A Baptist Almost Gets the Clergy Sexual Abuse Problem (Updated)

I largely agree with the thoughts of Stop Baptist Predators and her post Baptist propaganda regarding the comments of David Gushee who is a professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University. I agree his point 4 is way off!!! Also there is the problem of lay folks involved in ministry that seems to be getting glossed over here.

The only thing I would add is I think one point Mercer makes is a tad more complicated.

He says:
First, this scandal has been fueled by imbalances of power between laity and clergy, and especially between children and adults. When a child is sexually abused by the most-trusted authority figure in a church, he or she begins from a position of total powerlessness. He or she starts off with the voicelessness of every child in a world where the rules are set by adults. He or she lives in a context in which adults are far more likely to be believed than children. And if he or she does somehow develop the capacity to articulate the abuse, the complaint must eventually be made to the very institution led by the child’s abuser. The victim will need a significant infusion of power arrayed in solidarity with him or her from other adults -- such as parents, lay leaders in the congregation, lawyers, or the civil authorities -- to start leveling the imbalance of power.

Well I largely agree with that. However lets focus on the Laity for a second. I suppose of course there is in the Baptist Church an abuse of Baptist clericalism.

However, and this is the point I make to Catholics as someone that has seen the other side, it is not like it just the bad preachers. There is a ton of lay governance from the Board of Deacons to prominent members of the Church to folks that run the schools? Why are they being absolved? In fact the Southern Baptist "messengers" (delegates that often lay folks) don't seem to be concerned about the problem in this midst. If so why is not more concern to deal with the problem. Note I am talking here about Southern Baptist. Other National Baptist groups have made needed reforms.

However as to to the subject of laity there is a ton of "Laity" that knows exactly what is going on.

Update- The author of the original piece contacted the blogger and has revised his piece somewhat. See comments