Adultery & Clergy

[Ellen]

I am bursting at the seams with the censored bird that crowed in CoAspen's post.  It is sooooooooooooo funny.

[CoAspen]

Took me a while to figure out what you were talking about!!! Just using language of the bible!!

[JoeMo]

Co Aspen - you're not the first one to get busted for using the c word for a rooster.  That is so funny I darn near laughed my donkey off.

[CoAspen]

Its the thought that counts!!  It was a very good talk by the preacher.

[lazarus]

Unfortunately, I have had a number of colleagues who have been fired for adultery. Some IMHO some should never lead a congregation again and some with the right therapy and appropriate period outside ministry should be allowed to return. Circumstances are different and people are different. In the past, some conferences have had some disastrous responses to pastoral iindescretion but our administrators have leaned a lot. These are tough tough situations to deal with. I've had to sit on committees dealing with these kind of things and it is heart wrenching.

[B/W Photodude]

why are you posting this garbage? 

You should be careful about calling peoples posts "garbage." While sometimes reported events are hearsay and may or may not have been accurately reported, sometimes they are real life events that impact the primary participants and others in many ways. A rule I try to follow is if I cannot cite it or have personally not been close to it, I do not like to post it. Sometimes I do not like to name specific people but can.

In the case of the story of the boy in the ER, it seems to have elicited a very negative response appearing to be anger that it would even be posted. Reminds me of reporting adult misbehavior when I was young and incurring the wrath of adults for even telling what they did. It also seems that a boy getting brutalized doesn't rate the same level of concern as one that gets molested. Unfortunately, on the continuum of evil I have witnessed in the behavior of church members, that was not the worse I have witnessed. Fortunately, I have witnessed many more thrilling and positive events related to growing up in the SDA church.

In the story of the boy getting "punched out" by the preacher, I can say the story was true as the boy was my brother and the mother was my mother. All three of these people, boy mother & preacher, are no longer in the land of the living.

This was an event by which I learned an immensely important lesson. The fact that a member or even one in positions of leadership can do very evil acts does not alter the fact that the SDA church is still the remnant church and will go thru to the end of the age. And of course, you can arrive at that very fact by reading your Bible, although, being close to real life events makes it even more memorable. So, you don't injure the church in getting justice.

Such an event, should be handled within church committees (within limits of public law), although I am sure that sometimes it doesn't happen. And even if immediate "justice" isn't achieved, God does see all and will address it in the end. For all those who desire "blood", they also do wrong who forget to trust God and his claim to vengeance. And he will extract vengeance for those who protect evil doers to the injury of another.

Another concern is that a media exposure of such an event could rob someone who might be reached by the gospel to turn down an appeal to accept Jesus. I can see someone will say this post is doing the same, but I disagree as some value to discussion of how the membership feels we should relate to less than Christlike people in leadership. And again, why would is it acceptable to discuss adulterous pastors and not those who punch out kids?

[Stan]

BECAUSE this is not the place to publicly try anyone.  I have seen to many one sided facts seem compelling and destroys people and families.

[Bravus]

It's interesting to me that sexual sins seem to be regarded so much more seriously than other sins. 

What about pastors who defraud? Or cheat on their taxes? Or lie?

Betraying a partner is a grievous sin, it's true, but I suspect it's more our own prurient interest in sex, more than consideration of all sins weighing equally in salvation terms that drives our practices.

[bonnie]

It's interesting to me that sexual sins seem to be regarded so much more seriously than other sins. 

What about pastors who defraud? Or cheat on their taxes? Or lie?

Betraying a partner is a grievous sin, it's true, but I suspect it's more our own prurient interest in sex, more than consideration of all sins weighing equally in salvation terms that drives our practices.

You cannot compare the damage done to others to cheating on taxes. Generally a adulterous pastor is involved with a young person or vulnerable adult . It destroys families and when it is families with children you cannot even begin to calculate the damage and the life long effects on some. Not so with cheating on their income tax