Her case has become one of the most high-profile illustrations of the larger reckoning over mishandled knowledge of sexual abuse within the SBC. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that. Because this is a personnel matter, we cannot comment further.. Ascol ran for SBC president on the slogan Change the direction.. And he claims this was done in a conspiracy by all the named defendants, who understood the value of making an example out of SBC member and employee David Sills who, without controversy, had admitted to an affair with Lyell and willingly accepted the SBC requirement that he depart from his position at the seminary. She describes being shocked and blaming herself despite that she had not initiated the encounter. I am not a sinless victim. 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. David Sills, into having a sexual relationship with him while she was enrolled in a missions class at the seminary. The timeline raises many natural and difficult questionsquestions that are not prompted by a desire for lewd details, but rather to fully understand what has become a public case used to discredit how the SBC handles abuse allegations. . Lyell is a former Reaching and Teaching International board member. If not, why not? Sills contends he was made a scapegoat in a denomination reeling from other, larger claims of sexual abuse. One of Lyells advocates over the past three years has been Mohler, who has publicly stated he believed Lyells story as she has told it. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. (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. 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. Mohler commended Lyells courage in coming forward. After BNG reported on the Sills lawsuit, Ascol tweeted: Wow. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. In a separate email, Lyell recounts to Henzel her understanding that Ascol put Midwest Christian Outreach on the trail of her story in the first place. Prior to the apology's issuance, she has informed SBC Executive Committee Chairman Rolland Slade in October regarding the pending disputes and legal claims she has due to her case. There are plenty of reasons to stay silent in a situation such as this. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. (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. What happened instead was a controversy over what kind of relations are consensual and nonconsensual and who gets to make that determination and challenges to the veracity of Lyells account. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Basham says whatever number of actual abuse cases may be found in the SBC, they represent such a small percentage as to be anything but a crisis.. Attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. The court filing further claims Lyell maintained the relationship by driving several hundred miles from Nashville, Tenn., to Louisville, Ky. to see Sills. Want to share a story? 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. Things changed, however, once the abuse became public. It takes years and years to recover from trauma, and no one should be in the position of having to explain it to the whole public while theyre still trying to do that, she said. 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. Jennifer Lyell, 2006 graduate of SBTS, says in her statement that 2004 was the first time Sills acted against her. This wasnt by accident; I believe it was by design, Lyell wrote. The suit states: On June 18, 2022, Defendant Lyell wrote to Religion News Services (RNS) and Reporter Bob Smietana, the following: 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. And there were aspects of it certainly that I think is something that an abuser can use., Abuse advocate and attorney Rachael Denhollander said that Lyells story reflects a bigger problem with a complementarian culture that defends male leaders but views women leaders and survivors of abuse as expendable., Abuse survivor Rachael Denhollander, right, discusses the Southern Baptist Conventions history of addressing sexual abuse with ERLC President Russell Moore at the Caring Well conference in Dallas, on Oct. 4, 2019. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Ensuring that is my top priority.". A former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary student has come forward to detail how former professor David Sills, who resigned last year, engaged in an inappropriate and "abusive" sexual relationship with her that lasted for over a decade. In fact, the key facts alleged are right in the first few paragraphs: 1. The fallout was quick and devastating. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. 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.. Sills local church, Ninth & O Baptist Church in Louisville, confirmed to Baptist Press that Sills is no longer a member and that the church acted swiftly and firmly after hearing the accusations. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. "So I want to make very clear that I stand with her in that statement.". Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. Ascol, Buck and Basham are not newcomers to critiquing Lyell and Smietana. In a release to Baptist Press (BP) and others, Jennifer Lyell, now 41 and director of the books ministry area at LifeWay Christian Resources, alleges Sills initiated sexual contact with her on a mission trip in 2004. 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. Pastoral misconduct is seen as a moral failing rather than an abuse of power. Except the pattern of inappropriate sexual activity continued throughout the relationship., Lyell wrote that when she presented her claims to Mohler, she also shared the responsibility" for being compliant at times and for idolizing the idea of a whole family., I protected [the family] despite what was happening within it, she wrote. For Sills, no reason for his resignation was stated by Southern. 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.. Who those others were is not clear. 