On July 8th, the SBC published the names to its Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, which was authorized by the SBC messengers at the 2022 convention in Anaheim via Resolution 6, where the collective SBC affirmed the “abuse status” of Jennifer Lyell and rehashed old claims under the misguided premise that there is systemic abuse within the convention. As a result, the new committee will be tasked with developing further reforms in line with the convention goals.
Per Baptist Press, these include the following:
Study best practices in keeping with Southern Baptist church polity for feasibility and report back to the 2023 annual meeting on which reforms could be adopted by the Convention as well as how they should be implemented. Such recommendations include a survivor care fund, memorial, auditing the Caring Well curriculum and possibly creating a permanent committee or entity.
Assist SBC entities in studying Guidepost recommendations and advise on implementing reforms relevant to each entity’s ministry assignment.
Be a resource in abuse prevention, crisis response and survivor care to “Baptist bodies” who voluntarily seek assistance. This can include providing a list of recommended, independent, qualified firms for training and inquiries and assisting state conventions with recommendations, upon request.
Consult with the SBC Credentials Committee for revising the evaluation and submission process to include complaints of noncooperation due to sexual abuse and publish the revisions.
Work with the Executive Committee and Credentials Committee to select an independent, qualified firm or firms to assist the Credentials Committee by providing factual findings for complaints of noncooperation due to sexual abuse. The ARITF will report back to the 2023 annual meeting on the selection.
Between all the bureaucratic language, the ARITF will basically be responsible for developing their abuse database, hiring firms as contractors for IT and investigative purposes, and suggesting other pathways of reforms, all at the expense of SEND Relief.
Committee Members
The selection of this task force represents the first major act for Bart Barber, the newly elected SBC President. It should be assumed and has been verified that all of the names are more or less believers in the mission at hand. None are skeptical to the work of Guidepost or the claims of Jennifer Lyell.
Chairman of the committee is Marshall Blalock, Pastor of FBC Charleston, SC and previous Vice Chair of the Sexual Abuse Task Force, as selected by Ed Litton. While he functions as a pragmatist, he has his woke moments. In response to George Floyd, he tweeted, “Systemic injustice. White supremacy. Racism. How many have to die on these altars? A truncated gospel without biblical social justice catalyzes this evil.” He also defended Beth More in her departure from the SBC.
Vice Chair of this committee is Mike Keahbone, a Native American pastor of FBC Lawton, OK. He was an ardent advocate of Resolution 4 at the SBC 2022, the one rehashing “abuses” against native peoples. Keahbone has occasionally incorporated Native cultural elements into his worship, though I will not contend in any way that is heretical, just peculiar. Upon the overturn of Roe, he tweeted that “We can celebrate without hurting people.” In response to the plagiarism trolling at the SBC convention, he tweeted a thread simping for Ed Litton.
Todd Benkert, of Oak Creek Community Church in Mishawaka, IN, is the most notorious woke pastor on this list. At the prior two annual SBC conventions, Benkert distributed teal ribbons in support for sexual abuse survivors. The use of ribbons for various causes is a democrat tactic that routinely manifests during the State of the Union address on a variety of issues. He is a stooge for the Big Eva types within the SBC world, including Greear, Barber, and Denhollander. Benkert believes CRT is a useful analytical tool and takes a third-way like approach to homosexuality, where he defended the Burger King’s Pride Whopper as a biblical illustration. He also shilled for the Covid jabs on YouTube where 81K people viewed him promoting an ineffective and unsafe treatment. He would go on to suffer long Covid. Weirdly enough, he received a kiss on the cheek at the SBC convention from Bart Barber. After the convention, he went to Disneyland as he cannot be bothered to stand against their child grooming. On any issue, he will punch right and defend the left. He is emblematic of liberal drift.
Brad Eubank was an unsuccessful nominee for first Vice President of the SBC and is himself a sex abuse survivor—something Barber expressed desire to have on the task force. Eubank is pastor of Petal First Baptist Church in Petal, MS. To his credit, he is not a social media personality.
Jon Nelson it the pastor of Soma Community Church in Jefferson City, MO, a Branch Covidian church which is still trying to navigate the “Covid crisis” while advocating its members adhere to the mandates, jabs, and masks. They apparently had an outbreak at their recent VBS. The black church was damaged disproportionately by Covid, and Nelson is a failure in leadership for his congregation even in 2022 on this issue. Aside from that, he was the first black officer to be elected in the Missouri Baptist Convention.
Jarrett Stephens is the senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church, a multi-campus megachurch in the Houston metropolitan area. Stephens is an author of several books, serves on various boards, including NAMB until as recently as this year. Nevertheless, the current NAMB trustee from Texas is of the same church and Stephens is an ally to Kevin Ezell.
Gregory Wills is the dean at the School of Theology for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This makes him a friend of Adam Greenway. His twitter feed is about 50% retweeting Greenway.
The other names include Cyndi Lott and Melissa Bowen, who are both listed as members of their respective SBC churches. Lott’s church has little that can be found, but no indications of liberalism. Bowen’s Church, FBC Prattsville, Alabama might indicate that she is the most conservative person on this committee, given that its senior pastor Peyton Hill seems to be in the vein of Al Mohler.
All the men assigned to this task force are company men and friendly to the liberal powers in the SBC. Surprisingly, none of their churches had female pastors, just male feminists. But in any case, they have a quorum and majority for feminism to misuse Southern Baptist resources.
