Huge Southern Baptist Church rocked by sexual abuse charges

[BR_Parkway]

A church whose former pastor was president of the Southern Baptist Convention has been rocked by allegations of child abuse, PageOneQ has learned.

Pastor Paul Williams, who directs prayer programs and special projects at the Bellevue Baptist Church outside of Memphis, has been forced to take a leave while a church committee investigates charges that Williams sexually molested a family member 17 years ago. Williams has been at Bellevue for 34 years, reports Agape Press, a news service run by the American Family Association.

<snip>

The move to have Williams placed on leave was not enough to satisfy the president of the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Michael Spradlin said if Gaines was aware of the allegations and took no action, he should leave the church. Spradlin told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that:

"If Steve Gaines found out that a child had been sexually molested by one of his ministers and if he did nothing to address it, then he needs to step down immediately,"

"We cannot take chances with other people's children. If he knew about this and kept quiet, then he's put Bellevue in a very dangerous position and possibly put children and the emotionally vulnerable at risk."

The same paper reports that while Williams has not been charged, the church has placed him in a counseling program.

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/sbc122006.html

[Mad_Dem_X]

1. Color me shocked

:sarcasm:

[BOSSHOG]

2. Such sad news for all the wonderful "christians" in the country

when facts compete for attention with their fake outrage of the (non)war on christmas and how "christians" are being persecuted. I guess getting sexually molested by a "christian" minister would be a form of persecution.

So sad as well since he was probably an outstanding fund raiser.

[dipsydoodle]

3. I will restrain myself to simply

:rofl:

[verse18]

4. I live in Memphis.

Bellevue Baptist Church is located on I40 outside the city. A few years ago the church put up these 3 gigantic crosses along the interstate. It's like a calvary scene with 50ft crosses. If you're coming from the east this is what you see as you're coming into Memphis. Did I mention I lived in the buckle of the "Bible Belt?"