Christian Women Plan ‘For Such a Time as This’ Rally Outside Southern Baptist Convention Meeting in Dallas, June 12th

Christian women are planning to hold a demonstration outside the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention‘s Annual Meeting in Dallas on June 12th. The demonstration is aimed at “protesting the prevalence of abuse and its enablement” within the convention. The protest, harking back to Queen Esther, is dubbed “For Such a Time as This.”

The rally will take place June 12 at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM outside the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. Writer and abuse-victim advocate Ashley Easter, author/speaker Mary DeMuth, and pastor Gricel Medina will be speaking.

More information can be found at ForSuchaTimeAsThisRally.com. A press release from the organization is below.

–Joshua James

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Rally Outside SBC Annual Meeting Brings Abuse to Light: For Such a Time as This Rally protesting abuse within SBC

Discussing and responding to the epidemic of abuse within Protestant Christianity’s largest denomination has long been overdue. A demonstration to protest the prevalence of abuse and its enablement within the Southern Baptist Convention will be held at the SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday, June 12th. Called For Such a Time as This Rally, the organizers will gather outside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and invite any who are concerned about abuse in the Church to attend. Organizers are marching for these reasons:

1. The time has come for women to be respected and honored within the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention—as Scripture teaches.

2. The time has come for a clergy sex offender database for the Southern Baptist Convention.

3. The time has come for mandatory training of all pastors and SBC seminaries on the issues of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Rally organizers and attendees are involved in Southern Baptist Churches or have deep roots in the SBC. “The event is not anti-Southern Baptist or anti-Christian,” said Cheryl Summers, one of the rally organizers. “We are advocating for a reform of culture, and for training of pastors and church leaders. We follow Christ’s example who treated women with dignity and honor, as equal, valuable members of His Church when the culture of His day did not.

Cheryl noted the recent scandals that made this rally necessary, saying, “In recent weeks as the Paige Patterson scandal has erupted, the false teaching and misogyny within the SBC have proven to he tragically systemic. We are praying for change, but also moved to respond, insisting that respect for women is rooted in Scriptural teachings and the culture within the Church needs to change.”

Speaking at the event will be abuse survivors and victim advocates including Ashley Easter, founder of The Courage Conference, an annual gathering of survivors and advocates; author, speaker, and advocate Mary DeMuth; the pastor of Enid Emmanuel Church, Wade Burleson; author and speaker Dr. Christy Sim, and Gricel Medina, a pastor, writer, and advocate.

“The same systemic failures that silenced the victims of Paige Patterson also enabled him to remain in power for years,” said Ashley Easter, noting Paige Patterson’s abusive teachings were known for decades. “We believe the time is long overdue for Christian women—and men—to work together and insist systemic changes in the treatment of women in the SBC.”

Reference guides by victim advocates and professionals on how to respond to abuse disclosures will be distributed at the rally. Included will he a recommended reading list for pastors to build knowledge and understanding on how abuse works and ways to minister to the wounded and vulnerable. Rally organizers aim to share these best practices with the hundreds of Southern Baptist pastors and Southern Baptist Convention leadership who attend the annual conference.

Rally organizers chose the name “For Such a Time as This” in reference to Queen Esther, a woman who was a victim of sex trafficking and refused to be silent to her authoritarian husband, the king of Persia. Esther’s story shows the courage that is required to speak necessary, hard-to-hear truths (cf. Esther 4:14).