This past week the Southern Baptist Convention released the internal database of abusers that the SBC had been made aware of. Below is a link to the information compiled by the SBC and revealed in their internal investigation. It is 205 pages long. I would recommend that you look through the names of these offenders for three reasons:
- These matters deeply grieved me as I am sure they will grieve you and are a severe warning to all of us to guard our life and doctrine closely (1Tim 4:16). I would not recommend you read too many of the details—they are painful and shocking (Eph 5:11-12). But let each name on this horrible list remind us that we must guard our hearts with all seriousness against the pull of temptations and the flesh. I would venture to guess that not a single person on this list walked into their sin intending to get caught (Gen 4:7; Rom 6.12, 16), but that they gave themselves over time in small incremental compromises. Of this sort of spiritual drift, we are all capable if we are not vigilant. We must take heed lest we too fall.
- Review these names to be assured that none of these offenders has crept into your churches or ministries unknowingly (Jude 4). How much pain and sorrow could have been avoided if these churches were given a list of potential dangers to avoid. We know that this is no guarantee, but it is better than nothing. We have been given a list of men and women to guard against, let us not squander this resource and ignore the reality of evil that desires to creep into our churches to snatch away the most helpless and innocent. Shepherds must guard the sheep with their very lives (John 10:11; 1 John 3:16).
- As you look through these names be reminded of the fact that sin does not simply “go away” if ignored. Brethren, we must deal ruthlessly with sin–in ourselves, and others. We cannot allow sin to take up residence within our hearts, homes, or churches. The life of King David should suffice as an example of a life ruined by a failure to deal with sin in a swift and timely manner. You and I are no different. The Scriptures give us clear direction on how to deal with sin and how to discipline the unrepentant sinner. This document demonstrates what happens when the Church fails to take sin seriously and instead chooses to cover it with lies and treat it with kid gloves.
I would ask that you pray for the body of Christ right now. This is not an issue that only involves the SBC, but the entire body of Christ. These reports, and so many others like them, have sullied the name of our beloved Savior. We have had our own issues in our churches in the past, and we must pray for the Great Shepherd to help us all to guard against this wickedness from entering into what should be the safest place on earth. May judgment begin in the household of God (1Pt 4:7).
Richard Bargas
Executive Director, IFCA International
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