Megachurch Pastor and FormerTrump Counselor Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse
The founder of among the biggest megachurches in the United States, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to molesting a young girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
The pastor, sixty-four, entered a guilty plea on that day in Osage county district court on five criminal counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. He was given a sentence to 10 years in prison, but under an agreement will only serve half a year in county jail.
He will be listed as a registered offender and pay $250,000 in compensation.
Context of the Legal Matter
The disgraced pastor established Gateway church in Southlake, Texas. He grew it into one of the top 10 largest megachurches in the US, with more than 25,000 attendees each week.
The victim, 55, the individual who publicly identified herself as the survivor of the abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a written declaration she stated: “There is no such thing as agreement from a 12-year-old child. We were not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sister Karen Black also made a declaration, stating: “You pretended to be holy, speaking from large platforms. As you concealed your true self, we’ve been aware you are nothing but a predator.”
The pastor stepped down from the church last year after Clemishire made her story known. She had spent years trying to hold her abuser accountable.
Specifics of the Abuse
The molestation started in the year 1982 when the pastor, at age twenty-one, was a travelling evangelist. He stayed with Clemishire’s family in their home, where he asked the child into his room.
The abuse continued for the following four years.
A leaked transcript of a conversation showed that in 2005, Morris attempted to pay off the victim into silence, telling her to “name your price”.
Fall from Grace and Associations
The guilty verdict marks a remarkable fall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored several bestselling books and his sermons were broadcast around the world.
He also served as a religious counselor to the former president. He joined the presidential advisory group during the first Trump presidency and was involved in an effort to mobilize evangelical voters for him in last year’s presidential campaign.
Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he praised Morris and his senior team as “great people with a stellar reputation”.
