Harding said that she would “absolutely love to know” what the draft contains, and further indicated that if she were in possession of the draft, she would publicly release it, claiming credit.
“[Tom Buck] has besmirched all these people, and it’s flat out lies. And nobody holds him accountable,” Harding said. “I would 100 percent tell people I had it. And I would 100 percent show it.”
Harding indicated her belief that Buck’s concern with Willy Rice’s deacon board was motivated primarily by Rice’s SBC presidential bid opposite Buck’s favored candidate, Tom Ascol. Harding pointed to Buck’s ongoing suspicion and public criticism toward the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Taskforce and the Guidepost Solutions sexual abuse report recommendations as indicative of his lack of genuine advocacy.
As for the anonymous couple named in the SEBTS statement, Tom and Jennifer Buck question the veracity of the couple’s confession to Denhollander.
RELATED: SBC Abuse Survivors Issue Joint Statement Urging 4 Reforms That ‘Need Immediate Action’
“The sender’s identity is a mystery, and none of the claims in the email can possibly be substantiated or corroborated to validate anything,” the statement said. “Instead of an ‘anonymous couple’s’ unverified claims serving as grounds for cancelling an independent inquiry, they should instead serve as further rationale for proceeding with it.”
“If the SBC wants to show that it truly cares for all abuse survivors, and not just a select few, a motion seeking an independent, third-party investigation of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary regarding this issue is required at next week’s Annual Meeting,” the statement concluded.
ChurchLeaders has reached out to Tom Buck for comment and will update this article in the event of his reply.
The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention will take place in Anaheim, California, June 14-15.
