What is the real narrative here?

This past week has been difficult for a number of friends of mine.  Another bombshell was dropped about a scandal of a well-known pastor, Robert Morris of Gateway Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.  Allegations surfaced about Robert’s inappropriate touching and fondling of a twelve year old girl some 42 years ago (1982).  Robert had been candid about being unfaithful early in his marriage and his subsequent repentance and restoration, but he had not mentioned the age of the person, so the assumption was that it was with an adult. 

Although we attend a different church in a different part of the state, we’ve attended services as well as conferences there for many years, as the church is well known.  It has been considered by many, including me, to be one of the strongest and healthiest churches of our time.  Watching this I hurt for all the congregants and faithful staff members who will have to weather this storm.   Sadly, this is but the latest in ongoing allegations of inappropriate conduct by high profile leaders.  Tony Evans, a prominent African American pastor also in the Dallas area is stepping down for a season to receive restoration for an unspecified sin “a number of years ago” that he said he believes merits a season of stepping down for purposes of Biblical integrity and restoration. Obviously these events that surface from time to time are disheartening to the faithful and gives fuel to our critics.  The left wing NBC News was quick to point out Morris’s advisory role to Trump in the past, as if that was the main story.

 

Paganism and Christianity

This newsletter and the book I wrote (Modern Paganism) is about the comparison of modern paganism, as evidenced in our cultural leaders, with Christianity.  So, what IS the narrative when leaders of the faith capitulate to the culture?  The common refrain for “more accountability” seems hollow at this point.  I’ve found people will do what they decide to do, no matter what oversight is in place.  Of course, how the oversight responds is part of the story.  The scandal of the long running abuse in the Catholic church was as much about the church’s lack of response as it was about the priests’ behavior.  As far as I can tell the oversight has and is taking the right steps in these current situations.  We can only respond to what we know. 

In my book I go into great detail about the vulgarities of ancient paganism, mostly along sexual lines, and how these are being promoted by our modern elites in the media, journalism, academia, and other cultural centers.   The early church had to contend with the very degenerate culture of ancient Rome, and there was no shortage of listing these categories of sins in the New Testament as warnings (see Romans 1:18-32). Ancient Corinth was known even in that world as a place for immorality, with its temple prostitutes.  Paul had to admonish the believers not to sleep with prostitutes in 1 Corinthians 6:15.  Such was the world Christianity was birthed in.  As a culture becomes more pagan, the faithful, including leaders, have to be more vigilant to guard against defilement than when the culture was more influenced by the Christian ethic. 

So why would leaders fall into a trap that is so self-evidently wrong?  We could say pride or arrogance, and we would be right.  But, to truly pursue the right narrative, what fuels that arrogance?  

The Missing Nutrient in Our Spiritual Diet

There is a spiritual quality mentioned throughout scripture that goes by the term “the fear of the Lord” in some form or other.  It is found mostly in the Old Testament and is thus thought to be an outdated concept in the age of grace, but the New Testament is not silent on it by any means (see Acts 9:31, Romans 3:18, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Peter 2:17 for examples).  What is this?  There are a number of possible definitions, but my favorite definition is “actions have consequences.”  Evangelical Christians know that we are saved by grace not by works, but that is not the whole story.   Confession and repentance may bring forgiveness but it may not erase all the consequences, especially in this life.  When someone lacks the fear of the Lord as a Christian (I certainly lacked it as a pagan), they are presuming on God’s grace, as if forgiveness was all that mattered.  The fear of the Lord says there is more to the story.  There is sowing and reaping sometimes, and to ignore this principle means God would be mocked, and we’re told in the New Testament that will not happen (see Galatians 6:7). 

In the contemporary evangelical world that I am in, you hear a lot of preaching about God’s grace and forgiveness, which is amazing, but little about consequences.  The repentant need to be comforted but also warned, as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery (see John 8:11).  Human beings being who they are, there are excesses in past church history.  Even after the Protestant Reformation, which restored the teaching of grace through faith, the church has had seasons of legalism.  In such seasons the fear of the Lord is not lacking, but perhaps the proper emphasis on grace and forgiveness is.  Perhaps you grew up in such a church culture.  I think it is safe to say, though, that is not the prevailing culture today.   The opposite of legalism is license – giving yourself permission to gratify inordinate desires.  The list of possible justifications are many but the theological environment that allows this to happen is one that is missing this vital spiritual nutrient – the fear of the Lord.

Not good news for pagans

One final footnote – enemies of the Christian faith tend to rejoice when a high profile leader stumbles.  What appears to be visible hypocrisy by the messenger seems to invalidate the message.  While this is understandable, critics fail to take into account a number of issues.  First, these leaders are not writing the script, as in a cult, they are violating the script, that is the scripture, and are thus quickly disciplined, sometimes with permanent results.  Secondly, as always, there are far more faithful than unfaithful, both in leaders and believers.  They are just not as high profile.  I was moved emotionally as I saw the Gateway congregation fervently worship through their sorrow in the Sunday following the announcement by the elders.  Modern pagans, far from believing that such failures allow them to justify their lifestyles, need to be sobered by the words in 1 Peter,

¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”  (I Peter 4:17,18, NKJV)

Jesus said, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17 NKJV).  Boy are we seeing how true that is!  Some of these actions happened decades ago.  One of the facets of the digital age is that it is the age of revelation.  Photos, videos, even tweets from years or decades ago come to light.  If a photo never dies these days, how much more our actions?  Could God be making it easier in this digital age for us to return to the fear of the Lord?