In an interview published on G3 Ministries, Jennifer stated that sharing her story with Denhollendar “prompted us to think that our testimony should be shared on a broader scale, so more people could have a greater hope in God’s ability to bring about repentance, restoration, and reconciliation.”
It was at that time Jennifer wrote the details of her story in a rough draft and asked friend and, at the time, Liberty University English professor Karen Swallow Prior if she’d help Jennifer edit her story of abuse. (Swallow Prior is currently Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture.)
However, Swallow Prior was involved in an unfortunate accident in 2018, which placed Jennifer’s story on hold. Ultimately, Jennifer decided at that time not to publish her writing and to instead keep her history private. But the story did not end there; in the spring of 2022, someone threatened to publicly leak Jennifer’s story.
In an interview with ChurchLeaders, the Bucks say they knew of only two people who had permission to see Jennifer’s original draft. Swallow Prior had asked for Jennifer’s permission to let Christianity Today editor Andrea Dilley review it, to which Jennifer agreed. After reading the story, Dilley decided she didn’t have time to help Jennifer edit it. The Bucks received a written guarantee that Andrea had never shared the story with anyone else and had deleted it from her files. Swallow Prior was asked if she had shared Jennifer’s story with anyone else, and she said not that she could remember.
Retaliation? Jennifer’s Story Leaked
Earlier this year, the Bucks say it was brought to Tom’s attention that a man named Jeff Ford was serving as a deacon at Calvary Church, an SBC church in Clearwater, FL. Ford had previously been involved in a documented, 2005 sexual relationship with an 18-year-old girl while he was teaching and serving as an assistant football coach at J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, FL. Ford’s relationship with the high school student started when she was 17. Ultimately, Ford resigned from the high school as a result of his sexual misconduct with the female student.
Tom Buck says he and Ford had been friends and knew each other because Ford attended Riverside Baptist Fellowship in Florida where Tom pastored until 2006. Tom also helped Ford coach football as a volunteer. Tom says when he was made aware of Ford’s sexual misconduct, he advised Ford to confess. Tom accompanied Ford when he filed the report with school administrators. Ultimately, Ford resigned from the high school as a result of his sexual misconduct with the female student.
Tom Buck says he advised Ford to be “forthright about what had happened with any church he attended or joined from that day forward.” Calvary Church’s senior pastor Willy Rice admitted that he was aware of Ford’s history, but still allowed Ford to serve as a deacon at the church. Rice’s admission that he had knowledge of Ford’s history came to light during a meeting with Tom earlier this spring.
At the time, Rice was a candidate for the 2022 SBC presidential race, but withdrew his name as a candidate shortly after his meeting with Tom Buck. Tom and his elders met with Rice and his elders after being advised by Denhollendar and the SATF to confront Calvary Church’s leadership because it was in violation of a resolution titled “On Abuse And Pastoral Qualifications” passed by SBC messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting.
