pastor

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Cops: For Years, Girl's Killer Acted Like 'Friend' of the Family

Former pastor David Zandstra charged with 1975 killing of another pastor's daughter

(Newser) - A former Pennsylvania pastor who reported the disappearance of a neighboring pastor's daughter when she failed to turn up at summer Bible camp in 1975 has admitted to murdering the girl who refused to remove her clothing for him. Eight-year-old Gretchen Harrington had set out from her home on...

Feds Nab Pastor, Son in Alleged $8.4M COVID Scam

Evan and Josh Edwards accused of setting up fake ministry, trying to buy posh home near Disney

(Newser) - In early July, NBC News filed a report about a Florida pastor and his family, accused by federal prosecutors in late 2020 court papers of pulling off a big-bucks COVID relief scam. "Why haven't they been charged?" the news outlet asked regarding the "curious" case. That question...

FBI: Ohio Pastor Proclaimed Hallelujah at Capitol Riot
Pastor Charged
in Capitol Attack

Pastor Charged in Capitol Attack

FBI: William Dunfee proclaimed Hallelujah on Jan. 6

(Newser) - FBI agents on Wednesday arrested a church pastor from Ohio who was filmed telling rioters to "rise up" during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. William Dunfee, 57, faces felony charges of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, in addition to obstruction of an...

Black Pastor Plans Suit After Arrest While Watering Flowers

Michael Jennings said he was taking care of neighbor's Ala. home when cops showed up

(Newser) - A Black pastor is ramping up for a lawsuit after he says Alabama police wrongfully arrested him outside his home in Childersburg while he was watering his neighbor's flowers. NBC News reports on footage released this week by lawyers for Michael Jennings that shows his May 22 arrest, "...

Pastor's Sermon Goes Viral for Eyebrow-Raising Guilt Trip

Carlton Funderburke berated congregation for not buying him Movado watch, among other items

(Newser) - It's not surprising to occasionally feel guilty in church. But one Missouri pastor's recent sermon has gone viral after he dressed down his congregants and told them he was "disgusted" with them for not buying luxury items for him. NBC News reports that the sermon delivered by...

For This Megachurch, a 'Swift and Stunning Decline'

In just a few weeks, more than half of Hillsong's US churches shutter

(Newser) - Just two weeks ago, Hillsong Church—the popular Sydney-based megachurch that has counted Justin Bieber, Bono, actor Chris Pratt, and the NBA's Kevin Durant among its devotees —had 16 campuses spread across the US from coast to coast. Now, in a plotline that seems lifted from The Righteous ...

Priest Resigns After 20-Year-Long Semantics Error

Rev. Andres Arango of Phoenix used the word 'we' instead of 'I' in baptisms, rendering all invalid

(Newser) - If you or any of your children have been baptized in San Diego, Arizona, or Brazil over the past two decades, you might want to check who the presiding pastor was at that purification ceremony. That's because the Rev. Andres Arango, a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix, has...

Police: Pastor, Wife Locked 8 Disabled People in Basement

Other pastors speak up for suspect who says he was operating a ministry

(Newser) - Curtis Keith Bankston and Sophia Simm-Bankston say they were operating a ministry to help people in need in their rented Georgia house. Griffith police say they found eight people locked in the basement, "essentially imprisoned against their will," NBC News reports. All of them are mentally or physically...

Pastor Warns Things 'Might Get Nasty.' They Did
Pastor Warns
Things 'Might
Get Nasty.'
They Did
in case you missed it

Pastor Warns Things 'Might Get Nasty.' They Did

Michael Todd of Tulsa's Transformation Church under fire for rubbing spit on man during sermon

(Newser) - "One touch from God can bring clear vision" reads the caption accompanying the most recent upload from an Oklahoma church, showing "a very special Sunday" service that definitely got people buzzing about not God's touch, but its pastor's. The Tulsa World notes that thousands of people...

Hero Pastor Tackles, Disarms Gunman

Suspect waved firearm at Nashville congregation

(Newser) - A pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, says he was acting as God's instrument when he tackled and disarmed a man who had been waving a gun at his congregation. Police say the heroic actions of pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana and other members of the Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church "saved...

