Baptist Sex Abuse-Speaking from Experience

On May 15, the Southern Baptist Convention finally acknowledged what our guest today has already experienced – that pastors and other church employees have sexually abused parishioners and that the church covered up those claims for years.Now our guest, Sandy Phillips Kirkham, was not a member of the Southern Baptists when she was sexually abused by her youth pastor. She was a member of another protestant denomination, which shows that such practices go beyond religious boundaries.She recounts her story in Let Me Prey Upon You, a memoir that reveals how a charismatic youth minister preyed upon her, betrayed her in the most vile way, and shattered her faith, leaving her broken and separated from the church she once loved. Sandy is here with author/attorney Mark M. Bello and me today to discuss this tragic situation.Sandy previously told her own story on both the Lean to the Left and Justice Counts podcasts, but Mark and I wanted to invite her back to get her thoughts about these latest revelations regarding the Southern Baptists. A list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse has just been released by church officials. The list had previously been kept secret by the church.Take a listen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support.