What if I’m Harassed at Church?

Just because you are harassed at church does not mean it’s ok. Churches are also responsible for keeping people safe and avoiding harassment. It’s not ok to be harassed in the church.

Churches are responsible too.

The Washington Post reports:

A quorum of about 30 male trustees and three female trustees of the 1,200-student Texas seminary were present for a meeting that began Tuesday afternoon to discuss the fate of Patterson, a past president of the Southern Baptist Convention who has been revered as a giant for standing guard for decades against liberalizing changes.

In recent weeks, Patterson, 75,  has come under fire for taped comments he made between 2000 and 2014 about women, including those remarking on a teenage girl’s figure and saying female seminarians need to work harder to look attractive. He also said women who are abused almost always should stay with their husbands. After thousands of Southern Baptist women signed a petition calling for the seminary’s board of trustees to oust him from his position, he apologized for making comments about the teenager, but he did not apologize for his comments about abused women. The comments had resurfaced on a blog this year.

The Washington Post also reported Tuesday that Patterson allegedly told a woman who said she had been raped that she should not report her allegations to the police and encouraged her to forgive her alleged assailant. The story was published as the seminary’s board was meeting. 

"The board also affirmed a motion stating evidence exists that Dr. Patterson has complied with reporting laws regarding assault and abuse," Ueckert said in the board’s statement. It did not say more on that matter except a bullet point noting "The seminary stands against all forms of abuse." Ueckert also addressed the seminary’s firing of a PhD student from his $40,000-a-year job as the catering kitchen manager and the revoking of his scholarship for tweeting about the Patterson debate, telling him that he was "indiscreet" and that his decision to speak publicly about the dispute "does not exhibit conduct becoming a follower of Jesus." Patterson had told the post that Nathan Montgomery had "a long history," but Ueckert disputed this, saying stated that the board has found no evidence of misconduct in his employee file. He did not address whether the student’s job or scholarship would be reinstated.

Ueckert declined to take further questions from The Post.