Robert Morris, founding pastor of the popular Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, resigned on Tuesday after admitting to engaging in “inappropriate sexual conduct” with a young woman.
The Blaze News previously reported that the “young woman” in question, who was allegedly 12 years old when the sexual abuse began, is now 54-year-old Cindy Cremischer.
“It was kissing and petting, not intercourse, but it was wrong,” Morris said.
Said “This conduct occurred several times over the next few years,” they said in a statement to The Christian Post.
“This went on for years,” Klemischer said, troubled by the pastor’s apparent revisionism. “He claims there was no intercourse, but he touched every part of my body and inserted his fingers into me. I now understand that this is considered a form of instrumental rape. I was an innocent 12-year-old girl who knew nothing about sex.”
“I was 12 years old. I was a little girl. A very innocent girl,” Klemischer added.
Megachurch Elders
Revealed The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it had accepted Morris’ resignation.
“In addition, the committee has retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone to conduct an independent, thorough, and professional investigation of past reports of abuse to fully understand the events from 1982 through 1987,” the statement said.
The elders seemed eager to walk back the language in their June 14 internal statement, which read, “Pastor Robert has spoken openly and frankly about the moral failings he made more than 35 years ago in his 20s, before he started Gateway Church. He has spoken publicly from the pulpit about the appropriate, biblical steps he has taken during his long process of recovery.”
“They’re basically lying and downplaying the crime.”
“Since these 35 years of issues have been resolved, there have been no moral failures. Pastor Robert has walked with cleanliness and integrity and has kept responsible methods and people in his life,” the elders added in their initial statement.
Tuesday — After Klemischer
was suggested “They are essentially lying and downplaying the crimes,” the elders wrote, noting that they previously “did not have all the facts about the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse.”
They argued that their previous comments were based on a misconception that the extramarital relationships Morris had with “younger women” – something he has repeatedly said throughout his ministry – were not sexual assaults on 12-year-olds.
“He told her to close her eyes.”
“We are saddened and appalled by what has come to light over the past few days, and our deepest sympathies go out to the victim and her family,” the elders added. “For the sake of the victim, we are grateful that this situation has been brought to light.”
Kremischer
Recently Shared Kremischer, who posted her story on Wartburg Watch, a watchdog blog that details cases of abuse within various churches, said she only fully understood the extent of the abuse she suffered as a child after seeing depictions of sexual exploitation on television.
Klemischer noted that decades ago, a young traveling preacher, then in his 20s, became close to her parents and over time became a family friend whom she considered “safe and friendly.” That safety and friendship proved to be an illusion when preacher Robert Morris allegedly sexually abused her on Christmas night in 1982.
Morris allegedly “told her to lie on her back and touched her stomach. He told her to close her eyes. He then touched her breasts and felt under her panties and warned her not to tell anyone about this or it would ruin everything.”
The Blaze News previously reported that the harassment, including the digital intrusions, continued until March 1987, when Morris was pastor of Shady Grove Church (which later became the Gateway Church Grand Prairie campus).
Cremischer’s father reportedly found out what was going on and called the senior pastor at Shady Grove to report Morris, who then gave the senior pastor an ultimatum: either get Morris to resign from his ministry or negotiate with police.
Morris left the ministry for two years, later writing in his 2011 book:From Dream to Destiny“He did it because of his excessive ego.”
According to Wartburg Watch, Morris’ wife, Debbie, called the victim after her husband’s ouster and allegedly told Cremisher, who was a minor at the time, that she “forgave him.”
“We must be consistent in our efforts to protect Texas children.”
Texas Rep. Nate Schatzlein (R-Texas) was one of many who called on Morris to resign, saying, “Mr. Morris believes in restoration, but the details that have recently come to light are deeply disturbing and unacceptable to anyone, especially a spiritual leader. I wholeheartedly condemn these actions and any attempts to cover them up.”
Schatzlein, himself a pastor, added, “We must work consistently to protect the children of Texas, and that starts with exposing those responsible, whether they are church leaders or not. These actions must be exposed publicly and should never be tolerated. Anyone who harms children can and must be held accountable.”
Blaze TV host Allie Beth Stuckey I got it. Regarding X, “Child sexual abuse is not just a sin, it is a crime. This should have been dealt with by the civil authorities God has given to curb evil. However, after he was ‘recovered’, the issue was swept under the rug.”
Klemischer suggested the statute of limitations for criminal and civil lawsuits has almost certainly expired.
“To be clear, repentance and restoration do not include restoring the alleged abuser to a leadership position (if, in fact, the allegations against him are proven true),” Stuckey added.
on tuesday
letter According to information obtained by KDFW-TV, Pastor Klemischer said he would have preferred that the church elders fire Pastor Morris rather than force him to resign.
Klemischer also said in the letter that while Morris abused her, those around him added salt to the wound. When she asked Morris to reimburse her for the counseling she needed “as a result of this abuse,” Klemischer’s lawyers “tried to blame Morris,” Klemischer said. [her] She added that at least one Gateway Church elder knew about Morris’ sexual abuse of minors but chose to believe the pastor’s account.
“This is just the beginning,” Klemischer wrote. “I truly and sadly believe that I am not the only victim. I urge anyone who has been sexually assaulted by Gateway Church leadership to find the courage to step forward and speak out. Now is the time.”
Klemischer told the church congregation, “I’m as heartbroken as you are. Remember, our faith is in Jesus, not in an institution or a person in a pulpit. Keep the faith!”
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