God understands the tendency for one in authority to fail.
—Bill Gothard (What I Teach)
The Bible is full of stories about God gifting individuals with particular qualities needed to lead and serve His people; yet, in his foreknowledge, God has already made plans to work through a leader’s failure. Those who repent experience his grace. Those who harden their hearts receive his wrath.
Either way, God glorifies himself.
This happens in every generation. Similar falseness pops up repeatedly in different disguise. Christian leaders fall all around us, decade after decade.
For most of my life, I have hated the blemish (to myself and to Christ) that comes from such headlines. I was sad and embarrassed every time a prominent Christian failed. More embarrassed if the man clung to a banner of innocence. And really put out when the ugliness of a cover-up was fully exposed by people outside the church.
Why doesn’t Jesus keep us from hypocrisy?!
On the other hand, there is something right about all of this… especially when the body of Christ takes a stand. Some leaders may be brought to their senses quietly. But silence from the church usually allows things hidden in darkness to fester.
I’ve grown to hate the silence as much as I hate the exposure of long-lived deceit. It’s appropriate for members of the church to take public action. If only a wave of righteous action would wash over the church at large and clean it up! After some initial distress, our world would find the change refreshing. The next generation would see an example to follow when false teachers arise in their midst.
In literature, a foil is a character often used in contrast with the main character, in order to highlight certain qualities of the main character. We are all foils to Jesus, for in our weakness he proves his strength (1 Cor. 12:9), and many purposely pour themselves out as an offering to him in their weakness (Phil. 2:17). Prominent “Christian leaders” take this to another level.
Our leaders prove that even the mightiest of men are of no comparison to our Lord. Their flaws point toward his perfection.
Their humanity points to a savior who stands above reproach and who empowers his body of believers here on earth. These failed men and women are foils, poured out for his glory, whether they want to be or not. Eventually his word and his church, over time, grind away that which is false. “God is light, and In Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)
A fool for God, or an ungodly fool?
All of us would have loved for Bill Gothard to “make God look better” through true leadership. He has failed in both his teachings and his lifestyle. He abuses his power to prey on young women and undermine young men, split their families and churches, and benefit himself through their sacrifice. His sin is magnified by more than 40 years of deceit, including lies and cover-ups. And his nature is being brought to light. His false lifestyle highlights his false theology.
It’s important to note that Gothard is being exposed by people who follow Jesus. His church. If Judas Iscariot could work signs as an apostle of Christ and be crushed as a footnote in the story, then Bill Gothard can certainly also be crushed by God as a footnote in the story that you and I share. We may never understand why God allowed Gothard to go his own way, but He does allow that of all of us.
For your part, do you want to be a willing foil or an unwilling foil?
Let me also mention that our God of grace frequently provides rescue for those who are misled. To the average person, those of us who are not prominent leaders, he may seem aloof with his plan and timing. Your personal decisions are dear to him, but not critical to who he is or what he is doing.
Somehow God accomplishes this rescue of individuals in his own way—a way not narrated in the pages of history books. But, occasionally, relief shows up posted as a blog.
Photo © lightwise / 123RF Stock Photo
So many great quotables in this article. Thank you for writing, Mr. Rowland.
Full of help and healing, thanks. Now that both Gothard and the Board have openly refused to deal with their offenses according to Scripture it feels like a new phase. This is a perfect article for the perspective that takes us forward.
Yes. Thank you.
Excellent. One to reread and pass on.
Oh, thank you! I needed this exhortation/perspective!
"If only a wave of Righteous Action" would wash over the church at large and clean it up" it would be a second Reformation. Very good post. Believers need to use their own God given authority and discernment.
I Am greatly concerned that you seem to value "the message" of Eugene H. Peterson. His book is NOT the Word of God.
This is from an article by Skye Jethani (who I recommend greatly)
Every wonder why Bill (and large chunks of modern evangelicalism,btw) was against NOT all art, but many types of art ??
“Art is about discontinuity and contradiction, which is how grace is experienced in the world, as an alien intrusion into a world that deceives us into believing that we are defined by what we do, not by what Christ has done. And so we are compelled to prove ourselves, to make something that justifies our existence. But art is not just doing and making, it is also receiving, and hearing. It is not just an achievement; it is a gift. It is devoting one’s life to something so futile, inefficient, and in many ways useless, that it becomes a means of grace.”
Bill, and the communists, were pragmatists to the extreme. If something doesn't make the widget, it must go.
Ironically, and getting more philosophical, I think the church has let itself down by terribly undervaluing the arts and artistic expression - the irony being that when interacting with postmodern-ish thinking, the arts seem to me to be one of the most effective ways to have input into culture regarding faith. I find the argument from beauty to be compelling - where does our appreciation of beauty come from, and related, why are people so creative? It is not conclusive but it seems hard for it not to at least suggest a creative creator.
