Was Kevin Scott Heffner Listed in Southern Baptist Abuse Report?
Kevin Scott Heffner, pastor of Victory Baptist Church and principal of a private school in Ruffin, North Carolina, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole in 2018 after pleading guilty to inappropriate sex acts and sending a dozen nude pictures to one of his minor female students who was also a member of his congregation.
Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The file contains horrible brand-new information concerning certain abuse circumstances and clarify how denominational authorities actively hindered abuse avoidance and change for several years.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually revealed a substantial and independent third-party investigation that found that abusers were frequently ignored, forgotten, or even condemned by high-level congregation leaders from within this religious denomination of greater than 16 million members. Additionally, it uncovered these leaders often deceived their very own members to keep them from understanding the widespread sexual misconduct.
Click to read more about the Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report
A Past of Ignored Misconduct
For nearly 2 decades, survivors who were sexually abused attempted to get in touch with the administration of the “SBC” about the pastors and church employees. Nearly all of these reported incidents fell beyond the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain exactly how many perpetrators were in fact indicted. According to the report, a secret record was kept. Victims’ cries for justice went unnoticed as officials from churches and companies tried to shield themselves rather than those who have been victimized by sexual abuse.
The report alleges that a major Convention leader was credibly accused of sexual assault only one month after completing his two-year duration as the convention’s president. Additionally, Johnny Hunt, a popular Georgia Southern Baptist preacher and senior vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s objectives arm, was credibly accused of abusing a female at a 2010 holiday in Panama City Beach, Florida. The North American Mission Board president claimed he was uninformed of the accusations prior to Hunt resigning on May thirteenth. The report also names 3 prior presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative arm as prominent SBC leaders who helped in covering and even encouraged suspected abusers.
Responsibility in the Southern Baptist Convention
Russell Moore, the previous head of the SBC’s policy branch, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, specified ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, take a look at all the good we do.’ The bombshell report demonstrates a trend of stonewalling, retaliation, intimidation, and coverup.” He anticipates this report will bring much-needed reform and hold those accountable for their actions.
For more information about resources available to sexual abuse survivors in North Carolina, visit this link: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/north-carolina/sex-trafficking-lawyer-nc/
Abuse Guardian for North Carolina
Comments for this article are closed.