In February, the top-ranked Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) did something that's almost unprecedented: they apologized and offered a monetary settlement to Jennifer Lyell, who for years had been abused by an SBC seminary professor. As such, Jennifer Lyell seems to be someone who is the victim of horrendous sexual abuse. Neither Smietana nor his editor offered comment to BNG when asked about the situation. Just over two years later, she stated the allegations to then-LifeWay Senior Vice President Eric Geiger and Mohler. She has alleged Sills abused her over a multi-year period. After BNG reported on the Sills lawsuit, Ascol tweeted: Wow. As of earlier today, we declared his one IVP title (in both print and digital formats) as out of print.. 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. . She said she was a 26-year-old Master of Divinity student when it began. Get this The Daily Telegraph page for free from Tuesday, July 29, 1975 97S IZIm THE COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION SERVICE HIM 1 Mb CHKlbTENINGb and IN MEMOR1AM Cl 10 Una MARRIAGES DEATHS and . I am not a sinless victim. However, not everyone has believed a sexual abuse crisis exists in the SBC. But we must not be silent. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. 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. Lyell is a former vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, the SBC publishing house. But her feelings toward the denominations beliefs about gender roles have shifted. Lyell contends it was not consensual. 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. Individuals who knew her story alerted that particular mission agency to the details behind Sills resignation from SBTS and Sills is no longer listed as a missionary for that organization. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. I have never been unwilling to be questioned when making allegations that arent only moral, but are also criminal . 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. 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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. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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.. 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.. I have never been unwilling to be questioned when making allegations that arent only moral, but are also criminal and Im extremely thankful that all parties who received and investigated my allegations did press me for details necessary to understand what I was alleging given my age and the fact it was not a single occurrence as well as that I did not report anything to them for a very long time.. Sills also served as an International Mission Board (IMB) trustee and a member of the IMBs presidential search committee. 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. Things changed, however, once the abuse became public. In June, BP reported Sills also had resigned as president of Reaching and Teaching International Ministries, a missions organization that engages in discipleship and theological education internationally. Lyell urged denominational leaders as well as pastors to recognize the responsibility they have to protect survivors from more harm when they come forward. Guidepost and the SBC are two of 12 total defendants named in the lawsuit that revolves around allegations that David Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004, when Lyell was a . Lyell previously was a vice president at Lifeway, which is located in Nashville, Tenn. She voluntarily agreed to an interview with Baptist Press in 2019, by her account hoping her story would encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward. The Complaint does not hid and it does not disappoint. All rights reserved. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Mohler should have said, Now, Jennifer, thats not a promise I can make you like, we need to do whats right for the kingdom, Lyell said. Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. told Baptist Press he could not disclose why Sills employment at the seminary ended. RELATED: Southern Baptist leader, experts say churches should address the abuse of adults. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But we must not be silent.. Lyell was not writing to a professional journalist with a national news organization; she was writing to two bloggers who run a small nonprofit that investigates cults and preaches against the Enneagram. In May, Guidepost Solutions, which investigated the SBC scandal, issued a report that found alleges survivors of sexual abuse encountered resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility, from some on the SBCs Executive Committee. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship seminary for the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Louisville, Kentucky. David Sills | MOODY PUBLISHERS She lost her reputation, her job and even her health in the process. Jennifer Lyell in 2019 decided to reveal she had been sexually abused by a former Southern Baptist seminary professor who had recently returned to ministry. He also said churches often believe survivors were participants in their abusers sins. The abuser often spends years grooming a victim and then does not let the victim go. However, Ascol, Basham and Buck were copied on the email, and in another email, Lyell indicates Basham had accessed the video without Lyells knowledge or permission. But I am a victim nonetheless.. In fact, she claims in a newly leaked audio recording that she has been vague intentionallyso that the Sills grandchildren wouldnt find out much about this by using Google. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. That post cited the biblical story of David and Bathsheba to ask what constitutes a consensual sexual relationship versus rape. All rights reserved. I am also grateful for the bold leadership of Grant Gaines, Ronnie Parrot, and Todd Benkert. Lyell mentions police at her house and Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary calling the police. Sills, former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern, did not respond to request for comment. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. This and so much more is contained in a roughly 2-and-a-half-hour audio interview never released that hit the Internet today. Lyell wrote that she first shared her story with her boss at LifeWay and then with Mohler. Anytime time you have to invoke these procedures is heartbreaking but simultaneously necessary. 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 . 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. Lyells experience reveals the difficulty survivors often face when they try to speak up about their experiences. 