The Louisville, Ky., church where Sills was a member, Lyell said, also took action following Sills resignation. The law should reflect that, Legacy of Wounded Knee occupation lives on 50 years later, Holy Queer author seeks Black church inclusion beyond singing with choir. He resigned from his trustee post, and as a result from the search committee, in May 2018. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. George resigned on May 3 while Sills resigned on May 23, the Biblical Recorder reported. How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? Moore said he and his wife are friends of Lyell and he described her as one of the strongest, most courageous and brilliant leaders I know. He hopes she will eventually return to a leadership role in the church. Whatever else is accurate or inaccurate in the lawsuit filed by David and Mary Sills against the SBC, Lyell and 10 others, the quotation attributed to a Lyell email to Smietana of RNS actually comes from a different Lyell email sent to Veinot and Henzel June 18, 2021. Survivors often deal with the trauma of the actual abuse along with a sense of betrayal and rejection from other believers, who often take the side of abusers. The following year, Jennifer Lyell, a former vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, told Baptist Press she had been a victim of emotional and sexual . Who those others were is not clear. Attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. But at Lyells request, SBTS, the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, did not make the details behind Sills resignation public at the time. Pooler said church members often become nonprotective bystanders, whose inaction enables abuse to continue and abusers to go unpunished. Having known that I experienced sexual abuse growing up, Dr. Sills assured me that the first incidents that happened on that mission trip werent really my fault as I naturally felt even though I had not initiated them and was shocked as the actions took place., He explained they were because of what happened to me when I was a child. Lyell still attends a Southern Baptist church, in large part because of the friendship and support she has received from her pastor and his wife. Henzel told CR that he did not know how the audio was leaked and did not feel comfortable speaking about it. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. David Pooler, professor of social work at Baylor University, said sexual misconduct by clergy and other religious leaders is often labeled as having an affair. But that description misses the power imbalance at play. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. I think her efforts to call attention to this horrible aspect of abuse are needed.. Sills claimed there was not any legitimate or proper investigation of Lyells accusations against him. In a grievance filed Nov. 21 within the Circuit Courtroom of Cell, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and [] The Capstone Report reached out to verify the audio and for comment about the provenance of the audio. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. According to documents obtained by BNG, however, Ascol, Buck and Basham had collaborated with the source of the original quotation that Sills took out of context in his recent lawsuit. Sills, former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern, did not respond to request for comment. The implication of Ms. Lyells statement was that Dr. Sills had acted criminally. ", Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith. In February, the top-ranked Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) did something that's almost unprecedented: they apologized and offered a monetary settlement to Jennifer Lyell, who for years had been abused by an SBC seminary professor. Although the lawsuit was filed in Alabama, David Sills lives in Mississippi. Christian leaders need to remember that they are called to be shepherds in the model of the Good Shepherd, she said, protecting the sheep even if the wolves include their fellow leaders., A woman holds signs about abuse during a rally outside the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on June 11, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. RNS photo by Butch Dill. We were horrified by what she shared with us. Ascol is a Florida pastor who leads Founders Ministries, a group of Southern Baptist Calvinists. There are plenty of reasons to stay silent in a situation such as this. Im also fine to answer any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have clarity and believe me. How did Bob Smietana avoid being named in this lawsuit? The conventions statement of faith says women and men are equal in Gods sight but have different roles in the church and the home. Instead of reporting she had been abused, Nashville-based Baptist Press, which is overseen by the Southern Baptist Conventions Executive Committee, reported in March 2019 that Lyell, then a vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, had admitted being involved in a morally inappropriate relationship with her former professor. Lyells attorney suggested to Baptist Press that Sills filing the lawsuit in Alabama appeared inappropriate. Veinot and his senior researcher, Ron Henzel, had conducted a video interview with Lyell and wrote about it on their blog under the headline Does Abuse Absolve Adultery? (RNS) A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a gaggle of Southern Baptist Conference leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to break his repute. In a post on her website, Lyell accused Sills of sexually abusing her during a 2004 mission trip and claimed the abuse continued over a decade. It took months for Baptist Press to retract the article and address errors in it and that only happened after the former BP staff had been replaced and the article had been criticized by abuse advocate Rachael Denhollander. . The resignations of Alvin Reid at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Christian George at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and David Sills at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were reported by Baptist Press and the North Carolina Biblical Recorder. She mentions them many times during this recording. