At the Mic in Anaheim
July 7, 2023
In 2021, the Houston Chronicle ran a series on sex abuse in the SBC, identifying 220 men convicted of the crime. Immediately, the SBC Executive Committee was embroiled in defending itself against charges of negligence, and a range of leaders jumped on the issue and came prepared to bring recommendations to the 2021 annual meeting in Nashville. Messengers approved appointment of a task force to address the matter, one to be picked by newly-elected president Ed Litton. I wasn’t persuaded that this was necessary or even advisable, and I faulted the task force’s work here and here.
At the 2022 meeting in Anaheim, they had framed a range of actions for approval, including the formation of an implementation task force. As time for discussion wound down, and it seemed to me that there needed to be additional words of caution, I stepped to the mic and took my three minutes to argue that the motion should be defeated. But in vain. The vote, with a show of raised ballots, went decisively in favor of the proposal. Still, I was heartened by the number of people who thanked me afterwards for giving it a shot.
You’ll find my little, impromptu contribution from 1:15:11 to 1:18:11 in this session.
New Orleans, Louisiana,
July 7, 2023