many in the church are lucky if they spend thirty minutes a week in the Bible , while taking in thirty to forty hours of cultural messaging through music , movies , social media , etc . It ’ s no wonder the church is ridden with scandals .
We ’ ve neglected the source of wisdom for how to live the Christian life , and instead we are led by our feelings and intuitions and influenced by sound bites and social media .
These first four points address the issue of personal responsibility . But problems in the church can also arise because of systemic problems — especially with how we treat our pastors and what we expect of them .
1 . Deficiencies in training . Many pastors have a master ’ s-level education but receive no training for how to handle all the on-theground issues they will face in ministry : finances , human resources , counseling or referring people for counseling , setting boundaries , etc .
2 . Celebrity and self-sufficiency . We too often put pastors on a pedestal , such that they can feel above the need for counseling or accountability . When responsibility is shared among a group of wise and mature leaders , it diminishes the chances that any one leader will succumb to the pitfalls of celebrity and self-sufficiency .
3 . Burnout . We often expect pastors to do it all and to always be available to everyone . But we ’ re not usually as good at providing them with support and resources . Here again , a balanced leadership structure can keep the burden of ministry from falling too heavily on any one person .
4 . Lack of continuing education . We expect doctors , counselors , teachers , social workers , lawyers , and many other professionals to keep up with continuing education , yet our pastors often get little to no continuing education .
The bottom line is that we must create the proper environment in the church where scandals are less likely to occur — where accountability , preparedness , and encouragement are baked in to the system .
Back to the question at hand : As regrettable and reprehensible as scandals are in creating a black eye for the church and bringing dishonor to God , I think we can rightfully ask , “ Do scandals negate the truthfulness of Christianity ?” I don ’ t think so . Scandals may disappoint us , but they don ’ t negate the truthfulness of Christianity , nor do they provide a good reason to reject Christianity . Nowhere does the Bible attempt to cover up scandals ; rather , it recognizes and confronts them head-on . One quick read through the book of 1 Corinthians is enough to show that it didn ’ t take long for the early church to find itself enmeshed in scandal .
Though scandals may hurt the credibility of Christians , they don ’ t hurt the credibility of Jesus . He ’ s the only one who ever lived without moral failure , and consequently he ’ s the only one who can truly forgive us for the sins that lead to our scandals .
54