The Facts
Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris has resigned from his job after a woman accused him of molesting her for years when she was a child.
Morris, a senior pastor at Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, resigned Tuesday after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" 35 years ago.
The Spin
Narrative A
The worst part of the allegations against Morris is that they are not an isolated incident. Sexual abuse, especially of minors, is a pervasive issue across denominations in Christian churches, where hierarchical power dynamics, and inadequate training and screening of clergy has put pastors and priests in ample situations to abuse their authority. Additionally, cultures of secrecy and insularism, where churches have preferred to deal with the issue internally instead of involving law enforcement, have protected predators and prevented victims from getting the justice they deserve.
Narrative B
Morris must be held to account not only for his horrific actions but also for giving the media ammunition to fuel its anti-religion program. The Christian churches stand with the victims of sexual violence — regardless of where it's perpetrated — and have devoted substantial efforts to stamp out this type of abuse, which isn't indicative of the institution as a whole. In this case, Morris must not be allowed to whitewash his crimes but should instead face the legal consequences of his crimes.