Was Grady O. Kemp Sr. Listed in Southern Baptist Convention List of Abusers?
Grady O. Kemp Sr., a retired minister from Mount Zion Baptist Church in Lyons, NY, was sentenced to 1 1/3 to three years in prison in 2003. When he was released, he was labeled as a sex offender.
Guidepost Solutions SBC Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The file consists of horrible new specifics concerning particular abuse occurrences and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively disapproved abuse prevention and reform for decades.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have announced an extensive and independent third-party examination that found that abusers were frequently ignored, forgotten, or even denounced by high-level congregation representatives from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million members. Additionally, it exposed these leaders typically lied to their very own members to keep them from understanding the prevalent sexual wrongdoing.
Continue reading more on the Guidepost Solutions SBC Report
A Story of Dismissed Misconduct
Nearly all of these reported occurrences occurred outside of the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain how many abusers were really charged. According to the report, a secret list of predators was kept.
One victim described being treated with hostility as she claimed she was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in several Southern Baptist churches in several states. At a conference 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 Convention
Russell Moore, the previous head of the SBC’s policy branch, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, stated ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, take a look at all the good we do.’ The report demonstrates a trend of stonewalling, intimidation, retaliation, and coverup.” He hopes this report will deliver much-needed change and hold those liable for their sexual abuse.
The report states that a major Southern Baptist leader was credibly implicated of sexual abuse no more than one month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 prior presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative branch as notable SBC leaders who helped in covering and even encouraged thought sexual predators.
He anticipates this report will be the catalyst for much-needed change and hold those accountable for their misconduct.
For more information about resources available to sexual abuse survivors in New York, visit this link: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/new-york/sex-trauma-therapist-ny/
Abuse Guardian for New York
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