Patterson leader removed as seminary president
Prominent Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson was removed early Wednesday as the president of a Texas seminary following growing criticism of past comments he made about women and domestic abuse. The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's board of trustees voted to make Patterson president emeritus during a lengthy special meeting that started Tuesday afternoon and extended into the early morning hours, according to a statement from the board of trustees. The motion passed with majority support from the board and is effective immediately.
"After much prayer and a more than 13-hour discussion regarding challenges facing the institution, including those of enrollment, financial, leadership and institutional identity, the board determined to move in the direction of new leadership for the benefit of the future mission of the seminary," the board's statement said.
Patterson's removal comes on the heels of a growing number of Southern Baptist women and their supporters now taking issue with the counsel Patterson has provided and shared in recent decades related to women.
Past remarks draw criticism
More than 3,200 people signed a May 6 letter to the board of trustees critical of Patterson for previously advising an abused woman to pray for her violent husband. They also took issue with remarks he made about at teen girl's appearance.
The pushback against Patterson only grew louder Tuesday when The Washington Post reported that a woman is accusing Patterson of telling her not to report her rape to police and to forgive her alleged assailant.
Patterson was not available for comment Wednesday, said Charles W. Patrick Jr., a seminary spokesman.
While he has yet to publicly address the allegations in The Post story, he has issued two statements over the last month. Both said Patterson rejects any form of abuse, and in the May 10 statement, he apologized to women he has wounded with past remarks that were inappropriate or lacked clarity.
Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.