ORU Settles Lawsuit

Mart Green, Billy Wilson, and the Oral Roberts University Board reached a settlement Wednesday with two former professors who sued last year, claiming they were forced out after uncovering financial and ethical wrongdoing by the school's former president and family.

The confidential settlement with Tim and Paulita Brooker came at the end of a court-ordered mediation session and helps bring to a close the scandal that engulfed the evangelical school, founded in the 1960's by televangelist Oral Roberts, and led to the resignation of his son, Richard, as president.

The Brookers also had named the Robertses, former school regents and officials in the October 2007 wrongful termination lawsuit.

In January, the school settled out of court with professor John Swails, who brought the lawsuit along with the Brookers. That confidential agreement resulted in Swails' reinstatement at ORU.

In a statement read by his attorney, Richard Roberts said: "The university decided to settle the lawsuit with the Brookers, and I support the university. I cannot comment any further at this time."

Gary Richardson, an attorney for the Brookers, said, "I'm happy to see the Brookers be able to put this behind them so they can go on with their lives, and of course I'm happy to see it as well for the university."

The school's $50 million-plus debt has since been whittled to nearly $17.3 million, thanks to a $70 million donation from billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green who now serves as Chairman of the Board along with Billy Wilson.

Pastor Sues Denmination for Slander

A pastor who says he was defamed in a scandal involving allegations of "phantom churches" in the Rio Grande Valley has sued the Baptist General Convention of Texas for libel and slander.

The lawsuit by Pastor Otto Arango seeks damages for lost earnings and "past and future mental anguish." Arango's lawsuit also named the Baptist Standard, a Dallas-based newspaper that covers Texas Baptist life.

The Baptist group's executive director, Randel Everett, said the suit was "totally without merit," in Thursday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News.

Arango said he was defamed during an independent investigation requested by the state's largest Baptist group. The investigation sought to confirm whether three pastors actually started 258 new Rio Grande Valley churches, which received about $1.3 million from the denomination. Of those, the investigation concluded that only five to 10 churches exist.

The report cited lax oversight on the part of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. No charges were filed.

Arango's attorney said the Baptist organization spread rumors about the pastor that have made it hard for him to continue working with churches in Texas and across Latin America.

"Our position is those are false, malicious allegations that have hurt him in his trade, especially being a man of the cloth," attorney Carlos Hernandez said.

Marv Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard, said he would not comment on the suit, based on advice from the newspaper's attorney.

[Associated Press]

Passengers Say Victoria Osteen is NOT Guilty

Passengers and a pilot testified Wednesday they never saw or heard anything that indicated the wife of renowned pastor Joel Osteen assaulted a flight attendant before the start of a 2005 flight.

Flight attendant, Sharon Brown, is suing Victoria Osteen, claiming the co-pastor of Houston's famed Lakewood Church became verbally and physically abusive before the start of a flight from Houston to Vail, Colo.

The flight attendant claims she suffered physical and psychological injuries after Victoria Osteen got angry that a spill on the armrest of her first-class seat was not cleaned up. Brown says Osteen got so upset, she threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast while attempting to rush into the cockpit.

But three passengers on the plane, one of them called to the witness stand by Brown's attorney, testified Wednesday they were sitting in the first-class section but never heard or saw anything that would have led them to believe Victoria Osteen assaulted the flight attendant.

"There wasn't anything that occurred that she could be suing over," said Laura Knoppe, who was sitting in the first row of first-class seats, closest to where the alleged attack took place.

Knoppe, who was called by Victoria Osteen's attorney, Rusty Hardin, told jurors she never heard Osteen yelling or screaming. She also testified that she had a good view of the bathroom door that Brown claims Victoria Osteen threw her against.

"Did that happen?" Hardin asked

"No," Knoppe responded.

Another passenger, Barbara Shedden, who had been called by Brown's attorney, described the interaction that Brown and Victoria Osteen had on the plane as "just a power of the wills. It was very authoritative on both parts."

A third passenger, James Steele, testified he never heard any yelling or sounds of a physical altercation.

William Burnett, the captain on the flight, told jurors, "There was nobody fighting the flight attendants."

"You had a duty as the captain of this plane to call the police and you didn't do it?" McKamie said. "I didn't see a threat," Burnett said.

Both Victoria Osteen and Joel Osteen, who was on the same flight, testified last week that no attack took place.

Brown wants to be compensated for "anxiety, sleeplessness and public humiliation." She also wants an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen's net worth.

