-- The activist group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and a Catholic whistleblower priest have called on Southern Baptists to adopt review panels and registries of offending clergy for greater oversight.
Southern Baptist officials, meanwhile, say their denomination's decentralized structure and autonomous congregations prevent them from complying with some of the proposed reforms. They say they have addressed the issue in the past, and urge churches to conduct background checks on employees and volunteers.
"There is no Southern Baptist Convention office which collects and provides any qualifying information, including information about sex abuse convictions or accusations, with regard to any local church employees, including ministers," said D. August Boto, general counsel of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, in an e-mail response to questions.
" ... The Southern Baptist Convention was formed on the belief that the selection of its ministers is a sacred right held and exercised by the local church alone under the leadership of God."
Of course those with integrity, like Parnham, hold a different view:
Some, however, including Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, have criticized the denomination for "hid[ing] behind the shield of local church autonomy to avoid taking needed actions to protect children from predatory preachers."
But SBC President Frank Page has stressed that Southern Baptists are not hiding behind their polity. "Let me clearly state that we believe in the autonomy of the local church as a biblical mandate," Page stated in a column earlier this month. “We are not hiding behind anything, except the Bible.”
Yup, sounds about right. Hiding behind the bible is exactly what they’re doing.
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