🤷🏻♀️ Are The Feds Still Investigating Southern Baptist Sex Abuse? That's A Good Question 🔌
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
(ANALYSIS) Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!
Since we last convened, we had Super Tuesday (the Biden-Trump rematch is all but set) and the State of the Union speech (abortion, immigration and the Israel-Hamas war were among key topics of interest for religious voters).
In other big news, the U.S. Department of Education fined evangelical Liberty University $14 million over campus safety issues, as noted by The Associated Press’ Ben Finley, Christianity Today’s Emily Belz and the Washington Post’s Susan Svrluga.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with the federal probe — is it over or not? — into Southern Baptists’ handling of sex abuse allegations.
What To Know: The Big Story
Justice and victims: “Federal investigators closed the books on a year-and-a-half-long investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention's top administrative body that sought to determine whether leaders were criminally responsible for mishandling an abuse crisis in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.”
That was the lede Wednesday afternoon on a seemingly major scoop by The Tennessean’s Liam Adams.
The U.S. Department of Justice concluded its probe without charging any SBC leaders, Adams reported, quoting a top denominational official:
“On February 29, 2024, counsel for the SBC Executive Committee was informed that the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York concluded its investigation into the EC (executive committee) with no further action to be taken,” SBC Executive Committee interim president/CEO Jonathan Howe said in statement in response to a request for comment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
The SBC Executive Committee, comprised of about 20 staff and an 86-member board of elected representatives, manages denomination business outside of the SBC annual meeting. Howe did not comment on whether other SBC-affiliated agencies, called entities, are still under investigation by the DOJ.
Hours later, Adams updated his story with this note:
Abuse survivors Tiffany Thigpen and Megan Lively disputed Howe's characterization of the latest developments, echoing similar statements by other abuse survivors and allies on social media.
“What was reported today is inconsistent with the conversations we have had with the DOJ,” said Lively and Thigpen in a statement. “Today’s news is another attempt to discredit and silence those that have been silenced in the face of SBC abuse.”
Why the confusion?: In a follow-up story Thursday, Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana delved into the differing statements.
Smietana’s story, too, quoted Thigpen:
“The lead investigator from the DOJ concerning this investigation was as surprised as we were by these reports. She answered both Megan and I immediately when we called (separately) and said the investigation is very much open and active,” Thigpen told Religion News Service in a text message.
Again, prosecutors declined to comment.
In regard to that, Christianity Today’s Kate Shellnutt made an important note in her coverage Wednesday night:
The Justice Department has not publicly acknowledged or commented on the SBC investigation since it began. Federal grand jury subpoenas and proceedings — for better or worse — are shrouded in secrecy. To protect the accused and the integrity of the investigation, the government often doesn’t disclose who had been involved.
More crucial context — a big chunk of it, actually — from Shellnutt:
From the outside, it was never clear what federal statute Southern Baptists might have violated or how federal prosecutors might make their case, several experts told CT.
There’s a lot still unknown. Neither the SBC nor Justice Department officials have publicly specified the scope or focus of the inquiry, which dated back to August 2022. At the time, the Executive Committee’s general counsel said the entity had received a subpoena but no individuals had been subpoenaed yet.
The Justice Department website says that child sexual abuse is “generally handled by local and state authorities, and not by the federal government.” It’s unusual for federal investigators to get involved in clergy abuse, though they have examined abuse and cover-up by Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Orleans, starting in 2018.
So far, none have been charged under federal laws, such as those that restrict racketeering (RICO) or interstate trafficking (the Mann Act). Any possible federal penalty for Southern Baptist entities as part of the probe into abuse response would be the first of its kind.
So what’s up exactly?: Here is Smietana’s take:
Both sides agree that something has changed with the DOJ’s investigation. They appear to disagree about what that change means. The confusion over the status of the DOJ investigation has strained the already tense relationship between abuse survivors and leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
After this story was published, Baptist Press, an official SBC publication, published additional comments from the SBC’s lawyer.
“Legal counsel for the SBC has since confirmed that the investigation into the SBC as a whole remains open and ongoing,” Baptist Press reported.
Where, if anywhere, will that investigation lead? Stay tuned. And remember: It’s complicated.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. On the lighter side: “No twerking. No drinking. No smoking. But plenty of room for Jesus at this Christian nightclub.”
That’s the headline on an excellent Associated Press story featuring superb photos and video by the dynamic duo of Luis Andres Henao and Jessie Wardarski.
Still in the mood for something different? “Welcome to improv church, where God gets funny,” as told by the Washington Post’s Marisa Iati.
2. Faith and frozen embryos: Last week’s Plug-in focused on Alabama’s in vitro fertilization ruling, which was addressed this week by the state’s lawmakers and referenced in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Thursday night.
At Religion News Service, Bob Smietana explores the deeply personal nature of IVF for infertile couples. Smietana looks, too, at the ethical issues raised by the Alabama ruling.
3. A tale of two movements: After disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church, traditionalist congregations are pursuing prayer, revival and revitalization, Christianity Today’s Daniel Silliman reports from North Carolina.
Meanwhile, the United Methodists’ pro-LGBTQ movement is eyeing its future after the conservative churches’ exodus, as The Tennessean’s Liam Adams details in an in-depth piece.
More Top Reads
Many Christian voters see immigration as a crisis, but they differ on how to address it, The Associated Press’ Giovanna Dell’Orto explains. … Voucher expansion has led to more students, waitlists and classes for some religious schools, AP’s Holly Meyers finds. … Say hello to “Digital Pentecost:” AI lets Christian broadcasters “speak” in different languages, the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner reports. … A prayer app has turned to TikTok to find its flock, the New York Times’ Madison Malone Kircher writes. … The war is shifting ties between secular and ultra-Orthodox Israelis, according to the New York Times’ Patrick Kingsley and Natan Odenheimer. … A Jewish family, a famous European museum and the battle for a Nazi-looted masterpiece draw the attention of the Los Angeles’ Times Kevin Rector. … The Islamic holy month will affect the routine of three Muslim basketball players at Brigham Young University, the Deseret News’ Jay Drew explains. … And at the Wall Street Journal, Lance Morrow contemplates the modern view of hell: “Has the old idea, fire and brimstone through all eternity, gone out of business?”
Inside The Godbeat
The Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein is moving from Metro to the National staff, but don’t worry: She’s not leaving the newspaper’s Godbeat, where she has excelled for 18 years.
A memo from top Post editors makes that assurance:
Michelle, one of the country’s most distinguished religion reporters, will continue to chronicle faith in America, from the rise of religious nationalism to financial, political and sexual misconduct in powerful institutions. She is based in the Washington newsroom.
Congrats, Michelle!
Charging Station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
Clemente Lisi highlights “5 Catholic churches to explore when visiting Ireland.”
Another intriguing headline at ReligionUnplugged.com: “Greasiness is next to godliness: Fast food’s quest to feed body and soul during Lent and beyond” by Matthew Peterson.
The Final Plug
Dead cattle. Burned homes. Scorched prairie.
The largest wildfire in Texas history made a mess of the Panhandle ranching town of Canadian. I traveled there this past weekend to report on the victims and helpers.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.