By Filings on
Church & Ministry
SBC
Paul Pressler
Litigation

“The lawsuit also names the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, its president, Paige Patterson, and Houston’s First Baptist Church as defendants, alleging they are liable for their professional, personal or denominational connections with Pressler.” CPost

Discussion

Tue, 01/30/18

They should throw in the gas station where he filled up his car, as well as his barber, his tailer, his tax advisor, and the cable guy.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

Tue, 01/30/18

The original lawsuit says that Pressler and Patterson are closet Calvinists (which is laughable if you know anything about the two men), and then blames Calvinism for the alleged abuse. I wrote an article about it several months ago, and have a hard time taking the charges seriously after reading the nonsense put forward by the plaintiff and his lawyer.

Tue, 01/30/18

If indeed Pressler’s habits were “the worst kept secret in Houston”, we would have to infer that the SBC and FBC of Houston might be named. You can argue it’s just “deep pockets” with some justification, but if there is indeed something to this, they ought to be named.

“If”, as the Spartans told Philip of Macedon, of course. Looks like a very troubled man, no matter what’s under the surface.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Tue, 01/30/18

Aaron Blumer,

Excellent comment.

Judge Paul Pressler is a friend of mine. I know nothing of this lawsuit except what I’ve read in the news.

But knowing him as I do, I am absolutely convinced Judge Pressler is innocent of these charges.

David R. Brumbelow

Tue, 01/30/18

I have no info to base an opinion on, as far as guilt or innocence goes, but to implicate a defendant’s church or other affiliated organizations, wouldn’t someone at least have to make a case that these entities knew​​​ a crime was occurring and either assisted or failed to report, or something similar?

But the fact that Calvinism is to blame… Obviously! ;-)

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

Tue, 01/30/18

[Aaron Blumer]

I have no info to base an opinion on, as far as guilt or innocence goes, but to implicate a defendant’s church or other affiliated organizations, wouldn’t someone at least have to make a case that these entities knew​​​ a crime was occurring and either assisted or failed to report, or something similar?

But the fact that Calvinism is to blame… Obviously! ;-)

If the plaintiffs have no evidence to connect alleged crimes to people in the SBC and at FBC, yes, those defendants would not only be exonerated, but the plaintiffs would then be open to a countersuit, and their lawyers to the possibility of discipline. It doesn’t happen enough, but it can. You basically have to prove that not only did they not have the evidence, but that any reasonable person would have known.

And to clarify my earlier comment, I am saying that it’s clear that the plaintiff/complainant is a very troubled man. My apologies for the ambiguity there, and my hope and prayer is that David’s comment is the reality; that Pressler is indeed innocent and is paying a price for trying to reach out to a very troubled man.

A thought along these lines; the Calvinism comment is an unforced error which does suggest possible difficulties with the complainant’s case.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Tue, 01/30/18

Thanks, John. Genuinely bizarre.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.