The Justice Department has announced it is investigating two former employees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas on charges of falsifying records related to a former student's alleged sexual assault in 2022.
Matthew Queen, a former professor and administrator at the seminary, is alleged to have doctored official papers to make it seem like he did not know the school was trying to bury the assault. His Greensboro, NC church, Friendly Avenue Baptist, has placed him on administrative leave, and he has not preached since May 19, the Sunday before his indictment was announced.
Heath Woolman, who allegedly asked that the sexual abuse report "go away," left his post as the seminary's chief of staff to pastor a church in Florida. Both men deny the allegations.
While Dr. Alex McFarland does not know whether they are innocent or guilty, he says they were both "mandatory reporters," meaning they were required by law to report any allegations of sexual abuse to authorities. He also points out that as believers, they are held to a higher standard.
"We have to be people of truth," the apologist insists. "We courageously, lawfully report things. We stand for truth."
He says the truth always comes to light eventually.
"More than ever, Christians have to be what the Bible calls circumspect (Eph. 5:15-17)," McFarland references. "In all of our dealings – public, private – we have to be the same kind of person in every context of our life."
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been dealing with sexual abuse and its response to the same since the Houston Chronicle dug up some allegations against the denomination in 2019. So with the world's attention already on the SBC, McFarland finds it doubly confusing why Queen and Woolman would think they could cover up a new allegation.
He adds it is always unfortunate when Christians make poor decisions, and he advises believers to remember that the skeptical world is always watching.
