Bryson DeChambeau’s faith has been a hot topic since he won the U.S. Open on Sunday. Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said the same thing after his team won an unprecedented 18th NBA Finals last night. (If anyone has to beat my Dallas Mavericks, I’d be happy if it was him.)
But other headlines in the world of public faith were far less positive.
Robert Morris is the senior pastor of the Dallas-area Gateway Church, one of the largest churches in the U.S. He is currently accused of sexually abusing a girl between the ages of 12 and 16.
According to a statement sent to X by the church’s senior pastor, Morris has “spoken openly and frankly about the moral failings he made more than 35 years ago. His recovery process was closely supervised by church elders and included professional counseling,” according to the statement. Morris provided the statement to X. Christian Post After his church was questioned about the allegations.
Dr. Tony Evans, the highly respected pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, also made headlines recently when he announced he was stepping down from his pastoral duties to allow for “healing and restoration.”
“The foundation of our pastoral ministry has always been to accept God’s Word as the absolute highest standard of truth, and we must live by it,” he told his congregation, adding, “When we fall short of that standard because of sin, we need to repent and restore our relationship with God. A few years ago, I fell short of that standard, so I need to apply to myself the same Biblical standard of repentance and restoration that I have applied to others.”
“While I have not committed a crime, I did not use good judgment in my actions,” Dr. Evans wrote, so he is following the recovery process established by church elders and allowing himself “the time necessary for spiritual recovery and healing.”
“The church is full of hypocrites”
I have never met Robert Morris, and I do not know much about the allegations against him beyond what has been reported in the press. I have shared some podiums with Dr. Evans and introduced him once at an event in Dallas. However, like Pastor Morris, I do not know much about his recent announcement beyond what has been reported in the press.
What I know is that both issues, whatever they were, happened years ago, but they’re both in the news now.
The reason is clear: past failures of Christian leaders may have implications for the competence and credibility of their current missionary efforts. In this sense, the media plays a role by reporting the news so that those who may be affected can respond appropriately.
The second reason for these headlines is inescapable: They run because media pundits know what people want to know. And we are drawn to stories about the failures of Christian leaders in part because we can use their failures to excuse our own. When their representatives fail to act in line with their message, we feel justified in rejecting uncomfortable truth claims.
When we don’t want to go to church we say, “The church is full of hypocrites,” but when we go to church we just create another hypocrite.
Personal Sins Never Remain Personal
None of this justifies Christian leaders from failing to live up to the standards they promote. In fact, quite the opposite.
We need to remember that personal sin never stays personal, and the enemy will use our failures as publicly as possible to inflict damage on as many people as possible. If we think we can “get away with” sinning, it is probably because Satan is biding his time until our sin is revealed so that he can do even greater damage to Christ’s purposes and organization.
Sure, we can confess our sins and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and the consequences remain, and we can and should ask others for forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32), but forgiveness (meaning absolution or choosing not to punish) is a gift we receive, and trust is a privilege we earn.
To sum it all up, the next time you are tempted, think carefully about the worst possible consequences of this sin and understand that Satan is up to at least this much, if not more, than you can imagine. Because Satan is “like a roaring lion, prowling about seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), he will only offer superficial pleasure or gain if he knows he can turn it into much worse pain or loss.
How to “Integrate Your Inner Life”
The key is to live every moment of every day in the presence of Christ and for His glory.
A. W. Tozer writes, “One of the greatest obstacles to inner peace that Christians face is the common habit of dividing our lives into two spheres: the sacred and the secular.” His solution to spiritual division is simple.
“The knowledge that we all belong to God and that God rejects nothing but accepts everything will unify our inner life and make everything sacred to us.”
Jesus could say of his relationship with his Father, “I always do the will of the Father” (John 8:29), and he promises us that we can do the same: “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (verses 31-32).
Will the truth “set you free” today?
Tuesday’s news you need to know:
*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these articles.
Quote of the day:
“Do not try to empty the cup to avoid sin, but rather try to fill it with the Spirit of life, so that there is no room for sin.”—John Owen
