What Next

Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention

Decades of accusations and alleged cover-up have the church’s leadership under a DOJ investigation.

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Episode Notes

The Department of Justice announced this month that it was investigating allegations that leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled sexual abuse accusations for decades. How have abusers exploited the church’s decentralized structure and notions of forgiveness to avoid accountability, and how have church teachings about sexuality and “purity culture” allowed the abuse to continue?

Guests:
Robert Downen, reporter at the Houston Chronicle.
Jules Woodson, co-founder and COO of Help;Hear;Heal, a nonprofit providing therapy funding for survivors of sexual abuse.

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Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Rubanova, Anna Phillips, and Jared Downing.

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About the Show

The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning.

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Host

  • Mary C. Curtis is a columnist at Roll Call and host of its Equal Time podcast.