Christa Brown Questions Brookwood Church’s Response in “Blaming Satan”
On September 15, 2026, author and clergy sexual abuse survivor advocate Christa Brown published an article titled “Blaming Satan”, addressing Brookwood Church’s handling of registered sex offender Jerry Sidell’s participation in ministry.
The article appeared in Brown’s Substack publication, In Solidarity, following public reporting about Sidell’s criminal history and his years of involvement at the Simpsonville, South Carolina, church.
Bryan Jones’ Comments About Satan
Brown’s article examines remarks attributed to Brookwood Senior Pastor Bryan Jones amid media attention surrounding Sidell.
“Satan would love to disrupt what’s happening in this church. He would love to disrupt what God is doing in this church.”
Brown challenges the use of that language in the context of questions about institutional transparency, safeguards, and leadership accountability.
Her criticism focuses on the distinction between responding to public scrutiny as a spiritual attack and directly addressing the underlying conduct and decisions that prompted the scrutiny.
A Broader Pattern in Southern Baptist Churches
Brown connects the Brookwood controversy to longstanding concerns about institutional responses to sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches.
She argues that attributing controversy to Satan can redirect attention away from decisions made by actual people in positions of responsibility.
To illustrate her argument, Brown republishes an earlier column discussing similar language used by Southern Baptist Convention leaders.
That discussion includes her personal experiences as a survivor and her criticism of religious rhetoric used against people who report abuse or advocate for institutional reform.
Transparency and Accountability
The central concern in Brown’s September article is whether church leaders are confronting questions about safeguarding practices or redirecting attention toward the perceived harm caused by public criticism.
Her article adds an independent perspective to the growing public discussion surrounding Brookwood Church and Sidell.
It also places the controversy in a broader conversation about how religious institutions respond when questions about abuse, secrecy, and accountability become public.
Readers can examine Brown’s complete argument, including her personal account and references to other Southern Baptist controversies, in the original publication.
Author: Christa Brown
Original publication: September 15, 2026, in In Solidarity.
Read “Blaming Satan” by Christa Brown.
Editorial note: The interpretations of church leadership’s remarks discussed here are those of Christa Brown and are attributed to her original commentary.
