Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church in Southland, Texas, one of the largest megachurches in the nation, was sentenced today to ten years in prison, with all but six months of it suspended, for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire starting in 1982 when she was twelve years old and it lasting for the next four years. It occurred in Hominy, Oklahoma, when Morris was a traveling Christian evangelist staying at the Clemishire’s home. Mr. Morris will have to register as a sex offender, pay $270,000 in restitution to Cindy, and be on probation for the nine-and-a-half years after his imprisonment.
Pleading Guilty Without a Statement of Remorse or a Personal Apology to the Victim?
Although Morris pleaded guilty, to me, the surprising thing about this verdict is that the court suspended all that sentencing without requiring any personal statement of remorse to the court from Mr. Morris for his crime of sexually abusing a minor nor a personal statement of apology to Ms. Clemishire. I don’t think the court should have suspended him like that without such statements from Morris. Instead, the court accepted a statement from Morris’ attorneys. And his attorneys said that Mr. Morris had asked them to apologize for him to Ms. Clemishire. I think that is outrageous that the court would only accept that as sufficient. I would think such personal statements could be just as meaningful to the public has his incarceration.
In 2014, Pastor Robert Morris admitted in a church sermon delivered to Gateway Church that he had been sexually immoral as a young traveling evangelist and that he had had an “inappropriate relationship with a young woman.”
Ms. Clemishire said in a written statement to the court that it was not a “relationship” and that she was not a “young woman.” She also said she believed there were other victims like her who suffered from Morris’ actions. She further stated, “Today, justice has finally been served, and the man manipulated, groomed, and abused me as a 12-year old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars.” She added, “I am disappointed that the Board of Elders allowed him to resign. He should have been terminated.”
Should Church Elders Be Legally Accountable for Pastor Misdeeds?
CBS reports that after that 2014 sermon, the elders of Gateway Church never inquired of Mr. Morris about his past sexual immorality. Last year, the elders became aware of Morris’ abuse of Ms. Clemishire as a minor beginning in 1982. When they initially were confronted about it, they denied that it had happened and later admitted that it had. Should church leaders have any legal accountability in such matters?
Churches have a legal right in the U.S. to form and be exempt from paying taxes. But a situation like this makes me wonder if the church should suffer punishment because of the moral laxity of the elders. Such situations hurt the reputation of Christianity, just as the pedophile priesthood problem in the Catholic Church. I wonder if the non-clerical leadership of churches should be held somewhat accountable for inquiring about such pastoral abuse and perhaps doing something about it.
Similarly, American courts are moving to more of a position in which parents are being held accountable for the criminal actions of their young children, such as those who commit mass murder shootings, often at schools.
What do you think?
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In