Following are snippets of the top stories posted over the past week on charismanews.com. We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.
TD Jakes, Robert Morris and Tony Evans: The Dallas Megachurches Hit With Spiritual Warfare
Are principalities and powers behind the timing of some of the controversies coming out of Dallas megachurches?
Within just a few months, we’ve seen famous pastors and their megachurches in the Dallas, TX area come out with controversy and scandal.
From accusations of T.D. Jakes being part of sex parties with music giant Sean “Diddy” Combs to Tony Evans stepping down from Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship due to “sin” and now Robert Morris of Gateway Church confessing “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady,” the number of leaders falling continues to grow.
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BREAKING NEWS: Robert Morris Resigns From Gateway Church
Robert Morris has resigned from Gateway Church.
The statement came from the Board of Elders of Gateway Church:
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 statement noted that the “elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse.”
Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, has admitted to involvement in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her between December 1982 and March 1987, beginning when she was 12 years old.
The Wartburg Watch, a blog dealing with abuse in the church, broke the story with a detailed account of the abuse from the alleged victim, now 54, who said she did not view the relationship with Morris as abuse until she was 35.
A statement from the elders of Gateway Church, released to staffers but also posted on The Roys Report, reads as follows:
Cindy Clemishire claims megachurch Pastor Robert Morris began sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old.
The Wartburg Watch first reported the alleged abuse where Clemishire says she was only 12 when the abuse began. She claims that it lasted for four-and-a-half years afterward.
Clemishire says the alleged abuse began on Christmas Day in 1982. She says Morris asked her to come into his room that night as the Morris family was spending time with hers for a visit. It was then that Clemishire alleges that Morris began inappropriately touching her and did so until March of 1987.
Robert Morris Steps Away as Overseer at Church of the Highlands
Pastor Robert Morris is stepping away as overseer at Church of the Highlands in Alabama.
In a statement obtained by The Roys Report, the Alabama megachurch said they did not know about Morris’ alleged sexual indiscretions.
Wade Burleson shared the megachurch’s statement with The Roys Report, which read:
After being made aware of the disturbing media reports, Highlands trustees and overseers immediately initiated a due diligence process that included reaching out to Gateway’s elders. Before the scheduled follow-up meeting to determine changes in our governance structure, Pastor Morris resigned as an overseer of Church of the Highlands.”
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