Intimidation and secrecy are hallmarks of Southern Baptist Convention Elites.

Federal investigators should spend time in Richmond, Nashville, and Alpharetta if they are looking for the most serious and juiciest SBC problems.

With news that the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) is probing the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), questions now center on the extent of the DOJ’s fishing expedition. Some within the SBC hope federal investigators look at how SBC Elites used intimidation to silence critics. Lawyers and libel are frequent tactics invoked by SBC leadership against whistleblowers. There are examples of this from the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

Jackson Wu (a pseudonym) reported in 2021 how IMB failed to help parents to understand the potential exposure of children to a sexual predator. Jackson Wu’s blog post exposed a host of other IMB issues too. What was the IMB’s response?

Jackson Wu said, “Approximately 24 hours after my previous post went up on social media, Paul Chitwood, president of the IMB, called William Strickland, my former boss who was president of Mission ONE at the time…Chitwood found every opportunity to mention the word ‘lawyers’ while maintaining that he had no interest in pursuing legal action against me for my alleged falsehoods. He stressed the damage that people like me could do in demotivating people to give financially to organizations like the IMB and Mission ONE.”

Jackson Wu leans decidedly to the left. He cheers Russell Moore. Yet, his story is no different to stories told to the Capstone Report by extremely conservative, anti-Russell Moore IMB missionaries. This is important. The problem can be seen by people of all political and theological leanings within the SBC—the problem is corruption and intimidation all done in the name of Jesus.

Jackson Wu made an allegation against IMB and instead of calling him to discuss the issue to get more information or to apologize, the IMB went straight to the intimidation.

Jackson Wu said, “Chitwood even offered the services of the IMB’s legal counsel ‘just in case’ William wanted to explore Mission ONE’s options in dealing with me.”

Yet there are many SBC pastors who claim the IMB is fine. There are numerous problems with the IMB. Wu’s story is just the tip of the iceberg. Current and former IMB missionaries approach CR repeatedly to warn about theological drift on a range of issues—issues like egalitarianism.

However, what is most alarming is the use of the Cooperative Program—money from local church tithes and offerings—to intimidate those raising the alarm about how the SBC responds to sexual abuse.

And this problem is not simply an IMB problem. NAMB and Kevin Ezell attempted to silence sex abuse survivor and reporter Joni Hannigan. Hannigan was threatened with libel, something that upset her and made writing difficult for her due to the anguish caused by the unwarranted threat. The trauma caused by a NAMB employee’s threat arose all because Hannigan raised the question about Ezell’s use of clergy-penitent privilege to avoid testifying before a Kentucky grand jury.

All that Hannigan reported was public knowledge reported in the Louisville paper about over a decade ago; however, that did not stop a NAMB employee from threatening legal action.

In another case of intimidation, Al Mohler used his position of power as head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) and its related influence that it brought to attempt to silence national radio host Janet Mefferd over Mefferd’s reporting about the abuse problem at Sovereign Grace. This upset Sovereign Grace leader C.J. Mahaney—who was at that time a friend and supporter of Albert Mohler.

Mohler used his position on the radio broadcaster’s board. This is yet another example of how SBC Elites use power within and even outside the denomination in what looks like a conspiracy to silence critics and whistleblowers.

Will federal investigators look at these tactics?

They should.

Also, I mentioned Nashville in the headlines, and I should briefly mention why federal investigators should include a few questions for Lifeway. You may remember that failed former Lifeway CEO Thom Rainer received a million-dollar severance package—the package was a secret deal where the board of trustees was not consulted and was approved by only one trustee Jimmy Scroggins. Scroggins was trustee chairman and the beneficiary of having books published by Lifeway while Lifeway was led by—you guessed it—Thom Rainer.

While financial issues might not excite the outage of mishandling sex abuse allegations and any potential conspiracy of SBC Elites related to it, money just might be one issue that ties everything together. And financial information is the most closely guarded secret of SBC Elites.

Why is that?

It might be a good question for federal investigators to ask.