HOUSTON (TX)
Baptist News Global [Jacksonville FL]
February 16, 2024
By Newsmark Wingfield
Nine years after leaders at First Baptist Church of Houston were told about allegations against Paul Pressler for sexually abusing boys and young men, the Texas House of Representatives passed a lengthy resolution of praise for the Houston judge and Baptist layman.
Pressler, co-architect of the so-called “conservative resurgence” in the SBC, and a key figure in attacking denominational leaders while calling for theological purity, recently settled out of court a lawsuit brought by one of his alleged victims — one of multiple accusers who have come forward with similar stories.
Court documents filed in the case brought by Duane Rollins against Pressler and others and brought to light by the Texas Tribune last year detail “repeated accusations of sexual misconduct and assault dating back to at least 1978, when (Pressler) was forced out of a Houston church for allegedly molesting a teenager in a sauna.”
Paul Pressler (left) and Paige Patterson, architects of the SBC takeover, sit at Cafe duMonde in New Orleans June 9, 1990, comemmorating their meeting at the same spot 20 years earlier to conceive the plan to gain control of the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination. (Photo by Thom Scott)
The court filing includes correspondence between leaders of First Baptist Church of Houston and Pressler describing later inappropriate activity with a college student and urging Pressler to seek professional counseling. Shortly thereafter, Pressler and his wife left First Baptist and landed at Second Baptist Church in Houston. There is no public evidence that leaders from First Baptist did anything to warn others of their concerns about his behavior.
Instead, their letter to Pressler concludes: “Given your stature and various leadership roles in our church, the Southern Baptist Convention and other Christian organizations, it is our considered opinion that this kind of behavior, if brought to light, might distort your testimony or cause others to stumble. We desire neither, but, rather, pray that God continues to use your gifts and talents to accomplish his will and purposes.”
In 2013, with allegations against Pressler widely rumored among SBC insiders but never documented, the Texas House of Representatives adopted a resolution of appreciation for him. It is not clear from the public record now who authored or submitted that resolution. Pressler had retired from the bench in 1993 and returned to a private law practice in Houston with law partner Jared Woodfill, who also has been documented to have known about Pressler’s alleged sexual activities. Woodfill is currently running for a seat in the Texas House.
The Texas House resolution said Pressler had “commendably served his fellow citizens throughout his career in public office” and was a “man of faith.” It cited his service as first vice president of the SBC, vice chair of the SBC Executive Committee and a trustee of the SBC International Mission Board.
Pressler’s election to IMB trustee board in 1992 was challenged on the floor of the convention but he was elected despite the challenge.
At the time, Pressler said: “I am extremely gratified to have been nominated. For anyone who has been vilified in the Baptist press and by the state Baptist papers as much as I have, it is gratifying to receive a vote estimated (at) 4-to-l. I’m extremely grateful to the messengers.”
Pressler used his trustee roles at the Executive Committee and IMB to advance his conservative agenda, including removing denominational leaders from jobs and taking controversial stands on issues.
“Guided by steadfast principles and an earnest dedication to his work, Judge Paul Pressler has made contributions to his state and nation that will continue to resonate for many years to come.”
The resolution further noted that he was the inaugural recipient of a distinguished service award named for him and given by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
It lauded his marriage and his example as a father to three children, as well as his leadership at Second Baptist Church in Houston.
It said: “Guided by steadfast principles and an earnest dedication to his work, Judge Paul Pressler has made contributions to his state and nation that will continue to resonate for many years to come.”
One of those contributions — surely unanticipated in 2013 — was that the Rollins case against Pressler would result in a modification of state law that extended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse victims to file their claims.
It was only four years after the Texas House lauded Pressler that Rollins filed suit against the Southern Baptist icon.
To date, no SBC official and only one SBC entity has retracted any recognition given to Pressler. In 2019, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary removed a stained glass window from its chapel that depicted Paul and Nancy Pressler as heroes of the faith.
Even after the December settlement in the Rollins case, with multiple other accusers on the record, no other SBC entity or leader has criticized Pressler, who remains a hero of the conservative resurgence.