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Was Stephen Lee Edmonds Named In The Southern Baptist Convention List of Abusers?

Stephen Lee Edmonds, a deacon and youth minister at Jacksonville‘s First Baptist Church, was arrested in 2002 after a 16-year-old boy came forward and claimed Edmonds improperly touched him twice in 2000 and sent him pornographic material via the internet. Other victims came forward as well. Edmonds was found guilty of three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child in 2003 after molesting three boys. He received a one-year prison sentence and five years of probation. He was on the Florida sex offenders registry.

Southern Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Helpline

SBC Guidepost Report Names

According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report consists of scary new specifics concerning specific abuse circumstances and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively opposed abuse prevention and change for several years.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually announced an extensive and independent 3rd party examination that discovered that abusers were frequently neglected, forgotten, and even blamed by high-ranking congregation administrators from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million members. Moreover, it exposed these leaders often lied to their own members to prevent them from understanding the widespread sexual misbehavior.

Click to continue reading about the SBC Guidepost Report Names

A History of Disregarded Misconduct

Nearly all of these reported occurrences fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it unclear how many predators were in fact charged. According to the report, an internal list was kept.

The report alleges that a crucial Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual assault only one month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report also names three prior presidents of the SBC, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as prominent SBC leaders who helped in covering up for and even encouraged believed abusers.

Accountability in the Southern Baptist Convention

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 sensational report demonstrates a trend of stonewalling, intimidation, retaliation, and coverup.” He desires this report will bring much-needed reform and hold those responsible for their horrific actions.

The report alleges that a key Southern Baptist official was credibly accused of sexual assault no more than 1 month after finishing his two-year stretch as the convention’s president. The report likewise 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 assisted in covering and actually motivated believed abusers.

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

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