An evangelical pastor from Texas and former spiritual advisor to Donald Trump confessed to having sexually assaulted a girl decades ago, when he was a pastor at an evangelical church different from the one he leads today.
The founding pastor of the Gateway evangelical megachurch in Dallas, Texas, Robert Morris, who was a spiritual advisor to former President Donald Trump, was accused by Cindy Clemishire of Oklahoma of sexual abuse in the 1980s, when the victim was a minor.
Continuous abuse for four and a half years
Morris confirmed the woman’s allegation in a statement to the religious publication Christian Post in which he said: “When I was in my early 20s, I engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady at a house where I was staying.”
In a response statement to the same outlet, the victim of the assault said she was “horrified” to see how Morris referred to her as a “young lady,” when the alleged abuse began when the victim was only 12 years old and continued until she turned 12. the 16.
The victim also said it had taken her decades to process Morris’ repeated abuse. She said his family had threatened to take the case to the police, but the matter was later resolved within the Shady Grove church to which Morris was attached.
Clemishire initially made her public allegations to The Wartburg Watch, a publication dedicated to exposing church abuses.
In her story, the victim said the abuse began on Christmas night in 1982, when Morris asked her to visit him in his room.
According to the victim, Morris told her not to tell anyone what happened because “it would ruin everything.” Clemishire returned to the room she shared with her sister without telling anyone until 1987, when she told her father what had happened and he publicly asked for her resignation from the church.
In his statement to the Christian Post, Morris said that “in March 1987, this situation came to light, of which I confessed and repented. I introduced myself to the elders of the Shady Grove Church and the girl’s father. They asked me to leave the ministry and get counseling, which I did.”
Shady Grove Church was absorbed by Gateway Church in 2013.
Despite his admission, Morris will remain the church’s senior pastor on weekends and his son, James Morris, will assume his father’s senior pastor duties next year.
Member of Trump’s evangelical advisory council
In a statement to local Dallas news outlet WFAA, Gateway Church said: “Pastor Robert has been open and direct about a moral failure he had more than 35 years ago when he was in his 20s and before he Gateway Church started. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper biblical steps he took in his long restoration process.”
The statement added that Morris’ restoration process took “two years, was closely managed by the Elders of Shady Grove Church, and included his departure from ministry during that period while he received professional counseling.”
Morris’ victim said that while she had forgiven him for the sexual abuse, she did not believe he should have returned to ministry.
Morris was never criminally charged and when the victim sought to sue he found that the deadlines for filing both civil and criminal lawsuits had already expired.
Morris a member of Trump’s evangelical advisory council during his 2016 presidential campaign.
And at a 2020 roundtable with religious leaders in Texas, then-President Trump thanked two pastors, one of whom was Morris, for attending the event.
“They are great people. Great people with a great reputation. I have to say that,” Trump said, adding: “Great reputation. And Gateway Church… the team has been incredible in welcoming us.”
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