A South Texas pastor has been arrested on four felony charges of indecency with a child. Police say Jorge Martinez, was taken into custody at the Edinburg church where he served as pastor, after a girl came forward in July and other children followed. roysreport.com/south-texas-...

Texas pastor charged with four counts of indecency with a child

A South Texas pastor faces four felony charges of indecency with a child after multiple children came forward with allegations.

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Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the 24,000-member Church of the Resurrection, won Kansas' Democratic Senate primary with just under 35% of the vote. He plans to remain senior pastor but will stop preaching for the rest of the campaign. roysreport.com/adam-hamilto...

Adam Hamilton, megachurch pastor, wins Dem Senate primary

Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor who leads the country's largest United Methodist church, won Kansas' Democratic Senate primary.

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Liberty University's revenue is up more than $370M since 2023. Over that time, Jonathan Falwell's salary rose 171.7% — while former pres. Jerry Prevo's fell 53.6%. Falwell, son of Liberty's founder & brother of former pres. Jerry Falwell Jr., is a trustee & chancellor. roysreport.com/as-liberty-u...

As Liberty U. raised Jonathan Falwell’s salary 171%, Jerry Prevo’s pay fell | The Roys Report

Liberty University more than doubled Jonathan Falwell's salary over two years while cutting former president Jerry Prevo's pay by half.

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Timothy Chaneyfield, pastor at St. James Free Will Baptist Church in Florida, is charged with lewd battery of a minor, traveling to meet a minor for sex, and failing to disclose his HIV infection. "He's an evil man," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. roysreport.com/dope-smoking...

Florida pastor charged with child sex abuse, failure to disclose HIV

A Free Will Baptist pastor in Florida faces charges including lewd battery of a minor and traveling to meet a minor for sex.

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In 1962, a growing Oklahoma church planted a second congregation across town. Six decades later, the two merged back into one and are now building an 800-seat auditorium together. roysreport.com/why-2-oklaho...

Why 2 Oklahoma Churches Reunited After 6 Decades Apart | The Roys Report

Two Oklahoma Churches of Christ, separated for nearly six decades, merged and are now building an 800-seat auditorium together.

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Grace City Church in Wenatchee, Washington, is openly campaigning for one of its pastors ahead of the upcoming primary election. We visited a Sunday service to see how a Christian nationalist congregation mixes worship and politics. roysreport.com/a-visit-to-g...

A visit to Grace City: Where God and politics meet and greet

A Christian nationalist megachurch in Washington state is working to send one of its own pastors to the state legislature.

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Can you honor a pastor while still holding him accountable? This episode of The Restore Report explores why honoring leaders was never meant to mean overlooking sin or staying in an abusive environment. Watch Part 2 of our deep dive into John Bevere's Under Cover. roysreport.com/podcast/unde...

Under Cover Part 2: Authority Theology Protects Abusive Leaders

Lance Ford examines John Bevere’s Under Cover teaching on honor, pastoral authority, accountability and the misuse of Old Testament leaders.

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Four years after Venue Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, collapsed into bankruptcy amid scandal and Tavner Smith's divorce, the former megachurch pastor is raising money for a new church in Georgia. roysreport.com/disgraced-te...

Disgraced pastor brushes off divorce, bankruptcy to start new church

Pastor Tavner Smith is raising money for a new church four years after his Chattanooga megachurch went bankrupt.

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Naghmeh Panahi spent years fearing her ex-husband, pastor Saeed Abedini, would abduct her own children & take them overseas. So when another woman's daughter was taken by that same man, Naghmeh knew exactly what was at stake & fought to bring the little girl home. roysreport.com/podcast/resc...

Rescuing Rachael: Naghmeh Panahi’s Fight Against Saeed Abedini

A 5-year-old girl abducted by her father, Saeed Abedini, has been returned to her mother in Turkey, thanks to the tireless efforts of Abedini’s ex-wife, Naghmeh Panahi.

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Greg Locke once claimed his church drew 3,000 people. Today, he says attendance is closer to 300. Former members say the decline didn't happen by accident. They describe why they left as Locke asks supporters for more money and faces a federal investigation. roysreport.com/greg-locke-a...

