Tonight’s planned post was to be new book recommendations – but that is going to wait until tomorrow because earlier today I got a notification from al.com that “Pastor” Robert Morris of the Gateway megachurch in Texas (think a 40,000 member, Six Flags Over Jesus situation) had been removed as an Overseer of Church of the Highlands (COTH) here in Birmingham due to *admissions* – actual ADMISSIONS – of sexually abusing a girl from age 12 to 16 in the 80’s.
Umm, excuse me, WHAT???
Honestly, it took me a bit to take this in.
After I read the article, I sat and considered Mr. Morris – and the times I have seen him speaking at COTH some years ago. Every time he would be there, it would be to give his same well-rehearsed bit about tithing and “the spirit of unrighteous mammon” on money and how everyone just needed to dig deeper and give.
Needless to say, he makes an impression, just not necessarily a good one.
Still, I certainly didn’t expect something like this – and sought to learn more this evening.
Of course, NBC picked up the story – and they provided much more information, particularly because Morris was a “spiritual advisor” to President Trump, a detail that had left my mind until this article.
For our purposes, though that is a point NBC is concerned about, I could give a damn.
We have bigger issues than politics to discuss about the information contained here:
and here:
Christian Post Robert Morris article.
(I encourage you to read both of these articles for yourself as well.)
First, the facts of the situation:
This started when Morris, then a married travelling evangelist, was staying with the family of the victim, Cindy Clemishire (note: she has allowed for the use of her name and the details of this situation or I would not). He first sexually abused her on Christmas night, 1982, when he was 21 and she was 12 years old – and told her she could not tell anyone or she would “ruin everything.”
He continued to molest her until 1987, when, at age 17. she told her father.
Of course, her father was furious, and apparently – for whatever reason – church discipline, instead of calling the police, was the approach that was used to deal with Robert (never appropriate for a crime!), and thus he was removed from ministry for a period of time he claimed was two years for a time of “restoration” – instead of being sent to jail.
(The Christian Post has discovered even that is a lie. He was in “restoration” for a month and then back to work at the same “ministry” he left.)
Since then, according to this piece, he has gone so far as to write in a book that he was removed from ministry for a time due to his “pride” – what a freaking whopper – and church leaders have said it was due to sexual sin.
No one has said what it actually was – child sexual abuse.
All the while, his victim has tried to tell those same church leaders what happened to her because, as she stated, he would not pass muster to work in the nursery of his own church if they truly knew what he did.
Well, come this week, she finally found the platform, The Wartburg Watch, to be heard.
And word travelled fast.
As soon as it began spreading, Mr. Morris started to offer up some absolute bullshit in a statement to The Christian Post.
He said, among other things, “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.”
This was NOT a “young lady” he was “kissing and petting” with in a consensual manner as he would have the reader believe.
This was a little girl he was sexually assaulting.
This is revolting.
And for his church to whitewash this now?
I am astonished – and so so angry.
The likelihood of there being other women is significant – and this is sickening.
I don’t give a damn how many people he has convinced to call him Pastor – he is a child rapist, plain and simple.
The statute of limitations is up for criminal charges – but, from a moral standpoint, this man has NO business in a ministerial role.
That this must be said shows the small value placed on girls in some corners of the church still, where they will protect their “pastor” no matter.
It is detestable.
Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Grace and Blessings.
An Update 6.18.24 3PM:
A positive step. Thanks be to God.
the autoimmune hippie. 