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. The court filing addresses this issue: This court has personal jurisdiction over the defendants. 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 . In her statement, Lyell says that it began when she was a student. 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. Lyell built a strong relationship with Sills family over the years as she spent many of her weekends and holidays with them. 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. Lyell explains why she had not confronted Lumpkins because of Lumpkins history with Lifeway and her personal issues. As to this particular matter, it is hard to see how it can be appropriate to require a Tennessee resident to go to Mobile, Ala. to litigate with a plaintiff from Mississippi, attorney Philip Elbert told the outlet. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". On July 6th, this story would resurface because Bob Smietana, a liberal reporter of the pagan Religious News Service wrote an apologetic for Jennifer Lyell, When abuse victims are adults . Based on the information we now have I retract any suggestion that Jennifer Lyells physical relationship with David Sills was consensual. We must clearly tell the truth so that our churches and ministries are safe and as pure as they can be.. Lyell told RNS she did not initially report what . 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. Lyell was labeled on social media as an adulteress rather than an abuse survivor, with users leaving scores of vile comments about her on Lifeways Facebook page and the Baptist Press website. Based on the information we now have I retract any suggestion that Jennifer Lyells physical relationship with David Sills was consensual., By Aug. 3, 2021 about six weeks after the SBC annual meeting at which a Sexual Abuse Task Force was authorized Midwest Christian Outreach issued an update to its post with this note from Henzel: Shortly after this article was published, Jennifer Lyell graciously reached out to us and provided crucial details of her case both to me and to Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. President Don Veinot. There are plenty of reasons to stay silent in a situation such as this. If you do not know your new account number you can contact. She stated that the pattern continued and escalated for more than a decade following that trip.. It looked idyllic on the surface. We were horrified by what she shared with us. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned last year. The reason that a professor was able to continue grooming and taking advantage of his student was because I became like part of his family. Attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. As Veinot explains on the website: Our mission is to give clear answers, and a solid defense of the orthodox biblical faith, to all types of unbelievers atheists, agnostics, as well as members of cults and new religious groups such as the Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons, the International Churches of Christ, and so on. How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? Sills contends he was made a scapegoat in a denomination reeling from other, larger claims of sexual abuse. Return to homepage. 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.. 2023 Baptist News Global. The fallout was quick and devastating. The lawsuit also claims that Sills broke off the relationship and that Lyell continued to pursue him. Her story has already helped countless other people around the country, in ways that she may not even know about. Mohler did that. 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. It was a Zoom call conducted June 6, 2021. If so, when so that press can verify this element of the story that is now so obviously a glaring contradiction in the narrative. Survivors dont just lose their trust in that one person, she said. I am not a sinless victim. He resigned from his trustee post, and as a result from the search committee, in May 2018. I had discussions on our boards here with people who were convinced by the reporting that David Sills and Jennifer had an "affair" and that he was held responsible for it while she was not. On page 18 of the Sills lawsuit, Sills and his attorneys present their accusation as fact. Critics of the SBC investigation and of the existence of a crisis of sexual abuse in the denomination frequently point to Lyells story as questionable, but they have been minority voices. If I were not to come forward with this [statement], a church or ministry who receives Dr. Sills [resume] and does an internet search for him would have no way to know the truth behind his resignation. I deeply regret that anyone could have been led to conclude that it was consensual based on what I wrote.. 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. Im also fine to answer any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have clarity and believe me. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. After several years of dispute, the SBC Executive Committee earlier this year reached a financial settlement with Lyell and issued a public apology for the Baptist Press story. The police issue is difficult because this would have been a call to the local SBTS area police in 2018. It presented its report just prior to the SBCs annual meeting last summer.). The BP trampled on a survivor and shielded a VIOLENT sexual predator who then sought new employment." She continued: Filing claims Guidepost never interviewed or even contacted him before publicly naming him a predator. (Guidepost Solutions is the firm hired by the SBC Executive Committee to investigate charges of sexual abuse within the convention. David Pooler. While the SBCs reports on Lyells allegations claimed Sills was fired, the former professor claims he voluntarily resigned after admitting to a morally inappropriate relationship with Lyell. 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 . Geiger told Lyell he was responsible to share the allegations with Southern and invited her to participate in the process, Geiger recounted to Baptist Press. 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. They didnt they just kind of defaulted to me, and then realized later, Oh, crap, we shouldnt have done that., SBC Elites cite distinguished lawyer and Southern Baptist Matthew Martens; however, Martens has written persuasively, Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban women pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), New intel points to Covid origin in a lab leak, remember when this was a, NAMB PR VP Mike Ebert emerges as key witness in McRaney v. NAMB What will, Leaked audio interview with Jennifer Lyell hits, featured in a new documentary on sex abuse in the SBC, David raped Bathsheba promoter involved in new SEBTS abuse class, SBC Abuse Expert Rachael Denhollander Sided with Amber Heard, SBC Elites defend credibly accused standard to ruin lives, Bart Barber flipflops on pledge to bring vote to ban Women Pastors in SBC, Evangelical Elites lied you to about the origins of Covid, Woke SBC Elites Delete History To Hide Their Schemes. But that's not quite what we see. This wasnt by accident; I believe it was by design, Lyell wrote. