Leon Rankins, III Named in Southern Baptist Abuse Database

Was Leon Rankins, III Listed in the Southern Baptist Convention Abuse Investigation Report?

Leon Rankins, III, pastor of Pensacola, Florida’s Restoration Full Gospel Baptist Church, was charged with having sex with a minor. The abuse began when the child was 13 years old. Previously, Rankin was charged in 1989 after being accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy. Rankin pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual battery in 1994 and was sentenced to two years of house arrest and two years of probation. He is listed on the sex offender registry.

Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report

According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The document consists of scary new specifics concerning specific abuse circumstances and sheds light on how denominational officials actively hindered abuse prevention and change for decades.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually announced a comprehensive and independent 3rd party investigation that discovered that abusers were typically neglected, forgotten, or even admonished by upper-level church authorities from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million members. Moreover, it disclosed these leaders often lied to their very own members to stop them from being aware of the prevalent sexual abuses.

Continue reading more about the Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report

A History of Ignored Mishandling

Nearly all of these reported incidents 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 outlined being treated with hostility as she alleged she was sexually abused by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in several Southern Baptist churches in several 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.”

Accountability in the Baptist Church

Russell Moore, the former head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, specified ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The bombshell report demonstrates a pattern of stonewalling, coverup, intimidation, and retaliation.” He hopes this document will deliver much-needed change and hold those liable for their horrific actions.

The report alleges that a major Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual abuse just 1 month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 previous presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative council as prominent SBC leaders who helped in protecting and actually motivated presumed sexual predators.

He wishes this report will bring about much-needed reform and hold those accountable for their misconduct.

To learn more about resources available for survivors in Florida, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/florida/sex-trauma-therapist-fl/