M. DAVID SILLS (B.A., Belhaven College; M.Div., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; D.Miss., Ph.D., Reformed Theological Seminary) is professor of Christian Missions and Cultural Anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Because this a personnel matter, we cannot comment further.. Halftime may only be 12 minutes, but Denise Sills journeyed back about 20 years in her mind during a recent Giants . Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/andreww. The church said it acted "swiftly and firmly" and that Sills is no longer a member. "I am not a sinless victim. Our policies and procedures are clear and are consistently . David Sills admitted to misconduct but claims he has been falsely attacked by Southern Baptists and their investigative firm. The resignations of Christian George at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and David Sills at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were reported by the Biblical Recorder, newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, on June 4. Photo via Baptist Press, David Sills was repentant and obedient to the rules of the SBC, the complaint alleges. The complaint names Southern seminary and Mohler, as well as the SBCs Executive Committee, SBC President Bart Barber and his predecessor Ed Litton as defendants, along with several other leaders. Statements made by Sills in the course of our confrontation clearly confirmed the allegations of abuse, he wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. The resignations of Alvin Reid at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Christian George at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and David Sills at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were reported by Baptist Press and the North Carolina Biblical Recorder. Because this a personnel matter, we cannot comment further.. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month. James Helton. Bob Smietana November 29, 2022. Sills claims the situation was consensual and alleges that SBC leaders, including Southerns president, Albert Mohler, turned his confession against him, labeling him as an abuser. Defendants saw him as an easy target; a bona fide scapegoat.. A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a group of Southern Baptist Convention leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to ruin his reputation. Sills was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary until his resignation on May 23, 2018. Other recent departures include the May 28 resignation of David Sills, professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. But Mohler confirmed that Lyell shared allegations with him in May 2018 and that Southern, as Lyell stated, "immediately took action. No information has been released about the cause of Sills resignation. Read All by Biblical Recorder & BP Staff, Pew: Christian women more devout than Christian men, Timothy George to end 30 years as Beeson dean, Scott Barkley tapped as Ga. 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Lyell said the reason she didnt report Sills alleged abuse sooner and he was able to continue grooming and taking advantage of her for so longwas because he made her feel part of his family. At its annual meeting last June in Dallas, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution affirming the dignity and worth of women in their distinctive God-assigned roles and condemning all abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God., The resolution also called upon all Southern Baptists to encourage, cultivate, and celebrate the diverse gifts, callings, and contributions of women in biblically appropriate ways., Read this: Male judges are 'close to extinction.' Though the Sillses are residents of Mississippi and the defendants are based in or reside in several different states, the suit asserts the Mobile Circuit Court has jurisdiction because the alleged defamation happened throughout the state; the SBC Executive Committee and Lifeway own property in the state; and defendant Ed Litton is a resident of Mobile County. Patterson, who had been a towering figure in the nation's largest Protestant denomination, with 15 million members, was fired last May. Part of Lyell's reason for remaining silent and in the relationship 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." He resigned from his trustee post, and as a result from the search committee, in May 2018. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Defendants saw him as an easy target; a bona fide scapegoat., RELATED: Southern Baptist leaders mistreated abuse survivors for decades, reports says. God has grown Reaching & Teaching to be a strong, vibrant, strategic ministry, and our staff and missionaries are committed to carrying on the work of Reaching & Teaching and our Great Commission ministry with faithfulness, effectiveness, and excellence, Deedrick said. Sills, considered an expert at training pastors in the developing world, also lost his job as president of a missionary group called Reaching and Teaching, and was disciplined by his Louisville, Kentucky, church. Andrew Wolfson: 502-582-7189; awolfson@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @adwolfson. The subsequent criticism from abuse advocates eventually led to calls for an independent investigation into how SBC leaders had treated abuse survivors. "The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has followed best practices in this matter and has nothing to hide," he said. 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 . He is the founder and president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, which serves people around the . A former Southern Baptist Convention seminary professor accused of sexual abuse by a student has filed a defamation lawsuit against the SBC and several other entities, claiming he was an "easy target" and a "bona fide scapegoat" in the sex abuse scandal surrounding the denomination. This article has been updated with a statement from Lyell. An investigation found more than 380 allegations of sexual misconduct by Southern Baptist church leaders over two decades. But she said after she heard Sills had been hired at a missionary agency outside the Southern Baptist Convention, she realized she had to go public. Lyells case was cited in the SATF report. Alvin Reid, an evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for nearly a quarter century, resigned May 21 to address personal and spiritual issues., Those departures came in the wake of the March resignation of SBC Executive Committee CEO Frank Page. Clarkson finally relented. Sign Up. "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. Sills, professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, had been a member of the International Mission Board presidential search committee seeking a successor to David Platt, who is transitioning to a pastor-teacher role at McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia. An IMB representative said in a statement to the Recorder that, in compliance with bylaws, Sillss position would not be filled on the IMB presidential search committee to replace David Platt. In a grievance filed Nov. 21 within the Circuit Courtroom of Cell, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and [] George, curator of Midwestern Seminarys Spurgeon Library and its digitized Spurgeon Archive, had edited two volumes of previously unpublished sermons by Charles Spurgeon in a planned 12-volume series, The Lost Sermons of C.H. A former Southern Baptist seminary professor who resigned following accusations of sexual abuse has filed suit in Alabama against the Southern Baptist Convention and 11 other defendants claiming defamation of character and conspiracy. 2023 Baptist News Global. David Sills has resigned from leadership positions as president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) and member of the search team for a new president of the International Mission Board (IMB). (RNS) A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a bunch of Southern Baptist Conference leaders and entities, The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". "When I shared what had happened to me with my boss at LifeWay [Geiger] and then later with SBTS President Dr. R. Albert Mohler, I was quick to also share the responsibility I bore for being compliant at times, for not telling immediately and for so idolizing the idea of a whole family that I protected it despite what was happening within it," Lyell said. Guidepost declined to comment, as did Lyell. The following year, Jennifer Lyell, a former vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, told Baptist Press she had been a victim of emotional and sexual abuse by Sills, who had been her professor. You have permission to edit this article. Sills was recently appointed as a missionary at a non-SBC missions agency, which led Lyell to realize she needed to tell her story publicly - in order to avoid someone accused of . More news: Southern Baptist professor accused of sexually abusing student 'by design' over a decade. Site by Mere. Mohler also released a statement defending its handling of allegations against Sills. The SBC Executive Committee apologized repeatedly to Lyell and reached a settlement with her. Return to homepage. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. It does not store any personal data. (RNS) A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a group of Southern Baptist Convention David Sills, former seminary prof accused of abuse, sues SBC and Guidepost - Aicren However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The Roys Report posted David Sills, Former Seminary Prof Accused of Abuse, Sues SBC, and Guidepost. 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.". They also claim that allegations by Lyell, Mohler and others were part of a campaign to falsely attack the honesty and the character of David Sills and Mary Sills, casting them as violent criminals., The complaint also alleges that Lyell wrote to Religion News Service, asking to review an article being written about the SBC abuse crisis, saying she intended to advance her false narrative by taking a hand in the actual writing of an article by RNS.. Bangor Worldwide is hosting a lunchtime talk by Prof. David Sills on Wednesday 18th October in Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church. David Sills is an employee working in University Of Western Ontario, according to the data provided by Province of Ontario, . In a complaint filed November 21 in the Circuit Court of Mobile, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, admits he . The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". It further stated, "Southern Seminary is . He and his wife, Mary, have two children and seven grandchildren. How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema looked at all of the matchups in this weekend's slate of preseason finales, and chose something to watch for in each game. 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