“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”― Elie Wiesel

In my last post on Pressler, Part 1 (1967-1979), Paul Pressler Sought Power Over the SBC as well as His Abuse Victims, But Was He a Christian? #ThisIstheSBC, I discussed that many SBC Christian leaders knew of the rumors surrounding Paul Pressler and his perverse proclivities. At this point, a Presbyterian church knew there was a problem, and they got rid of him. Oddly enough, he was still loosely affiliated with the SBC and quickly jumped into (SBC) First Baptist Church, Houston, where he would serve as a deacon.

Political, judicial, and quasi-Christian/political career

From Wikipedia:

• On January 8, 1957, he became Texas State Representative for Harris County, until January 13, 1959.^[2] (He was 27 years old.)
• In 1970, he became judge of the 133rd Judicial District in Harris County, until 1978.^[2]
• After retiring from the becnh, he became a partner with Jared Woodfill in Woodfill and Pressler where he supposedly parcticed law. (I will explain that later.)
• In 1988, he became president of the Council for National Policy, until 1990.^[2]

He was both a politician and a judge. For many people, that means he was influential. But what was this Council of National Policy?

The Council for National Policy (CNP) is an umbrella organization and networking group for conservativeand Republican activists in the United States. It was launched in 1981 during the Reagan administration by Tim LaHaye and the Christian right, to “bring more focus and force to conservative advocacy”.^[1][2][3] The membership list for September 2020 was later leaked, showing that members included prominent Republicans and conservatives, wealthy entrepreneurs, and media proprietors, together with anti-abortionand anti-Islamic extremists. Members are instructed not to reveal their membership or even name the group.^[4]

The CNP has been described by The New York Times as “a little-known club of a few hundred of the most powerful conservatives in the country”, who meet three times yearly behind closed doors at undisclosed locations for a confidential conference.^[5] The Nation has called it a secretive organization that “networks wealthy right-wing donors together with top conservative operatives to plan long-term movement strategy”.^[6] The organization has been described by Anne Nelson as a “pluto-theocracy” (plutocracy/theocracy).^[7]

Pressler had his fingers in all the right pies to be considered a “success.” He was even a member of the secretive Council of National Policy, whose membership was finally leaked in 2022.

Did Paul Pressler come from money? Yes!

It is alleged that Pressler had money and that he “came from money.” I found this 2008 article illuminating on that front. Elsie Pressler, helped found River Oaks Baptist, dies at 102. She was Pressler’s mother.

She helped found River Oaks Baptist Church in 1949 and remained a member until her death.

Pressler was president of the Harris County Heritage Society from 1963-65, a period when several homes dating from Houston’s early days were installed in Sam Houston Park downtown.

As a child, she attended school with Howard Hughes, the future airplane designer, filmmaker and reclusive billionaire. Quoted in the Houston Chronicle in 2005, she recalled that the Hughes family chauffeur drove her and Howard to school every morning when they lived in the Montrose area.

The trajectory of his ministry career

Again from Wikipedia

In 1967, Pressler and Paige Patterson met in New Orleans to plan a political strategy to elect conservative convention presidents and in turn members of Southern Baptist Convention boards.^[4]

In 1978, Pressler along with W. A. Criswell, Adrian Rogers and Paige Patterson, met with a group of determined pastors and laymen at a hotel near the Atlanta airport to launch the resurgence.^[5] The Atlanta group determined to elect Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, as the first Conservative Resurgence president of the convention.

In 1984, he was nominated on the SBC Executive Committee until 1991 and on the International Mission Board in 1992 until 2000.^[2]

In 2002, he was deacon at First Baptist Church of Houston and was nominated SBC first vice-president.

Here is what Joe Carter wrote at TGC.

Pressler is a figure of considerable influence and controversy within the SBC. He’s best known for his pivotal role in the “conservative resurgence.” This movement, which gained momentum in 1979, aimed to steer the SBC back to a more conservative theological and ideological stance, particularly concerning the issue of biblical inerrancy. Pressler’s efforts, often in collaboration with other leading figures like Paige Patterson, led to a significant shift in the SBC’s leadership and direction. This shift had far-reaching effects on the Southern Baptists’ policies, educational institutions, and overall approach to ministry and evangelism.

