A monumental third-party report documenting sexual abuse and coverup in the Southern Baptist Convention released on Sunday. Nearly 300 pages long, the report is a devastating look into the ways that power corrupts. In no uncertain terms, the report makes clear that the vulnerable—most often women—are the ones who suffer as a result.
“I can’t help but consider the long-suffering of the SBC abuse victims as noted in recent Guidepost report findings—the lack of dignity with which these women have been treated for decades, the pattern of denial and deflecting,” writes Aubrey Sampson.
Later in her article, Sampson pens a prayer for times like these:
“May we, the people of God, become a people who listen, lament, and lean in—and see the wonder of God at work in our days. May we suffer with those who suffer and be astounded by you.”
As we read, mourn, and pray, may we do so as people determined to see the oppressed lifted up and loved in the light of God’s goodness.