Very well said; the arguments and apologetics that are built upon the rationalistic enlightenment, even when seen thru stained glass (think Josh McDowell or Hank Hanegraff) are on the wane, the post-moderns have seen their equal from secular and atheist sources. an appeal to beauty is closer to an appreciation of worship/passion, this might be a clearer explanation of the deity for this age: they speak of transcendance and mystery. Looks like Sara McG. is not the only one working on a mystery.
Years ago, author Tim Downs proposed in his book "Finding Common Ground" that if a church had one scholarship to give, and if the choice was between a super-talented artist who might influence the world and a so-so student going to seminary, the church should support the artist. Even if the money came from the church's seminary scholarship fund. I found that way of thinking to be quite refreshing (and I'm not an artist).
Some of the Theology of the Body thinking makes wonderful evangelistic argument from beauty. Christopher West often uses love songs and other artistic renditions of eros to point out our insatiable longing for a True communion of persons.
Here's a great book to inspire Christian artists and is a great apologetics book for the justification of art as a sacred ministry.The title is" Art needs no justification" by [I think H. R. Rookmaaker}.
This link gives a free download of the book Art Needs no Justification as mentioned in the previous comment. http://filgueiras.blog.com/files/2011/04/Art-Needs-no-Justification-Hans-RookmakerEm-ingl%C3%AAs.pdf
Link does not work to Rookmaker's book. Darn!
Art may need no justification but it does need its critics...As an artist I have my likes and dislikes, but art is too broad a term and includes any expression from realistic to abstract to performance styles, from beginner to accomplished...all are considered art. Any one can scribble and call it art. Mona Lisa and an upside down crucifix in a jar of the artist's piss are both considered art in the secular world.
Yet in the music world, simply banging on a piano to make noise is not considered music. Where people would buy tickets to an art gallery to see literal crap spread on a canvas, no one would buy tickets to see a performance of someone blowing indiscriminately on a horn who never had lessons.
So does a Christian accept anyone who preaches or teaches from the Bible using their own personal interpretation like the world of art or should it be more like the music world where you actually have to know the instrument and practice it daily so it emits the true sound for which the instrument was created for it to be called music?
Esbee, select the URL (the text starting with http). Copy your selection. Paste it into the address bar of your browser. This works for any web address that is text instead of a link.
Esbee,
Your comments are so on target, with your discussion of art and music. It is appalling that ugliness can be presented as art, but many accept it as art because they feel they must. When we hear an out of tune instrument or music poorly played, we recognize immediately that it isn't good music. Your tie in with theology was great too, but I just really like the art/music comparison because it clearly demonstrates the disconnect in our society regarding what is considered art. Thanks so much
Schoenberg, anyone? Music is not without its own debates over what is 'in tune' and what the 'true sound' of an instrument should be.
Though I don't disagree with esbee's point that preachers and teachers should know their instruments and practice them daily.
Or John Cage's '4'33" which can be performed upon any instrument, as it is no more than complete silence for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. If classicists wonder why pop and rock gained such popular followings, they need look no further than the increasing isolationist attitude of 'art for art's sake' among the musical intelligentsia of the twentieth century. Only in film scores have the great compositional techniques of classical music been maintained for a popular audience. Pride in artistic self-expression nearly killed classical music.
In my Literary Analysis course, I teach that Andy Taylor and Barney Fife are mutual foils. Barney's foolishness highlights Andy's common sense wisdom and vice versa. We are all foils to Jesus is simply the normal Christian life. He must increase;I must decrease,(particularly in my own estimation), is the path to maturity. How long did I operate under the legalistic mentality that someday I would arrive at some bizarre state of spirituality where I barely needed Jesus! What a blessing to finally comprehend that when I fail, it can serve as a reminder that I am not God and stand in as much need of His grace today as I did at the moment of my salvation.Thanks for such an encouraging perspective on the work of salvation.
Thanks for your comments, Linda.
This article was so, so helpful to me in dealing with the elephant-in-the-room question: why does God allow such hypocrites to continue on and to lead hundreds of thousands astray? Answer: He is God. He chooses how He will glorify Himself. And I ask mySELF the question -- do I want to be an intentional foil or an unintentional one? O may God forbid the latter.
You know, I almost hate to write this, but in my 26 years of pastoral ministry I have almost come to the conclusion that there is NO place for mega-churches and mega-ministries in God's kingdom. so many are corrupt and just drunk with power and prestige that it seems it is totally contrary to our Lord's humble life and ministry. With success comes power and money and with power and money comes temptations and with temptation so often comes great falls. How blessed I am to have a small and faithful body of believers who really care for each other. We are so small and close that it is almost impossible to "lord it over" others and make a name for ourselves. Smallness really is a blessing.