The Silenced Truth

Carolyn McCulley

What does it mean that 93% of convicted sex offenders identify as religious? And what does it take for faith communities built on truth-telling to finally hear and respond to this fact? The Silenced Truth documents what happens when institutions built on truth-telling decide some truths are too costly to hear — and what it costs the people they were supposed to protect. It names the betrayal. It names the looking away. And it makes both harder to continue. The series began inside the Southern Baptist Convention, where survivors exposed decades of institutional cover-ups and forced a public reckoning. But the pattern is not unique to one denomination or one tradition. It lives wherever leaders have never been trained to recognize the threat — and wherever they have chosen not to look. This series is for anyone who loves the church enough to demand better from it — and who believes that truth, however costly, is the only foundation worth building on. The Silenced Truth is the storytelling arm of the Safe to Speak Initiative, which advocates for stronger laws to protect survivors. Learn more at safetospeak.info.

Episodes

  1. The Predator in Plain Sight

    May 9

    The Predator in Plain Sight

    On his first Sunday as a new pastor, Aaron encountered something nearly every pastor is unprepared to evaluate or handle — a repeat child sexual abuse offender attending his new congregation. Fortunately, his wife Amy had spent 20 years as a child welfare social worker. She knew exactly what the threat was. What followed tested everything they thought they understood about how churches should respond when the danger is undeniable. In this episode, Aaron and Amy tell the story of what they faced — and why even the clearest evidence isn't always enough to convince others of the threat. Then Victor Vieth, former child abuse prosecutor and director of the Center for Faith and Child Protection at the Zero Abuse Project, brings the perspective most church leaders never hear — from someone who has spent decades at the exact intersection of law, faith, and child protection. This episode contains the education church leaders need. And for survivors, it names what many churches have refused to see. This episode was written and edited by Carolyn McCulley. Our executive producer is Rachael Berglund.  The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative. Join our Patreon community to advocate for the legal protections that survivors need to safely disclose their experiences. To support the production of this show, you can make a tax-deductible gift to the Southern Documentary Fund. FOR FURTHER CONTEXT The Pedophile in the Pulpit (CBN) (John Hinton) How to Spot a Child Abuser Hiding in Plain Sight with Jimmy Hinton (podcast) Church hired pastor without checking his criminal record — then said it didn't matter (Burlington Free Press, 2019) Church defends hiring pastor without background check (Rutland Herald, 2019) The 2012 Journal of Psychology and Theology article by Victor Vieth Ministering to Adult Sex Offenders: Ten Lessons from Henry Gerecke by Victor Vieth Developing Effective Church Policies on Child Maltreatment by Victor Vieth A Bird in the Air or a Nest in the Hair? by Victor Vieth Zero Abuse Project trainings GRACE trainings The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative and is a production of Citygate Communications. It is fiscally sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund.

    56 min
  2. The Survivor Who Didn't (Jennifer's Story)

    Mar 3

    The Survivor Who Didn't (Jennifer's Story)

    Jennifer Lyell is dead. But the battle over her story is not.  In this second episode of The Silenced Truth, host Carolyn McCulley traces the devastating arc of Jennifer’s life—from a vulnerable childhood in southern Illinois to rising as one of the highest-ranking female executives in the Southern Baptist Convention—and the price she paid for telling the truth about sexual abuse inside the denomination she once loved.  This episode examines how disclosing sexual abuse can actually be more harmful than the physical violation itself. Jennifer's story follows the six most explosive years of the reckoning within the Southern Baptist Convention and includes interviews with Rachael Denhollander and Dr. Albert Mohler.  This episode was written and edited by Carolyn McCulley. Our executive producer is Rachael Berglund.  The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative. Join our Patreon community to advocate for the legal protections that survivors need to safely disclose their experiences. To support the production of this show, you can make a tax-deductible gift to the Southern Documentary Fund. FOR FURTHER CONTEXT The Wrath of God Poured Out — The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention Al Mohler says he was wrong about C.J. Mahaney Statement from R. Albert Mohler Jr. on Sovereign Grace Churches ERLC panel on sexual abuse at the SBC19 convention in Birmingham Ex-SBTS prof. accused of 'grooming' former student in decade-long abusive relationship The web archive of Jennifer Lyell’s public statements website A statement from Baptist Press By What Standard trailer Motion to Investigate the SBC Executive Committee: Full Text Southern Baptists’ #MeToo Moment https://x.com/megbasham/status/1998922448184782854 https://heidelblog.net/2020/01/the-smear-was-intentional Hunt v. Southern Baptist Convention et al summary judgment Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force Updates The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative and is a production of Citygate Communications. It is fiscally sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund.

