Here's a link to the article (a previous post) "What should we learn from the Eddie Long scandal?" that I wrote for the LA Watts Times. I am thankful that they printed it. I hope that it sheds some light on how Christians should respond to pastoral scandals.
A dear brother in the Lord, Eric Redmond, and I are actively pursuing a publisher to get a book out to address scandals in the church like this. As Christians, we need to "raise the bar" for what we will accept for biblical leadership and provide answers to the excuses pastors use to stay in office after they have disqualified themselves.
Last week, while I was lecturing to pastors in Kenya about the qualifications of leadership, one pastor told me that there is a hierarchy in their churches and that they just couldn't confront a pastor in sin. He said that after I had explained 1 Tim 5:20, which calls the church to publicly rebuke pastors who are in sin. So I read two others Scriptures to him. From Ephesians 1:20-22, I reminded him that the Father seated Christ far above all authorities and placed them far below His feet and that that includes bishops and celebrity pastors! Then I shared with him how in Galatians 2:11-14 the apostle Paul rebuked the chief apostle Peter in front of everyone because of Peter's hypocrisy.
What congregations need today is a good ounce of courage, clear teaching about standards of leadership, and a renewed commitment to stop following so-called Christian leaders when those leaders stop following Christ.
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