This Little Light

Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and His Gang

By: Christa Brown

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

As a child, in Farmers Branch, Texas, Christa Brown was preyed upon by her youth minister. Then her church community, people she thought were her friends, betrayed her. She was treated as a seductress while, in their eyes, he remained a good, God-honoring man. Trusted authority figures told her to pray for forgiveness and keep quiet.

Years later, having a teenage daughter of her own made Christa realize that what she’d always thought of as an “affair” was actually something much more sinister—abuse.

Christa spent decades suffering from the repercussions of her childhood trauma before deciding to break her silence. The story shared in this book is a call for accountability within the Southern Baptist Convention. It highlights the denomination's alarming inaction and downright punishing of victims. Brown’s fight for justice casts the Church’s widespread culture of denial, the negligence of denominational leaders, and the harmful impact of their "do-nothingness" in stark relief.

This is not just about one man's crime, but about an institutional failure affecting thousands.

In the fifteen years since its initial publication, the need for institutional reform remains pressing, as Southern Baptist leaders continue to evade meaningful action. This Little Light is both a call to action and a testament to the enduring power of truth.

Brown is also the author of Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal and Transformation.

More people need to hear this!

I had heard roughly about some abuse by the southern baptist convention, but this book blew my mind. I was raised to submit, obey, never question the church or adults. the only reason my story doesn't sound exactly like this one is that I got lucky. the church is built to house predators. she perfectly describes what it's like to have your sexual abuse taint every interaction you have. the words "god loves you" become toxic and yet another form of terrible abuse. I cannot praise this book enough. she is so brave to share her story and I only hope more and more people will keep listening. that fact that not every christian in America knows about this is terrible, we need to spread the message. they built us to be messengers and missionaries to change the world, so let's do it.