you’d have to get some kind of prior permission or permit, but just standing on a sidewalk talking to people or holding a sign outside some event?

I’m not an expert at the law or anything, but something doesn’t seem right to me about any of that.

And why would the SBC care if a handful of people wanted to stand in a group outside their convention and chat with folks or hold signs or what not?

I wonder if the guy was even a police officer. I’d call the HPD and ask them if they have an “officer Jones” (or whatever his name is) that works for them. If not, there’s some police imposter out there, and I’d think the real police would be interested in knowing that.

Daisy wrote:

@ Amy Smith:
Why would a police officer care if a person or persons wanted to stand there in front of a convention meeting holding picket signs or peacefully handing out leaflets or what not? That just seems a little weird to me.
I think for larger groups, and to hold a parade on a city street or whatever, you’d have to get some kind of prior permission or permit, but just standing on a sidewalk talking to people or holding a sign outside some event?
I’m not an expert at the law or anything, but something doesn’t seem right to me about any of that.
And why would the SBC care if a handful of people wanted to stand in a group outside their convention and chat with folks or hold signs or what not?
I wonder if the guy was even a police officer. I’d call the HPD and ask them if they have an “officer Jones” (or whatever his name is) that works for them. If not, there’s some police imposter out there, and I’d think the real police would be interested in knowing that.

I got his badge number and called the main number for that division and confirmed he is an officer there.

The PCA (Presbyterian Church Of America)  Becomes Personally, ‘Resolved’ Declaring A Resolution on Child Sexual Abuse”

hmmm…

(The Following was Proposed to the 41st PCA General Assembly in Greenville, South Carolina) *  :

“WHEREAS our Lord Jesus demonstrated his righteous anger at his disciples, rebuking those who would do anything to prevent covenant children from coming unto him, saying “to such belongs the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14); and”

“WHEREAS the Lord Jesus, who possesses all power and authority in heaven and on earth, taught and demonstrated in his humiliation, that power is rightly exercised to serve others, protect the weak, and speak for the oppressed (Mark 10:42-45, Exodus 22:21-24, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Proverbs 31:1-9); and”

“WHEREAS a silent epidemic of child abuse exists in our culture wherein 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006), including girls and boys who attend PCA churches, with 95% of victims being violated by someone they know and trust (Darkness2Light.org); and”

“WHEREAS child sexual abuse thrives in an environment that discourages open communication about the abuse and also thrives with both the calculated sin of abusers and by the inaction of church leaders who are nonetheless complicit in the abuse and culpable before the Lord; and”

“WHEREAS the law in almost all states mandates pastors, and even in some states volunteers, to report child abuse to civil authorities within 24 hours, and biblical due diligence requires churches to train its workers and volunteers to protect children by screening workers and volunteers, by strictly limiting one adult one child situations, and by maintaining a child protection policy informed by wise resources now widely available; and”

“WHEREAS the silence of the church, by not speaking out against this sin, or not supporting the courageous victims who disclose abuse, or not proactively taking the steps to prevent abuse, is a fundamental failure of servant leadership in such a time as this, and drives people away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and”

“WHEREAS many of our members have close relational ties with some Reformed and evangelical organizations, fellowships of ministers, and well-known leaders who have lately come under the closest moral and legal scrutiny, some facing criminal and/or civil litigation for neglect in reporting alleged criminal activity against children and harboring and protecting alleged sexual perpetrators against children, casting doubt in the eyes of some on the stance of the PCA toward child sexual abuse and our moral resolve to uproot it; THEREFORE, be it”

“RESOLVED that we plead with all pastors and church officers to take an active stance toward rooting out child sexual abuse in the church by leading their churches to study, implement, and maintain child protection policies pertaining to our moral and legal obligations in loving our covenant children and protecting their rightful interests as God’s image-bearers and heirs of the Covenant of Grace from the devastating actions of abusers in the church; and be it further”