The Osteens are co-pastors of Houston's Lakewood Church, which draws about 42,000 people each week for services. Joel Osteen's weekly television address is broadcast in the U.S. and internationally and his books are sold around the globe.

U.S. Senator Sues God

Nebraska Sen. Ernie Chambers (I-Omaha), an atheist, is moving forward on a controversial lawsuit he filed last year against God for creating "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects and the like." The senator also blames God for causing "calamitous catastrophes resulting in the wide-spread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon million of the Earth's inhabitants including innocent babies, infants, children, the aged and infirm without mercy or distinction."

When the court told Chambers the lawsuit would be thrown out if he was unable to serve notice to his Creator, he argued he had attempted to contact God on multiple occasions, but that he should not be required to verify God's existence when the U.S. government acknowledges God by printing "In God We Trust" on its currency.

The purpose of Chamber's grievances was to call attention to "frivolous" lawsuits after several senators authored bills barring them. Chambers maintains that the Constitution mandates open courthouse doors to everyone — even those who seek to sue the Almighty.

[www.WorldNetDaily.com]

Flight Attendant Sues Joel Osteen's Wife

A jury was seated Wednesday in a lawsuit alleging the wife of nationally known pastor Joel Osteen assaulted a flight attendant.

Opening statements were set for Thursday in a case Victoria Osteen's lawyer called "silly." But Reginald McKamie, attorney for Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown, said he hopes the trial will show "that celebrity status doesn't take precedence."

Brown accuses Victoria Osteen of assaulting her before the start of a 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo. Brown alleges Victoria Osteen threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast during an angry outburst over a stain on her first-class seat.

Joel Osteen was at his wife's side Wednesday in court. McKamie said he expected to call the couple as witnesses.

Will the public or the jury hold Victoria Osteen to a higher standard because she is a pastor's wife? Do people have an unrealistic expectation of clergy? Is it open season on clergy and their families?

Joel Osteen pastors Lakewood Church in Houston where about 42,000 people attend each week and where Victoria Osteen is co-pastor. His weekly television address is broadcast nationally and internationally.

Some potential jurors during questioning admitted to being star-struck by the Osteens and that their respect for them might affect their judgment.

"He has gotten me through a lot of tough times. I would believe what he has to say. I have a lot of respect for him," one female in the jury pool said.

Other potential jurors said they didn't like preachers or televangelists and that ministers can lie.

Is the flight attendant using this incident to go after deep pockets? Does she have a bias against clergy?

Brown wants an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen's net worth as part of her suit.

Victoria Osteen's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said before jury selection began Wednesday that Brown's claims are false and that what happened was a "minor incident." Hardin also asked a judge to throw out an FAA report detailing the alleged incident, saying the agency's investigation was "incredibly incomplete."

"This is a very silly case," Hardin told reporters.

According to court documents, Brown claims that she suffers from anxiety and hemorrhoids because of the incident and said her faith was affected. She is also suing Osteen for medical expenses for counseling.

EXTRA: Did you know that Brown has previously claimed she was attacked in another incident by an airport employee, according to a deposition she gave in the case? Does this effect your feelings about this case?

Click "comments" below.

Church Hopes For Healing Following Law Suit

It's not clear if a recent vote by members of a prominent Nashville-area Southern Baptist church will end a controversy over the pastor's leadership style.

Last summer, 71 members of Two Rivers Baptist Church began raising concerns over alleged mishandling of church finance by senior pastor Jerry Sutton and other church leaders. A church trustee, who was part of the "dissident group," as it was called, was removed from membership. The group sought access to financial records, such as air travel, personal expenses that were allegedly paid for with church credit cards, and other information. In September, a lawsuit was filed against the church, seeking access to the financial records, along with the removal of Sutton and other directors and officers in the church. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Pastor Sutton received a vote of confidence by the congregation. And early this year, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying she did not have jurisdiction in the case.

This month, during a hastily called business meeting, the church voted to remove the 71 dissident members from the congregation's rolls. Larry Crain, an attorney for the church, says the main issue was never financial records. In fact, he says thousands of pages of financial records were made available. The attorney believes the root cause of the dispute stems from a decision by Two Rivers last year to go to a contemporary worship service while also offering a traditional service. "It was a service called the 'eleVen:01' service that offered a different style of worship," Crain explains. "The music was more contemporary -- and virtually every one of the members who filed this lawsuit was upset [about that decision]. All of these were members who had attended the church over a number of years and felt that this change in the service, this going to a contemporary style of worship, was a wrong move."

