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. Rather than seek the truth, defendants repeated and circulated false statements about Dr. Sills, causing him to be cast as a toxic pariah, the brief states. Survivors dont just lose their trust in that one person, she said. 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. 2023 Baptist News Global. In his lawsuit filed Nov. 21, Sills claimed Lyells allegedly false claims were repeated in SBC media as an opportunity to improve the appearance and reputation SBCs handling of abuse cases and made him a bona fide scapegoat.. at the height of awareness of SBC scandals.' Why so much outrage over the burning of an LGBT Pride flag? Mohler did that. 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. Today, she feels that belief, known as complementarianism, has created an unhealthy culture. Secondly, on information and belief, defendants SBC, the Executive Committee, and Lifeway own and maintain property, employees and/or agents in Alabama, including Mobile County, Alabama. It also names Jennifer Lyell, a former seminarian and vice president for Lifeway, who repeatedly alleged Sills was abusive, an allegation Mohler has also made on social media and in . Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. On page 18 of the Sills lawsuit, Sills and his attorneys present their accusation as fact. Lyell spends some of the recording taking about a blogpost written by Peter Lumpkins (likely this post.). Want to share a story? Then things went terribly wrong. InterVarsity Press, which published one of Sills' books, removed Sills' biography page from its website and the webpage for Sills book Changing World, Unchanging Mission: Responding to Global Challenges. "So I want to make very clear that I stand with her in that statement.". It presented its report just prior to the SBCs annual meeting last summer.). Ascol retweeted her, insisting: Exactly. Basham is a conservative writer for the Daily Wire website, which describes itself as a counter-cultural outlet for news, opinion and entertainment., In June, Basham launched a full-force assault against Lyells credibility with an article titled Southern Baptists #MeToo Moment published on the first day of the SBC annual meeting. But Mohler confirmed that Lyell shared allegations with him in May 2018 and that Southern, as Lyell stated, immediately took action., Lyell said in her statement, The denominational institutions, the local church, and the missions agency [Sills led] ultimately believed me, supported me, and took the action for which they were responsible., Baptist Press reported Sills resignation in June 2018 based on reporting by North Carolinas Biblical Recorder news journal, which cited a statement from the seminary affirming that Mohler received the resignation of Dr. David Sills from the Southern Seminary faculty on May 23, 2018., It further stated, Southern Seminary is committed to the highest standards of both principle and policy. Plaintiffs David Sills and Mary Sills file this complaint against Defendants, alleging defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness concerning untrue claims of sexual abuse initiated by Defendant, Jennifer Lyell, and thereafter All rights reserved. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned last year. He said people often turn to clergy when they are at their most vulnerable. Lyells claim that she was abused by David Sills while he was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary resulted in a controversial news story published by Baptist Press, the denominational news service, which portrayed the relationship as consensual. Lives in: Mayfield KY Used to live: Mayfield KY AKA: Anthony White, Anthony Scott Jackson, Anthony Scott Jackson, Anthony S Jackson Related to: Lindsey R Jackson, Akia T White, Antonio D Jackson, Carlos L Jackson, Darrell Albert White View Details The Southern Baptist Convention would pass Resolution 6 which acknowledged Jennifer Lyell as an abuse survivor and therefore labeling David Sills as an abuser. Ascol ran for SBC president on the slogan Change the direction.. All rights reserved. Baptist Press reporting did, in fact, mislead people. ", "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. 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. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. He also said churches often believe survivors were participants in their abusers sins. George resigned on May 3 while Sills resigned on May 23, the Biblical Recorder reported. Geiger said he contacted the other missions agency which he identified as Global Outreach International and they removed Sills from their employment. And for so long, people have been unable to understand those categories., RELATED: The cost for coming forward one survivors life after #MeToo. We were horrified by what she shared with us. 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. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. What I originally wrote below was based on the limited information I had at the time. 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. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that she was a survivor of sexual abuse. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that. Lyell told RNS she did not initially report what happened because she was in shock, confused and scared about what people would believe. And these men couldnt even lift a finger when she was defamed and crushed and destroyed. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The suit was filed in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Ala., on Monday, Nov. 21. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Want to share a story? Rest assured, though, that regardless of venue, the case will be vigorously defended.. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Lyell built a strong relationship with Sills family over the years as she spent many of her weekends and holidays with them. Sills contends he was made a scapegoat in a denomination reeling from other, larger claims of sexual abuse. Police is an important part of Lyells narrative. However, according to media reports none of the local police had any reports regarding these alleged incidents. 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. Sills was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary until his resignation on May 23, 2018. Lyell told RNS that at first, she did receive a great deal of support from Southern Baptist leaders when she told them about the abuse she experienced. She has alleged Sills abused her over a multi-year period. I am also grateful for the bold leadership of Grant Gaines, Ronnie Parrot, and Todd Benkert. Attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. 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.. Reid, 59, SEBTS senior professor of . 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. He did call the police. Hes wrong. We must clearly tell the truth so that our churches and ministries are safe and as pure as they can be.. And it was not just the real devastation was the fact that I could not understand and still no one understands why that Baptist Press and the EC did what they did.. Mohler commended Lyells courage in coming forward. While churches say they want to care for survivors of abuse, those survivors are often viewed with suspicion, having to prove they are worthy of compassion and respect. David Sills and his wife, Mary, filed the suit Nov. 21 in Mobile County circuit court. David Pooler. 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. 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. Of course, Lyell spoke to multiple media outlets and is featured in a new documentary on sex abuse in the SBC. 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.. 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. Though 30 pages in length, the key facts allged are right on the first page. Who those others were is not clear. 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.. 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