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Was Fernando Maldonado Listed in SBC Abuse Investigation Report?

Fernando Maldonado, a former minister at Martinez, CA’s now-defunct Morello Avenue Baptist Church and pastor at Pleasant Hill’s Grace Bible Church, was charged with several counts of sexual assault, including unlawful sexual intercourse with a juvenile under the age of 14.

Southern Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Helpline

SBC Guidepost Report PDF

According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report contains horrifying brand-new specifics concerning specific abuse circumstances and clarify how denominational officials actively hindered abuse prevention and reform for decades.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually revealed an extensive and independent third-party examination that uncovered that abusers were often neglected, forgotten, and even blamed by upper-level church leaders from within this religious denomination of larger than 16 million people. Furthermore, it revealed these leaders typically deceived their own members to prevent them from knowing the prevalent sexual misconduct.

Click to read more on the SBC Guidepost Report PDF

A Story of Overlooked Mishandling

Almost all of these disclosed occurrences fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it unclear how many predators were actually charged. According to the report, a secret list of predators was kept.

The report states that a key Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual assault just 1 month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report also names three prior presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as renowned SBC leaders who aided in covering and even encouraged believed abusers.

One victim outlined being treated with hostility as she claimed she was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in multiple Southern Baptist churches in several states. During a conference with the SBC leaders in 2007, a member of the Executive Board “turned his back to her during her speech and another chortled.”

Accountability in the SBC

Russell Moore, the previous head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, mentioned ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, take a look at all the good we do.’ The report shows a trend of stonewalling, intimidation, retaliation, and coverup.” He desires this report will deliver much-needed reform and hold those responsible for their horrific actions.

The document alleges that a major Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual abuse just 1 month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 previous presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative division as renoun SBC leaders who helped in covering up and actually motivated suspected sexual abusers.

To learn more about resources available for survivors in California, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/california/sex-trauma-therapist-ca/

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