Phil Cooke

Amen!

Phil – I agree with your coverage of these issues.  I agree that we need to be aware of the culture's perception of the church.  We need to know what is going on, to equip ourselves for response.  We also can ALWAYS learn something if our hearts are right and our minds are open. 

Does God have a higher standard for those in ministry?  The short answer is "No" and that should be obvious.  We are each to search our own hearts; we are called as Christians to live a righteous life – regardless of our position.  We should take these types of scandals and realize that we can learn from others' mistakes.  But the longer answer is that God will reward us in heaven according to whether we have been good stewards of the responsibilities that He has given us on earth.  Jewels in our crown..  However, the Bible also teaches the opposite as well, that we are held accountable according to what he has given us.  Judgement begins with the house of God.  It is sin to lead others astray.  It is a sin to turn men from God, to cause a brother to fall. 

Now, what happens if we know all of this, and therefore shun the calling that God has on our lives, and choose to rather live on the "down-low"?  – Whoa.. God has called many into ministry that find excuses for why they are not capable, are disqualified, or simply are running because they fear man.  We aren't above that.  Jonah is a perfect example of running and making excuses for why we can't do what we were told to do.  Are you operating outside of your calling?  Are you keeping yourself involved, but not in the full calling of your ministry?  Some are even continuing in a "safe" (minor habits) level of sin so that we can maintain our excuse that we are disqualified from the level of ministry to which we are called.

Are "runner's" as guilty as those that took the challenge and fell?  DO NOT DENY the calling that God has placed on your life.

Let's try to keep this in mind as we discuss these issues.  It is good to discuss these types of things in a way that helps us learn, and understand how to avoid the same situations for ourselves.  It is good to analyze these things in humility and not just judgement.  How can informing ourselves of these details help us be better leaders ourselves?

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 What can we do?

Unfortunately, the list of "failures" has become so long, that there is an understandable witch-hunt going on.  If we discuss these, we need to keep the perspective of not being on a witch – hunt, but what we can learn, how we can pray. 

Most of this damage is actually impervious to a media counter-attack in my opinion.  The skepticism is going to be even more heightened than it has already been for years.  But that doesn't mean there is no solution…  It is just going to have to be supernatural.  If the CHURCH will humble itself, and pray, seek his face, and turn from our wicked ways, God will forgive us, and heal our land. (paraphrase from II Chronicles 7:14)

Our responsibilities (individually and as a body) according to this passage:

Humility.

Prayer.

Immersion in God's Word and Listening for His voice.

Turn from our wicked ways.

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Something we should act on.

The goal of Christian discipline is always restoration, not punishment.

So yes, we stand with people.  Discipline means removal from positions often either temporarily or permanently depending on the particulars of the situation.

Discipline also assumes cooperation and repentance on the part of the one being disciplined.  Without that, removal is necessary to protect the larger body from their actions and abuse of power.  Leadership is a privilege not a right.

That would be ideal.  I understand that the professor sought mediation and Richard Roberts and the Universtity did not accept the offer.  Sometime too, when there is no willingness to repent or submit to discipline, public exposure is the only course left.

I don't know the whole story yet, but as I stated I know enough to know that independent of the law suit, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned with the leadership environment and the financial surprises of the past few weeks and on that basis alone there are major problems.

… Regarding

"Discipline should also attempt a level of privacy and not give a play-by-play to the local/national paper"

Well, this is something that personally I think has gone both ways.  I actually believe that Richard should be a little more judicious in sharing prophetic words that God has given for himself – for instance.  Oral also suffered in my opinion from improper PR with this regard as well. There are many reasons that I hold this opinion.

1) We are human, and sometimes we do miss it.  Sometimes we mis-apply, sometimes we actually miss what God has said, or think that God has said something He hasn't.  Don't agree with that?  The Bible tells us to weigh a prophet's words for a reason.

2) Sometimes (Biblical evidence exists) God with-holds judgement and even reward based on our change of heart. 

3) There are words that are meant for our own edification.  Using those words in public helps to cultivate a perception that everything that we are doing is led by direct words from God.

4) as in 3 – We can easily turn off people that do not understand that God does in fact speak to his servants.  If we are trying to reach the lost, why would we say things in public that would turn them away?  We know they can't understand it.  The Bible tells us that only the believers can understand many of the truths in the word.

- So I guess I am saying that I think there is a lot of play – by – play occurring on both sides.  I know you are likely referring to the "leaks" of information like the vote of no confidence, etc.  But you also need to accept that a ministry that has made itself a common household name, is not going to enjoy the same privacy that the local church will have.  It is just a fact of life.