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Second Baptist seminary official named in federal abuse probe

Second Baptist seminary official named in federal abuse probe


This article was originally published on Washington times - National. You can read the original article HERE

A second former official of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been identified as one of the leaders at the Texas school under investigation in a probe of 2022 sexual abuse allegations.

David Dockery, the school’s president, said in a statement Wednesday that Heath Woolman, Southwestern’s chief of staff at the time of the abuse allegations, told Terri Stovall, the school’s dean of women, to make a November 2022 report on accusations against one of the school’s seminary students “go away.”

The school at the time had been served a Department of Justice subpoena ordering that school records be preserved and produced.



“This episode is a matter of deep regret to me,” Mr. Dockery said in a statement issued after a request for comment from The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, which closely follows Southern Baptist Convention activities. The SBC is headquartered in Nashville, and Southwestern, in Fort Worth, Texas, is an affiliated institution.

The disclosure comes on the heels of last week’s federal indictment of Matt Queen, a former interim provost and seminary professor at the school, on obstruction of justice charges related to the incident. Mr. Queen in a statement said he is innocent, adding “my integrity is everything.”

In its indictment, federal prosecutors in New York City said Mr. Queen lied about a meeting at the seminary where an employee — now identified by the school as Ms. Stovall — was ordered by Mr. Woolman to destroy the document. The former professor “falsely stated” he did not hear that directive, and later gave investigators “contemporaneous notes” that omitted the allegation, United States attorneys allege.

Prosecutors said Mr. Queen faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to Mr. Dockery’s account, Mr. Woolman said he did not tell Ms. Stovall to make the document “go away,” and Mr. Queen “acknowledged to me on more than one occasion” that he had not heard Mr. Woolman say that.

“For nearly five months we operated within the tension of knowing that employees in whom we had confidence had differences of recollection regarding the January conversation,” Mr. Dockery stated. “However, in June 2023, Queen claimed that he now recalled hearing the directive related to the document and also provided additional information that led to the decision for him to resign as interim provost and to be placed on administrative leave.”

Subsequently, Mr. Queen became senior pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Earlier in 2023, Mr. Dockery said he had endorsed Mr. Woolman’s candidacy to become the lead pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in St. Johns, Florida. He cited Mr. Woolman’s performance as “a quality student in one of my doctoral seminars” as a reason for the move.

“If asked to provide the same recommendation today, and based on information received subsequent to that time, I would not be able to provide the same recommendation,” the seminary president said.

Mr. Dockery also praised the actions of Ms. Stovall, who kept a copy of the document, which he said the school turned over to the Justice Department.

Friendly Avenue Baptist Church said on May 26 that Mr. Queen has been placed on administrative leave following the indictment, according to a Baptist Press news service account.

The Washington Times has contacted Mr. Woolman and Fruit Cove Baptist Church for comment. As of Wednesday morning, Mr. Woolman, whom The Tennessean says has not yet been charged in the case, was still pictured on the Fruit Cove church website as the church’s lead pastor. 

This article was originally published by Washington times - National. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!

Read Original Article HERE



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