According to the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) interim president and CEO Jonathan Howe, the year-and-a-half long investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into whether SBC leadership was criminally responsible for mishandling sexual abuse has come to a close.

In August 2022, Baptist Press, the official news service of the SBC, reported that the SBC EC had been subpoenaed and that the EC was “fully cooperating with authorities, and remains committed to addressing the scourge of sexual abuse.”

The SBC was made aware of the DOJ’s investigation approximately three months after Guidepost Solutions released a report revealing the findings of its investigation into how the SBC EC handled sexual abuse allegations between Jan. 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021.

RELATED: Executive Committee, No Individuals Subpoenaed in DOJ Investigation

“On February 29, 2024, counsel for the SBC Executive Committee was informed that the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has concluded its investigation into the EC with no further action to be taken,” Howe said in an official statement released on Wednesday, March 6.

“While we are grateful for closure on this particular matter,” Howe added. “We recognize that sexual abuse reform efforts must continue to be implemented across the Convention. We remain steadfast in our commitment to assist churches in preventing and responding well to sexual abuse in the SBC.”

Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) vice chair and Oklahoma pastor Mike Keahbone posted on social media that the “DOJ investigation will bring clarity to our convention in regard to a few important concerns.” But he added, “what the DOJ investigation will not do is solve the problem of sexual abuse in our family of churches.”

RELATED: SBC Pastor Allegedly Sent Teen Lewd Texts After Sexually Assaulting Her, According to Police Report

“We must remain steadfast in helping churches protect the most vulnerable among us. We must continue to help churches develop systems and processes for prevention and crisis,” said Keahbone. “We must have a way to walk with churches when they experience the devastation of abuse. We can do this, if we do it together.”

Keahbone announced in January that he will run for SBC president at this year’s annual meeting in June.

According to Baptist Press, the Guidepost and DOJ investigations, along with other legal challenges, have taken a financial toll on the EC. In fact, Howe stated in a meeting this past September that “nothing has been more humbling at the Executive Committee in recent years than our financial position.”

Howe continued, “There is a price to pay for reform, even when reform is necessary. We have seen our reserves fall from more than $13 million to just over $4 million in two short years.”

Survivors Say DOJ Investigation Isn’t Closed

SBC abuse survivor and advocate Tiffany Thigpen told Religion News Service on Thursday (March 7) that she was informed by one of the DOJ agents leading the SBC investigation that the case is still open and that no portion of the investigation has been closed—including the EC.

RELATED: Survivor Responds to SBC Abuse Reform Task Force’s Plans for New Nonprofit ‘Abuse Response Commission’

“The lead investigator from the DOJ concerning this investigation was as surprised as we were by these reports. She answered both Megan (Lively) and I immediately when we called (separately) and said the investigation is very much open and active,” Thigpen said.

Catherine Lidstone, best known for her role as Lazarus’ sister, Mary, in the critically-acclaimed series “The Chosen,” stars as Juliana Burdon in a heartwarming Easter movie titled, “Forty-Seven Days with Jesus.”

Directed by Emilio Palame and David M. Gutel and backed Reel Big Studios, Pinnacle Peak Pictures, and Fathom Events, the film brings the Easter story to life and reminds us of the gospel’s enduring impact through the telling of the disconnected Burdon family.

The Burdons come to realize just how disconnected their family has become while attending a family reunion. As Lidstone’s character faces problems in her marriage—her husband is played by Yoshi Barrigas, who also plays Phillip in “The Chosen”—parenting issues, and her father-in-law’s health hurdles, the adults decide to share her father-in-law’s “Forty-Seven Days” story with the kids.

Her father-in-law’s story transports them back in time to see the miracles of Jesus’ final 47 days on earth. When an unexpected business opportunity occurs, Mr. Burdon is at a crossroads and his commitment to his family is tested. As the story is told, the family embarks on a journey towards unity and rediscovers the true essence of walking in faith.

