Hundreds of Southern Baptist Leaders, Workers Accused of Sexual Abuse Since 1998: Report
Some of the approximately 700 victims were as young as 3-years-old.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Hundreds of Southern Baptist church leaders or staff members have been accused of sexual assault since 1998, according to a Sunday joint report from The Houston Chronicle and The San Antonio Express-News. The report alleges that approximately 380 leaders and workers have faced allegations, and that they were often shielded from consequences by higher-ups in the church and allowed to transfer parishes. Approximately 220 of those people were convicted or took plea deals, the Chronicle and Express-News report, and almost 100 remain in prison. But many allegations went unreported to law enforcement, and at least 35 found new jobs at churches. They allegedly left behind an estimated 700 victims, some of whom were as young as 3-years-old. “So many people's faith is murdered,” said one man, whose alleged abuser still works as a minister. “I mean, their faith is slaughtered by these predators.”
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