Thursday, August 30, 2007

On recent Christian Leader failings

I have been made aware of some very sad outcomes of high profile men and women pastors of some very large churches in America.

Divorce and damage.

God cares about these things more than anyone can imagine. The vitriol about all this on the christian blogosphere is unchristian. Holier than thou or anyone else is the nature of the comments.

Here's the spiritual reality:
  • God demands that we develop our own levels of intimacy with Jesus, we can't surrogately live thru others spirituality. Many mega church pastor leaders try hard to allow us to enter into what is ultimately a show.
  • Men are fallen human beings. None are sinless or perfect. One who puts his trust in man is cursed already.
  • Even the most fallen sinful man or woman can relay the truth of God. The duty of the Christian is to discern what and when it is.
  • Who are you going to hear from for the truth that you need? If you only can trust those who are without failure you will not hear much truth.
  • The fact that some people who preach a given gospel are failures as people does not affect the truth of the gospel. In fact they are and were most targeted by the enemy and did not live in the covering they needed. The truth of the gospel they preached is not affected by the failures they are.
  • I am sad but not dismayed. I know in whom I have believed and I am convinced that neither death nor life not anything made or not made can in any way separate me from the love of God.

Not divorce. Not beatings. Not moral failure. Not stupidity.

I am careful to whom I will give my allegiance. I know too many good men and women of God and what they are like in the dark to allow myself to be dissuaded in faith by the actions of a few public failures.

God is still God today and forever.

I really feel sorry for the holier than thou sorts who see the raw stupid humanity of others and use it as a bludgeoning of a precious faith. They will be held to account ultimately for this just as those who have failed their flock.

Being a Christian isn't beanbag. It's tough and rough and if you fall into the holier than thou crowd it'll get rougher.

Don't.

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