A prominent Southern Baptist layman is seeking a gag order in a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse, saying pretrial publicity jeopardizes his ability to receive a fair trial. Paul Pressler, architect of a strategy credited with a rightward shift in leadership…
Pressler claims statute of limitations defense; his accuser adds slander claim
Retired Judge Paul Pressler says a lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse, which he denies, is time-barred by the statute of limitations.
SBC leaders mostly mum on Pressler lawsuit, but bloggers fill the void
Southern Baptist Convention leaders who regularly comment on current events have been largely silent about new allegations of sexual assault against “Conservative Resurgence” architect Paul Pressler, but bloggers began filling the void both within and beyond the SBC fold.
Baptist ethicist says ‘egalitarian theology’ a safeguard against abuse
The incoming head of a Baptist ethics agency says church teaching that subordinates women is partly to blame for the rash of allegations of sexual abuse by powerful men in media, business and politics.
Two Alabama clergy groups decry sexual assault, but only one of them names Roy Moore
Five dozen progressive Christian ministers — eight of them Baptists — signed an open letter over the weekend saying U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore is unfit for office, while nearly 100 Southern Baptists in Alabama added their names to a separate missive denouncing sexual abuse and harassment of women without mentioning anyone by name.
Baptist state convention sued over rape at church camp
A lawsuit filed recently in Oklahoma claims negligence by a Southern Baptist state convention in the violent rape last summer of a 13-year girl attending a church camp. The lawsuit, filed March 8 in the district court of Oklahoma County,…
Judge says girls suing church can remain anonymous
A Kansas judge has ruled that two victims of sexual assault suing a Southern Baptist church will remain anonymous in court proceedings. Johnson County District Court Judge Kevin Moriarty granted a motion last month allowing the plaintiffs to proceed using pseudonyms…
Baylor shakeup continues with Starr’s resignation as chancellor
Days after being demoted as president of Baylor University over the university’s mishandling of sexual assault among its students, former Whitewater special prosecutor Ken Starr told ESPN June 1 he is resigning as chancellor. Starr, elected president of the world’s…
Annual report shows continued toll of clergy sex abuse crisis
The Catholic church paid $153 million in the U.S. last year to settle lawsuits, and fielded hundreds of new accusations, as fallout continued from the clergy sex abuse scandal exposed in the early 2000s, a new report says.