Baptist Pastor Under Scrutiny

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Aug 14, 2:51 PM EDT
Baptist Pastor Under Scrutiny

By ROSE FRENCH
Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Sutton, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor who lost a bid to become president of the denomination, is now facing an upheaval in the megachurch he leads, including complaints that he spent church money on his daughter's wedding.

For nearly 21 years, Sutton has served as leader of Nashville's Two Rivers Baptist Church, which sits just across the highway from the Grand Ole Opry. The church hosted the "Justice Sunday II" rally in 2005, where then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and others criticized judicial activism via satellite to a national audience of evangelical Christians.

But now, some Two Rivers members are accusing Sutton of failing to abide by church rules and punishing those who question his authority.
(snip)

One of Sutton's former administrative assistants has also said Sutton looked at pornography on his church computer and had an affair with a church staff member - charges that the church denies. The church's executive pastor, Scott Hutchings, said human resource officials at the church investigated those charges and found no evidence that Sutton had looked at porn or had an affair.




Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BAPTIST_PASTOR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-14-14-51-35

[Judi Lynn]

1. Jerry Sutton publicly denied Pat Robertson advocated assassination of Hugo Chavez.

Fri, Aug 26, 2005 7:28pm ET

On Hardball, Rev. Jerry Sutton denied Robertson said "assassinate," even after Matthews corrected him
On the August 25 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, Rev. Jerry Sutton denied that Pat Robertson advocated assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and questioned whether Robertson even used the word "assassinate." Robertson, however, did say "assassinate," for which he apologized in an August 24 press release (after denying during a 700 Club appearance earlier that day that he had used the word). But even after host Chris Matthews corrected him, Sutton continued to spin Robertson's comments on Chavez, claiming he advocated "tak him out" but not assassinating him.

More:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200508260010

[gratuitous]

2. Meddling in politics is okay . . .

But don't misspend church money or look at women's naughty bits (I'm assuming it's women).

[tanyev]

7. More like don't get caught spending church money or looking at naughty bits.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Religious politics

and infighting is like that at a big corporation- because that is what a lot of these megachurches really are. So the grab is for money and power.

[sarcasmo]

5. Doesn't the church for the most part, operate like a Corporation?

Kick and Nom.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. depends on the church

some do, some don't.

[dbackjon]

4. The world would be a much better place if Two Rivers Church

And all of its members "Raptured". Of course, with the hatred and venom that flows from that pathetic excuse of a church, the only place they will be rapturing to is very hot...

As a former Nashvillian, I can say that Two Rivers is a waste of good oxygen.

[Ilsa]

8. This is one of the places where Tom DeLay swore that the separation

between church and state is a myth, isn't it? I hate that. Just because the words don't specifically appear in the Constitution, they say it isn't true. Scalia, too, from what I've read.

[roguevalley]

9. Ha! Most mysterious, the ways of God. :-D