My Perspective on Tullian's Sin
It has been very interesting to watch the fallout
and discussions regarding the announcement, this past Sunday, that Tullian Tchividjian had resigned as pastor of Coral Ridge
Presbyterian Church after having admitted to an affair. One of the
reasons it has been interesting to watch is because several weeks ago I had
been brought into the circle of men and a few women who were briefed on why
Tullian had taken a leave of absence nearly 10 weeks ago and what his plans
were going to be moving forward. None of us were aware of Tullian's affair.
But, all of us were aware of the turmoil of Tullian's life these past 10 weeks.
Last Thursday afternoon, I was informed of
Tullian's moral failing and briefed about the pending announcement of his
resignation and in an instant I experienced a profound moment of clarity that
caused me to understand just how evil and tireless the devil is.
There are some who want to use the occasion of
Tullian's sin to move the theological football down the field in the hopes of
scoring some points. But, ultimately the folks doing that are short-sited and
are missing much of the data that would be needed to make an informed
assessment.
As one who has far more data to work with than many
others, I must admit that the whole series of events leading up to last Sunday
has shaken me to my core. The reason for this is simple. I just witnessed one
of the most elaborate satanic schemes pulled off in modern history. The devil
concocted the perfect plan to tempt a pastor to sin and the devil left nothing
to chance.
The entire scenario from beginning to end was
designed to take a pastor to the brink of what he could bear and then provide
the perfect temptation in the midst of the turmoil that would then end his
pastoral ministry while nationally dragging Christianity and Christ Himself
through the mud.
The plan was perfect. It was executed flawlessly
and the devil played Tullian and a whole lot of other people the way a concert
violinist would play a Stradivarius. It was breathtaking to watch.
Now there is a man who is reeling from his sin and
the sins committed against him. His family has had not one but two nuclear
bombs tear them apart. An entire church has been thrown back on its heels and
there are many people around the country and the globe who've had their faith
shaken to the core by the news of Tullian's sin. Furthermore, Christianity itself
has taken a hit. Christ's enemies have been given comfort and have viewed this
whole affair as even more proof that Christianity is a crock just days before
the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to make same-sex "marriage" the law
of the land.
This was like a perfectly planned and orchestrated
terrorist attack and all I see are a lot of dead and wounded bodies strewn
everywhere.
When Jesus taught us to daily pray, "lead us
not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one" He was not giving us
empty words to mindlessly recite. The Apostle Peter put it this way, “Be
sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1
Peter 5:8)
With Tullian's sin, and believe me when I say that
just like Adam, Tullian is responsible for this whole mess, we've witnessed one
of the most vicious "lion attacks" of our day. If Tullian Tchividjian
wasn't safe from such an attack then no gospel preacher in the pastoral office
is safe either.
"For our battle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world
powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavens." - Ephesians 6:12
The work of caring for the wounded has only just
begun and my prayer is that repentance, forgiveness of sins and reconciliation
will win the day. But, thus far, I have seen very little that would give me
hope along those lines and truth be told, I think I took some shrapnel in the
blast.
χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη σοι,
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