Was David Wayne Farren Named in Southern Baptist Abuse Report?
David Wayne Farren, a former head pastor of the Anchor Church in Texarkana, Arkansas, sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl and another young girl he met at church in 2013 while serving as their youth pastor. Other congregations in the Texarkana region where he worked as a pastor and youth director were Heritage Baptist Church, Trinity Baptist Church, and Faith Church. Farren pleaded guilty to ten counts of sexual assault in 2017 and was sentenced to 180 months in prison as part of a negotiated plea deal. He is required to register as a sex offender upon his release from the Arkansas state prison.
Southern Baptist Convention News
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report includes scary new details relating to specific abuse occurrences and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively hindered abuse avoidance and reform for years.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have announced an extensive and independent 3rd party investigation that uncovered that abusers were typically ignored, forgotten, or even admonished by high-ranking church authorities from within this religious denomination of larger than 16 million members. In addition, it uncovered these leaders typically deceived their very own members to stop them from knowing the unchecked sexual assaults.
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A Past of Overlooked Misconduct
For almost twenty years, survivors who were sexually assaulted tried to reach out to the administration of the “SBC” concerning the ministers and congregation workers. Almost all of these disclosed incidents fell beyond the statutes of limitations, making it unclear precisely how many predators were in fact charged. According to the report, an internal record was kept. Nevertheless, survivors’ shouts for fair treatment went unheeded as leaders from organizations and churches tried to safeguard themselves instead of those who have actually been victimized by sexual assault.
The report states that an essential Southern Baptist leader was credibly implicated of sexual abuse just 1 calendar month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report also names 3 previous presidents of the SBC, a previous vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative arm as noted SBC leaders who aided in covering for and even encouraged believed abusers.
Accountability in the Baptist Church
Russell Moore, the former head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, specified ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The sensational report shows a pattern of stonewalling, retaliation, intimidation, and coverup.”
He wishes this report will be the catalyst for much-needed reform and hold those accountable for their horrific acts of abuse.
To learn more about information and resources available to survivors of sexual abuse in Arkansas, read our page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/arkansas/sex-trauma-therapist-ar/
Abuse Guardian for Arkansas
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