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. Lyell decided to make her allegations public, she said, when she learned that Dr. Sills had been appointed as a missionary with a non-SBC missions agency.. Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif., confirmed to BP that Lyell shared her allegations with him. She stated that the pattern continued and escalated for more than a decade following that trip.. Lyell first disclosed the situation to a therapist in March 2016, she said. Lyell built a strong relationship with Sills family over the years as she spent many of her weekends and holidays with them. Just over two years later, she stated the allegations to then-LifeWay Senior Vice President Eric Geiger and Mohler. The full context of the email is this: Thank you again for replying and taking the time to find a scenario with which you are willing to talk with me. Rest assured, though, that regardless of venue, the case will be vigorously defended.. Lyell said that at the time, she did not want the seminary or Lifeway to publicly disclose what had happened to her. Mohler did that. 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. 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. 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 said Southern Baptist leaders do not hesitate to use their public platforms to debate theology or drive culture war issues but rarely call out abusive behavior in their own camp especially if it means correcting other denominational leaders. She wrote, "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 . Instead, from this news story (with details not included in the Guidepost Report), you can see that the sexual relationship between Jennifer Lyell and David Sills first occurred when Jenn was 26 and David Sills was 49. Just over two years later, she stated the allegations to then-LifeWay Senior Vice President Eric Geiger and Mohler. 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. Lyell said she no longer trusts the convention, feeling like key leaders betrayed the faith she put in them. Also at the same time Buck inserted himself into the behind-the-scenes interrogation of Lyell, he maintained a public campaign to identify an alleged leaker of a column written by his wife discussing difficulties in their marriage and in her earlier life. She has alleged Sills abused her over a multi-year period. But I am a victim nonetheless.. 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. How did Bob Smietana avoid being named in this lawsuit? Why Midwest Christian Outreach was interested in such a deep dive into Lyells story is not clear. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The same day, Geiger and Lyell contacted Mohler, he said. Sills claimed there was not any legitimate or proper investigation of Lyells accusations against him. A reasonable inference is also that Defendant Lyell intended to advance her false narrative by taking a hand in the actual writing of an article by RNS and Smietana, each of whom had previously served as a resource to Defendant Lyell for the purpose of publishing her malicious allegations against the Sills Plaintiffs. I think her efforts to call attention to this horrible aspect of abuse are needed.. The larger conversation around sexual abuse has dominated SBC life for the past two years and has been addressed by two special task forces, one of which is still working. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. 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. The SBCs public relations service, Baptist Press, misrepresented her statements about the situation, which eventually led to a public apology and a financial settlement from the SBC Executive Committee, which runs Baptist Press. Sills, former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern, did not respond to request for comment. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". However, not everyone has believed a sexual abuse crisis exists in the SBC. A clergy person has enormous power. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. And that retraction happened only after Denhollander had publicly criticized the SBCs treatment of Lyell during a major conference on abuse in the fall of 2019. "Defendants saw him as an easy target; a bona fide scapegoat." . The lawsuit challenges what has been accepted as fact in one of the highest-profile cases in the web of allegations regarding mishandling of sexual abuse within the SBC. 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. Reaching and Teaching International told BP in a statement that they are aware of a statement by Lyell regarding her allegations and are committed to ensuring a culture of transparency and accountability., Lyell said, It is my hope that my story, one in which a SBC entity and its leaders acted swiftly and justly but in which that same individual was also in a ministry position only months later, will also help to illustrate the need for some form of a reporting tool that can ensure that those who have victimized others from a ministry position are unable to ever do so again., (EDITOR'S NOTE This story has been edited by Biblical Recorder staff. It interwove Lyells story with this discussion. 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. The court filing addresses this issue: This court has personal jurisdiction over the defendants. [I] became an aunt to their grandchildren, and their grown children became like siblings to me, she wrote. Lyell spends some of the recording taking about a blogpost written by Peter Lumpkins (likely this post.). If I were not to come forward with this letter, a church or ministry who receives Dr. Sills CV and does an internet search for him would have no way to know the truth behind his resignation, she wrote. 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. 