RACHAEL DENHOLLANDER

A new Southern Baptist Convention task force is overseeing a third-party investigation into how the denomination handled allegations of sexual abuse.

The former gymnast was instrumental in bringing serial sexual abuser Larry Nassar to justice. She says the gymnastics industry still has abusers and a system rife with problems.

Gymnast Rachael Denhollander is one of many people who can no longer watch the Olympics with casual enjoyment.

While agents dragged their feet, the report found, Larry Nassar continued to prey on gymnasts.

Religion Southern Baptists Sex Abuse FILE - In this Tuesday, June 14, 2016, file photo, Pastor Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, speaks to members of the organization in St. Louis. On Thursday a former assistant to Moore released clandestinely recorded audio clips from meetings with Floyd and Stone to bolster Moore's allegations. "At the end of the day, we do not believe the Executive Committee should be trusted to hold themselves accountable,” Gaines said. A similar sentiment was expressed by Christa Brown, a longtime advocate for fellow survivors of abuse within Southern Baptist churches. “So long as (the Executive Committee) controls purse strings, I’d expect problems,” Brown said.

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee says it is hiring an outside firm to investigate its actions amid accusations that top leaders mishandled sex abuses cases.

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee said Friday it is contracting an outside firm to investigate its actions amid accusations that top denominational leaders mishandled sex abuses cases, despite calls from some critics for a more independent probe. Ronnie Floyd announced the hiring of international consulting company Guidepost Solutions to review the allegations made by Russell Moore, who resigned last month as president of the denomination's influential Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. In letters to SBC officials that became public, Moore accused Floyd and Mike Stone, who at the time was chairman of the Executive Committee, of trying to stall efforts to hold churches accountable for their handling of abuse cases and of seeking to intimidate and retaliate against those who advocated on the issue.

Religion Southern Baptists Sex Abuse FILE - In this Tuesday, June 14, 2016, file photo, Pastor Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, addresses members during the organization's annual meeting in St. Louis. “The convention was — and still is — divided over methods of response to sexual abuse,” he said. “Hopefully over the last two weeks, Southern Baptist messengers (voting representatives) have begun to ask very important questions," she said. And she disputed Stone's contention that the SBC's structure makes it difficult to take certain actions against sexual abuse. “It’s actually very easy to do in a way that is legally sound and respects Southern Baptist autonomy,” Denhollander said.

Releases of leaked letters and secret recordings from within the Southern Baptist Convention are intensifying as critics seek to show top leaders were slow to address sexual abuse and worried more about its reputation and donations than about victims.

Releases of leaked letters and secret recordings from within the Southern Baptist Convention intensified Thursday as critics sought to show top leaders were slow to address sexual abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination and worried more about its reputation and donations than about victims. A former executive of the denomination's ethics agency posted audio clips he clandestinely recorded in internal meetings to bolster claims that leaders of the SBC's Executive Committee sought to slow or block policies responding to abuse by ministers and other church leaders, and that they tried to intimidate those seeking a more robust response. The committee members defended their actions, saying the recordings reflect the normal give-and-take of trying to develop the best policies.

Allegations of sexual misconduct by Zacharias began to surface last fall in social media and news outlets, notably a Sept. 29 article in the evangelical publication Christianity Today. It asserted that over about five years, he sexually harassed three women who worked as massage therapists at two day spas he co-owned in an Atlanta suburb. The law firm, Miller & Martin, issued a scathing report last month based on interviews with more than 50 people, including more than a dozen massage therapists. Five of the therapists said Zacharias touched them inappropriately, and one said she was raped, according to the report. AdZacharias founded his international ministry in 1984 with a mission to engage in “Christian apologetics” — defending Christianity through intellectual arguments.

A law firm's investigators have released a scathing report on their four-month investigation of alleged sexual misconduct by Zacharias, who founded a global Christian ministry that bears his name. Five of the therapists said Zacharias touched them inappropriately, and one said she was raped, according to the report. The law firm said more than 50 people, including more than a dozen massage therapists, were interviewed, and investigators were able to access data from four mobile devices used by Zacharias. The RZIM board, which previously derided Thompson’s allegations, apologized to her on Thursday. The scandal had already had a negative impact on the ministry even before the law firm released its report.

Rachael Denhollander, the woman who first sounded the alarm on Dr. Larry Nassar sexually abusing child gymnasts, is sharing more details about her terrible experiences with the doctor in a new book. : My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics," Denhollander speaks candidly about how Nassar deftly hid his abuse of her from her own mother, who was in the room with Denhollander while the doctor examined her. Speaking to Inside Edition, Dehollander, a mother herself, recalled watching girl after girl, woman after woman, testify against Nassar at one of his trials, 156 in total. While Nassar apologized to his victims at his sentencing, Denhollander doesn't think he experiences any remorse for his actions. RELATED STORIESLarry Nassar Moved From Federal Prison After Being Attacked by Other Inmates: ReportThousands Raised for Dad Who Lunged at Larry Nassar Will Go to CharityFather of Larry Nassar Victims Lunges at Disgraced Doctor in Court

Former Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced following riveting statements of more than 150 victims