RELATED: At ‘The Chosen’ Season 4 Premiere, Dallas Jenkins Reveals What He Learned From Dad’s ‘Left Behind’ Success

Lidstone told ChurchLeaders that the film is a “beautiful family film that starts off with a family that’s going through a very difficult time and the audience get to witness how generational traditions and the story of the gospel ministers to the people in the family.”

After reading the script, Lidstone shared how she fell in love with the character of Juliana Burdon.

“I loved that was she was approaching the situation from a beautiful heart place,” Lidstone said. “She wanted the best for her family. She wanted to have her husband be there for her children and honor his father because his father had health issues. So she’s juggling a lot and she’s trying to be the glue for the family.”

“What she did beautifully in the film is she stayed humble and respectful while seeking out what she needed her husband to understand,” she added.

Lidstone said that no matter what background people have, she hopes they walk away from the film having been “touched by the outer story of the relevance of a modern family going through modern troubles and how the roots of your family and finding what’s really important can bring them back together.”

Allyson Phillips has clung to her faith during “the most devastating, unimaginable loss”—the murder of her 22-year-old daughter, Laken Riley. Riley was attacked and murdered while on her morning run on the campus of the University of Georgia.

“I know my sweet Laken knew Jesus personally and she will live eternally in His home,” said Phillips in a Facebook post. “He never left her side until the very last second she was here on earth and He will take care of her now and forever in heaven. I find peace during this devastation in knowing that.”

Allyson Phillips Gives God ‘All the Glory’ for Being Present As While Grieving the Loss of Laken Riley

According to local Atlanta news, Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University campus and had also previously attended the University of Georgia. She went out for a morning run on Thursday, Feb. 22, and never returned. Athens-Clarke police Chief Jeffrey Clark said Riley died from “blunt force trauma.”

The grieving mom posted the news on Facebook and shared how her faith in God has sustained her and their family. “As I sat down to write this message, I really just have no words. My family has faced the most devastating, unimaginable loss that anyone could ever be force to endure,” began Phillips.

“I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time,” she continued. “I encourage everyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I give Him all the glory for getting us through this.”

The main suspect, Joes Ibarra, has been arrested. According to local Atlanta news, “Jose Ibarra, 26, has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing in connection to the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to “assist the family with funeral expenses, establish a scholarship in her name, raise homicide awareness, or any other opportunity the family could use it for during this time,” the fund description said. At the time this of this article, the fund has raised nearly $240,000, greatly surpassing its $35,000 goal.

A former administrator at a Northern California church has been found guilty of two counts of aggravated identity theft. Chanell Easton, 38, was indicted in 2022 on those charges plus 22 counts of wire fraud.

According to federal prosecutors, Easton embezzled more than $360,000 from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Yuba City, California, while working there from 2013 to 2018. She pleaded guilty to fraud but not to identity theft. Easton waived her right to a jury trial, and on March 4, a federal judge handed down the guilty ruling.

RELATED: Pastor’s Grandson Arrested and Charged With Embezzling $470K From North Carolina Church

Chanell Easton Misused Church Credit Cards

According to the 2022 indictment, “Without the church’s knowledge or authorization, Easton opened five business credit card accounts in the church’s name.” Prosecutors said she used those church credit cards to make personal purchases at a variety of stores, both brick-and-mortar and online.

Easton’s purchases included $900 VIP concert tickets and a $2,000 vacation-home rental. Court documents indicate that she then used church funds to pay off the credit card balances.

In addition, the administrator transferred money directly from the church bank account to her personal account, used church funds to pay for cell phones and cell service, and wrote church checks to herself and to others, for personal expenses. On those checks, prosecutors said, Easton forged the signatures of the church treasurer and a volunteer at the church’s food pantry.

Using a credit card that belonged to the church’s youth minister, Easton bought jewelry, clothing, and shoes—purchases that “had no possible legitimate church-related purposes,” according to court documents. Her defense attorney argued that because other church members were allowed to use the youth minister’s credit card, Easton wasn’t guilty of aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors: Church Provided ‘Little Effective Oversight’

The FBI investigated Chanell Easton’s case. A government brief noted that she “exploited” her position at the church, which provided “little effective oversight” of the employee.

