Attorney and task force member Liz Evan responded to the news in an article where she said that the EC “flagrantly defied the overwhelming will of the Messengers. A few dozen folks in Nashville decided they know better than the 17,000 Messengers appointed by the churches. Waiver of privilege was not something the Messengers delegated to the EC to consider in their discretion; waiver was a direct and specific command from the Messengers, and it was flouted.”
The EC has also opened itself to “massive liability,” said Evan. “In every lawsuit against the SBC thus far, the SBC has been able to argue that we are a bottom-up organization, and therefore the SBC itself has no authority over or liability for what happens at the local church level. That ended today. In every subsequent legal proceeding, plaintiffs can now use this vote to show that we are, in fact, a top-down organization and that the EC is in charge, not the churches.”
There is still the possibility that the SBC Executive Committee could waive attorney-client privilege when officers meet with the Sexual Abuse Task Force on Sept. 28. Some pastors are calling on people to join them in seven days of prayer and fasting to that end.
When Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary president Daniel Akin tweeted Evan’s article, one user responded, “Brother Danny I am sick and never dreamed I would see a convention I have supported and served and loved for so long come to this. Don’t know how I can encourage my people to stay.”
Dr. Russell Moore, who left the SBC this year and whose leaked letters shed light on this very controversy, tweeted, “To those of you who have been bullied and intimidated, had your names and your reputations destroyed by those in ecclesial power because you spoke up about abuse, or stood with those who did: Jesus is far better than this. And he’s watching. Goodbye to all of that.” Beth Moore (no relation), who also left the SBC this year, commented, “I’m so frustrated, I’m sobbing.”
The SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force issued a press release in response to the decision from the SBC Executive Committee. The task force expressed gratitude for the positive steps taken at the meeting, but also voiced disappointment with the committee’s decision to ignore the will of messengers. Said the task force members, “The Task Force will continue exploring best standards practices [sic] and considering investigative methods to ensure the fullest access possible to all relevant information. No entities or individuals, particularly those who claim the name of Christ, should fear truth and transparency.”
