SAN ANTONIO -- On June 1, the Baptist General Convention of Texas posted online the names of eight convicted sex offenders who worked as ministers in convention-affiliated churches.

The list is the latest development in a heated discussion within Southern Baptist ranks over the prevention of clergy sex-abuse versus the preservation of church autonomy.

It also set the stage for continued discussion of sex-abuse prevention measures at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

At a June 13 meeting of the SBC Executive Committee, Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla., presented a motion asking committee members to study the establishment of a national registry of “clergy and staff who have been credibly accused of, personally confessed to, or legally been convicted of sexual harassment or abuse.”

The motion, which follows months of revelations about sex abuse in Baptist churches, was referred to the Executive Committee for action.

SBC messengers also passed a child abuse resolution June 13 in which they expressed their “deep level of moral outrage and concern at any instance of child victimization” and recommended reporting child abuse “in a timely and forthright manner.”

The resolution called for churches and convention organizations to perform criminal background checks on ministers, employees and volunteers, and it renounced individuals who commit child abuse and “individuals, churches or other religious bodies that cover up, ignore or otherwise contribute to or condone the abuse of children.”

The resolution passed with no opposition.

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