Southern Baptist Convention meets in Dallas as university is rocked by sex scandal involving a former student
Thousands of local church “messengers” are converging on Dallas for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting this week amid sexual abuse allegations by a former student at Truett McConnell University.
America’s largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination has been thrust into a sexual abuse scandal in recent years that has shaken its foundations.
The Truett-McConnell case involves the grooming of Hayle Swinson, who was later employed as a soccer coach by the college from 2013 through 2018. The allegations began with innocent home basement Bible studies and mentoring, which eventually led to Bradley Reynolds, then vice president of student services, placing his hands on her leg, caressing her back, moving to her breasts, and placing his hands in her pants, according to numerous online reports.
Truett McConnell, a private Baptist college in Cleveland, Ga., which operates under the auspices of the Georgia Baptist Convention, said it was not aware of the allegations against Reynolds until he disclosed them last year, leading to his firing. The college, which has about 2,600 students, released a statement on the allegations after President Emir Caner was accused of being aware of the allegations against Reynolds for years but did nothing until police got involved last year, according to The Roys Report.
Caner, president of the university for 17 years was placed on administrative leave after trustees met June 6. Caner will remain on leave until an investigation on him and other officials can be completed, according to the statement.
Baptists to Debate Hot Topics
Southern Baptists are expected to discuss proposed resolutions that call for laws on gender, marriage, and family based on the biblically stated order of divine creation. They will also call for legislators to curtail sports betting and support policies that promote childbearing. The Convention is expected to debate controversies within its own house during the annual meeting, such as a proposed ban on churches with women pastors and calls to defund the organization’s public policy arm.
A renewed effort is expected to amend the SBC Constitution to make it unquestionable that churches that ordain women, allow women to preach, or give women any job with the title pastor will be expelled. An attempt to either defund or dissolve the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is expected. Mishandled sexual abuse cases will also be discussed, along with a request to set aside $3 million in Cooperative Program giving to cover legal expenses.
Additionally, Southern Baptists are expected to vote this week on acting to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage 10 years ago. This step is part of a growing effort by evangelicals nationwide to reverse Obergefell and coincides with a renewed campaign in state legislatures to challenge the widely accepted view that same-sex marriage has become an established civil right.