For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight (Psalm 51:3,4).
It has occurred all too often in the last 5 or 6 years.
And with predictable uniformity: a notable figure in Christian circles and with instant name recognition — pastor, author, evangelist, apologist — has been shamed by a grievous and sensational moral failing involving sex, finances, or bullying of subordinates.
The new year was not yet one week old: this time, the grim disclosure by Philip Yancey, author, speaker, and journalist.
One of evangelicalism’s best-known writers over the last 40 years, Yancey was also editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine for 3 decades.
We’ve witnessed that these admissions have exploded with such a frequency that we— although painfully disappointed — are no longer shocked.
And so, we resignedly concede: There but for the grace of God go I.
Whenever Christian leaders – or any of Christ’s followers — experience significant moral failure, that appears to be an appropriate thing to acknowledge.
And on one hand, it is relevant because we all stand as sinners before a holy God.
That was true of King David 3000 years ago; and it remains as true today for the many who have fallen to the temptations that accompany power, status, and celebrity recognition.
But, we also know that in these situations – the unexpected moral crash of Yancey after an adulterous relationship of 8 years as the latest – the sober truth is that if genuinely saved, these men were within the protective sphere of the grace of God.
Even with that wonderful, robust shielding, Yancey joins a long line of celebrated Christian leaders — those who declared and taught and at times exemplified a life laid down as a living sacrifice — who ultimately chose to worship at the idol of self.
And at some long-ago tipping point, they failed to abide in Jesus; diverted their gaze from the Saviour; prioritized self-identity over the task of reflecting the glory of Christ.
Euphemistically, it is said these men fell into sin; however, the metrics and pattern and duration of the offense are better characterized as jumping headlong into scandal, disgrace, and the dishonour of Him whose Name they bear.
So, what is the answer? How best to protect?
Pastor Paul David Tripp observes, ‘It means knowing, as a leader, that as long as sin still lives inside you, you will need to be rescued from you. Humility means you love serving more than you crave leading.”
Too many have confused that priority
Consequently, although God's grace was exercised and evident in their lives — at least at one time — they chose to make godless, evil, intentionally deceptive choices.
And they undertook that process deliberately, repeatedly, covertly, and in most cases, while they were in influential roles.
These men had been commissioned by the Head of the church as His under-shepherds, charged with caring for His flock. Their faithful love for Him as the motivation of their ministry was lost somewhere along the way. The lamentable result: regrettable, woeful failure.
Tripp warns, “Nothing good is produced in a leader who has along the way exchanged identity in Christ for some form of identity in ministry.”
And so, we grieve.
TAKEAWAY - But we should also realize that all of us – at some point in our Christian experience – are called to be leaders: in our marriages, in our homes and families, in a discipling relationship, in our workplace, or church, or para-church ministry.
And we need to regularly be accountable – to others, to an accountability partner, and most of all to the Lord – for the material we consume, for the habits we tolerate, for the hundreds of small decisions that gain momentum as they lead inexorably to moral failure.
Most of all, those in recognized leadership roles, need to heed this cautionary tale.
May God give us His grace that prevents us – no matter how drastic His intervention – from repeating this destructive and discreditable pattern.
Graphic from Biblehub.com
