By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to my ethics survey class here at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. One line read: “Thanks for the name-hugs.” Imagine a scholar studying the writings of…
Church seeks dismissal in abuse lawsuit
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Alabama asked a federal judge Sept. 9 to dismiss a lawsuit alleging liability for child sex crimes committed by a former minister. Highland Park Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Ala., filed a…
The sins of Sodom (and Gibeah): The LGBT issue, part 9
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Traditionalist Christians on the LGBT issue argue that there can be no legitimate same-sex relationships because they are banned by the Bible. Thus even where traditionalists acknowledge the existence of enduring same-sex orientation, they…
Former youth pastor charged with abuse
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Alabama pledged to cooperate with police following the arrest of a former youth minister charged with sexually abusing a girl younger than 16 and urged anyone with knowledge about the case to…
Evangelical child molester sentenced to 40 years
By Bob Allen A former youth worker convicted of sexually abusing boys in the 1980s at a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Maryland was sentenced Aug. 14 to 40 years in prison. Nathaniel Morales, 56, was found guilty in May…
Trial date set for accused molester
By Bob Allen A trial date has been set in the case of a North Carolina man charged with taking indecent liberties with four boys while acting as chaperone of a group attending a Baptist church camp. Clyde Wesley Way…
Sex abuse victim sues Alabama Baptist church
By Bob Allen A victim of a former children’s minister sentenced to 30 years in prison has sued both his perpetrator and the church that hired him. The victim, identified by initials J.G., filed a lawsuit July 22 in U.S….
Youth pastor gets 3 years for child porn
By Bob Allen A former Tennessee Baptist youth minister avoided a maximum 20-year sentence for child pornography found on his cell phone during an investigation of his previous arrest on charges of statutory rape and sexual battery. U.S. District Judge…
Old abuse accusations resurface with recent arrest
By Bob Allen Leaders of a Baptist association in Alabama investigated questions raised in recent media reports about a director of mission’s handling of alleged child sex abuse decades ago in 2009 and found no evidence of cover-up, according to…