Credibility rests on a leader's integrity and character. These Evangelical leaders have lost theirs.

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/01/conservative-christians-lose-leadership.html

Paul Presssler just recently settled a lawsuit dating back to his time as a youth leader in an independent Presbyterian church in Houston, involving allegations of sexual molestation and abuse of a 14 year old who was a member of his church youth group. At the time the allegations first surfaced, Pressler left the church and joined First Baptist Church of Houston, where he became involved with Patterson in the resurgence movement. During his time at First Baptist, serving as a Sunday school teacher and deacon, church leaders were informed of at least one other incident involving abuse of a teenager. A letter from church leaders to Pressler has surfaced, in which they warned him that his behavior was wrong, removed him from his church positions and then swept it all under the rug by telling him that if word of such instances got out, it could ruin his reputation and the cause he was promoting in the denomination.

Pressler has denied all of the allegations. The lawsuit, which expanded to include the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee, because of evidence suggesting it was aware of the allegations against Pressler, and the Woodfill law firm, along with Pressler, was settled during the past month. The amounts were undisclosed, and there's been very little said about it. The Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee is already in a complicated mess over years of reported sexual abuse by clergy within its churches, reported to them, and about which they did nothing. Woodfill is running for the state legislature and doesn't need the publicity. Pressler, at this point, is 93 years old, protected by statutes of limitation and no longer has any role in the Southern Baptist Convention.

But this is typical Republican modus operandi. It's become standard operating procedure since Trump first ran for the White House in 2016. It undermines the credibility of the Southern Baptists' "Conservative Resurgence." How can men lead a spiritual movement if they're not spiritual? There is no evidence from the inerrant, infallible Bible to support the statement that God sometimes uses evil men to achieve his purposes. Not in this way, he doesn't. Denominational leaders remain silent, avoiding talking about either man at all, in any setting, simply ignoring what they did and the fact that it calls their own credibility into question and that makes them hypocrites.

[usonian]

1. A lot sold out for secular power.

I think that their over-reaction to the un-Calvinist movement of the 60's and OF COURSE, civil rights and the turning against misogyny and racism led to them seeking secular power (i.e. force) when people started turning away from their message.

Those who remained silent while so many sold out are partly responsible, and those who remained silent when people were abused are very responsible. It seems that only in recent years have people broken those impenetrable walls, with lawsuits, that the ugly truth has been made public.

Various spiritual leaders have said that the more people one serves, i.e. the more power one has, the more humble a servant one should be. Power over others without humility is a fundamental darkness that many cannot and do not overcome.

As I have posted elsewhere, it's entirely about power, not principles. The latter walked out the door long ago.