Pastor: Wear a Mask, and 'I Will Ask You to Leave'

Tennessee church has opposed vaccinations throughout the pandemic

(Newser) - Pastor Greg Locke has told his congregation that coronavirus restrictions have no place in his church. His stand, announced Sunday, apparently was sparked by federal health officials' reconsideration of mask recommendations and mandates as coronavirus cases jump. "If they go through round two and you start showing up (with)...

Pastor Allegedly Killed by His Threesome Partners

That would be his wife and her/their lover, according to police

(Newser) - "I love you so much, David!!!!" Kristie Dawnelle Evans wrote of her husband and "best friend" in a March 20 Facebook post. A day later, David Evans was shot in the head in the middle of the night as he lay in bed, per KFOR . His wife...

Pastor Admits He Wrote Scathing Email to Journalist

Rev. Dave Muns says he 'just caved,' but Sarah Jeong isn't accepting his apology

(Newser) - A Michigan pastor admits he crossed the line by unloading on a journalist from his church email account, the Detroit Metro Times reports. "How about if we took all the little bitter Asian woman and had a lottery and cut their [explicit] like the Muslims do," Rev. Dave...

Pastor Sorry for 'Horrible Choice of Words' on Slavery

Megachurch pastor Louie Giglio caused uproar by calling it a 'blessing'

(Newser) - Megachurch pastor Louie Giglio has apologized for what he calls a "horrible choice of words" during a church event Sunday. The Atlanta pastor with the Passion City Church described slavery as a "blessing" in a recorded conversation with Christian rapper Lecrae and Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, NBC News...

Cops on Defiant Pastor: He 'Has Chosen to Embarrass Us'

Tony Spell continues to hold church services in Louisiana despite virus mandate against gatherings

(Newser) - The Rev. Tony Spell said he would keep holding church services during the coronavirus pandemic until he was forced to stop. Tuesday evening found the Louisiana pastor once again preaching to congregants at Central City's Life Tabernacle Church, despite Spell being hit with six misdemeanor charges earlier that day...

Pastor Rallies Hundreds, Claims COVID-19 Is 'Political'

The Rev. Tony Spell of Louisiana intends to continue services until forced to stop

(Newser) - Louisiana had already banned gatherings of more than 50 people before Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a statewide order against groups of more than 10 on Sunday. But the first order didn't stop a pastor from herding a claimed 1,000 people into his church week after week, and...

Christian Who Wrote Anti-Dating Book: 'I Am Not a Christian'

Joshua Harris getting divorced, apologizing to LGBT community, saying dating actually is OK

(Newser) - More than 20 years ago, he wrote a popular Christian guide to relationships that said dating—including holding hands, kissing, and couples spending time alone together—was bad and a "training ground" for divorce. Now, after pointing out the "flaws" more than a year ago in his I ...

Detective-Pastor: We Must Arrest, Kill All Gay People
Detective-Pastor: We Must
Arrest, Kill All Gay People
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Detective-Pastor: We Must Arrest, Kill All Gay People

DA in Tennessee is now reviewing all pending cases involving Grayson Fritts

(Newser) - The pastor of a small Baptist church in Tennessee delivered a sermon earlier this month that likely would have made headlines under any circumstances. Grayson Fritts told his congregation that police should arrest gay people ("freaks" and "animals") so they can be tried and executed, reports the...

Anti-LGBT Pastor Resigns Amid Prostitute Allegations

Donnie Romero, who called Pulse Orlando victims 'scum,' allegedly paid for sex, used drugs

(Newser) - The website for Fort Worth's Stedfast Baptist Church describes it as an "old-fashioned" institution that goes in "hard against sin" and "stands for the old paths and zero compromise preaching." Its notorious founder, however, who railed against the Pulse nightclub victims as "perverts" and...

Returned US Pastor Quips About 'Absentee Ballot'

'You really fought for us,' Andrew Brunson tells Trump

(Newser) - President Trump welcomed American pastor Andrew Brunson to the Oval Office on Saturday, celebrating his release from nearly two years of confinement in Turkey that had sparked a diplomatic row with a key ally and outcry from US evangelical groups, the AP reports. Brunson, who returned to the United States...

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