Thomas Warren Halsey Named in Southern Baptist Convention List of Abusers

Was Thomas Warren Halsey Listed in SBC Abuse Investigation Report?

Thomas Warren Halsey, a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Florida, was found guilty of child abuse in 2014 in 2016. Halsey was found guilty of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under the age of twelve. According to court and prison records, he was sentenced to life in prison in July 2016 and is currently incarcerated in Florida.

Southern Baptist Convention Report

According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The document includes horrible brand-new specifics regarding specific abuse instances and clarify how denominational authorities actively hindered abuse avoidance and change for several years.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders have revealed a comprehensive and independent 3rd party examination that discovered that abusers were often neglected, forgotten, or perhaps denounced by upper-level church officials from within this religious denomination of larger than 16 million members. In addition, it uncovered these leaders typically lied to their own members to keep them from understanding the widespread sexual wrongdoing.

Continue reading about the Southern Baptist Convention Report

A Past of Dismissed Mishandling

For nearly 2 decades, victims who were sexually assaulted tried to get in touch with the administration of the Southern Baptist Convention regarding the pastors and church staff members. Nearly all of these disclosed incidents fell outside of the SOL, making it unclear the number of perpetrators were really incriminated. According to the report, an in-house list was kept. Nonetheless, victims’ cries for justice went unconsidered as leaders from churches and organizations tried to protect themselves rather than those who have actually been taken advantage of by sexual assault.

The report alleges that a major “SBC” leader was credibly implicated of sexual assault just 1 month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. Additionally, Johnny Hunt, a widely known Georgia Southern Baptist preacher and senior vice president of the SBC’s missions arm, was credibly accused of abusing a female at a 2010 getaway in Panama City Beach, FL. The North American Mission Board president declared he was uninformed of the allegations prior to Hunt resigning on May thirteenth. The report additionally identifies three previous presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as prominent SBC leaders who helped in covering and even motivated suspected abusers.

Accountability in the Baptist Church

Russell Moore, the former head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, stated ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The report shows a trend of stonewalling, intimidation, retaliation, and coverup.” He hopes this report will bring much-needed reform and hold those accountable for their actions.

The report states that a major Southern Baptist official was credibly accused of sexual assault just one month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report also names three prior presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative council as notable SBC leaders who helped in covering and also encouraged suspected sexual abusers.

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