They also claim that allegations by Lyell, Mohler and others were part of a campaign to falsely attack the honesty and the character of David Sills and Mary Sills, casting them as violent criminals., The complaint also alleges that Lyell wrote to Religion News Service, asking to review an article being written about the SBC abuse crisis, saying she intended to advance her false narrative by taking a hand in the actual writing of an article by RNS.. Guidepost perpetuated a false narrative in a Report, in exchange for payment and in concert with Defendants, all of which ruined Sills reputation and labeled him as an abuser, according to the complaint. I shared how Dr. David Sills, then a tenured professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, first sexually acted against me on a mission trip in 2004, a pattern that continued and escalated for more than a decade following that trip. In an email, Lyell declined to elaborate on her statement or the reaction to it so far. (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 damage his repute. How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? They also claim that allegations by Lyell, Mohler and others were part of a campaign to falsely attack the honesty and the character of David Sills and Mary Sills, casting them as violent criminals., The complaint also alleges that Lyell wrote to Religion News Service, asking to review an article being written about the SBC abuse crisis, saying she intended to advance her false narrative by taking a hand in the actual writing of an article by RNS.. Pro Football Focus looks at Giants WR room. Previously: Kentucky Southern Baptist leaders among hundreds accused of sex abuse, Sills, who was a professor of missions and cultural anthropology, did not respond to a request for comment, while Mohler said he supported Lyell's decision to go public as a "brave and right thing to do.". The recent Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas passed resolutions affirming the dignity and worth of women in their distinctive God-assigned roles and condemning all abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God., Addressing what a news release called a months-long slew of firings and resignations within Southern Baptist entities, most for reasons of moral or ethical failure, Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler said during a panel discussion at the SBC annual meeting that Southern Baptists should not circle the wagons in response to what he called the humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention., The church of the Lord Jesus Christ should be the safest place for anyone vulnerable to come and seek help, Mohler said, according to the release. You have permission to edit this article. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Southern Seminary, in a statement to the Biblical Recorder, said SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. "received the resignation of Dr. David Sills from the Southern Seminary faculty on May 23, 2018. 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. However, attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. #LeaveYourMark By the time I shared about my abuse, I had been in counseling for more than two years, which had given . This past summer, Mohler issued a statement, saying that the abuse allegations had been investigated and confirmed. It also names Jennifer Lyell, a former seminarian and vice president for Lifeway, who has repeatedly alleged that Sills was abusive, an allegation Mohler has also made on social media and in an interview for a documentary about the denominations response to its sexual abuse crisis. He was born on November 1, 1953, to Willard Norman Sills, Jr. and Mary Leone (Wixo Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. In a grievance filed Nov. 21 within the Circuit Courtroom of Cell, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and [] Alvin Reid, an evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for nearly a quarter century, resigned May 21 to address personal and spiritual issues., Those departures came in the wake of the March resignation of SBC Executive Committee CEO Frank Page. "I now realize that despite SBTS handling the situation justly and as I asked -- without stating the reason for his resignation -- it led to the exact kind of scenario the SBC is now trying to prevent," she said. The outlet later apologized for the article, and the SBC executive committee reached a settlement with Lyell. Southern Seminary is committed to the highest standards of both principle and policy. He joined Southern Seminary after serving as a missionary in Ecuador, where he served as church planter . At the time, Lyell maintained that she faced opposition when seeking justice through the SBC. In a complaint filed Nov. 21 in the Circuit Court of Mobile, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, admits he lost . The Spurgeon Library facility on the Kansas City, Mo., campus was dedicated in 2015 after 10 months of construction. A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a group of Southern Baptist Convention leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to ruin his reputation. He is the founder and president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, which serves people around the . The case has long been used by critics to show the SBCs tendency to mishandle such allegations. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004 when Lyell was a student and Sills was a professor. Leaders at the SBC Executive Committee tried to head off the investigation and, when they could not do that, tried to derail it. Sills, a leading Southern Baptist missiologist and author of several books about missions, notified the organizations of his . the SBC Executive Committee said. He resigned from his trustee post, and as a result from the search committee, in May 2018. Jon Deedrick has been named as interim president for Reaching & Teaching. 2. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Nine months after Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned for undisclosed reasons, a woman has released a statement of allegations including details of what she says was a morally inappropriate relationship with Sills for more than a decade, beginning while she was a Southern Seminary student. A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a group of Southern Baptist Convention leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to ruin his reputation. Gary Hollingsworth, executive director-treasurer of the 570,000-member body, said he accepted Aderholts resignation based on the importance of staying focused on the conventions vision statement of seeing every life saturated and transformed by the hope of the gospel.. Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month. He and his wife, Mary, have two children and seven grandchildren. Old login credentials will no longer work. Louisville's Ninth and O Baptist Church told BP it is the congregation referenced in Lyell's statement. As sad as we are to lose Dr. George, we are optimistic about the future of the Spurgeon Center and look forward to introducing hundreds of new students to Spurgeon this [f]all., Sills, in addition to resigning his faculty position at Southern, has resigned as president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, an organization with 13 staff members seeking, according to its website, to help meet the great need for deep discipleship, pastoral preparation, leadership training, and theological education around the world.. However, he said that false allegations of abuse are harmful to efforts to protect women. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/andreww. Southern Seminary is committed to the highest standards of both principle and policy. He has also written a number of books on mission and is . 