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. There are elements that sound like an abuse victim pleading with an abuser, I just want you to be like a dad, and there are elements where the story does not seem plausible given what we knowpay special attention to the police. she disclosed to her boss at Lifeway that a former professor named David Sills had first "sexually acted . "As the official news service for the Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press should be known for integrity, truth and accuracy. Man At Center of Massive SBC Sex Scandal Sues Denomination, Along with 11 Prominent Southern Baptists For Lying About Him The Soap Opera Plods On ", Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith. 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. 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. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. 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. 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. 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. At its simplest level, it is abuse because it is not consensual, he said. The audio discussion features Jennifer Lyell speaking to Ron Henzel and Don Veinot of Midwest Outreach. I am not a sinless victim. Basham frequently tweeted and replied to tweets about the issue, at one point portraying herself as an investigative reporter who was just asking the questions no one else would ask. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. "I think she was courageous in making those statements and I think it sets an example for how others should also demonstrate an equal courage," Mohler said. In a grievance filed Nov. 21 within the Circuit Courtroom of Cell, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and [] RELATED: At Caring Well conference, SBC leaders hear criticism of abuse response. Hilary Scarsella, assistant professor of ethics and director of women and gender studies at Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School, said survivors of clergy abuse can feel trapped because they know publicly disclosing the abuse may have consequences, both to their own faith and their place in the community. The campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship seminary for the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Louisville, Kentucky. I couldnt deal. It was a Zoom call conducted June 6, 2021. Photo via Baylor University. Some especially a group of Calvinist pastors questioned Lyells account and accused her of trying to make a consensual affair look like abuse. That post cited the biblical story of David and Bathsheba to ask what constitutes a consensual sexual relationship versus rape. When a pastor or leader is involved in a sexual scandal, the language of affair is used, even when its a predatory use of spiritual power, he said. Anytime time you have to invoke these procedures is heartbreaking but simultaneously necessary. Pastors and churches called for her to be fired. 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. But we must not be silent. Her story has already helped countless other people around the country, in ways that she may not even know about. It conclusively demonstrated the non-consensual nature of what happened to her. 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. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned last year. George, as curator of the Spurgeon Library and digitized archive, worked with the . The hundreds of titles that the Books business team has acquired, developed, or managed under Jennifer's leadership include more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers, as well as CT . The leaders who had the information and ability to correct the inaccuracies supported her privately but were publicly silent. As of earlier today, we declared his one IVP title (in both print and digital formats) as out of print.. In that email, Lyell makes the exact statement the lawsuit attributes to communication with Smietana. Im also fine to answer any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have clarity and believe me. 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, Three big numbers that tell the story of secularization in America. He also said churches often believe survivors were participants in their abusers sins. I deeply regret that anyone could have been led to conclude that it was consensual based on what I wrote.. Sills has not denied engaging in an inappropriate relationship with Lyell, and he resigned his post at Southern Seminary after being confronted about it. George's resignation was "due to a personal moral failing," Midwestern told the Recorder on June 1. 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. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The abuser often spends years grooming a victim and then does not let the victim go. The Complaint does not hid and it does not disappoint. Sills admitted to engaging in inappropriate sexual activity and tendered his resignation. Ascol is a Florida pastor who leads Founders Ministries, a group of Southern Baptist Calvinists. The lawsuit also claims that Sills broke off the relationship and that Lyell continued to pursue him. She did so after learning her abuser, a former Southern Baptist seminary professor, author and missionary, had recently returned to ministry. One details Lyells complaint that the video of her interview with Midwest Christian Outreach that was supposed to be kept confidential had been shared with others, including Basham. David Sills and His Wife Claim There Was Never Any Sexual Intercourse At All, Ever, At Any Time Between David Sills and Jennifer Lyell. We say that we are not this hierarchy but in reality, we function like we are protecting the barracks of the Vatican, she said. In a filing made in the Mobile, Ala., Circuit Court, David and Mary Sills allege "defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and . Such people have no fear of God, no interest in truth, no regard for justice, & no love for people. 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. 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