Why I Speak – Women I want you to hear me

I want to explain why this minister in the SBC responded to me the way he did yesterday. I am not going on Twitter getting in random fights. I actually know what I am doing, and who I need to engage.

The SBC has survivors taking on the sex abuse scandal in their org. Leadership is not helping at all. They put on a conference, that makes them money, to make it look like they are doing something about the problem. But they appointed survivors who keep their theology (won’t challenge complementarianism) to fight their own battle. And they claim it is just too hard because “church autonomy”. Never mind they wouldn’t say this if it was a woman or and LGBTQ+ minister.

I saw this survivor-one,who is working to keep Paige Patterson out of the pulpit in Florida coming up, engage this man who is a friend of Paige Patterson – if you don’t know Paige Patterson, google him, bad news! It is well-known.

I saw this man talk to her the way I have been talked to my whole life (only this time it is worse b/c it is regarding abuse). He made her doubt herself, and if she pushed him he would make her feel like she is the one being cruel and not being fair. He said I don’t care Paige has thousands of claims against him- I want evidence. They ended the convo saying “peace to you”. She is doing what women do when we feel like we are the one who has to be nice. I saw myself in her.

So I decided to say – NO! Not ok. This is not peace. The evidence on Paige Patterson is in, and I listed what is absolutely undisputed. And I told him b/c he chooses to put his friend above thousands of women who have been harmed, he is now on my list of ministers that is unsafe for my family if I see his name listed with a church.

He did not respond, but the guy (Tom) who went after me did. Then this minister, Pete, told Tom who bashed me for telling the truth, he read my link and he fears what is saying about me is true.

I don’t know what that means. Maybe they are scared b/c not only do I have a sect of Baptists hearing me. But I went and got Methodists too.

This needs to end. Women matter and are not the ones who have to compromise every time men are challenged.

The survivors are not sure what to think of me. B/c they still subscribe to complementarianism, I don’t think they appreciate me. But that is ok. It is not for accolades that I speak.

I believe the job of a minister is to defend the sheep from the wolves. And we often do not know who the wolf is until we get outside and take a wider look at reality.