Megachurch Pastor (and Trump Ally) Sentenced to Jail (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #604)

— An appeals court has vacated a ruling saying Ten Commandments posters in Louisiana schools are unconstitutional. (1:26)

— Oklahoma has already started erasing Ryan Walters’ disastrous legacy. (14:14)

— The Christian Right tried to make a late-night talk show—and it bombed spectacularly. (36:09)

— Trump’s NSPM-7 memo casts critics of Christianity as enemies of the state. (1:05:19)

— Megachurch founder and Trump ally Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse. (1:20:00)

— Faith, fear, and forced labor: The Kingdom of God Global Church scandal. (1:39:12)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/10/09/megachurch-pastor-and-trump-ally-sentenced-to-jail/

Donald Trump's CHRISTIAN FAITH ADVISOR Convicted of Molesting 12-Year-Old girl

Jesse talks about the troubling number of men in Donald Trump's orbit who are guilty of raping and abusing young kids. Robert Morris, the founder of Texas' Gateway Church, whom Trump named as his faith advisor, pleaded guilty to five felony counts of lewd acts with a child.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYDGpDkRqIM

 

Black Mass Backlash in Kansas (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #575)

— Lawmakers & Catholic leaders flip out over Satanic “Black Mass” at Kansas Capitol. (1:20)

— Quincy’s $850,000 statue scandal: Mayor pushes Catholic icons at public safety HQ. (38:39)

— Megachurch founder Robert Morris indicted on charges of “lewd acts” with a child. (49:25)

— Peter Popoff’s “Miracle Spring Water” scam costs religious TV network £150,000. (1:08:48)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/03/20/black-mass-backlash-in-kansas/

SPECIAL EPISODE: Trump Spiritual Adviser Robert Morris Indicted for Molesting a Minor (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

In this special episode of Straight White American Jesus’ Brad and Dan delve into the recent indictment of Robert Morris, a former evangelical leader and advisor to Donald Trump. They discuss the intersection of patriarchy, purity culture, and the disturbing allegations against Morris, reflecting on previous coverage and interviews related to the case.

Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/special-episode-trump-spiritual-adviser-robert-morris-indicted-for-molesting-a-minor/

Ex-Trump spiritual adviser surrenders on child sexual abuse charges | US news | The Guardian

Robert Preston Morris, 63, turned himself over to officials in Osage county, where he was charged on Thursday with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, Phil Bacharach, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma attorney general's office, told the Associated Press...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/robert-morris-trump-surrenders-child-sexual-abuse-charges 

 

Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris indicted on charges of lewd acts with a child

Morris resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake last year after admitting "inappropriate sexual behavior" in the 1980s…

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-megachurch-founder-robert-morris-indicted-charges-lewd-acts-chil-rcna161100

Weekly Roundup: 10 Commandments in Classrooms, Another Megachurch Sex Abuse Scandal, and the Trump Revenge Train (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad Onishi and Dan Miller delve into several critical issues in this week’s Straight White American Jesus Weekly Roundup. 

They start with a vigorous discussion on the constitutionality of Louisiana’s new law mandating the Ten Commandments in classrooms, highlighting the religious and historical contradictions in the proponents’ arguments. They move on to address the disturbing allegations against Robert Morris, former pastor of Gateway Church, scrutinizing the broader systemic issues within Christian evangelical circles. 

Finally, they examine recent incendiary comments by Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, exposing plans for revenge and grievance should Trump secure a second term. 

The episode concludes by reflecting on the broader implications of these events on the American socio-political landscape.

Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-10-commandments-in-classrooms-another-megachurch-sex-abuse-scandal-and-the-trump-revenge-train/

Deposition transcript lays bare the GOP impeachment spin effort - The Washington Post

Sure, the relationship is unusual, but Morris's full, non-cherry-picked testimony at least offers a rationale for it. But he was deposed and his testimony was reshaped and molded by Comer to seem damaging because Comer and House Republicans are in the habit of doing that with everyone to whom they speak. Morris checked the "Hunter" and "money" boxes, and so, despite what he said, he became a vehicle for talking about "Hunter" and "money" in nefarious terms. And, despite the utter lack of any obvious connection to the president, he somehow became evidence of Joe Biden's wrongdoing, too. 

This is how these investigations have worked from the very beginning...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/24/hunter-biden-kevin-morris-impeachment-inquiry/

White House accuses the GOP’s James Comer of ‘blatantly lying’

It comes against a backdrop of the Kentucky Republican making promises he couldn't keep, holding hearings that undermined his own partisan efforts, releasing ostensible "evidence" filled with factual errors, drawing the ire of his own GOP colleagues, and failing spectacularly to find any credible evidence against his intended target. 

But perhaps most important of all is appreciating Comer's motivations. The more the Oversight Committee chairman plays fast and loose with the truth, the more we're reminded that his impeachment crusade has failed to such an extent that he feels it's necessary to play fast and loose with the truth...

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/white-house-accuses-gops-james-comer-blatantly-lying-rcna135021

Hunter Biden lawyer Kevin Morris said Republicans misrepresented his own testimony with ‘elementary school quality’ | CNN Politics

"For the life of me I cannot figure out what we are doing here" Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told reporters about the ongoing interview. "This lawyer has nothing to do with any foreign government or any foreign state. He's not working for the US government. He's not channeling foreign funds, which is what I thought all of this was about."…

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/19/politics/kevin-morris-republicans-response/index.html

Newsmax Host Dick Morris Claims Critical Race Theory Will Cause Kids to ‘Marry Their Mother’

… The Dick Morris Democracy host then went on to falsely insist that CRT is "based on the fundamental proposition that all white people are racist" and is akin to "original sin."…
https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsmax-host-dick-morris-claims-critical-race-theory-will-cause-kids-to-marry-their-mother