Retired Texas judge Paul Pressler, a key figure in the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention beginning in the 1970s, died June 7 at age 94. Pressler was revered by many in the denomination for leading the charge, with W. A. Criswell and others, to establish inerrancy as a biblical doctrine in SBC seminaries, entities, and churches.
In more recent years, he was credibly accused of sexual abuse by young men, including a Texas man who filed suit 40 years after his alleged first encounter with Pressler in 1977. A confidential settlement was reached in that case in December 2023, the Texas Tribune reported. A Baptist Press article announcing the death referred to Pressler as a “disgraced Conservative Resurgence strategist.” Pressler continually denied the accusations.
An account of the funeral said 70 people attended at a Houston mortuary.