Scandal in the Church

Recently some big names in Christian circles have been found out to have done bad things.  Many in Christianity would be appalled at the behavior of the leaders of big churches.  I don't  look at it that way at all.  It is unsurprising that people fail and in fact, being surprised is a sign that we aren't in touch with how corrupt we are at heart. We are in need of Christ much more than we tell ourselves and when we gasp at the failing of a big name we have swallowed the misconception these big churches sell that someone is somehow better than you at it.  

Because we are westerners we are prone to elevate 'celebrity' in our thinking.  When a leader bears the marks of God's accompaniment in a project we reflect it upon what we know about ourselves:  There's not really much going on in terms of great works.  Therefore we elevate the 'Man of God' to a place where no human being belongs.  'After all God... The Almighty... is doing works through him,'  is the assumption.

Then we find out someone has been unscrupulous or worse.  That a person in a prominent position falls is not an issue to me but that they have allowed themselves to be in a prominent position is an issue.   There are all sorts of ways a Man (in my writing 'Man' is the collective term for Mankind) can become notorious in ministry.  When someone has gift and ability a post-industrial western thinker will assume God 'must have' raised this Man to do good works because that's what man does: uses people's skills, talents and abilities.  This can happen.  However the high profile, media savvy, oratory genius does not have to have been sent by God.  There is a pathway to becoming a high profile celebrity in Christianity that has nothing to do with God's promotion. 

Two things can happen to a Man.  Firstly the people around him can make him famous and secondly he can do it himself.  The second should never happen.  We are given an example of a man whose writing would become Scripture!  Paul's walk was one of abandonment, beatings, prison, shipwreck and character assassination.  This is the promotion of God!  When a Man has the people making him famous then he must stop in his tracks and ask 'what facade am I putting on that these people are not seeing me for who I am?'  Paul was transparent and clear about being 'at the end of the parade' not designing a marketable self.

It is the case though that many think the esteem of Men and the stage light is a work of God and do not question their status and profile.  They allow themselves to be made into a center of attention.  When they or their entourage fail I have absolutely no pity for them.  The problem isn't that they have done a unholy deed. The problem is that they allowed themselves the glory among their fellow Men and propagated a lifestyle where they drew attention, applause and adoration.  

"Gary you are really negative.  What about when God does want a man to be high profile?"  I think the Scriptures are clear... when God honors a man it is with the promotion that Paul continually encountered.  Being daily excavated at heart by the Holy Spirit, being ushered into situations that do not appease the flesh and committing to the death of self is promotion.  Of course this is leading to glorious transformation of our selves into the image of Christ but that would never lead to a Man's personal glory but always to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ and be an ambassador here on earth.  

Gary Ward 

Scriptures associated with this Blog

The Gospels

Romans

Exodus

Psalms