765-285-3390. Bishop Scott Jones moves from extreme center of UMC to new Global Methodist Church, Jesus Revolution leaves out the tough stuff but gets the music right, From Super Bowl ads to Kentucky revivals, stop the Christian cannibalism, Holy Queer author seeks Black church inclusion beyond singing with choir, Its time to stop erasing Black Muslim Americans from the story of Islam in the US, Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors. Lyell, who served as vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, posted a confession in 2018 claiming how Sills, who has been married for over 30 years, sexually abused her and groomed her. Sills also served as an International Mission Board trustee and a member of the IMB's presidential search committee. Facebook/The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bible teacher Jen Wilkin addresses criticism of her views on sending children to public schools, Teen, 21-year-old man indicted for murder of Memphis pastor, Deion Sanders' prayers are constitutionally protected, lawyer tells University of Colorado, Revival at Kentucky college faces hurdles from school leadership, moves worship off-campus. Mohler commended Lyell's courage in coming forward. The resignations of Christian George at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and David Sills at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were reported by the Biblical Recorder, newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, on June 4. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". God has grown Reaching & Teaching to be a strong, vibrant, strategic ministry, and our staff and missionaries are committed to carrying on the work of Reaching & Teaching and our Great Commission ministry with faithfulness, effectiveness, and excellence, Deedrick said. In a complaint filed Nov. 21 in the Circuit Court of Mobile, Alabama, David Sills, a . Because this a personnel matter, we cannot comment further.. 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." . Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. told BP he could not disclose why Sills' employment at the seminary ended. In February, following the disclosures against Patterson, the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio News-Express reported that about 380 Southern Baptist church preachers and volunteers, including six from Kentucky, had been accused of sexual abuse and misconduct over the past 20 years. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Success! Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Return to homepage. The church said it acted "swiftly and firmly" and that Sills is no longer a member. Sills resigned in 2018 after being confronted with the allegations, but the reason for his resignation was not initially made public. Neuro Engineering Rehabilitation and Degeneration Laboratory, Wright State University. Attorneys for Sills claim that Guidepost never contacted their client, who is mentioned repeatedly in the Guidepost report. A password reset link will be e-mailed to you. When he was hired by a different mission group, Lyell informed Baptist Press, an SBC publication, that he had been abusive and offered to write a first-person account of the abuse. Our policies and procedures are clear and are consistently applied. 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 lawsuit reinterprets a widespread understanding that, rather than bolster the SBCs credibility in preventing sexual abuse, the denominations treatment of Lyell has been a public relations disaster. President [Al] Mohler received the resignation of Dr. David Sills from the Southern Seminary faculty on May 23, 2018, an SBTS statement said June 1 in an email response to the Biblical Recorder. 765-285-5517. Sills signed with the Giants' practice squad Tuesday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Dr. Sills is a great professor. Let's not forget that, Why revival must be tethered to Scripture, Revelation 9: The pit, the smoke and hideous demon creatures, Ex-SBTS prof. accused of 'grooming' former student in decade-long abusive relationship, SBC leaders apologize for mishandling Jennifer Lyell's sex abuse case, DOJ investigating 'multiple entities' within Southern Baptist Convention, leaders say, SBC head rejects claim ex-president Johnny Hunt has been restored to ministry after abuse allegation. Though the Sillses are residents of Mississippi and the defendants are based in or reside in several different states, the suit asserts the Mobile Circuit Court has jurisdiction because the alleged defamation happened throughout the state; the SBC Executive Committee and Lifeway own property in the state; and defendant Ed Litton is a resident of Mobile County. But we must not be silent.". Shawn Hendricks is editor of BP, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. Dr. Sills is an adjunct professor with both Western's Civil and Environmental Engineering . An official in the 2,100-church South Carolina Baptist Convention has stepped down for unspecified reasons, adding to a number of men quietly leaving Southern Baptist jobs in recent weeks. Lyell said the reason she didnt report Sills alleged abuse sooner and he was able to continue grooming and taking advantage of her for so longwas because he made her feel part of his family. In May, trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary transitioned President Paige Patterson to the honorary title president emeritus with pay and lodging on the seminary campus. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Professor of Music Performance MU 413C. Mississippi lawyer Don Barrett, one of the attorneys representing David Sills and his wife, Mary Sills, said that part of the complaint was in error. She said she was a 26-year-old Masterof Divinity student when it began. All rights reserved. The committee's apology came just months before Guidepost Solutions released a report detailing the results of an investigation into allegations that SBC leaders intimidated whistleblowers and exonerated churches with credible claims of negligence of sexual abuse victims. In service of this goal, survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomyeven if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation, investigators wrote. How Giants WR David Sills finally broke through and made the Week 1 roster. Sills was a professor at . In a release to Baptist Press and others, Jennifer Lyell, now 41 and director of the books ministry area at LifeWay Christian Resources, alleges sexual contact with Sills began on a mission trip in 2004. 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. Geiger told Lyell he was "responsible to share" the allegations with Southern and invited her to participate in the process, Geiger recounted to BP. David Sills V is staying in the Big Apple. Leaders at the SBC Executive Committee tried to head off the investigation and, when they could not do that, tried to derail it. A former Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by a student has filed a defamation lawsuit against the SBC and several other entities, claiming he was an "easy target" and a "bona fide scapegoat" in the sex abuse scandal surrounding the denomination. Though Lyell asked that the article be changed, Baptist Press officials and leaders at the SBC Executive Committee initially refused. 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 abuse by Sills, who had been her professor. David Sills. video. Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif., confirmed to BP that Lyell shared her allegations with him. Halftime may only be 12 minutes, but Denise Sills journeyed back about 20 years in her mind during a recent Giants . David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press. 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