The Southern Baptist Church Ignored Its Abuse Crisis. She Exposed It.
For Vice, Sarah Stankorb profiles Christa Brown, an activist for sexual abuse survivors in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical denomination in the United States. Brown, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, has dedicated her life to working for reforms in the SBC, including a comprehensive database of abusers. She also identifies the theological roots that allow abuse to continue. Stankorb writes, “Women and children in SBC are taught to defer to men, particularly those in roles of authority, Brown explained, and to her mind, this has contributed to submission and obedience when those authority figures are bad actors.” The SBC has contracted an investigative firm to conduct a review of its executive board’s handling of past abuse cases.