Laura Rodgers Levens

Remembering Antônia Teixeira

History & Biography

“This book is a testament to the power of rigorous historical research paired with empathy for a vulnerable woman who was victimized by her rapist, the Baptist leaders in charge of her care, and the Southern Baptist institutions that privileged their own reputations over their responsibility for Antônia Teixeira. Indeed, Parsons and Chaves demonstrate the long-standing interest missionaries in Brazil and Texas Baptist leaders shared in upholding the triumphalism and prowess of their Southern Baptist legacy through habits of selective silence and ethnic pride. These habits first minimized both the scandals and successes of Antônia’s father as a Brazilian ex-priest turned Baptist pastor, then mounted a campaign to discredit Antônia’s claims as a rape victim, and finally worked to excise Antônia’s very existence from local and denominational history. Chaves and Parsons leave no stone unturned in telling this harrowing tale of injustice, which is relevant to recent Baylor University history and current international #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements.”