Was Benjamin Ross Hollifield Named in Southern Baptist Abuse Report?
Benjamin Ross Hollifield, an outreach pastor at Piedmont Baptist Church in Kannapolis, NC, was arrested in 2015 for sex offenses with a 13-year-old church member. He was found guilty of seven counts of felony statutory rape/sex offense, four counts of felony indecent liberties with a minor, and one count of felony first degree sex exploitation of a minor in Rowan County Superior Court. Hollifield was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 23 years. Hollifield was sentenced to sex offender registration.
Southern Baptist Convention Guidepost Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report contains horrible new information concerning particular abuse instances and clarify how denominational authorities actively resisted abuse prevention and reform for many years.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have announced a comprehensive and independent third-party investigation that revealed that abusers were often overlooked, forgotten, or even criticized by upper-level congregation authorities from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million members. Moreover, it revealed these leaders typically lied to their own members to stop them from knowing the widespread sexual misbehavior.
Read more about the Southern Baptist Convention Guidepost Report
A Story of Ignored Misconduct
Nearly all of these disclosed occurrences fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it unclear how many abusers were in fact charged. According to the report, an in-house list of abusers was kept.
The report stated that a key Southern Baptist leader was credibly implicated of sexual assault only one month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 previous presidents of the SBC, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as well-known SBC leaders who helped in covering and even encouraged presumed abusers.
Accountability in the Southern Baptist Convention
Russell Moore, the former head of the SBC’s policy branch, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, specified ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The Report shows a trend of stonewalling, intimidation, coverup, and retaliation.” He desires this report will deliver much-needed change and hold those liable for their misconduct.
The report claims that a leading Southern Baptist official was credibly accused of sexual assault just one month after completing his two-year stretch as the convention’s president. The report also names three prior presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative branch as notable SBC leaders who aided in protecting and actually encouraged believed sexual predators.
He anticipates this report will bring much-needed change and hold those accountable for their horrific acts of abuse.
To learn more about resources available for survivors in North Carolina, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/north-carolina/sex-trafficking-lawyer-nc/
Abuse Guardian for North Carolina
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