In Light of the Sexual Abuse Report, Why Remain In the SBC?

Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear

J.D. Greear

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 624 Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In a special episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. has recorded a message addressing the recently published report from the Sexual Abuse Task Force of the SBC.

Show Notes:

One of the questions I've gotten a lot since the publication of the SBC's Sexual Abuse Task Force Report on May 22 has been, what does it mean to be a part of a group of churches that has this deep sin in its past? Are you going to stay in that convention?
First, I want to affirm that this is not the time to justify staying in the SBC or defending it. This is a time to lament and repent.
But, since I have been asked that question, I do want to take the time to answer it:

The actions of those noted in the report do not reflect the will of the body.
I’ve always thought of my presidency and work in the convention as trying to keep the messenger’s convention out of the hands of a few who do not reflect the attitude of the SBC and seek to impose their will on the SBC. I believe my role was to stand in that gap and say, “You cannot have the power of the SBC. The people don’t want that."
If there is one note of encouragement in all of this, it's the fact the messengers themselves called for this report. This report was not imposed from outside or even called for by a leader—it was called for and voted on by the messengers.
To note, the SBC has a rather unique structure that allows this. This would not be possible in most denominations. It is a biblical and wise safeguard.

I want to be in a convention where the people have the power, because as we see, the leaders go corrupt quicker than the people!

We are already seeing the effect of change as new people come onto the Executive Committee.

The current Executive Committee staff did not know anything about some of the most egregious systemic failures, and that the current Executive Committee board and staff have already acted swiftly to refute and reverse what they can. The headlines aren't clear about that, so our people aren't either.

So, what has to change?

People: This is a time to repent.
Pastors: We need a commitment to raise awareness.
Policies:

Commitment to transparency
Shift of priority from protection of reputation of an institution to protection of victim
Shift of benefit of doubt from leaders to victims
Not allowing bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and legalese to keep us from doing the right thing

Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, all you ask me anything, listeners, this is J.D., and normally the the first voice you hear here is Matt's, and he's not going to join us today.
0:25.6	I'm just going to kind of take this on myself.
0:27.6	On May 22nd, a report was released by guidepost that detailed a lot of very difficult and troubling things about how Southern Baptist, as a convention of churches,
0:40.0	how they have handled abuse, abuse cases, reporting of abuse over the last 20 years. And a lot of
0:45.9	reading that, reading it for the first time on May 22nd were troubled, saddened, heartbroken,
0:58.2	horrified at various parts of it. And the purpose of what I'm going to do today is not to not really to go through the report and talk about it, but just really to
1:04.3	ask a question that I've started to get a lot. And that is, how are you processing this? And what does it
1:10.7	mean to be a part of a convention? what does it mean to be a part of a
1:13.2	convention what does it mean to be a part of a group of churches that that that has some of
1:18.8	this in its past how do you process what are you going to stay remain as a part of the
1:23.6	convention and so that's the question we want to deal with on Ask
1:27.5	Me Anything, because it is one that I'm getting a lot from right here on our staff team to
1:32.0	churches that we've planted to others of you around the country. And the first thing I want to do
1:36.9	is just affirm that, you know, there's a time for everything. And this is not the time for us to
1:41.4	to really be in the mode of like talking about, you know, the good and stuff in the SBC, trying to defend it.
1:48.9	I mean, this is primarily a time for us to lament and to repent where we have failed.
1:53.8	And I want that to be just very, very clear that I think the posture that we all have to have is a posture of brokenness and a posture of grieving.
2:02.4	But for those that are asking the question, you know, why would you choose to remain as a part of a
2:08.2	group of churches when this came out? Here's what I want to say. You know, I've always said in my time as
2:14.2	president that there was a pretty vast dissonance between most SBC members and
2:21.8	pastors, you know, that group and some of what I experienced in some of the executive leadership
2:27.5	and some of the members of the executive committee, which is that committee that, you know,
	...

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