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sills admitted to engaging in inappropriate sexual activity and tendered his resignation. If the claims in this suit are true, then it would seem that he is as culpable as any of the other defendants., To which Basham replied: Note, Religion News Service reported that Sills admitted to abuse, though Sills told me through an intermediary that RNS also did not reach out to him before that story was published and he never admitted anything like this., Basham also tweeted a link to the BNG story with this comment: Ive read David/Mary Sills filing against SBC, Guidepost, & number of SBC leaders. Mohler did that. Lyell told RNS she did not initially report what happened because she was in shock, confused and scared about what people would believe. 11 - Motion to Introduce Report moved by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Carried) That the Report from Meetings 14 and 15 of the Scarborough Community Council listed on the Agenda of Council be presented for consideration. On October 7, 2019, Jennifer Lyell, a LifeWay employee, penned an open letter to Southern Baptists expressing her grief caused by what she alleges was an erroneous Baptist Press report released in March this year. They may, at best, support survivors or criticize fellow denominational leaders in private but will not use their power to do the same in public, she said. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The string of email correspondence viewed by BNG implies Buck contacted Lyell to ask questions about her claims. However, Baptist Press, the SBCs in-house news service owned by the executive committee, incorrectly reported that Lyell had admitted to being involved in a morally inappropriate relationship with her former professor. Tom Ascol, Tom Buck and Megan Basham tweeted about the Sills lawsuit and accused not only Lyell, but also Religion News Service reporter Bob Smietana who has covered the SBCs sexual abuse situation for years of misconduct. If this seems like a contradiction, this is just the beginning. What Ascol, Buck and Sills share in common is adherence to an extreme version of Reformed theology, known as hyper-Calvinism, that has been on the resurgence in the SBC over the past 30 years. She began her thread saying, " What I referenced today about the Baptist Press' defamatory statements regarding @jenlyell and her abuser, former SBTS prof. David Sills, was the tip of the iceberg. Denhollander, who has represented Lyell, pointed out that it took months for Baptist Press to retracte that article. It conclusively demonstrated the non-consensual nature of what happened to her. Jennifer Lyell serves as Vice President of Book Publishing & Merchandising at LifeWay Christian Resources where she leads the second largest business segment of Lifeway's ten Ministry Areas. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 2023 Baptist News Global. Lyell sent a statement to both BNG and RNS: I do not need to be under oath to tell the truth and there are no lies that will shake my certainty about what is true. Southern Baptists oust Rick Warrens Saddleback Church for naming a female pastor, Southern Baptists plan to hire Guidepost Solutions to run abuser tracking database, Beth Moore tries to untangle her all knotted-up life in new memoir, Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. Hes wrong. Sills files defamation suit against SBC, Lyell, others MOBILE, Ala. (BP) - A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the SBC and 10 other individuals and entities connected to the SBC, including Jennifer Lyell and Guidepost Solutions. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Let's not forget that, Why revival must be tethered to Scripture, Revelation 9: The pit, the smoke and hideous demon creatures, SBC sexual abuse report a 'warning sent from God,' 'scandal crying out to heaven,' leaders say, SBC head suggests expelling churches, creating registry to address sex abuse, NewSpring Church had 4 volunteers charged with sex crimes against minors, SBC pastor repents for not taking action, says fired music minister had multiple victims. Because this is a personnel matter, we cannot comment further.. Anytime time you have to invoke these procedures is heartbreaking but simultaneously necessary. He said that he could fix it by me becoming part of his family and then once I was part of his family, that sort of thing would never happen again, she continued. Thereafter, Ms. Lyell engaged in an effort to restore her reputation and preserve her powerful position of doling out lucrative book deals, while affirmatively and skillfully dismantling the reputations, careers, and family life of David Sills and Mary Sills, the court filing states. As of earlier today, we declared his one IVP title (in both print and digital formats) as out of print.. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that. In her statement, Lyell accused Sills of "grooming and taking advantage of his student." Lyell first disclosed the situation to a therapist in March 2016, she said. Lawsuit protests the SBC and third-party firm for supporting allegations in a new legal challenge referencing historic abuse report. And because they, in a sense, represent God, they have more power than almost any other professional person that works with other people.. Sills was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary until his resignation on May 23, 2018. All rights reserved. But her feelings toward the denominations beliefs about gender roles have shifted. I mean, I was like, literally like, I mean, it was it was police at my house and, you know, safety, Lyell said. Lyell came to us with an allegation of abuse and should have been cared for throughout the entire process. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. After Baptist News Global broke the news that former seminary professor David Sills and his wife, Mary, filed a defamation lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention and 11 other defendants, three high-profile Southern Baptists took to Twitter to highlight one specific section of the 31-page legal document. This issue caught fire on Twitter, where critics of SBC leadership and of the sexual abuse study picked it up, prompting retweets and commentary. Her name appears on 37 pages of the report. The ex-Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by his former student filed a defamation suit in Alabama against her and several SBC entities, claiming the allegations were part of an SBC attempt to improve its image in the wake of the sexual abuse coverup scandal. This is why the most egregious, cruel lies do not leave me without hope when those asserting them are reckless enough to do so in a form that not only allows my witness but provides a clear means by which it will be formally provided., Sills files suit against SBC and 11 other defendants, claiming his relationship with Lyell was consensual and he became a scapegoat in the SBCs sexual abuse crisis, Not everyone believes theres a sexual abuse crisis in the SBC, No, we will not take down an article you dont like | Opinion by Mark Wingfields, Guidepost report documents pattern of ignoring, denying and deflecting on sexual abuse claims in SBC, SBC Executive Committee publicly apologizes to sexual abuse survivor, SBC report shows how five words turn abuse victim from survivor to whore| Opinion by Marv Knox. Instead, for many this incident may have contributed to a perception that the Southern Baptist Convention is not a safe place for sexual abuse survivors to disclose, the statement read. According to Lyell, the reason she waited so long to come forward with her claims is because she was afraid that her coming forward could cause collateral damage impacting people she loved. At the time, she was a 26-year-old master of divinity student, and the alleged relationship continued until she was 38, spanning a period in which Lyell moved from Louisville, Ky., to Chicago and then to Nashville, she told BP. He unsuccessfully ran for the SBC presidency in June. Why so much outrage over the burning of an LGBT Pride flag? Nine months after The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) professor David Sills resigned for undisclosed reasons, a woman has released a statement of allegations including details of what she describes as sexual abuse by Sills, beginning while she was a Southern Seminary student. This wasnt by accident; I believe it was by design, Lyell wrote. 1. Yet victims who are not minors must decide for themselves whether to contact authorities, he said. ", "We hold unquestionably to a biblical standard of sexual morality and personal morality and we expect that of any who would teach but also even as students. The ex-Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by his former student filed a defamation suit in Alabama against her and several SBC entities, claiming the allegations. So she wrote up a statement detailing the abuse and shared it with a reporter from a Christian news organization. Rest assured, though, that regardless of venue, the case will be vigorously defended.. She said she was motivated to tell her story following the account of Megan Lively, who was raped by a fellow student at a Southern Baptist seminary in 2003 and then counseled by the president of the seminary to not report the incident to police. In a statement posted on her website, Jennifer Lyell, who is now 41 and works for a major Christian book publisher, said Sills first "sexually acted" against her on a mission trip in 2004 and that the relationship continued until she was 38. And because of their power and influence, pastors and other religious leaders have a responsibility to set up boundaries in their relationships with other people. David Sills Guidepost and the SBC are two of 12 total defendants named in the lawsuit that revolves around allegations that David Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004, when Lyell was a . Lyell previously was a vice president at Lifeway, which is located in Nashville, Tenn. She voluntarily agreed to an interview with Baptist Press in 2019, by her account hoping her story would encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward. In a filing made in the Mobile, Ala., Circuit Court, David Sills, former pastor of now-closed Woodland Hills Church, Jackson, and his wife Mary Sills allege "defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness concerning untrue claims of sexual abuse" initiated by Jennifer Lyell, with whom David Sills However, not everyone has believed a sexual abuse crisis exists in the SBC. She challenged those who questioned her motives. That report also cited the Lyell case. Lyell explained that she decided to go public with her story after hearing that Sills was appointed to serve as a missionary with a mission agency not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. No thinking person with a backbone takes them seriously., Exactly one year before Basham published Southern Baptists #MeToo Moment, Midwest Christian Outreach, a small online apologetics site run by Don Veinot, highlighted Lyells case. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Basham questions Lyells description of events, her claims to have reported the abuse to police, and her ability to enlist others to corroborate her story. Its complicated. In fact, the key facts alleged are right in the first few paragraphs: 1. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004 when Lyell was a student and Sills was a professor. Lyell told Religion News Service she wished she had never gone public. This and so much more is contained in a roughly 2-and-a-half-hour audio interview never released that hit the Internet today. Ascol retweeted her, insisting: Exactly. By admitting to having sinned and asking for forgiveness, they can mitigate the consequences of their actions and preserve a future in the church. She did not revisit all the details of the abuse but did disclose those details to leaders at Lifeway and then to Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where the professor was employed. Lyell wrote that she first shared her story with her boss at LifeWay and then with Mohler. My thinking was I could just verbally work through your article and clarify/add the information you didnt have or was inaccurate as well as answer the broader questions you asked when the information you had didnt reconcile for you. In essence, defendants saw an opportunity to improve the appearance and reputation of SBCs handling of abuse cases, long under fire, even though there had not been any legitimate and proper investigation into the allegations, nor was Dr. Sills adequately informed of the specific nature and extent of accusations made by Lyell.. All this played out as the SBC addressed the independent report of Guidepost Solutions about a long-term pattern of ignoring or mishandling known cases of sexual abuse in SBC churches and agencies. Part of Lyells reason for being "compliant at times" and remaining silent for as long as she did, she stated, was because she became like part of [Sills] family and feared the collateral damage that telling would cause for those around him. In her statement, Lyell accused Sills of grooming and taking advantage of his student.. The audio came to the Capstone Report from a source not connected with Midwest Outreach. