I could almost hear the collective gasp on Twitter when the Houston Chronicle published the first of three installments titled "Abuse of Faith" — a report delineating hundreds of sexual abuses in Southern Baptist Churches. A similar wave occurred when J. D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, subsequently announced 10 calls to action for Southern Baptists on sexual abuse. Immediately, I began to see tweets, like "[J.D. Greear] was elected for such a time as this," scattered throughout my timeline.
As thankful as I am to see Greear speaking clearly and mournfully about sexual abuse in the SBC, I feel concerned by this praise-swirled-with-certainty-of-divine-intervention. It seems to surpass encouragement and land at a premature rendering of Greear as a hero. I fear that too many are equating words of sorrow over sexual abuse with a proportionate, justice-oriented response.
Some survivors, I've learned, fear the same.
Read Full Article »