Tag Archives: religion

Washington state’s KWCC-TV reports: Police arrested a 69-year-old Wenatchee man on suspicion of rape Tuesday after two other men accused him of sexually molesting them while they were asleep or otherwise unable to consent. Michael E. Wilson was identified in a Wenatchee police court affidavit as the leader of a Bible study group that met at his Sunnyslope home. The …

Los Angeles’s CW affiliate reports: A man the sheriff’s department describes as a Wildomar pastor was booked into county jail Wednesday on suspicion of raping a child, sodomy and other sex crimes. Fredy Gonzalez, 54, was taken into custody at 6:30 a.m. following an investigation that began Tuesday night, according to jail records and the sheriff’s department. Jail records show …

From the publisher of Baptist Global News: The same weekend Ron DeSantis released a campaign video saying he had been sent to Florida directly by God on the eighth day of creation, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor offered an invocation at a DeSantis campaign rally and then tweeted a video of it with the assessment: “God has blessed the state …

The Christian Post reports: The fourth installment of the America’s Values Study, released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University asked respondents for their thoughts on traditional moral values and what they would like to see as “America’s foundation for determining right and wrong.” The survey is based on responses from 2,275 U.S. adults collected in July 2022. …

Religion News Service reports: A group of prominent Christian leaders, including the heads of major denominations, say they submitted a letter earlier this year to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, urging members to examine Christian nationalism and arguing the ideology played a crucial role in the insurrection. “The ideology of Christian nationalism …

From the far-right Christian site Charisma News: For the first time in the history of the United States, Election Day will fall on the same day as a blood moon. The Christian Bible makes mention of blood moons in both Old and New Testament writing. The cause for rampant interest among Christians in regards to a blood moon is that …

The New Castle Courier-Times reports: Indiana State Police arrested Jonathan Mark Myers, 41, on Thursday, Oct. 27, on three counts of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor, one count of Class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor and four counts of Class D felony child seduction. Myers is accused of repeated and continued sexual abuse against a …

Tulsa’s ABC affiliate reports: A former Wewoka middle school principal was arrested on Thursday, accused of fondling a child. Cody Barlow was taken into custody at his home in Wewoka and booked into the Seminole County Jail. In addition to being a principal, Barlow is a youth pastor at a local church. The male child reported to authorities that Barlow …

Jessica Wolstenholm writes for the Christian Post: Have the best candy so that your house will be the house people come to and linger near. Be warm. Introduce yourself to visitors even if that’s not the typical way neighbors engage in your area.  Have a warm beverage or pumpkin bread for adults so you can engage your neighbors in conversation. …

The Pensacola News-Journal reports: The family of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by a youth director at Gulf Breeze Methodist Church is suing the church, its leadership and the youth pastor. Zarzaur Law, P.A. announced the lawsuit Monday against not only the church but the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Pastor Dan Morris, Executive Pastor …

Charleston’s NBC affiliate reports: The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) on Friday announced the arrest of an Andrews-area pastor for past criminal sexual conduct with minors. According to GCSO, Thomas Brackett (59) is the pastor of Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church in Andrews. He was taken into custody on 11 warrants that included charges of criminal sexual conduct with two different …

Birmingham’s CBS affiliate reports: A pastor of a Jefferson County church has been arrested and charged with a child sex offense, Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon confirmed. Kenneth Daniel, 64, was booked into the Blount County Jail on the felony charge Wednesday night. A seven-year-old victim told her grandfather that Daniel, who is a pastor at First Baptist Church of …

Columbus’s ABC affiliate reports: A Columbus pastor on trial for several charges committed suicide during a recess. According to the Muscogee County coroner, 51-year-old Christopher Daron Smith was pronounced dead at 1:13 p.m. on Oct. 19 from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Smith’s defense attorney, Shevon Thomas, II, says the judge gave a five-minute recess during the trial before …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: A one-time Teacher of the Year at Cleveland Middle School and youth pastor is accused of sexually assaulting a student. Alexander Oveal was booked into the Liberty County Jail on Oct. 10, within 36 hours of getting the allegations, and given a $100,000 bond. Shortly after his arrest, the Cleveland Independent School District immediately told parents …

The Christian Post reports: At their fall meeting last week, the trustees at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, unanimously approved a resolution encouraging the seminary’s administration to continue theologically training both men and women, “but with men alone reserved for the office and function, and thereby title of pastor.” “It is further resolved that this Board encourages …

Las Vegas’s NBC affiliate reports: A former photography teacher convicted of forcing a student to pose nude for photos will spend the next five years in prison. The sentence was handed down by Judge Jacqueline Stam. Jeffrey Whiston, 44, was arrested in mid-April after the girl told friends about what happened. The student told investigators she agreed to meet the …

The Joplin Globe reports: The former pastor of a fringe church in McDonald County at the center of a sexual abuse scandal 16 years ago is facing a new charge that he raped an underage girl. Raymond L. Lambert II, 67, of rural Washburn, was arrested and charged last week with first-degree rape of a 10-year-old girl in the summer …

Green Bay’s Fox affiliate reports: A former pastor was sentenced Monday to 16 years in prison for possession of child pornography charges. Rick Haberland, 49, was convicted of four counts of possession of child pornography. He was also placed on extended supervision for 16 years. He was also placed on the sex offender registry. The sentence was extended by another …

From the Justice Department: A retired St. Louis priest pleaded guilty to federal charges Wednesday and admitted possessing thousands of images containing child pornography. James T. Beighlie, 72, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp. In his plea agreement, Beighlie admitted that on May 17, 2021, while he …

Click On Detroit reports: A 60-year-old priest has been convicted of child sex crimes in Wayne County. Joseph “Jack” Baker, 60, of Wayne, was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct sexual penetration with a person under 13. Baker had been a pastor at St. Perpetua Parish in Waterford, Michigan since 2008. Before that, he was a pastor at St. Mary …