‘It Has Been a Controversial Year for the SBC’—Barber Reflects on 2022

Bart Barber
Photo by Jesse T. Jackson

Share

Last Friday (Dec. 23), the ARITF released an update on their work, sharing that the team has made progress on the three priorities they listed during their September update.

One of those priorities was to assist the “Credentials Committee in retaining a qualified firm to assist them in their processes and in performing factual inquiries related to sexual abuse.” The ARITF reports that over 200 referrals of sexual abuse have been made to the Credentials Committee since the annual meeting last June.

While the ARITF reported that it is making progress, some, such as Christa Brown and a Twitter user who goes by the name Abby, say they don’t trust the SBC to “reform itself.”

RELATED: Abuse Survivor Jennifer Buck Asks SBC President for Meeting; Barber Says Not His ‘Priority’

“They have no plan to report abusers to the police, which clergy are mandated to do. A school would never hire independent consultants to report abusive teachers. How is this acceptable,” Abby posted in reference to one of the ARITF’s listed priorities, which states that the task force is working to retain “an individual or firm who is qualified and trauma-informed to receive reports of abuse or mishandling of abuse, determine the proper entity, association or church to respond to that report, and communicate this report to the relevant parties.”

Concluding his 2022 reflection, Barber noted, “It has been a controversial year for the SBC, and I fully expect controversial interaction with my observations. But I think anyone would be hard pressed to contest that these four items represent key elements that historians will use to describe the SBC in 2022. Consider this not a comprehensive list of historic elements in 2022 on my part, but rather as a supplement, listing some items not given (I thought) sufficient attention in some other lists.”

Continue Reading...

Jesse T. Jackson
Jesse is the Senior Content Editor for ChurchLeaders and Site Manager for ChristianNewsNow. An undeserving husband to a beautiful wife, and a father to 4 beautiful children. He serves as the chairman of the deacons, a growth group leader, and is a member of University Baptist Church in Beavercreek, Ohio. Follow him on twitter here (https://twitter.com/jessetjackson). Accredited member of the Evangelical Press Association.

Read more

Latest Articles