Was Kevin Othell Laferney Listed in SBC Abuse Investigation Report?
Kevin Othell Laferney was a youth minister at the Glenwood First Baptist Church in Gilmer, TX. After pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2008, he was sentenced to life in a Texas state prison. Additional sex crimes charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain, according to court records. Laferney’s case drew widespread attention after he skipped bail and attempted to fake his own death in order to avoid prosecution. In 2007, he was arrested in Montana.
Southern Baptist Convention News
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report contains terrible new details concerning certain abuse instances and sheds light on how denominational officials actively fought abuse avoidance and reform for several years.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have revealed a substantial and independent 3rd party investigation that revealed that abusers were often overlooked, forgotten, and even admonished by upper-level church leaders from within this religious denomination of more than 16 million people. In addition, it revealed these leaders frequently lied to their own members to prevent them from understanding the widespread sexual abuses.
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A Past of Ignored Mishandling
Nearly all of these disclosed occurrences fell outside of the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain how many abusers were really charged. According to the report, a secret list was kept.
The report alleges that a major “SBC” official was credibly accused of sexual assault only 1 month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. Additionally, Johnny Hunt, a widely known Georgia Southern Baptist preacher and senior vice president of the SBC’s objectives arm, was credibly accused of abusing a lady during a 2010 holiday in Panama City Beach, FL. The North American Mission Board president declared he was unaware of the accusations prior to Hunt resigning on May 13. The report additionally names 3 previous presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as prominent SBC leaders who helped in covering up for and even motivated suspected abusers.
One victim talked about being treated with animosity as she claimed she was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in numerous Southern Baptist churches in a number of states. During a meeting with the SBC leaders in 2007, a member of the Exec Council “turned his back to her during her speech and another chortled.”
Accountability in the Baptist Church
Russell Moore, the previous head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, stated ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, look at all the good we do.’ The bombshell report shows a pattern of stonewalling, retaliation, coverup, and intimidation.” He anticipates this document will bring much-needed change and hold those liable for their actions.
The report alleges that a key Southern Baptist official was credibly accused of sexual assault merely one month after completing his two-year spell as the convention’s president. The report also names 3 prior presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative division as prominent SBC leaders who helped in covering and even encouraged thought abusers.
To learn more about resources available for survivors in Texas, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/texas/sex-trauma-therapist-tx/
Abuse Guardian for Texas
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