Pressler served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church of Houston. He also served on the SBC Executive Committee (1984–91), the International Mission Board (1992–2000), and the Baptist World Alliance’s General Council.

In 2002, he was elected as first vice president of the SBC, a largely honorary role that supports the office of the president.

The recap of Pressler’s credentials probably caused concern among those who wanted to confront him about his proclivities.

• Came from a well-to-do family
• Was a politician
• Was a judge
• Was a “practicing” lawyer
• Was connected to the Christian political set
• Was a deacon at First Baptist Church
• Was close to all of the men behind the Conservative Resurgence

In other words, leaders and pastors in the SBC who knew better feared him.

1989! When the government got it right, even though the Baptist leaders were cowering in their jammies.

In 1989, something happened that would have caused all faithful Baptists to sit up and take notice. This was so devastating that Pressler never returned to the bench. George H. Bush chose Pressler to lead the Office of Government Ethics. After all, Pressler had served on the SBC Executive Committee and presumably knew something about ethics. Except his ” behind-the-scenes” activities presumably came to light. After all, the withdrawal of his name had nothing to do with financial or criminal improprieties. So what did it involve?

The Washington Post (in 1989) wrote ‘ETHICS PROBLEMS’ DERAIL BUSH CHOICE TO HEAD OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS.

A background investigation has found evidence of “ethics problems” involving President Bush’s choice to head the Office of Government Ethics and he now is out of the running for the post, senior officials said yesterday. Paul Pressler of Houston, a national leader of the fundamentalist movement within the Southern Baptist Convention and a Texas civil court judge, was the administration’s candidate to head the office. His name was sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in July for the routine background check on candidates in advance of formal nomination. Officials would not detail the FBI findings except to say they did not involve allegations of crimes or financial improprieties. A senior official said, “Information was uncovered that we felt was disqualifying.”

Pressler could not be reached for comment, and White House officials offered conflicting accounts of whether or not he has withdrawn from consideration.

Notice the above. Pressler wasn’t talking, and the White House appeared to be adopting the phrase “Pressler, who?” To top it off, Pressler was considered rather nasty in other areas.

In speeches across the country, Pressler accused Baptist institutions and leaders of heresy, and he was referred to as the “chief political architect of the fundamentalist campaign” within the church. He gained some notoriety when he was accused of secretly taping telephone conversations in furtherance of the campaign in the church. One administration official insisted that Pressler was “going south” before the FBI background probe was concluded because administration officials had determined that the bitterness engendered by Pressler’s role in his church would buy Bush more animosity than the goodwill he would gain in naming an evangelical to a top job.

They found an excuse. He was just too bitter! Wink, wink, nudge, nudge…

Pressler was not the “right” person when it came to ethics.

In a July 1988 campaign speech, he pledged to appoint a “senior counselor to the president” in the White House who will enforce ethics rules. In addition, Bush said he would “enhance the powers and prestige” of the Office of Government Ethics. An official said that Pressler’s withdrawal is “a sign our system is working, not the opposite. We are looking for the right person for the job, and he was not the right person.”

Pressler never returned to a public/governmental position. Instead, he would practice “law” in a peculiar arrangement with Jared Woodfill. More on that in the next time or two.

1989: This is when the story of Pressler and the SBC should have ended. It didn’t, and the SBC leadership is to blame from this point on.

1978: Pressler was ousted from his job as a youth pastor at a Presbyterian church. It appears Pressler turned to the SBC and joined First Baptist Church, Houston, where he would serve as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. TWW readers know what happens when a sexual abuser is sent off to another church. He will molest unless he has received help and prolonged therapy. It appears this didn’t happen.

Ten years later, Pressler is denied his position as head of the Office of Ethics. Did anyone question why this happened? Next time, we will discuss what happened at First Baptist Houston. I believe SBC leadership should have known something was up from this point. They will still ignore what will happen next. So, were the leaders stupid, ill-informed, not interested in victims, fearful, protective if the institution, or even complicit? I think we will see shades of all these as I go along. #ThisIsTheSBC