Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Yesterday someone named Mike posted the following on my post called I don’t get it.

FYI, Clinton confessed to his church in 1998 and repented as reported by Baptist Press http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25273

That means no more Clinton infidelity comments or jokes, right?

I read the article and I think Mike has a good point. According to the Baptist Press article President Clinton expressed repentance to his church. Here is what Rex Horne President Clinton’s former pastor said:

In October 1998, Clinton wrote a letter to the 4,500-member congregation, asking for forgiveness. Horne at the time told the Arkansas Baptist news magazine that the president had expressed repentance and sorrow. He said he “sensed an affirmation of the president’s request for forgiveness” from “the great majority of the people” attending the service when the letter was read.

Horne has never publicly disclosed the contents of Clinton’s letter to the Little Rock church, citing it as a personal matter between a pastor and his congregation.

Many pastors and other religious leaders have fallen in recent years. Naturally most followers of Jesus want to be forgiving. But does that only include those in the “Evangelical” or “Religious Right” community? I admit I’ve been hard on President Clinton in the past. My hockey stick is somewhat bigger when it comes to liberal democrats.

Was President Clinton playing his pastor and his church? I don’t know. But I feel I need to give him the same benefit of Grace that I would to Ted Haggard or Rick Ousley. Who knows if someone is truly repentant? I think only God knows for sure. But as followers of Jesus we are to keep on forgiving even if it is someone we disagree with.

Matthew 18:21

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times

I guess I have seventy more hockey sticks to pull out.

What do you think?

I really am saddened once again about a failure of a famous pastor.

The founding pastor of The Church at Brook Hills has been suspended from his evangelistic ministry and resigned as chaplain of Samford University’s (my alma mater) football team after he admitted having an extramarital affair.

The pastor is a widely known evangelist who has given the invocation at NASCAR races, built The Church at Brook Hills from 30 members to some 4,000. He retired in 2005 amid health problems, including two brain surgeries, one an emergency operation for an aneurysm.

Read about it here.

Bob Cleveland wrote about it here.

[Update] Wade Burleson wrote about it here.

I read stories about this I am am heartbroken. This pastor is one of the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard. I still remember the message vividly that he preached at a conference I went to in 2001. It was the best message I’ve ever heard on Spiritual Gifts.

Ted Haggard was a pastor I respected for years. I listened to the CD’s of his praise band called Desperation. Yet he was living a lie and that was exposed last Fall.

Joel Gregory has the best “preacher” voice I’ve ever heard. My brother was visited by Dr. Gregory when he was pastor of 1st Baptist Dallas. Yet he wrote in his book Too Great a Temptation about his affair while he was pastor at 1st Dallas.

Gordon McDonald wrote books about healthy marriages then it comes out that he was unfaithful to his wife. This really hit home with my wife because she had just read his wife’s book.

The list could go on and on. Charles Stanley, Jim Bakker, and Jimmy Swaggart all have had marriage problems or sexual sins that have become public. I understand that we all are sinners but what is going on? Is there something that happens to people who make it big even in Christian circles? It is very disheartening to read these stories.

I wonder how and why God uses these men while they are in the middle of living a lie? I really don’t get that. There are many fine pastors, staff members and church members who trying to live a Godly life and yet we will never see the success that some will. Yet God allows a man having a 25 year affair to build a church from 30 to over 4000. Several have made fortunes writing books about their failures. Others have greater ministries than they did before.

I don’t get it. It makes me more Calvinistic everyday. It is obvious that I won’t understand God. He can do whatever He wants and I guess I’ll ask Him when I get to heaven. I may never be famous and probably would be better off not being known if it means throwing away my integrity and my family. I would rather be know for loving my wife and kids then building some great ministry for God if it means I have to compromise my standards or lose my family. I guess I will never get it.

The good news is that Jesus forgives all of us for the sins in our lives. This doesn’t excuse us and allow us to go out and run wild. But I am grateful that God will forgive everyone who asks Him forgiveness.

What do you think?