I noted this article yesterday and it's significance. See Penn State Scandal About To Change Southern Baptist Practices Toward Church Sexual Abuse . The secular media has failed to picked up perhaps the bombshell this is. That's is not really a shock since well most papers have cut their Religion reporting staffs to the bone. But the religious press got it.
Now a Southern Baptist Watchdog group has picked up on this and given a response Al Mohler Wakes Up... Finally! I am not sure the tone is productive but that is not my main complaint.
....Let's see what happens now.
1. Will Al Mohler have the courage to reintroduce the motion Wade Burleson proposed at the 2007 SBC?
2. Will he lead the rally to support Burleson or another messenger who proposes a similar motion in 2012?
3. Will Mohler now implement mandatory training for all seminary students in how to handle any knowledge or even suspicion of sexual abuse? (This shouldn't be "uncharted waters," but apparently it still is for many, including seasoned pastors.)
4. Will he publicly rebuke Southern Baptist "ministers" who are caught committing these crimes? Not to publicly humiliate them but to warn people about these wolves. Or will he continue merrily on with his CBMW agenda warning against the evils of women teaching men, not submitting to their husbands, and young people not getting married as soon as possible and popping out as many babies as nature allows?
5. Will he now begin to publicly rebuke Southern Baptist pastors who knowingly cover for confessed child molesters? Or will he continue to bring them in to speak in chapel services and fill the pulpits of their churches?
The "elite" among the SBC seem to think they're "appointed by God." Someone needs to explain to them that while they may be called by God to preach, they are hired by people to perform a job. Otherwise they wouldn't be so concerned about their salaries (and keeping them a secret).
What worries me is that little language in paragraph four.
It is often forgotten but much of the early work on exposing predators in the Catholic Clergy was done by Conservative and even Traditionalist groups. In other words it was not just their polar "ideological" opposite the National Catholic Reporter.
SNAP ( Catholic Division) is the main public advocate we see for abuse victims. The problem is, and there are others ones I can mention with SNAP, is it has aligned itself with the most "liberal "heterodox" wing of Catholicism. Such as Call to Action.
Thus when SNAP releases statements or it's interviewed it seems all sorts of unrelated agenda items unrelated to sexual abuse come into play. This has been unfortunate and I would make the argument has impeded protecting children. This division did not have to take place.
From what the little I have seen "Baptist" Snap has avoided this. It would be good to continue to do so.
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