It seems this sinful ideology and activity has raised its head once again. Since BG mentioned he was expecting us to write about this situation, we decided to take another look at it. Originally we weren’t going to but before we get too far into this topic, we will state that the only side we are taking is the side of Justice.
We have no dog in this fight but we are concerned that people are going over the top in their revenge for things that happened far too long ago. What is happening is not justice but more vigilantism and a kangaroo court style of justice that permeates the @MeToo and @MeChurch totalitarian activities.
***also, if you are going to come here and ‘interpret’ our words, then save yourself the energy and time. Do not twist our words to say something we did not say. If you have problems with the content, then just ask. BG published our email address so use that one.
It is the author’s intent, not how someone perceives it that counts.
Today, June 18, the Board of Elders of Gateway Church accepted the resignation of Robert Morris, the senior pastor. In addition, the Board has retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone, LLP, to conduct an independent, thorough, and professional review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events from 1982-1987,” the board said in a statement to The Christian Post.
It is very hard to fathom how they can investigate an activity from 40+ years ago especially when no evidence survives. But that is only one problem with this so-called investigation. Why is the Board of Elders hiring a secular law firm to handle the matter?
Especially since sexual assault and other sexual crimes are not listed on their Practices web page. If you look at that page, criminal justice is not listed either. Plus, if you look at their menu, they have a special web page talking about DEI.
This evidence causes us to wonder why a church would hire a law firm that is far from Christian teaching? Like the Ravi Zacharias investigation, this one is highly influenced and directed by evil, not God. Justice probably will not be served in this case.
As we have read the articles, no mention of any real evidence has been discussed. We have another man attacked merely on the word of a woman on an event that took place over 40 years ago. memories can be good but memories are not evidence.
And you need real, credible, and verifiable evidence as well as the truth before justice can be done. The Bible talks about this on several occasions where the king demanded the truth not someone’s word. If women want their word to be believed, then produce real, credible, and verifiable evidence.
“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,” Morris said.
“In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris added.
Here is the other problem. if this sin was dealt with, and it does not matter about the age of the victim, then the woman has no legal or spiritual ground to stand on. Since she was a minor her father acted on her behalf and the matter was settled.
She does not have the right to dredge up this old act as it was dealt with 40 years ago. The Pastor accepted the conditions and fulfilled them so there is no case here. It sounds like someone has been talking to the woman to get her to repudiate the earlier agreement and go after deep pockets.
We have been told this pastor is worth millions, thus, a money grab by the woman is not out of the question. if we are going to take the woman’s word at face value, then to avoid hypocrisy and other negative aspects, we must take the Pastor’s word at face value and accept that he has not committed these or other crimes again.
If she does not present real evidence, then neither does he, although his claim is easier to find evidence to support it than hers.
Morris’ resignation comes after the woman, 54-year-old grandmother Cindy Clemishire, reported that the megachurch pastor began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982, and continued with the abuse for four-and-a-half years after that.
Here is another problem with this situation. Defining the term ‘abuse’ and ‘abusing’ is difficult as most definitions are subjective and are heavily influenced by emotion as well as the age of the alleged victim.
What is considered abuse and abusing someone varies and the application of those terms is distorted in hopes of producing the desired result. Honesty has long disappeared from cases where ‘sexual abuse’ and children are involved.
Plus, time has a way olf affecting people’s perceptions of these situations. What was once considered not abuse by either party is often changed over time to reflect a more modern perspective. But justice does not depend on how actions are viewed today for crimes committed in another era or century.
Justice has to determine if the alleged actions were truly abuse or not. Since neither party provides private and intimate details of the encounters but wraps them up in a generalized category labeled abuse, we cannot determine the truth of the matter.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the Pastor admitted to this activity, this would merely be a he said, she said case. Without proper evidence, no one will know the truth. if one wants to apply double jeopardy laws to this case, the woman is demanding that the PAstor pay twice for the same alleged crime.
That is neither right nor justice.
Elders at Gateway Church also told CP that Morris was transparent with them about his past and they believed he had been biblically restored to ministry. In their latest statement, however, the elders said Morris did not reveal that he had abused a 12-year-old.
The age of the woman at the time of the alleged crime does not matter. Nor should it influence how people view this sin. Since the Pastor did not engage in this activity continuously, it is unfair and unjust to label him a pedophile.
The issue that influences this case is the concept of when childhood ends and adulthood begins. Society in general has added another 7 years to ‘childhood’ and called them teen years. While technically correct, there is no biblical support for this extension of childhood.
It is a disservice to our young people by forcing them to remain children delaying their ability to grow up properly and become responsible adults. This faulty extension does not mean a crime was not committed, it just means that justice will be distorted as people are wrongfully influenced.
If we had better views of life and let our children become adults at the right time, justice would be better served.
I am deeply troubled by the recent revelations about Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church. His confession of criminal activity and moral failure is shocking and unacceptable. My heart goes out to the woman whose life was irrevocably altered by his actions when she was just a child,” Texas Republican state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione wrote on X. “She deserves justice and support. Pastor Morris must be held accountable for his actions. The pain he has caused cannot be erased, and he should face the consequences of his crimes. I stand with any victims and will continue to fight for their rights and safety.” (source)
Case in support of what we just said. Not only did the woman get justice at the time, the Pastor was held accountable for his deeds. Since do much of the story is absent from these articles, we cannot say what her attitude and thinking was at the time.
This blanket condemnation is wrong as it does not take all the facts into account. If this situation continued for 4 1/2 years why did she let it go on for so long? The pastor held no power to harm her or her family so why did she participate for this length of time?
If everyone wants justice, then her thoughts and actions must be considered and examined. She can’t willingly participate for 4 1/2 years then 40 years later call it a crime and abuse. Why did she not tell her parents for this length of time?
Something is not right and we see that justice will not be served as people in authority automatically leap to the woman’s defense without examining all the facts of the case. For true justice to be served both sides need to have just action taken.
One side cannot be railroaded into a crime they did not commit or have dealt with decades earlier. The statements made in these articles do not help justice but add more confusion and blind people’s eyes.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned after two decades of executive leadership, it’s this: leaders should be held to a higher standard. Certain types of leaders, like pastors, should be held to the HIGHEST standard. (Ibid)
No, everyone needs to be held to the same standard or you are implementing and encouraging unfairness and injustice. These types of statements are not biblical and you do not see Jesus teaching this type of behavior.
“There must be no safe haven or security for anyone who abuses a child in Texas,” Leach said. “To that end, the Texas Legislature must continue to improve our laws protecting and ensuring justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse and holding criminals and those who aid them responsible.(Ibid)
This attitude is not justice either as those new laws may remove the rights of the accused and hinder them from presenting all the facts in the case. They may give the alleged victims carte blanche and excuse them from providing real evidence to support their claims.
Laws need to be fair, not targeting one people group while excusing the same behavior in another. The woman is wrong as she waited 40+ years to make her problem known and she is taking advantage of the current cultural attitudes for whatever reason she may have.
The Pastor dealt with the problem long ago and should not be held accountable for it again. If people want justice, they need to be honest about both parties. They cannot go after their desired results which are created by the influence of the age of the victim, their emotions, or modern cultural attitudes.
Modern cultural attitudes are just as wrong as they are not biblical or even infallible. Justice only succeeds if we follow both God’s and Jesus’ instructions. Humans cannot produce true justice due to their fallibility and vulnerability to peer pressure and other influential forces who seek a pound of flesh that they desire and are not required.
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