But a spokesman for the plaintiffs sees things differently. Dennis Shipp, who has been a Two Rivers member since the early 1980s, says legal action was the only way to uncover the truth about the alleged financial improprieties. Shipp says the biblical admonition against believers taking each other to court is taken out of context by the other side. "That's what they keep using against us -- but First Peter also says that you obey the governor of your country, or whatever," he shares. "You can't just take one scripture out of the Bible and use that; that's not right." Continuing, Shipp says, "I think God's told us to stand up. Every time we've needed money for the lawsuit, and say we ask for a thousand dollars, we get two thousand dollars. You think God's not in that? People have given about $50,000 so far, and have no regrets about it." Shipp, who still considers himself a member of Two Rivers, believes there is only one way for Pastor Sutton to settle the matter. "I don't think the issue is going to be over until he steps down -- I really don't," he states. "Because I think he has lied from our pulpit time and time again, and that's just not what a pastor's supposed to do. He's supposed to be above reproach. And if he's violated one of the Ten Commandments, I think he needs to step down."

Two Rivers is one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in Nashville, which is also home to the denomination's headquarters. In fact, a number of high-profile Southern Baptist officials are members of the church.

As for church leaders, attorney Larry Crain says they can now put behind them what he says has been a major distraction. "This is an exciting time for the church," says the attorney. "They're now in a position, having put this behind them, to move forward and do what they were called to do." And there are signs that may be happening. In a letter dated May 12 and posted on the church's website, Pastor Sutton said his church would accept the 71 members back who were recently ousted. In the letter, Sutton said the dissidents must agree not to sue the church anymore, admit their behavior was wrong, and handle any concerns in an appropriate, Christ-like manner.

[Things are seldom about what people say they are about. Deeper issues are usually the case. Frequently pastors must deal with dissenting members who disagree with leadership style, worship style, or power/control issues. A balance must be found between overbearing leadership and members refusing to submit. A church split breaks a pastor's heart. The easiest thing to do in most cases is for the pastor to step down to save the church any further hardship. However, in the long run, members who sow discord will find another axe to grind. They live from one complaint to another. This same type of church disruption has happened in at least 52 other churches this year. What does it say about a group of people who would rather spend $50,000 on legal action than in the Harvest? Pastors need to be accountable. But when a faction of dissenting members disrupt the church, they must be dealt with.]

Mart Green Attempts To Balance ORU Budget

Layoffs and other budget cuts are possible for debt-ridden Oral Roberts University, as the tiny evangelical school looks to regroup from several financial scandals and keep enrollment from sliding further, the school's trustees chairman said.

"We can't spend more than we bring in," said Mart Green, an Oklahoma City businessman who recently donated $70 million to the school. "Let's find out where we're fat, where we're thin and make this place strong, and not just going hand to mouth year after year."

Green's comments on Friday came days after a tense faculty meeting where administrators braced professors for the possibility of job cuts as a way to make budget ends meet. Professors were also implored to persuade students thinking about transferring to return to the school in the fall.

"The message in the faculty meeting was, 'Hey, we're not on easy street just because we've got $70 million,'" said ORU interim president Ralph Fagin.

In an interview with The Associated Press, neither Green nor Fagin offered specifics on how many positions or programs might get the ax, but said the school is exploring all options as it reviews each department, a process that could take several years.

Already struggling to keep enrollment numbers up, ORU was rocked by a financial scandal last fall that led to the resignation of Richard Roberts, who had been school president since 1993. He left amid accusations of misspending school funds to bankroll a lavish lifestyle at a time when the school was more than $50 million in debt. He has denied wrongdoing. In the past eight years, the school has lost 500 students, and projected enrollment for the fall 2008 semester could be 150 students fewer than the 3,166 who attended last fall, Fagin said.

Even with Green's donation, the school is $25 million in debt and has deferred maintenance costs between $50 million and $60 million. Green, founder of Mardel, a Christian bookstore and office supply chain, declined to comment on the status of several lawsuits the school still faces in the wake of the scandal from former professors, students and a former accountant.

The two professors, Tim and Paulita Brooker, whose Oct. 2 lawsuit claims they were forced out after alleging financial and ethical wrongdoing on the part of Richard Roberts and his family, have asked the school for $2.5 million to settle. Attorneys for the professors and the school declined to comment this week on any potential negotiations, citing a judge's gag order. "We're doing the best we can to go through the legal process," Green said. "Let the legal process take its course."