08/15/2023
Last night my wife and I finished watching a documentary that shared several people’s stories of pain resulting from different church leaders’ ruinous behaviors and decisions. Maybe you’ve also been hurt by church leaders, teachers, or preachers.
One individual shared that he is now a “happy atheist.” Another said she follows a religion of tranquility centered on herself. A third indicated that everyone has a need for community, support, and love, but “God and Jesus don’t have to be included for that to happen.”
My heart always aches for those left behind in the wake of some church leaders’ destructive patterns of sin, pride, and even narcissistic tendencies. For good reason James wrote, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1, CSB).
Jesus gave His disciples an even stronger forewarning when He said, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Luke 17:1-2, CSB).
Let’s face it. We’ve all made mistakes, said things we shouldn’t have said, and done things we shouldn’t have done. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, CSB). Part of spiritual growth and formation is when we can acknowledge our wrongdoing (James 5:16), repent (Acts 3:19), and seek reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24).
The road to recovery, however, includes many detours and potholes. To quote Robert Frost, no wonder this is a “road less traveled.” To mix metaphors, it’s not an easy row to hoe. But we should keep trying. Keep loving. Keep forgiving. Keep seeking forgiveness. Keep surrendering to the One who has the power to transform us into the image of Christ.
I wish I could speak to those individuals from the documentary Laura and I watched who walked away from the Church and, for some, even Christ Himself. I wish I could tell them there is no excuse for unspiritual behavior from those who claim to be spiritual leaders. I would say to them that only Jesus is our standard of love, truth, justice, and grace, and He will never let us down.
I would also tell them, in the words of Soren Kierkegaard, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” Perhaps they were fooled to believe what isn’t true, and they were deeply wounded as a result. But please don’t refuse to believe what is true:
- - True love, hope, grace, and community flow out of God. They are God’s gifts to humanity, but without Him those gifts dry up at best and are distorted into ersatz replicas at worst. Just because something looks shiny doesn’t mean it’s made of gold. The true source of love, hope, grace, and community is God and none other.
- - Healing is possible. There is no wound too deep that cannot be restored through Jesus Christ. Jesus holds the resurrection power to “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
- - Forgiveness brings freedom. Alexander Pope made famous the line, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” The only way we can truly forgive is through the divine power of Jesus Christ who “forgave us all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:13), and who calls us to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness does not justify sinful behavior; it eradicates the root of bitterness in the heart of the forgiver. To forgive is to move toward the path of freedom.
As a church leader, I need to be reminded by stories such as those revealed in that documentary—we all must guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Continue the practice of digging a deep well of the Spirit in our lives. Never be a lone wolf.
For “now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:21, CSB). Amen.
