In 2019, an investigation found 700 victims (many of them children) of alleged sex abuse by leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest evangelical denomination. The Christian Right deflected by smearing public (secular) schools as “groomers.” 1/
Here’s the complete PBS video. As shown in part 1, it includes an interview of journalist @RobertDownen_ who spearheaded the investigation, which was conducted by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. 2/
@RobertDownen_ 3/ And here’s the report. Not enough Americans are aware of the horrific sex abuse scandal that has tainted the Southern Baptist Convention. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…
@RobertDownen_ 4/ There was also a report in 2007 about sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention.
@RobertDownen_ 5/
6/ Also the Southern Baptist Convention - 6/14/23 nytimes.com/2023/06/14/us/…
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9/ Ken Paxton attends a Southern Baptist megachurch. publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/the-passion-…
10/ Ted Cruz is a Southern Baptist too. usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
11/ So is House Speaker Mike Johnson. nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/…
12/ Ditto former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
13/ Yep. Mitch McConnell too. baptistpress.com/resource-libra…
14/ Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, the immediate past president of the Council for National Policy (CNP), a secretive and powerful Christian Right umbrella organization, is a Southern Baptist pastor bc of course he is.
15/ Thread. Of course he did…
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18/ Then, Christian activist Michael O’Fallon & his minion, James Lindsay, encouraged the SBC to focus not on cleaning up the SBC’s horrific sexual abuse problem, but rather on the supposed scourge of CRT & “grooming” in public (secular) schools. Thread.
19/ Another Southern Baptist: Rick Scarborough.
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