Character Rant
Posted on February 20, 2013
Prepare yourself for a small rant.
I am saddened and upset by the number of Priests, Pastors, Elders, and Christian Ministers over my short adult life (25 years) that have committed adultery, or have sexually abused or taken advantage of anyone in anyway.
I guess I am ranting today because in the last month two things have happened that have brought this issue “close to home”…
First, a volunteer youth worker friend of mine was sentenced to 19 years in jail for sexually abusing a teenage boy…
Second, the lead Pastor at my old church was charged with sexually abusing a multitude of women he had been counseling. Sadly these are not the only two instances that are close to home… just the most recent!
Christian Ministry is a character profession.
I suppose you can sleep around and still be a good professor… and you can cheat on your spouse and still practice medicine… and you can be a successful broker and cheat on your income taxes… and evidently, it is no problem to stay in politics and tell lies…
But you cannot do those things as a Christian Minister and enjoy God’s blessings for very long.
You must do what is right in order to have true integrity.
Christian Ministers listen closely… If you can’t come to terms with your evil, or break habits that continue to do damage to the name of Jesus, please do God a favor (and others in ministry) and step down.
Rant is almost over…
If you call yourself a Christian… you are a Christian Minister. Now re-read.
Rant is now over.
I completley agree with you. As a psychologist I saw many many people who had been abused from within the church rather than protected by it. I had many situations where this abuse was going on but can’t ever tell anyone about because of the ethics and legal consequences (that doesn’t include child abuse). I suspect there is a special place in hell for those that do this to children.
I agree! There is very little else that rips my heart apart than betrayal. And the loss of innocence goes beyond words. I pray for the abused.