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. And now the two competing narratives of what happened between Sills and Lyell likely will add more fuel to the SBCs internal debate over the nature and extent of sexual abuse as a real problem. This led to a general understanding that what happened between Dr. David Sills and Ms. Jennifer Lyell was a consensual affair. Women are seen first and foremost as sexual objects, means to an end, she said, adding women are seen as temptresses, trying to bring a good man down and getting married is seen as a way of helping men deal with their lust. It also claims Sills ended the relationship with Defendant Lyell who nevertheless persisted her pursuit of Sills and undertook efforts to reach Dr. Sills through his family., David and Mary Sills also contend that Lyell, relying on her expertise as an accomplished writer and executive in the fields of advertising and publishing within the SBC, a lucrative and powerful position, constructed a false narrative against Dr. Sills and Mrs. Sills, at the height of awareness of SBC scandals.. Those documents include emails between the various parties. Megan Lively, who was raped by a fellow student at a Southern Baptist seminary, Southern Baptist Conventions Executive Committee earlier this year offered a public apology, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. They also risk losing their relationships with everybody else who has a relationship with that person because when the chips fall, you dont know how theyre going to fall.. Denhollander, an abuse survivor whose testimony led to the conviction of former national gymnastics doctor and serial abuser Larry Nassar, said evangelical theology had created a kind of porn culture in churches. Heaven will be diverse. Want to share a story? Jennifer Lyell Lyell previously was a vice president at Lifeway, which is located in Nashville, Tenn. She voluntarily agreed to an interview with Baptist Press in 2019, by her account hoping her story would encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward. Lyell was not writing to a professional journalist with a national news organization; she was writing to two bloggers who run a small nonprofit that investigates cults and preaches against the Enneagram. Sills was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary until his resignation on May 23, 2018. He did call the police. Mohler draws praise from Lyell and some criticism too. Three Southern Baptist seminary faculty members have recently resigned their positions. Lyell mentions police at her house and Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary calling the police. Lyell said that at the time, she did not want the seminary or Lifeway to publicly disclose what had happened to her. In the spring of 2018, after more than two years of therapy, she disclosed to her boss at Lifeway that a former professor named David Sills had first sexually acted against her without her consent during a mission trip he was leading while she was a seminary student. The Sillses contend neither Mohler nor the SBC nor Guidepost did sufficient investigation to find out the truth of the matter. And these men couldnt even lift a finger when she was defamed and crushed and destroyed. Now, David Sills and Mary Sills contend they have been smeared repeatedly in the process and seek monetary damages from the SBC; the SBC Executive Committee; former SBC President Ed Litton; current SBC President Bart Barber; Lyell; Lifeway Christian Resources; Eric Geiger, a former executive vice president at Lifeway; Willie McLaurin, interim president of the Executive Committee; Rolland Slade, former chairman of the Executive Committee; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary; and Guidepost Solutions, the firm that conducted the independent investigation. Ensuring that is my top priority.". David Sills and his wife, Mary, filed the suit Nov. 21 in Mobile County circuit court. Mohler commended Lyells courage in coming forward. Her case has become one of the most high-profile illustrations of the larger reckoning over mishandled knowledge of sexual abuse within the SBC. To date, none of the named defendants has issued a public comment on the lawsuit. Lyell said she no longer trusts the convention, feeling like key leaders betrayed the faith she put in them. Things changed, however, once the abuse became public. And Christian theology about sin and about the roles of men and women often makes it difficult for survivors who come forward. David Sills, the professor, and his wife, Mary Sills, allege defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and wantonness in connection with untrue claims of sexual abuse made by Jennifer Lyell in 2021. But he didnt make it public disclosure, Lyell said. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. We say that we are not this hierarchy but in reality, we function like we are protecting the barracks of the Vatican, she said. Litigating this case publicly could cause extreme discomfort for some of the defendants named, forcing them to testify under oath about matters they have tried to handle discreetly. David Sills and Mary Sills contend they have been smeared repeatedly in the process and seek monetary damages. Mohler said his encouragement from the start in any case such as this is that authorities be contacted and that only law enforcement should judge whether laws may have been violated in such situations. Last year, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned from his position without much of an explanation. Lyells case is of particular interest because Guidepost did not talk to some described as corroborating the allegations of abuse and because SBC Elites declared on their own authority that this was a case of Sex Abuse. She wished she had never gone public and seek monetary damages much outrage over burning! 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