David Sills, an ex-Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by his former student filed a defamation suit in Alabama against her and several SBC entities. She claims . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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.. 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. Lyell explains why she had not confronted Lumpkins because of Lumpkins history with Lifeway and her personal issues. At its simplest level, it is abuse because it is not consensual, he said. It took months for Baptist Press to retract the article and address errors in it and that only happened after the former BP staff had been replaced and the article had been criticized by abuse advocate Rachael Denhollander. But I am a victim nonetheless.. She said Southern Baptist leaders do not hesitate to use their public platforms to debate theology or drive culture war issues but rarely call out abusive behavior in their own camp especially if it means correcting other denominational leaders. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It takes years and years to recover from trauma, and no one should be in the position of having to explain it to the whole public while theyre still trying to do that, she said. Some especially a group of Calvinist pastors questioned Lyells account and accused her of trying to make a consensual affair look like abuse. Lyell, who served as vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, posted a confession in 2018 claiming how Sills, who has been married for over 30 years, sexually abused her and groomed her. Here's how. Lyell feared he would once again have the opportunity to abuse others and wanted to stop that from happening. 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. I am also grateful for the bold leadership of Grant Gaines, Ronnie Parrot, and Todd Benkert. Of course, Lyell spoke to multiple media outlets and is featured in a new documentary on sex abuse in the SBC. He said people often turn to clergy when they are at their most vulnerable. In a statement posted on her website, Jennifer Lyell, who is now 41 and works for a major Christian book publisher, said Sills first "sexually acted" against her on a mission trip in 2004 and. Her name appears on 37 pages of the report. Sills was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary until his resignation on May 23, 2018. According to documents obtained by BNG, however, Ascol, Buck and Basham had collaborated with the source of the original quotation that Sills took out of context in his recent lawsuit. The leaders who had the information and ability to correct the inaccuracies supported her privately but were publicly silent. The ex-Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by his former student filed a defamation suit in Alabama against her and several SBC entities, claiming the allegations were part of an SBC attempt to improve its image in the wake of the sexual abuse coverup scandal. Louisvilles Ninth and O Baptist Church told BP it is the congregation referenced in Lyells statement. I have never been unwilling to be questioned when making allegations that arent only moral, but are also criminal . . Sills files defamation suit against SBC, Lyell, others November 29, 2022 By Baptist Press MOBILE, Ala. (BP) - A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the SBC and 10 other individuals and entities connected to the SBC, including Jennifer Lyell and Guidepost Solutions. The Louisville, Ky., church where Sills was a member, Lyell said, also took action following Sills resignation. Lawsuit protests the SBC and third-party firm for supporting allegations in a new legal challenge referencing historic abuse report. ", "We hold unquestionably to a biblical standard of sexual morality and personal morality and we expect that of any who would teach but also even as students. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Sills is also an author. Jennifer Lyell serves as Vice President of Book Publishing & Merchandising at LifeWay Christian Resources where she leads the second largest business segment of Lifeway's ten Ministry Areas. 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. Yet victims who are not minors must decide for themselves whether to contact authorities, he said. Rest assured, though, that regardless of venue, the case will be vigorously defended.. 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.. We were horrified by what she shared with us. Facebook/The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bible teacher Jen Wilkin addresses criticism of her views on sending children to public schools, Teen, 21-year-old man indicted for murder of Memphis pastor, Deion Sanders' prayers are constitutionally protected, lawyer tells University of Colorado, Revival at Kentucky college faces hurdles from school leadership, moves worship off-campus. George, as curator of the Spurgeon Library and digitized archive, worked with the . . They simply want to push their agenda & cancel anyone who refuses to kowtow to their self-righteous bloviating. The implication of Ms. Lyells statement was that Dr. Sills had acted criminally. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. It also claims Sills ended the relationship with Defendant Lyell who nevertheless persisted her pursuit of Sills and undertook efforts to reach Dr. Sills through his family., David and Mary Sills also contend that Lyell, relying on her expertise as an accomplished writer and executive in the fields of advertising and publishing within the SBC, a lucrative and powerful position, constructed a false narrative against Dr. Sills and Mrs. Sills, at the height of awareness of SBC scandals.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Although the lawsuit was filed in Alabama, David Sills lives in Mississippi. He said it is often easier for churches to blame victims than to look at the way they have empowered abusers. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Lyell mentions police at her house and Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary calling the police. There are elements that sound like an abuse victim pleading with an abuser, I just want you to be like a dad, and there are elements where the story does not seem plausible given what we knowpay special attention to the police. And recovering from abuse as an adult is a long-term process. The church needs a way of understanding sin and violence that enables Gods grace without giving abusers back their power, their access and their good regard, she said. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The audio came to the Capstone Report from a source not connected with Midwest Outreach. David Pooler. 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.. 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.. She praised SBTS for acting swiftly after she contacted Mohler. Basham questions Lyells description of events, her claims to have reported the abuse to police, and her ability to enlist others to corroborate her story. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Lyell sent a statement to both BNG and RNS: I do not need to be under oath to tell the truth and there are no lies that will shake my certainty about what is true. The suit was filed in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Ala., on Monday, Nov. 21. Lyell came to us with an allegation of abuse and should have been cared for throughout the entire process. Lyell told RNS she did not initially report what . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. As I understand it, that is not accurate. This led to a general understanding that what happened between Dr. David Sills and Ms. Jennifer Lyell was a consensual affair. Attorneys misidentified an email from Lyell, which was sent to a pair of ministers, not to RNS. 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 . And he claims this was done in a conspiracy by all the named defendants, who understood the value of making an example out of SBC member and employee David Sills who, without controversy, had admitted to an affair with Lyell and willingly accepted the SBC requirement that he depart from his position at the seminary. 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. 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. Ascol retweeted her, insisting: Exactly. That report also cited the Lyell case. That happened three months prior to release of a bombshell report from an independent investigation that found widespread mishandling of known cases of sexual abuse in the SBC and its churches. Basham frequently tweeted and replied to tweets about the issue, at one point portraying herself as an investigative reporter who was just asking the questions no one else would ask. A clergy person has enormous power. Ascol ran for SBC president on the slogan Change the direction.. 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. 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