“RESOLVED that we pledge our commitment to work and fully cooperate with duly appointed God-ordained government officials in exposing and bringing to justice all probable perpetrators, who morally and criminally harm the children placed in our trust, and not in any perceivable way display reluctance in fully cooperating with lawful authorities by attempting to handle the issue internally by subjecting either the supposed victim or alleged criminal perpetrator to private “church discipline” or relational “restoration” apart from the fulfillment of our mandated reporting duties to God-ordained government authorities; and be it further”

“RESOLVED that we exhort all pastors and church officers to use their power for the protection of the vulnerable, by any and all godly means, including speaking boldly about the horrors of child sexual abuse in our time, urging anyone with knowledge of these sins to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11), and by supporting victims who are easily intimidated, and often suffer in silence, without the clear support of those in positions of power; and be it finally”

“RESOLVED that the 41st General Assembly urge all members of the PCA to renew our allegiance to our Lord Jesus to love our covenant children as he loves our covenant children, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:14).” *

.

Early to be ” RESOLVED” gets to save the most children from child sexual abuse?

One can only hope, 

There’s the scarlet thread of abuse apparently running through the colourless skin of Church life, and our duty is ‘clear’; to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it. 

The result is inevitable. 

Elementary, my dear Wartburg…  

(grin)

ATB

Sopy
___
P.S. Would the SBC now care to step up closer to the proverbial plate? Batter up?!?

* Reference: http://michaelnewnham.com/?p=12933 ; “Personal Resolution on Child Sexual Abuse”

—

“Carpet Roll-up: Ne-glect-ive Church Action?”

hmmm…

“WHEREAS the silence of the church, by not speaking out against this sin(child sexual abuse) , or not supporting the courageous victims (of child sexual abuse) who disclose abuse, or not proactively taking the steps to prevent (child sexual) abuse, is a fundamental failure of servant leadership in such a time as this, and drives people away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ…” – ‘PURPOSED’  portion of the’Resolve’ to the 41st PCA General Assembly in Greenville, South Carolina…)

What?!?

…did someone just blink?

.

…my offering plate no longer runneth over perhaps?

or,

…my members runneth out, perhaps?

Silence (of child sexual abuse) cost the last denominational church about three billion dollars, and quite a few closed churches…

Crunch!

….huh?

Have the leadership of the PCA finally seen the writing in the wall?

“Found in the balance wanting”, perhaps?

Ching! Ching! 

could b.

(sadface)

What about the SBC, will they wake up before they have to roll-up some of those carpets?

hmmm….

One can only hope,

Wake up, that is…

ATB

Sopy

—

@ Amy:

Amy, I have talked to friends involved in anti-abortion protests in Houston and this move by the HPD is actually pretty common. All it takes is one person to report something “suspicious” or a “terroristic threat” and the HPD is all over it much like you described in the phone call you received. I am so sorry that this happened to you. You did not deserve it. The officer who contacted you should have informed you that legally you can protest whatever you want as long as you remain on public property (usually the sidewalk) and the police are required to protect your freedom to be there. Your church leaders were also wrong in misleading the HPD and wasting their time. There are so many people who are on your side supporting you and praying for you.

Not sure if anyone will read this cause the thread is kind of old. But in reference to the police officer… Many towns have local ordinances that prohibit even one person protesting something on a public sidewalk without a permit. My husband is a po in a wealthy suburban township and they have ridiculous ordinances out the whazoo including the requirement that someone get a permit to just go and hold a sign on a sidewalk. Typically the officers don’t enforce these ordinances unless they receive a complaint, though.

@ aly k:
Aly, if you will read my earlier comments, you will see that I am familiar with Houston ordinances regarding protests. The officer who called Amy Smith acted in a way that was not appropriate for the city ordinances. I understand that different cities have different ordinances but the fact remains that in Houston Amy was singled for unjust treatment. She was completely within in the law to follow through with her plans. Protesters merely have to remain on public property (usually the sidewalks) and not impede the flow of traffic. HPD owes Amy an apology for the actions of this officer who was clearly (and unfairly) influenced by her pastor.