Sentencing is scheduled for June. The former church administrator faces up to 20 years in prison, plus hefty fines for the wire fraud counts.

Experts say most perpetrators of church fraud are first-time offenders without a criminal history, and most are long-time employees of the church. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimates that by 2025, “global embezzlement of giving by Christians might be as high as…$100 billion.”

Police have revealed the content of text messages allegedly sent by Florida pastor Monte Lavelle Chitty to a 15-year-old girl he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted. The messages are disturbing and graphic in nature. 

Editor’s note: This article contains information about sexual abuse and assault that some readers may find disturbing and/or triggering.

Chitty, 62, is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Marathon, Florida. The congregation is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He was arrested at his church, which is also his place of residence, on Monday (March 4) after calling the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office “to get ahead” of allegations he thought might be brought against him. 

Prior to Chitty’s call, deputies received a call from an anonymous caller who overheard the 15-year-old girl say that she had been raped. 

Deputies interviewed the girl, who said that Chitty had given her alcohol that she believes was mixed with other drugs. She reported immediately feeling weak and she soon fell unconscious. She said that she awoke to Chitty performing oral sex on her. 

RELATED: SBC Pastor Accused of Drugging and Molesting 15-Year-Old Girl

The girl said that after Chitty had finished, she fled, contacting her grandmother to come and pick her up. 

Chitty told deputies that he had intended to take the girl home while he was out delivering meals to unhoused individuals but allowed her to sleep on his couch after he realized that she was drunk. 

Chitty said that the girl left while he was taking a phone call, and when he saw her with her grandmother later that day while he was delivering meals, she began to scream. 

Text messages obtained by police from both Chitty’s and the girl’s phones contradict key aspects of Chitty’s narrative. In a report obtained by Local 10, police said that Chitty admitted to giving the girl vodka in a text message. 

RELATED: SBC Pastor Ed Young Receives Criticism for Calling Migrants ‘Undesirables’ and ‘Garbage’

Chitty also reportedly sent lewd messages to the teen, using a cat emoji to compliment the girl’s genitals. He then probed her about what she could remember about the assault. 

(RNS) — When Ericka Andersen and her husband started infertility treatment a decade ago, they were hoping for one successful pregnancy.

Andersen, a freelance writer and author who lives in Indianapolis, had married in her early 30s and wanted to start a family right away. When she did not become pregnant after a couple of years, she sought out help and eventually decided to try in vitro fertilization — better known as IVF — in which a woman’s fertilized eggs grow into embryos in a lab and then are transferred to her uterus.

“You are thinking, I just want one of these to work,” she said. “Because for some people it never works.”

After two successful transfers, the couple now has two children, born three years apart. They also have 9 embryos in storage. Andersen said she’s left dealing with “the devastation of extra embryos.”

“I have deep anguish at the lives that I haven’t carried, the siblings of my children that they will never meet,” she wrote in a recent essay about her experience. “The babies I will never know, whose eyes I will not see, whose bodies I will not rock, whose smiles I will not recognize.”

The fate of frozen embryos has been the subject of fierce debate in recent weeks after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are “extra-uterine children” and protected by the state’s wrongful death law.

The court’s majority decision alone would have made headlines but was made more controversial by Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker’s concurring opinion, which quoted the Bible and held that embryos “cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.”

After the ruling, almost all IVF procedures in Alabama were put on pause as fertility clinics tried to sort out the implications of the ruling and the state Legislature considers a proposed measure that would shield IVF clinics from liability if “damage or death of an embryo” occurs during treatment.

An attempt to fast-track a federal bill to protect IVF was blocked last week.

The politicking since the Alabama decision has overshadowed the deeply personal side of IVF treatment. Patients, often deeply attached emotionally to their excess embryos, can be torn about what to do with them.

Before starting IVF, Andersen said, she prayed she and her husband would end up with only the embryos they needed. Every month when the storage fees for their frozen embryos come due, she starts thinking about their futures.

Donating the embryos to another couple “is the only real option for me,” she said. “I’m not going to destroy them. And I am not going to give them to science because I think they are human beings. They deserve a chance.”

