John Martin was the head pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church, a conservative anti-gay church. He confessed an “affair” to his wife, which is an odd way of describing child molestation. He then admitted it to the church and church leaders went to the police.
“The Lighthouse Baptist Church in Florence is an extremely socially conservative church, according to its website, that encourages men to “dress in shirts and ties, while our ladies wear modest skirts and dresses.”
Among its core beliefs, the church believes that “God disapproves of and forbids divorce,” and it maintains a radical pro-life position. “We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest…or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable.”
The church has also a very negative view of same-sex relationships.“
New York Daily News
July 3, 2019
- New York Daily News: Anti-gay pastor in Alabama arrested and accused of sexually molesting young boys
- WHTV: Former Florence pastor sentenced to six years behind bars
The Selma Times-Journal
Selma, Alabama · Wednesday, July 03, 2019