Was Mark Aderholt Part of the SBC Abuse Investigation Report?
Mark Aderholt, 46, was arrested in South Carolina in 2018 on charges of sexual assault that occurred during his time as a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary student from 1996-97 in Fort Worth, Texas. The victim was 16 years old. In 2019, Aderholt negotiated a plea deal for assault causing bodily injury offenses against the victim, and his sentence was wiped clean, meaning he will not be on the Sex Offender Registry.
From 2000 through 2008, Aderholt worked for the IMB. The abuse was reported to IMB in 2007, and Aderholt was forced to retire after an internal investigation.
The incident was not reported to the police by IMB. He went on to work for Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, Central Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Southern Baptist Convention in South Carolina. The president of the IMB, David Platt, offered a public apology to in 2018. Additional investigations result in IMB policy modifications.
Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The document includes horrible brand-new specifics concerning certain abuse occurrences and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively hindered abuse avoidance and change for decades.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually announced an extensive and independent 3rd party examination that found that abusers were often overlooked, forgotten, or even criticized by high-ranking congregation representatives from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million individuals. Additionally, it uncovered these leaders often lied to their own members to stop them from understanding the prevalent sexual misbehavior.
Continue reading the entire story on the Southern Baptist Convention 2022 Report
A Story of Disregarded Mishandling
Nearly all of these reported occurrences fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain how many predators were in fact charged. According to the report, an in-house list of abusers was kept.
The report stated that an essential Southern Baptist leader was credibly implicated of sexual assault just one calendar month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names three prior presidents of the SBC, a former vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative arm as notable SBC leaders who helped in covering and even encouraged suspected abusers.
Accountability 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 sensational report shows a trend of stonewalling, coverup, intimidation, and retaliation.” He anticipates this document will deliver much-needed change and hold those liable for their sexual assault.
The report states that a major Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual abuse no more than one month after finishing his two-year spell as the convention’s president. He hopes this report will bring along much-needed change and hold those accountable for their actions.
To learn more about information and resources available to survivors of sexual abuse in Texas, read our page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/texas/sex-trauma-therapist-tx/
Abuse Guardian for Texas
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