By Bob Allen A former Baptist church youth minister in Mississippi is free on a $25,000 bond and awaiting a March 12 court hearing on a charge of gratification of lust involving a 14-year-old boy he knew through his church….
Bob Jones allows abuse probe to proceed
By Bob Allen Bob Jones University announced Feb. 25 that an independent investigation into the school’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse can be completed. The university abruptly terminated its 2012 agreement with Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian…
Former youth pastor pleads to child porn charge
By Bob Allen A former Tennessee Baptist youth minister pleaded guilty Feb. 23 in federal court to possession of child pornography found on his cell phone during an investigation of his previous arrest on charges of statutory rape and sexual…
Alleged abuse by children’s minister headed for grand jury
By Bob Allen An Alabama children’s minister charged with multiple sex crimes remains in jail after his lawyer withdrew a motion for reduced bond and waived a preliminary hearing on Feb. 18. Attorney Billy Underwood had filed a motion on…
Former youth pastor gets 12 years for sexting teen he met through church
By Bob Allen A former youth minister at a Baptist church in Texas, who admitted to exchanging sexually explicit text messages and photos with an underage girl from his church, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Joshua…
SNAP asks Baptists not to appeal abuse verdict
By Bob Allen An organization that supports and advocates on behalf of clergy sex abuse victims has asked the Florida Baptist Convention to reconsider plans to appeal a $12.5 million award to a man sexually abused by a minister convicted…
Bob Jones University halts abuse probe
By Bob Allen Bob Jones University has pulled the plug on an independent investigation into the school’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse, the group hired to conduct the probe announced Feb. 6. Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian…
Children’s minister charged with abuse
By Bob Allen An associate pastor at a Southern Baptist church in Muscle Shoals, Ala., is being held on a more than $1 million bond after reportedly telling police he sexually abused so many children that he could not remember…
Peeping preacher’s prison sentence stands
By Bob Allen A Mississippi judge on Wednesday refused to reduce a 10-year prison sentence he handed down to a former Southern Baptist traveling evangelist and popular youth speaker convicted of video voyeurism in 2012. “I think basically I got…
SNAP leader terms $12.5 million abuse award against Florida Baptist Convention historic
By Bob Allen The head of a group that fought for changes in the Catholic Church in light of the pedophile priest scandal termed a $12.5 million judgment against the Florida Baptist Convention historic. David Clohessy, director of the Survivors…
Lawyer: Abuse verdict possible game-changer
By Bob Allen The attorney for a man awarded $12.5 million by a Florida jury for childhood sexual abuse suffered at the hands of a Baptist minister says the verdict could be a game-changer for how Southern Baptists handle credible…
Florida Baptists to appeal abuse award
By Bob Allen The Florida Baptist Convention plans to appeal a jury’s decision to award $12.5 million in damages in a lawsuit claiming Baptist officials didn’t check far enough into the background of a church planter convicted in 2007 of…