Abuse survivor David Pittman urges truth-telling at Baptist conference
Waco, Texas — May 19, 2025
By Aaron Weaver, Baptist History & Heritage Society
“I kept that secret for 30 years, and it almost killed me — several times over.”
With those words, David Pittman opened his evening plenary session address May 19 at the joint annual conference of the Baptist History & Heritage Society, National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion and Association of Ministry Guidance Professionals focused on addressing abuse in Baptist communities.
A survivor of child sexual abuse by a church leader, Pittman now directs Together We Heal, a nonprofit that supports survivors and advocates for prevention and accountability.
In a personal address, Pittman spoke about the abuse he experienced from his youth minister, his decades of silence, and the cost that silence exacted on him and others.
“In our case, we were all victimized by the same man, but none of us knew what was happening to the other,” he said. “Those secrets cause pain and shame and guilt.”
Pittman shared the story of a fellow survivor who died after years of struggling with trauma. “That predator disguised as our youth minister took all that away,” Pittman said. “It cost him his life. That’s the real damage. That’s the real cost when we silence victims.”
Pittman directed much of his address toward the importance of transparency, education, and the need to confront long-standing patterns of institutional protection within the church. While citing examples from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), he emphasized that the challenges extend beyond one denomination.
“[The Southern Baptist Convention] simply took the old Catholic Church’s playbook and made it their own,” he said. “Now we’re witnessing other Baptist organizations, other evangelical denominations—and if we’re truthful, all denominations of the church capital ‘C’—repeat these patterns.”
David Pittman speaks to conference attendees during opening plenary session. May 19, 2025
Pittman asked why Baptist institutions have resisted reforms meant to support survivors, citing the SBC’s opposition to laws that extend the statute of limitations for abuse cases as well as its inaction on a database of those credibly accused.
“Three years ago, the messengers voted to include the names of those credibly accused on a public database,” he said. “Today, there are still zero names listed.”
While he acknowledged that his experience was shaped by the Southern Baptist context, Pittman said the broader problem is the instinct to protect institutions over people.
“So how exactly does that constitute reform?” he asked. “In all of their dealings with abuse, the primary driver has been the same as it always has — to protect itself.”
Pittman challenged the audience of professors, pastors, and leaders to use their roles as scholars and truth-tellers to confront the reality of abuse.
“You are the historians,” he said. “What will you write about us? Who will be the victors? Will the truth be told?”
He also urged churches to stop softening language around abuse. “It is not an inappropriate relationship. It is molestation. It’s the rape of a child. And it’s a crime,” he said.
Pittman addressed the particular difficulties faced by boys and men who experience abuse. “The sexual abuse of boys and men is kept silent,” he said.
He added that church culture often encourages secrecy and discourages difficult conversations. “We’ve got to invite and encourage healthy, open, shame-free conversations about sexuality and masculinity,” he said. “Not this bogus, macho, fake alpha garbage. Because that stuff gets people killed.”
Pittman closed by quoting Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has. And it never will.”
Then he posed one final question to the crowd: “You either believe the countless number of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Baptist churches all over the country—or you don’t.
The joint annual conference of the Baptist History & Heritage Society featured 27 paper presentations exploring diverse Baptist topics alongside four plenary sessions focused on the theme of Addressing Abuse in Baptist Communities.
Left to Right: Adam English (NABPR), Aaron Weaver (BHHS), David Pittman, Lisa Seeley (AMGP)
Learn more about the Baptist History & Heritage Society and how you can become a member or church partner of our 87-year-old organization committed to “helping Baptists discover, conserve, assess, and share their history.”
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