News

OLDHAM REFUTES ALLEGATIONS IN SEXUAL ABUSE REPORT

The Baptist Paper Southern Baptist leaders and others mentioned in the sexual abuse report released May 22 continue to come forward to refute allegations made by Guidepost Solutions, which led the independent investigation into claims the SBC Executive Committee mishandled reports of sexual abuse. In addition to these responses, the Association of State Baptist Publications has requested access to the full archive of evidence for the report to review. Earlier

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SBC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, STATE LEADERS RESPOND TO GUIDEPOST REPORT

Editor’s note: This story was updated after its initial publication. By BP staff NASHVILLE — Baptist Press has compiled a list of public statements from Southern Baptist leaders regarding the findings of an investigation by Guidepost Solutions into the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse claims. First, are statements from each of the three men running for president of the SBC. Following that are public statements from either a

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ALLEGED ABUSER LIST RELEASED BY SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Baptist Paper The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has made public the alleged abuser list found in the recent investigation. Rolland Slade, SBC Executive Committee chairman, and Willie McLaurin, interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, released a statement along with the list May 26, a little before 9 p.m. CT. “The recently released Guidepost report revealed a list of alleged abusers compiled by a former employee

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OLDHAM RELEASES OPEN LETTER TO SOUTHERN BAPTIST LEADERSHIP

Editor’s note: In response to the recent task force report, Roger “Sing” Oldham, who formerly served on the SBC executive committee as vice president for convention relations and communications, has released the following letter to SBC leadership, members of SBC sexual abuse task force, the SBC executive committee and various Baptist media outlets.  An Open Letter to Southern Baptist Leadership Roger S. Oldham May 27, 2022 To: Dr. Ed Litton,

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BGCT MINISTERS TO FAMILIES, FIRST RESPONDERS FOLLOWING SCHOOL SHOOTING IN UVALDE

By Texas Baptist Communications Members of the Baptist General Convention of Texas family are responding following a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and two adults were killed by a gunman on Tuesday. Joe Aguilar, BGCT area representative for the Rio Grande Valley, was meeting with church leaders nearby and responded to the call to provide pastoral care following the shooting. He was onsite Tuesday

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SETS UP HOTLINE FOR ABUSE CLAIMS

By Brandon Porter Baptist Press NASHVILLE — A hotline has been established to allow those affected by sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches. The number is 202-864-5578. According to the joint statement from the SBC Executive Committee, Guidepost Solutions and the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force, “Since the release of the Guidepost report on Sunday, the SBC Executive Committee, Guidepost Solutions, and members of the Sexual Abuse Task Force have

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IT’S MORE THAN MEDICINE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] JOHNSON CITY — A physician and nurse team from Heritage Baptist Church in Johnson City have returned after providing medical care and showing the love of Jesus to orphans in war-torn Ukraine. Johnson City physician Sabrina Miller was asked several weeks ago to consider traveling to Ukraine to treat orphans through New Horizons for Children (NHC), an agency that has partnered with

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TENNESCENE: MAY 25

LEADERS Jason Hartley has been called as pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church, Elizabethton. He had been serving as interim pastor. Steve Evans has been called as pastor of Pilgrim New Covenant Baptist Church in Maryville. Five retirees of Carson-Newman University are inaugural members of the Robert Reedy Bryan Society. The recognition took place during C-N’s May 6 spring undergraduate commencement featuring 303 graduates. Those honored were Vickie Butler, Mark Heinrich,

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PASTORS TO WRITE SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMENTARIES

Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist pastors Dustin Allman and Scott Brown will write Sunday School commentaries for the June-August quarter. Allman will write the Expolore the Bible series. He has served as the lead pastor at The Fort Church in Kingsport for nine years. He also currently serves with Hope Builders Ministries to support the work of planting churches and training pastors in Africa and Southeast Asia.  He

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TBC PROVIDES UPDATE FROM SEXUAL ABUSE TASK FORCE

Baptist and Reflector BRENTWOOD — During the 2021 Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church, messengers of the Tennessee Baptist Convention commissioned Tennessee Baptist Convention president Clay Hallmark with the duty of appointing a Sexual Abuse Task Force. Hallmark recently released an update on the task force (SATF). The full report can been read below this story.   The task force was assigned to do a thorough evaluation of how the TBMB responds to

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TENNESCENE: MAY 25

LEADERS Jason Hartley has been called as pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church, Elizabethton. He had been serving as interim pastor. Steve Evans has been called

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