DALLAS_On the same day that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees met in a closed executive session to discuss his role at the Fort Worth school, new revelations have surfaced about Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson.
After the trustees went into a closed executive session, The Washington Post published a story about a woman who claims Patterson encouraged her not to report a rape to police and told her to forgive the man who allegedly raped her after she invited him into her apartment.
In 2003, just before he moved to Fort Worth, Patterson was president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. The woman, a student at the time, said she was raped by another student and reported it to an administrator. She then met with Patterson.
"They shamed the crap out of me, asking me question after question," the woman told the Post. "He didn't necessarily say it was my fault, but [(he sense from him was) I let him into my home."
Patterson and other officials did not respond to request for comment, according to the Post.
The woman also said she was put on probation for two years, possibly for violating seminary rules about being alone with a man in her apartment. She said she has since forgiven the man.
"I forgave him because that's what the Bible tells me," said the woman, who the Post described as now working in public relations in North Carolina. "Forgiveness also comes with the fact that I don't ever want to see him or talk to him. I've not forgiven Paige Patterson. He's also never apologized to me."
This comes after weeks of controversy over the Southern Baptist leader's past comments about women. Previously released videos were circulated online this month that sparked what many have called the #MeToo moment of conservative Christianity.
In a 2014 sermon, he told a story about a 16-year-old girl who he described as "nice." When an older woman scolded a boy nearby for making a comment about the girl's looks, Patterson said he told her to leave him alone. "He's just being biblical," Patterson said.
In 2000, Patterson said he had counseled women not to leave their abusive husbands. He encouraged the women not to report abuse, but instead "settle it within the church of God."
A petition with more than 3,000 signatures asked the SWBTS trustees to take "decisive action" against Patterson after the videos were re-circulated.
Patterson issued an apology for the comments on the SWBTS web site on May 10.
"Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been," he said in the statement. "I would also like to reiterate the simple truth that I utterly reject any form of abuse in demeaning or threatening talk, in physical blows, or in forced sexual acts."
The baptist leader is scheduled to give a sermon at the Southern Baptists' annual meeting in Dallas next month. He can only be removed from that role if he decides to step down or if the meeting's delegates_or "messengers"_vote for a last-minute change at the meeting.
