Robert Morris’ Ministry Has Died

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Social media, nationwide information, and that international information companies are ablaze with the information that Pastor Robert Morris started sexually molesting a 12-year-old lady for almost 5 years, beginning Christmas Day, 1982, and ending when the lady’s father found the abuse in 1987.

I’ve not slept properly. My preliminary anger over discovering Robert Morris’ abuse of Cindy Clemishire has, with the tsunami of reports protection, turned to pity for the Robert Morris household.

Earlier than you choose me for my pity, permit me to elucidate.

I’ve some pals (like a lot of you) who’ve been responsible of kid sexual abuse at one time of their lives. They’ve carried the stain of their sin (crime) all through life.

One baby intercourse offender, whom I name a pal, is now in his 70s. He’s a exceptional Christian man who genuinely loves Christ and others.

His crime occurred a long time in the past. He’s been tagged all through his grownup life as “a sexual offender,” however he’s discovered to take his id from God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

God’s grace defines who he’s, however the legislation of the land determines what he can do.

Penalties of crimes are cultural and temporal; forgiveness of crimes is private and everlasting.

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Wade Burleson is preaching in an orange jail jumpsuit as an instance to prisoners that “You aren’t outlined by the garments you put on, however by the cross you bear.”

RULES FOR CHILD MOLESTERS IN WORSHIP

1. We had to be told once they had been coming.
2. As soon as they stepped foot on the property, they had been escorted.
3. They may by no means be round youngsters or stroll by way of the kids’s wing– for all times.
4. The picture of the sexual offender with their background and the specificity of the crimes was handed round to all church leaders and kids staff.
5. The picture was held on the wall in our print room for all workers to see.
6. If any baby sexual offender ever violated these pointers, the police had been referred to as.
7. These pointers had been the right penalties of their crime of kid sexual molestation.

My friendship with the kid sexual offenders was (and is) actual. I’ve forgiven them, I like them, they usually love me.

I taught them that “grace” defines who they’re and that state “legislation” defines what they will do.

Mothers Know Greatest

Mary Burleson (mom) and Wade Burleson (the writer)

I referred to as my mother yesterday. In pity for the Robert Morris household, I stated:

Gateway Church, Southlake, Texas

Fifteen years in the past (2009), a member of Gateway Church got here throughout a put up on Oprah Winfrey’s web site in response to a present about Ted Haggard, the disgraced Colorado megachurch pastor who was changed by a pastor from Gateway (see put up beneath).

A lady commented claimed to have been “molested” by a pastor at Gateway Church. That lady was Cindy Clemishire, Robert Morris’ sufferer.

This member of Gateway (who needs to stay nameless) responded to my pal Cindy’s remark.  Cindy Clemishire, the 12-year-old lady abused by Robert Morris, even went on-line to get somebody to hear after being rebuffed repeatedly by church leaders and elders.

This Gateway member and Cindy linked by way of e-mail. In February 2009, this Gateway member requested a gathering with Robert Morris to get an evidence of the abuse. Right here is an e-mail she despatched to Pastor Morris straight.

Pastor Robert,

My husband and I are Gateway members, and this has been my church house for the previous 6 years. I need to first thanks to your Bible-based, sensible educating and for serving to to construct such a dynamic, Christ-centered church. We completely like it right here.

Due to my respect for you and Gateway, I used to be very stunned to learn a put up on an Web message board in response to the Ted Haggard look on the Oprah Winfrey present yesterday. This particular person made some off-hand feedback involving you that I used to be very greatly surprised by. I’ve no want to take heed to false rumors, so I needed to ask you straight about this. (See hooked up PDF doc for the correspondence. There are 3 pages — one put up/e-mail per web page.)

In fact, I don’t need to imagine that these feedback are true. I keep in mind you mentioning that you just had a darkish previous earlier than getting saved, however these occasions supposedly occurred after that. Often, after I learn one thing destructive about somebody I respect, I’m able to gloss over it, assuming that it’s false. Nevertheless, having learn these particular person’s feedback and clarification, I’m having a tough time determining what to consider this info. It doesn’t appear to be somebody who’s out to slander Gateway, as they didn’t point out you by identify till they despatched me a personal message in response to my inquiry.

Clearly, the non-public particulars of your life are your individual enterprise. However this was one thing that I felt I needed to share with you, as a result of — as I’m positive you perceive — studying this about your pastor and chief is difficult to swallow. And simply forgetting about it with out coming to some form of conclusion is not possible. As well as, I feel it’s essential that you understand somebody is saying this about you in a discussion board that’s broadly learn (message boards on Oprah’s Website).

I stay up for your reply. Once more, I’m simply attempting to make heads or tails of this. That’s why I contacted you straight and privately. Thanks once more to your superior preaching and management of Gateway.

As a substitute, two “Govt Pastors” (Tom Lane and David Smith) had been despatched to fulfill with this involved Gateway member. Hearken to the Gateway member’s synopsis of that 2009 assembly (she despatched this to me this afternoon)

– They shortly reframed this as a short, consensual affair with no intercourse between two adults. It was implied that they had been very shut in age.

– They stated that “this lady” would pop her head up each few years they usually must take care of it. I now see that as attempting to suppress the actual story. I imagine that’s why the second-in-command (Tom Lane) at a big church was keen to fulfill with me in particular person about this.

– They stated Pastor Robert had needed to share extra from the pulpit, however the elders didn’t assume it was crucial and thought it will be a distraction to his message. They stated it was adequate that the elders / board members knew, and that it was up to now prior to now that it didn’t have to be introduced up now.

– I left the assembly feeling reassured that this wasn’t what I believed it was. Now I look again and see it was a lot worse than I had even imagined.

– I imagine they took benefit of the truth that their church members, together with me, had underwent years of brainwashing to imagine in submitting to their religious authority, the leaders may do no incorrect, there’s a hierarchy all of us must respect, we will probably be blessed once we respect the authority, and so on.

All of this – together with me being solely in my 20s – framed my mindset and why I used to be so keen to imagine them. They’re additionally fairly clean talkers and are available throughout in a really polished, disarming method. They weren’t combative in any respect, so it was straightforward to imagine they had been being trustworthy and open.

Severe Questions

I wrote a e-book referred to as Fraudulent Authority: Pastors Who Search To Rule Over Folks.

My exceptional pal, Jim Milonas, Govt Director of the Christian Fellowship Group, instructed me this morning:

Jim, you’re proper. Gateway, I hope you perceive the problem and reply accurately to this scandal.

Robert Morris could be forgiven. He and his household could be cherished.

However Robert Morris is eternally disqualified from serving as a Pastor in Christ’s church.