Current:Home > InvestLongtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94 -TradeSphere
Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:18:59
HOUSTON (AP) — Paul Pressler, a leading figure of the Southern Baptist Convention who was accused of sexually abusing boys and young men and later settled a lawsuit over the allegations, has died. He was 94.
Pressler’s death, which happened on June 7, was announced in an obituary posted online by Geo. H. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home in Houston. A funeral service for Pressler was held on Saturday. A cause of death was not disclosed.
The news of Pressler’s death was first reported by Baptist News Global.
Pressler was one of the co-architects of the Southern Baptist Convention’s “conservative resurgence,” an effort in the 1980s that reshaped the direction of America’s largest Protestant denomination. Pressler and others pushed out more liberal leaders, helped forge an alliance between white evangelicals and Republican conservatism and focused on electing GOP candidates to public office.
The Southern Baptist Convention has over 47,000 churches, with a total membership of nearly 13 million people, according to its website. As many as 200 are counted as “mega-churches” but the vast majority have less than 200 people in weekly worship. Most of its churches are located in the southern U.S. The denomination’s executive committee is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a 2015 video in which he endorsed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz during his failed presidential run, Pressler said he’s dedicated his life “to the conservative principles on which our country was founded.”
“I think that people are genuinely upset with the directions in Washington. I believe if we do not have good people in Washington, we are not going to save our nation,” Pressler said.
But Pressler’s religious legacy was stained after he was accused by a former assistant, Gareld Duane Rollins, of sexual assault. In a lawsuit filed in 2017 in Harris County, where Houston is located, Rollins alleged that Pressler raped him when he was 14 years old after the two met at a Bible study group led by Pressler, according to court records. Rollins alleged that Pressler continued to periodically sexually assault him over the next 24 years.
The Associated Press usually does not name victims who allege sexual assault or abuse but Rollins and his lawyers publicly identified him in court documents.
Rollins also sued the Southern Baptist Convention and others whom he alleged covered up or enabled Pressler’s behavior. As part of the lawsuit, at least seven other men also came forward with their own accusations against Pressler of sexual abuse.
The claims by Rollins prompted a major investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News of allegations of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. The series of stories revealed that top leaders had ignored or downplayed warnings about a sexual abuse crisis within the Protestant denomination and it led to significant reforms.
In December, Pressler, the Southern Baptist Convention and others reached a confidential agreement to settle the lawsuit.
Pressler denied the accusations against him and was never criminally charged.
The Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting last week but did not appear to acknowledge Pressler’s death during the event. A spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Convention did not immediately return emails on Sunday seeking comment.
Pressler also served in the Texas House, representing the Houston area in the late 1950s. In 1970, he was appointed as a state district judge. Eight years later, he was appointed as a state appeals court judge and served in that position until retiring in 1993, according to his obituary posted online.
veryGood! (73)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- MLB trade deadline tracker 2024: Breaking down every deal before baseball's big day
- ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ smashes R-rated record with $205 million debut, 8th biggest opening ever
- A Guide to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Family
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Three members of family gospel group The Nelons killed in Wyoming plane crash
- Boar's Head issues recall for more than 200,000 pounds of liverwurst, other sliced meats
- Why are more adults not having children? New study may have an explanation.
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- New ‘Dexter’ sequel starring Michael C. Hall announced at Comic-Con
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Why are more adults not having children? New study may have an explanation.
- U.S. Olympian Naya Tapper had dreams of playing football but found calling in rugby
- Arizona judge rejects wording for a state abortion ballot measure. Republicans plan to appeal
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Video shows small plane crashing into front yard of Utah home with family inside
- Allegations left US fencers pitted against each other weeks before the Olympics
- Horoscopes Today, July 27, 2024
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Judge sends Milwaukee man to prison for life in 2023 beating death of 5-year-old boy
Waffle fry farewell? Chick-fil-A responds to rumors that it's replacing its famous fries
Beyoncé introduces Team USA during NBC coverage of Paris Olympics opening ceremony: Watch
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
'Olympics is going to elevate all of us:' Why women's volleyball could take off
US women's 4x100 free relay wins silver at Paris Olympics
Vigils planned across the nation for Sonya Massey, Black woman shot in face by police