Was Derrick Hampsch Named in the Southern Baptist List of Abusers?
Derrick “Duke” Hampsch, a former youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Vincennes, IN, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct in 2015 after groping a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex acts with members of his youth group.
Southern Baptist Convention Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report consists of horrifying brand-new specifics relating to specific abuse occurrences and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively resisted abuse prevention and change for decades.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have announced an extensive and independent third-party examination that discovered that abusers were frequently disregarded, forgotten, or perhaps admonished by high-level church authorities from within this religious denomination of greater than 16 million people. Additionally, it revealed these leaders frequently deceived their very own members to stop them from being aware of the widespread sexual misconduct.
Continue reading more on the bombshell Southern Baptist Convention Report
A Story of Ignored Misconduct
Practically all of these reported incidents fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain how many abusers were in fact charged. According to the report, an in-house list was kept.
The report stated that a key Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual abuse just one month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names three previous presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative arm as notable SBC leaders who helped in covering up for and even encouraged thought abusers.
One victim described being treated with animosity as she alleged she was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in numerous Southern Baptist churches in numerous states. At a meeting with the SBC leaders in 2007, a member of the Executive Council “turned his back to her during her speech and another chortled.”
Responsibility in the Baptist Church
Russell Moore, the previous head of the SBC’s policy branch, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, stated ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The Report shows a pattern of stonewalling, retaliation, intimidation, and coverup.” He anticipates this document will deliver much-needed reform and hold those liable for their sexual assault.
For more information about resources available to sexual abuse survivors in Indiana, visit this link: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/indiana/sex-trauma-therapist-in/
Abuse Guardian for Indiana
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