Editor’s note: This article contains information about sexual abuse and assault that some readers may find disturbing and/or triggering.

Tim Tebow joined three other experts in a panel Wednesday morning to petition a House Judiciary subcommittee to aid in efforts to identify and rescue victims of child sexual abuse. During the hearing, Tebow read the words of a young girl he called “one of my heroes,” written during a seven-year period when she was being raped almost every night. 

“Rescue me. Help me. Monsters are chasing. Can’t you see? Monsters are whispering. Can’t you hear?” Tebow read with emotion. “Monsters are shouting: ‘You’re nothing.’ Can’t you feel my pain? Monsters are pushing. End it all. Just jump. Can’t you hear all the why’s I’m asking? Monsters are laughing: ‘You’re all alone in this.’ Can someone please rescue me?”

⚠️ Viewer Discretion Advised: “Voice for the Voiceless” House Judiciary Committee Hearing Testimony on behalf of child sexual abuse victims

Last night, I got a message from a girl who has been rescued and she said, “thank you so much for speaking up for us”…and it was… pic.twitter.com/HabteqT1tQ

— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) March 6, 2024

“We have to do more than just talk about it,” Tebow said of the war against child sex abuse materials (CSAM). “We have to act on it and be about it.”

Tim Tebow: We Can All ‘Make a Difference’

Tim Tebow is a professional athlete, Heisman Trophy winner, and activist. The purpose of his foundation is to “bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.” The Tim Tebow Foundation focuses on defending the “Most Vulnerable People in the world” (MVPs) in the following areas: special needs, profound medical needs, orphan care and prevention, and anti-human trafficking and child exploitation. 

RELATED: Tim Tebow’s ‘Night To Shine’ Celebrates 10 Years of Sharing God’s Love

Speaking before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, Tebow said he was “here today to talk about the MVP. Not the MVP I chased most of my life—couldn’t get, by the way—but chased. Not the MVP most of you are probably thinking. No, not the most valuable player. A more important MVP, the most vulnerable people. That’s why we’re today.”

Joining Tebow on the panel were Jim Cole, John Madsen, and Camille Cooper. Cole is a retired supervisory special agent with Homeland Security investigations (HSI), chair emeritus of the Interpol Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children, founding partner of Onemi-Global Solutions, and the chief of law enforcement enterprise and technology at Operation Lightshine.

John Madsen is board president at Raven, a 501(c)4 political lobby that works to protect children from exploitation, and a retired detective with the Gainesville Police Department in Florida. He has 10 years as the commander of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) and also served as the chair of the ICAC Emerging Technologies working group. 

Camille Cooper is vice president of anti-human trafficking and child exploitation at the Tim Tebow Foundation.

The consensus among various Congress members, as well as the panel members, was that CSAM is growing at an alarming rate and that the problem far outpaces the efforts of those who are working hard to save children.

Ed Young, Second Baptist Church senior pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president, has drawn criticism for calling undocumented migrants crossing the U.S. border from Mexico “undesirables” and “garbage” during a Feb. 25 sermon.

The SBC pastor, whose multi-campus megachurch is located in Houston, preached on the Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15.

During his sermon, Young began to rant about the current border crisis, calling those who have willingly let undocumented migrants cross the border “fools.”

“Central America, South America, now countries in Asia, China, India, Russia, Iran, Iraq, just pick a number,” Young told his congregation, “they have sent not those who are huddled masses longing to be free. They have emptied their jails and their prisons, they’ve taken their gangs, and they have gone across the border and now we have 8 to 10 million of them scattered across the United States of America.”

RELATED: Denver Church Converts Gym Into Emergency Shelter for Migrants Amid Freezing Temperatures

“What happened?” Young asked. “Fools were foolish,” he continued. “And now we really do not have a country unless there is a border. You do not have a country. That is where we are. And we have been led by fools.”

Young suggested the only way to “recover” from this crisis is to return “these people back” to their homelands. But “I can tell you, the homeland will not want to take them back because they have eliminated all the undesirables. All the undesirables,” he said.

