Quote:
Originally Posted by LooneyLucy
Hmmm and I thot you were talking about reputation. I agree he had to step down, just don't agree with your "shunning" attitude.
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Lucy, when you consistently mischaracterize people's posts, you lose your own credibility. No one has alluded to the idea of shunning a repentant sinner. Or even an unrepentant one, for that matter. I certainly wouldn't want to be shunned and I wouldn't support that kind of treatment of ANYone else.
Even if a man commits terrible sins, if he repents, he should be forgiven. If God forgives, who are we to hold a grudge?
I'm just getting frustrated with the intertwining of "forgiveness" with "retaining one's position." One MIGHT retain a position if the congregation is okay with it, and one's authorities are okay with it--but if the congregation and/or the authorities are NOT okay with it, it doesn't make them wrong. It doesn't even mean they aren't forgiving. It means they don't trust the person to do their job OR at the very least, they don't think they can do it effectively. Which has merit!
I personally know of churches who have been so forgiving upon someone's confession that they allowed them to keep their job--and kudos to them for their compassion and magnanimity! However, it isn't necessary for the person to keep their job in order for forgiveness to take place. Further, you aren't thinking of the person who has fallen. Leadership is actually a very stressful position. It is OFTEN, if not always in the best interest of someone who has stepped very far out of line to take a step back and get their priorities straight. Think about what might lead to this kind of failure: a lack of prayer, a lack of relationship with God, a lack of relationship with a spouse, a lack of rest, too much stress, too many things on the schedule, overwhelming obligations---the list of contributing factors is lengthy.
Stepping down and going back to square one isn't just in the best interest of the church; it may also very well be in the best interest of the leader. Thinking of my pastor, if he committed some kind of immoral act, I would think that he would need to take time off first and foremost to restore his relationship with his wife--with no distractions or outside pressures. To restore his relationships with his children. And eventually to restore relationships and trust with the church and community. Those things take time and healing doesn't happen overnight. It really doesn't. Not unless God performs a miracle.
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