When the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News published the 2019 exposé "Abuse of Faith," documenting how the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) spent more than 20 years covering up sexual abuse allegations against nearly 400 clergymen, Christa Brown described it as a "hallelujah moment." In her memoir, Baptistland, Brown recounts her own abuse by a pastor and her healing journey, providing solace for fellow victims.
Brown details the maddeningly minimal progress the country's largest Protestant denomination has made to protect members after those revelations. Ignoring calls for meaningful action, attendees of the SBC's 2024 annual meeting instead passed resolutions supporting Israel and opposing in vitro fertilization and voted to oust the First Baptist Church of Alexandria for allowing women pastors.
The biblically bereft boys club in Baptistland mirrors the dynamics of American politics. Through scandals and convictions, the powerful prioritize retaining their positions. SBC promises of "bold steps" resemble campaign promises—just as politicians expect voters to be placated after elections, SBC patriarchs expect victims to be satisfied with another toothless task force.
Brown—whose abuser has continued working in the SBC—exposes the hypocrisy of an organization that claims to "demonstrate God's compassion to the needy" while shielding predators from accountability.
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