Pressler had long claimed he left a Texas Presbyterian church where he’d been a youth leader to return to help the SBC save itself from liberals. But documents filed in the lawsuit revealed Pressler had been fired from the church after a teenager accused him of abuse — and that First Baptist Church in Houston had warned Pressler in 2004 to stop his habit of naked hot tubbing with young men after one of them accused Pressler of sexual misconduct. Other young men also alleged abuse by Pressler as the lawsuit made its way through the courts.
Rollins’ lawsuit inspired Downen and other reporters from the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News to launch “Abuse of Faith,” an investigation that found hundreds of cases of abuse in the SBC and opened the door for the denomination’s 2022 Guidepost report, which found that SBC leaders had tried to downplay the severity of abuse in the SBC for years — and had mistreated survivors who came forward.
That report led to a series of reforms meant to address abuse in the SBC, and to SBC leaders apologizing to abuse survivors.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, abuse survivors and advocates paid tribute to Rollins.
“Duane was the courageous survivor who brought truth to light about the many crimes and abuses of the infamous Paul Pressler,” wrote activist and abuse survivor Christa Brown in commenting on Rollins’ passing on her Substack. “He did it at enormous personal cost and despite decades of unfathomable suffering. We all owe Duane a debt of gratitude. Truth matters.”
Downen said Rollins had often wanted to give up during his long legal struggle but persevered because he knew the power his story could have.
“Duane did not come forward because he wanted a reckoning in the Southern Baptist Convention. He came forward because he needed to, and he wanted justice after a lifetime of trauma,” Downen said. “His story shows how simply doing the right thing can have profound impact on people across the world.”
This article originally appeared here.
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