Greg Locke asks for funds, saying his church has shrunk by 90% | The Roys Report

Greg Locke's church has shrunk to a fraction of its size as members allege lies and financial misconduct and an FBI investigation unfolds.

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A Virginia youth pastor who posed as a 17-year-old boy online to sexually exploit a 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jacob Barnett pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a child. "The things I did were evil," he told the court. roysreport.com/former-virgi...

Former Virginia SBC youth pastor who lured young girls online sentenced to 20 years | The Roys Report

A Virginia youth pastor who posed as a teen boy online to sexually exploit a 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Marcus Owens, lead pastor of Prepared Church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, has been arrested on a sexual battery complaint involving a juvenile and is being held without bond. roysreport.com/oklahoma-pas...

Oklahoma pastor held without bond after sexual battery arrest | The Roys Report

Oklahoma pastor Marcus Owens is jailed without bond on a sexual battery complaint involving a child.

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A new investigation traces how Paul Jones — a church music minister at Tenth Presbyterian Church (PCA) accused in sworn testimony of abuse — left the U.S. and was hired to teach at the University of the Bahamas, with Wheaton President Phil Ryken among his references. roysreport.com/exclusive-ac...

Accused abuser listed Wheaton President Ryken as a reference

Wheaton President Phil Ryken gave a reference that helped a music minister accused of abuse land a new job teaching students in the Bahamas.

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Investigators say Walmart surveillance video corroborated a woman's claim that a Florida pastor used a cellphone hidden in a shopping basket to record beneath her skirt. PowerHouse Fellowship President Owen Thompson-Canzius has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge. roysreport.com/florida-past...

Florida pastor accused of filming ‘upskirt’ video at local Walmart | The Roys Report

A Florida pastor has been arrested on a felony video voyeurism charge after allegedly recording an upskirt video at Walmart.

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Christian Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping has been released from ICE custody after spending nine days in federal immigration detention despite having been granted asylum in the United States. roysreport.com/christian-at...

Christian attorney who defended China’s persecuted believers released from ICE custody | The Roys Report

Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping has been released from ICE custody after spending nine days in detention.

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A 78-year-old former Pentecostal bishop in North Carolina has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a boy about 30 years ago. James Watford will register as a sex offender for life. roysreport.com/former-pente...

Former Pentecostal bishop in N.C. pleads guilty to child sexual abuse in the 1990s | The Roys Report

A former NC Pentecostal bishop pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a boy three decades ago and will register as a sex offender for life.

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Weeks after the SBC voted on a constitutional amendment on complementarianism, the PCA voted to recognize the Danvers Statement as a biblically faithful declaration, reaffirming its position on the roles of men and women in church and home. roysreport.com/pca-adopts-d...

PCA adopts Danvers Statement endorsing complementarianism | The Roys Report

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) voted to recognize the Danvers Statement as a biblically faithful declaration on complementarianism.

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A popular Virginia pastor who preached at youth conferences and churches across the country has been fired after being charged with sending explicit images to a teenage boy. roysreport.com/virginia-chu...

Virginia church fires pastor accused of sending explicit texts to teen | The Roys Report

Crossroads Baptist Church fired Pastor Kenneth Kevin Baldwin after he was charged with sending explicit images to a teenage boy.

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A legal battle involving fmr Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson has ended. The remaining claims in a student's suit have been settled, closing a case that involved allegations of sexual abuse & Patterson's handling of the matter. roysreport.com/jane-roe-cas...

Jane Roe case against Paige Patterson dropped before trial | The Roys Report

The last remaining claims in a former student's lawsuit against Paige Patterson have been settled, closing a seven-year legal battle.

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Can theology become a tool for spiritual abuse? In this episode of The Restore Report, Lance Ford examines one of the most influential teachings on authority in modern evangelicalism: John Bevere's Under Cover. roysreport.com/podcast/unde...

Under Cover Exposed: When Submission Becomes Control

Lance Ford examines John Bevere’s Under Cover, testing its teaching on delegated authority, submission and Romans 13 against Jesus’ words.

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Christy Hemphill (cjhemphill4.bsky.social), a Wheaton College (@wheatoncollege.bsky.social) alum recently wrote a detailed critique of the Board of Trustees' letter addressing abuse allegations. roysreport.com/an-open-lett...