The pastor said that he believes other countries are purposefully sending their criminals and those struggling with addictions to the U.S. in order to reduce their debts and crime.

“That’s what countries are doing all around the world today, by millions and millions and millions, and we’re led by fools who are foolish,” Young said.

RELATED: Flying Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard Sparks Reactions From Church Leaders

“Now what could happen is when a country eliminates all the elements of evil, we might want to move there because we will not be able to stand under all the garbage and wrath in which we’re now inviting to come into our shores,” Young continued. “And they’re already here.”

Liberty University is set to pay a historic $14 million fine to the United States Department of Education for violations of campus safety law regarding the prevention of and response to sexual abuse. 

The Christian university, which was founded by the late Jerry Falwell Sr. and is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, has also agreed to spend an additional $2 million to improve on-campus safety over the next two years.

In 2022, the Department of Education launched an investigation into whether Liberty University had violated the Clery Act, a federal statute that requires universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their campuses.

The review, which was conducted by the Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid, found that Liberty University had committed 11 violations, according to CNN. These violations included failing to maintain a daily crime log, failing to issue timely warnings to students and faculty about reportable crimes, and failing to comply with sexual violence prevention and response requirements. 

RELATED: Nation’s Largest Christian University Ordered To Pay $37.7 Million for Allegedly Lying About Cost of Programs

Liberty University said in a statement that the $14 million settlement “​​marks the end of an unprecedented and arduous process that has been ongoing since February 2022. Liberty is firmly committed to Clery Act compliance and the safety and security of our students and staff without exception.”

The university claimed that the Department of Education’s “methodologies, findings, and calculations in the report were drastically different from their historic treatment of other universities. Liberty disagrees with this unfair treatment.”

“While the university maintains that we have repeatedly endured selective and unfair treatment by the Department, the university also concurs there were numerous deficiencies that existed in the past,” Liberty nevertheless went on to add. “We acknowledge and regret these past failures and have taken these necessary improvements seriously.”

“We now have a model Clery program for compliance with many campus improvements that will benefit our students and staff for years to come,” the statement continued. “We will continue to work in cooperation with the Department to prioritize student safety and to advocate for a fair, consistent, and principled standard of Clery compliance that is applied equally to all universities without prejudice.”

RELATED: Rachael Denhollander, Liberty Students to Hold Rally Calling for Abuse Investigation

In a letter to students and alumni, Liberty University president Dr. Dondi E. Costin said, “Today is a new day at Liberty University. We remain committed to prioritizing the safety and security of our students and staff without exception.”

Natalie Sorrells, a volunteer youth worker at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with child sexual contact. Sorrells, 44, was arrested on Feb. 26 and smiled in her mugshot. Based on court records, she was released on Feb. 27 after posting bond.

RELATED: ‘Megachurch Pastors Exposed’: Twitter Thread Highlights Work of Pastors With No Scandals

Sorrells works as a real estate agent and, based on her Facebook page, is the mother of two children. In a Facebook post from 2017, a local elementary school thanks Sorrells for volunteering with its PTO.

Lakepointe Church Says It Removed the Volunteer

Lakepointe, a multisite congregation in the Dallas area, is led by Pastor Josh Howerton. In 2022, Howerton posted a Twitter thread about megachurch pastors who have not endured a scandal.

As of midday March 6, the church’s website and social media make no mention of the volunteer’s arrest. But Lakepointe issued the following statement to a local news station:

We were informed last week that one of our volunteer youth workers was arrested for illegal sexual contact with a minor. While it is our current understanding that no inappropriate activity occurred on church premises, at any church event, and that the minor involved was not under the direct leadership of the volunteer, out of an abundance of caution we immediately informed Lakepointe parents, restricted the volunteer from any access to minors at the church and removed her from her volunteer position.

Lakepointe told Fox4 News that all its volunteers are subjected to background checks and must go through training.

Few details are available yet about how the charges against Sorrells relate to her volunteer work at Lakepointe. That has led to questions and speculation on social media.

ChurchLeaders reached out to Lakepointe and Sorrells for comment and will update this article with any replies.