Top Southern Baptist committee funds sex abuse probe

By HOLLY MEYER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A top Southern Baptist Convention committee agreed Tuesday to fund a third-party investigation into its handling of sexual abuse allegations. But the Executive Committee held off on waiving its attorney-client privilege for the probe. The Executive Committee allocated $1.6 million for Guidepost Solutions. It is the firm selected by a Southern Baptist task force to conduct the review. The Executive Committee also approved taking more time to negotiate legal questions related to the investigation. Executive Committee Chairman Rolland Slade called Tuesday’s action a good step. It is the latest action taken in the denomination’s ongoing public reckoning with the scandal.