Open letter to Wheaton College: How not to apologize for covering up sexual abuse

A Wheaton alum explains why the Board of Trustees' letter responding to abuse allegations falls short of the transparency and accountability survivors deserve.

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Wheaton College keeps issuing statements defending how Pres. Ryken handled abuse allegations — describing apologies offered, victims supported, the right steps taken. But is that true? On this podcast, witnesses say the college's account falls apart under scrutiny. roysreport.com/podcast/eyew...

Eyewitnesses: Ryken is Misleading Public in Wheaton’s Statement

Eyewitnesses are accusing Wheaton College President Phil Ryken of misleading the public about his mishandling of two abusers in recent statements released by the college.

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Parents have sued Pawleys Island Community Church four times in five days, alleging leaders hired a confessed sex offender as a school custodian and hid his record. The sheriff says there's an "abundance of evidence" that leaders knowingly put children in harm's way. roysreport.com/parents-sue-...

Parents sue Southern Baptist church that hired sex offender as school custodian

Parents sued a South Carolina SBC church four times in five days, saying leaders hid that a sex offender worked at its school.

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Brian Doerksen, the Canadian songwriter behind "Refiner's Fire," "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship," and other modern worship classics, died at age 60. roysreport.com/brian-doerks...

Brian Doerksen, songwriter behind ‘Come, Now Is the Time to Worship,’ dies at 60 | The Roys Report

Brian Doerksen, whose worship songs have been sung in churches around the world for decades, died at age 60 after battling cancer.

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A Texas judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Second Baptist Church of Houston members who accused leaders of rigging bylaws to install Ed Young's son as senior pastor. The judge ruled courts can't referee internal church governance. roysreport.com/lawsuit-agai...

Lawsuit against Second Baptist Houston tossed out | The Roys Report

A Texas judge dismissed a lawsuit by Second Baptist Houston members who accused leaders of rigging bylaws to make Ed Young's son pastor.

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A Virginia Baptist pastor and frequent youth conference speaker has been charged in Pennsylvania with sending explicit images of himself to a teenage boy. Dr. Kenny Baldwin, faces 13 counts, including unlawful contact with a minor. roysreport.com/virginia-pas...

Virginia pastor charged for sending explicit images to teen | The Roys Report

A Virginia Baptist pastor and conference speaker faces 13 charges in Pennsylvania for sending explicit images of himself to a teenage boy.

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The wife & son of a Mississippi Baptist pastor have been arrested after investigators say a girl living with the family became pregnant at 13. The pastor's son faces charges including rape & trafficking. His mother is accused of child neglect & tampering w/ evidence. roysreport.com/pastors-wife...

Pastor’s wife, son arrested on sex crime charges after teen gets pregnant | The Roys Report

The wife and son of a Mississippi Baptist pastor face felony charges after a 14-year-old girl living with the family became pregnant.

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The Salvation Army has settled a lawsuit with a woman who says the ministry allowed a music director to abuse her, starting when she was 14. The organization countersued her mother before dropping that claim. Her mother has now filed her own suit, alleging retaliation. roysreport.com/abuse-lawsui...

Abuse lawsuit against Salvation Army settled, but victim’s mother files new suit alleging retaliation | The Roys Report

The Salvation Army settled with a woman abused as a teen. Her mother, first countersued by the ministry, now sues for retaliation.

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For years, Liberty University defended the Falwells. Now the school is in court arguing that former president Jerry Falwell Jr. violated his fiduciary duty when he handed his son a 15-year contract — one that promised salary and benefits through 2030. roysreport.com/liberty-univ...

Liberty University tells court Falwell’s contract was ludicrous

Liberty University says the contract Jerry Falwell Jr. gave his son was never valid, calling the father-son deal a breach of fiduciary duty.

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A year after floods killed more than 130 people in the Texas Hill Country, another flood struck the same region this month. First responders who lived through both say they're leaning on prayer, therapy and each other to get through it. roysreport.com/after-anothe...

After another Texas flood, faith helps first responders endure

A second Texas Hill Country flood in 12 months has reopened last year's wounds, as first responders lean on prayer and each other to cope.

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