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Pastor troy7/2/2023 ![]() ![]() They contain what Christians were handed on-what the word “tradition” means-and also what the church has concluded is essential to preserve and pass down.Ĭhristians have believed and confessed these core teachings or doctrines for going on two millennia. The early creeds summarize both the gospel and core Christian doctrine. History serves as a helpful reference point. And it is his embodied teaching that causes the weak to stumble, leads many astray, and drives countless others away from Christ. But he is teaching with his whole person-words and deeds-not just explicitly named doctrines. In his head, he might have what many consider to be the right doctrinal content. Why, then, for so long was he able to avoid being denounced as a false teacher? He denies the full humanity of women in both word and deed, advocates for profane views of gender and sex, rages with unrepentant pride, engages in habitual self-promotion, and manipulates and abuses others. The example of Mark Driscoll-whose story is now being revisited in depth through The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast-is illustrative of my point. They were (and are) a different kind of false teacher: heretics of the heart. These pastor-teachers confessed Christ with their mouths but denied him with their bodies. ![]() Yet they had been denying Christ and leading people astray with their actions long before their failures were publicly known. Though the details of the stories vary, all were men who had the “right” doctrinal content in their books and sermons. I am compelled to examine my own life too. My frustration is not just for the people and communities harmed by these leaders but also for the way these pastors’ lives contradicted and undermined the gospel they preached. Carl Lentz, pastor of Hillsong East Coast, was let go in November 2020 for “moral failures,” including an adulterous affair, and now stands accused of sexual abuse.Īs an Anglican priest and theology professor, I have watched these stories emerge with deep sorrow and not a little anger. James MacDonald, founding pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, was fired in February 2019 for creating a culture of fear and intimidation and for enabling financial mismanagement. Bill Hybels, founding pastor of Willow Creek, resigned in April 2018 after allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power. For the past several years, we’ve watched over and over as famous pastor-teachers go through very public falls from enormous heights. ![]()
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