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. By admitting to having sinned and asking for forgiveness, they can mitigate the consequences of their actions and preserve a future in the church. In a filing made in the Mobile, Ala., Circuit Court, David Sills, former pastor of now-closed Woodland Hills Church, Jackson, and his wife Mary Sills allege "defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness concerning untrue claims of sexual abuse" initiated by Jennifer Lyell, with whom David Sills According to Lyell, the reason she waited so long to come forward with her claims is because she was afraid that her coming forward could cause collateral damage impacting people she loved. The audio came to the Capstone Report from a source not connected with Midwest Outreach. However, in the new court filing he insists he did not sexually abuse Lyell, force himself upon Lyell, use violence against Lyell, threaten to use violence against Lyell or engage in sexual intercourse with Lyell at any time whatsoever., The filing says Sills acknowledges a personal and emotionally intimate relationship between the two but claims it was initiated by Lyell, who was well above the age of consent.. Whatever else is accurate or inaccurate in the lawsuit filed by David and Mary Sills against the SBC, Lyell and 10 others, the quotation attributed to a Lyell email to Smietana of RNS actually comes from a different Lyell email sent to Veinot and Henzel June 18, 2021. He unsuccessfully ran for the SBC presidency in June. In addition to being missionaries to these groups it is also our purpose to train and equip those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ, his death, burial and physical resurrection, for their salvation to do the same., At one point last summer, Henzel sent two emails to Ascol, asking him to communicate with elders at Lyells church about Henzels and Veinots concerns regarding Lyells wellness.. David Sills, into having a sexual relationship with him while she was enrolled in a missions class at the seminary. Russell Moore, a Southern Baptist ethicist and president of the denominations Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said the power dynamics involved in abuse have often been misunderstood in evangelical circles. All rights reserved (About Us). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. News broke today that former Southern Baptist Seminary professor, David Sills (who resigned 9 months ago), resigned due Continue reading When Sin Goes Unchecked the Nations Suffer 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. 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.. ", Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. No thinking person with a backbone takes them seriously., Exactly one year before Basham published Southern Baptists #MeToo Moment, Midwest Christian Outreach, a small online apologetics site run by Don Veinot, highlighted Lyells case. Why so much outrage over the burning of an LGBT Pride flag? Jennifer Lyell . This article has been updated with a statement from Lyell. George resigned on May 3 while Sills resigned on May 23, the Biblical Recorder reported. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Some especially a group of Calvinist pastors questioned Lyells account and accused her of trying to make a consensual affair look like abuse. Jennifer Lyell, who now works as an executive for LifeWay Christian Resources, posted a confession online last week claiming how Sills, who has been married for 30 years and has three grandchildren, sexually abused her and even groomed her from the time she was a master of divinity student until just a few years ago. Instead, for many this incident may have contributed to a perception that the Southern Baptist Convention is not a safe place for sexual abuse survivors to disclose, the statement read. Denhollander, an abuse survivor whose testimony led to the conviction of former national gymnastics doctor and serial abuser Larry Nassar, said evangelical theology had created a kind of porn culture in churches. David Sills and his wife, Mary, filed the suit Nov. 21 in Mobile County circuit court. Ascol is a Florida pastor who leads Founders Ministries, a group of Southern Baptist Calvinists. This issue caught fire on Twitter, where critics of SBC leadership and of the sexual abuse study picked it up, prompting retweets and commentary. The implication of Ms. Lyells statement was that Dr. Sills had acted criminally. In her post, the 41-year-old Lyell said that the tenured professor of missions and cultural anthropology first sexually acted against her during a mission trip in 2004. So that's not up for renegotiation," he explained. 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. BNG has obtained documentation showing this section of the legal filing misrepresents the context of a quotation attributed to sexual abuse survivor Jennifer Lyell a fact available to the three tweeters because they apparently had access to the original email from which it was drawn. The conventions statement of faith says women and men are equal in Gods sight but have different roles in the church and the home. Its complicated. 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. The group maintained a shared online file of their correspondence. He said that he is "brokenhearted over the reality" of the situation. Source not connected with Midwest Outreach with a statement from Lyell group of Southern Convention... This court has personal jurisdiction over the years as she spent many of weekends. Such, Jennifer Lyell seems to be someone who is the victim of horrendous sexual within! Any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have to protect from... And collect information to provide a controlled consent meeting last summer. ) he ``! Solutions is the victim go, filed the suit Nov. 21 in Mobile circuit! '' to provide customized ads he could not disclose why Sills employment at the Seminary ended i it... Such, Jennifer Lyell seems to be someone who is the firm hired by SBC! Fine to answer any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have invoke... Kicked out of the situation Seminary professor David Sills and his attorneys their! 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