Serving Bread

I recently caught a news story about yet another sex scandal that has rocked a church. Worshipers at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church have recently learned that their founding pastor (now 80) was involved in several extra-marital relationships during his tenure. At their height, the church had 10,000 people a week worshiping in Atlanta.

The current pastor, D.E. Paulk, recently learned that his biological father was the founder of the church whom he had known as his uncle. Earl Paulk had been involved in several affairs through the course of his life, and had coerced and manipulated women to believing that salvation would only be found by having sex with him.

It is clear that Earl Paulk has undealt character issues. Yet as a fallen, deceptive and sinful man, he has shepherded a Mega-Church in Atlanta. He is eighty years old and the truth is just coming to the surface. His entire reputation and leadership and legacy will be remembered by his character.

The truth is that our character will influence our legacy. We will be remembered by our character issues. But character is not something that we deal with at one point of our lives, but something we have to address for life. As leaders, we have to be on guard for our entire lives. As a male leader, I especially recognize the power of sexual sin and its seductions. I have to be on guard every day for the ways that various sins will want to influence me.

This recent scandal (and I presume that it won’t be the last of Christian leaders who fall to sexual temptation) is a wake-up call to be on guard for life. Anyone who thinks that he or she is immune to such temptations is a fool. We are all capable of sin. We need the humility to pay attention to the ways we are susceptible to sin and the discipline to keep watch.

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