SBC Executive Committee Balks at Directive to Open Up to Abuse Investigation
Kate Shellnutt of Christianity Today reports, “Months after the Southern Baptist Convention voted for a third-party investigation into how its Executive Committee responded to abuse allegations, leaders failed to adopt the convention’s terms for the process, deferring to ongoing negotiations between leaders and a sexual abuse task force.” The executive committee voted against a request to waive attorney client privilege, which would have allowed greater transparency and access to documents in the investigation. Twelve members of the executive committee who opposed the outcome of the vote released a statement, writing, “We grieve yesterday’s vote by the Executive Committee, who in unprecedented fashion prohibited the will of the messengers for an open and transparent investigation. It is our opinion that the failed vote only justifies the need for an open investigation.”