Ep. 387: Gateway Church, Megan Basham, Turning Point USA, and More

On today’s program, Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, continues to struggle in the aftermath of sexual abuse allegations against its founder Robert Morris—including NEW sexual abuse allegations, the cancellation of its annual Gateway conference, and more. We’ll look at the latest. And, Megan Basham is under fire from fellow journalists for naming an alleged sexual assault victim in her new book ‘Shepherds for Sale.’ We’ll have details. Plus, the largest seminaries in the U.S. But first, election season is in full swing, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is urging pastors to mobilize their churches for Trump. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Zach Rivas, Mallory Challis, Scott Barkley,  Chloë-Arizona Fodor, Jeffrey Walton, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. Special thanks to Baptist Press, Baptist News Global, and the Institute on Religion & Democracy for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT   FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha:  And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. And we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, continues to struggle in the aftermath of sexual abuse allegations against its founder Robert Morris—including NEW sexual abuse allegations, the cancellation of its annual Gateway conference, and more. We’ll look at the latest. And, Megan Basham is under fire from fellow journalists for naming an alleged sexual assault victim in her new book ‘Shepherds for Sale.’ We’ll have details. Plus, the largest seminaries in the U-S. Natasha: But first, election season is in full swing, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is urging pastors to mobilize their churches for Trump. Warren: Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk pulled no punches in his keynote address to pastors gathered for a July 31-Aug. 2 political training conference in a Dallas, Texas, suburb. His message: Pastors need to vote for Donald Trump, they need to become activists, and they need to mobilize their congregations to do likewise. “There is only one way to save this country,” Kirk said. “Awake the beast that is the American church.” A lot of online commentators said that Kirk had a lot of fun with the unintended irony of Kirk’s statement. They noted that in Scripture, the word “beast” is often used to describe Satan, while the preferred metaphors for describing the church in Scripture is not beast, but Bride of Christ or Body of Christ. Natasha: That wasn’t the only irony of this event. Warren: While the “Igniting the Remnant Pastors” conference was ostensibly nonpartisan the event provided a receptive audience for Kirk’s overt endorsement of Trump. Natasha: Tell us more about Kirk’s talk, I heard he talked tough and hurled some insults. Warren: He said, “The American church is a joke in this country,” he said. “It is a church filled with cowards and people that call themselves pastors but are really motivational speakers. Natasha: Next, the latest in the ongoing saga of Gateway Church Warren: Gateway Church, the Dallas-area megachurch started by Robert Morris, is facing additional sexual abuse allegations in addition to those revealed against Morris earlier this summer that led to his resignation. Last week, a lawsuit was filed in Tarrant County, Texas, alleging a 17-year-old member of the Gateway Church youth group sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl also attending the church youth group. The alleged assault took place in 2017. Natasha: The lawsuit names Gabriel Reece Snyder, now 25,