    1h 23m
  3. "You Always Knew!" (Tiffany's Story)

    Jan 15

    "You Always Knew!" (Tiffany's Story)

    For decades, Tiffany Thigpen carried the weight of what happened to her as a teenage girl in a Jacksonville church. A charismatic preacher. A trusted pastor. And a pattern of abuse that powerful leaders chose to ignore.  This podcast episode is hosted by Carolyn McCulley and features an interview with journalist Robert Downen about the historical context of the Southern Baptist Convention. At the end, therapist Deborah Bumbaugh helps listeners understand Tiffany's story through the neurobiology of trauma.  Our executive producer is Rachael Berglund. The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative. Join our Patreon community to advocate for the legal protections that survivors need to safely disclose their experiences. To support the production of this show, you can make a tax-deductible gift to the Southern Documentary Fund.FOR FURTHER CONTEXT PBS Newshour on the Abuse of Faith series, February 11, 2019 WFAA-TV report on Paige Patterson’s firing from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, May 30, 2018 Paige Patterson recording from the 2000 CBMW/FamilyLife Today conference Paige Patterson talks about a 16-year-old girl’s figure Pastor Cited in SBC Report on Abuse Worked at Churches in Oak Cliff, Garland, Richardson, Dallas Morning News, May 23, 2022 Unearthed Tapes, Letters, Show Southern Baptist Leaders’ Support for Pastor Who Face Sex Scandal, by Rob Downen, Houston Chronicle, Aug. 28, 2019 How Women Led to the Dramatic Rise and Fall of Southern Baptist Leader Paige Patterson, by Michelle Boorstein and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washington Post, June 10, 2018 Former Rising Star Preacher Pleads Guilty to Molestation, by Bob Allen, Associated Baptist Press, May 21, 2009 Jacksonville Pastor Begins Prison Sentence, by Paul Pinkham, The Florida Times-Union, June 11, 2009. Law & Disorder: Former Pastor Admits to Fathering Child, The Florida Times-Union, Dec. 11, 2009 The Silenced Truth is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative and is a production of Citygate Communications. It is fiscally sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund.

    1h 31m
  • 3 Episodes

5
out of 5
41 Ratings

About

What does it mean that 93% of convicted sex offenders identify as religious? And what does it take for faith communities built on truth-telling to finally hear and respond to this fact? The Silenced Truth documents what happens when institutions built on truth-telling decide some truths are too costly to hear — and what it costs the people they were supposed to protect. It names the betrayal. It names the looking away. And it makes both harder to continue. The series began inside the Southern Baptist Convention, where survivors exposed decades of institutional cover-ups and forced a public reckoning. But the pattern is not unique to one denomination or one tradition. It lives wherever leaders have never been trained to recognize the threat — and wherever they have chosen not to look. This series is for anyone who loves the church enough to demand better from it — and who believes that truth, however costly, is the only foundation worth building on. The Silenced Truth is the storytelling arm of the Safe to Speak Initiative, which advocates for stronger laws to protect survivors. Learn more at safetospeak.info.

Information

  • Creator
    Carolyn McCulley
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Citygate Communications
  • Show Website
    The Silenced Truth

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