Playing with Fire (Water)

We are called to be godly examples, to live our lives in a manner that pleases Christ and edifies other people. Romans 14 says:
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Our dogma can be destructive - Paul writes that everything is lawful, but not everything is profitable. In other words, we can act in a manner that we believe is perfectly OK for us, but if it could be damaging to another person, then our liberty has become harmful to someone else.  God calls us to be people of character, called to live pure lives, and recognizing that we are living for Him.  We can be challenged to not model behavior that could provide harm to another if he or she adopt that same pattern.

+++++

1st Corinthians 8 challenges us to submit our choices to God:
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

Perhaps by now, you've heard about the removal of the senior pastor of a large, multi-site congregation in South Carolina because of alcohol abuse.  It was announced at the church on July 10 that Perry Noble had been removed. Baptist Press reported on the statement by the board of directors and pastor advisory team, which said, in part:

"Perry's posture towards his marriage, increased reliance on alcohol and other behaviors were of continual concern."

The story reported that the church leaders said, "While this is the most difficult and painful decision we have had to make, unfortunately it was necessary," church leaders said of "some unfortunate choices and decisions" Noble had made. The leaders statement also said, "Because Perry chose not to properly address these ongoing issues and didn't take the necessary steps toward correcting them, he is no longer qualified, as outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and the church's bylaws, to continue as a pastor at NewSpring Church..."

Noble founded NewSpring in 1999 in Anderson, SC, and made a statement of his own, which was posted at the church's website. He said, "I'm really sorry and ask you to forgive me," adding, "In my opinion, the [B]ible does not prohibit the use of alcohol, but it does prohibit drunkenness and intoxication. I never had a problem drinking alcohol socially, but in the past year or so I have allowed myself to slide into, in my opinion, the overuse of alcohol. This was a spiritual and moral mistake on my part as I began to depend on alcohol for my refuge instead of Jesus and others."

ChristianHeadlines.com published a story that included this quote from the deposed pastor: ""Let me be very clear, neither [my wife] nor I have committed any sort of sexual sin. I have not stolen money. I have not been looking at porn and there was absolutely no domestic abuse." He continued, "I never had a problem drinking alcohol socially," adding, "but in the past year or so I have allowed myself to slide into, in my opinion, the overuse of alcohol."

And, some of the wording of that statement got the attention of Craig Gross, the founder of the XXXChurch ministry, which reaches out to those in the porn industry and people addicted to it.   The article refers to his comments on the Relevant Magazine website.  Gross says, “In case you haven't caught it, let me make it clear: Noble is saying that being consumed by alcohol is NOT AS BAD as having an affair or beating up your spouse. Or looking at porn." He adds, “I don't want to get into a discussion about which sins are ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than others. I know that all sin is the same in God's eyes, but, unfortunately, we don't always see with those eyes. We see with human eyes, and our human eyes put more weight on some behaviors than we do with others.” The article states that "The path to take for pastors who fall into sin has to be one of honesty, says Gross, and we, as Christians, need to give pastors space to be honest."  

A Christianity Today story illustrates how addiction affects those in the ministry. It quotes a 2015 survey by Barna Group and Pepperdine University, in which nearly one in five pastors reported that they had struggled with addiction to alcohol or prescription drugs.   But, taking struggles public? Pastors were split: About half said being open about the addiction would have a negative impact on their ministry, while a nearly equal number said being honest about it has had a positive impact. About 1 in 10 said the answer wasn’t that easy.

And, a quarter of adults who attended religious services weekly in 2006 said they sometimes drank too much, a number that rose as church attendance decreased, according to the General Social Survey.

Gross spoke of "space."  So does Ed Stetzer of Wheaton College and co-host of Breakpoint This Week.  He wrote for Christianity Today that "...evangelicals must start dealing with addiction in both an honest way and a redemptive way. Those who are beginning to hold a more open position on the consumption of alcohol should be careful that in their quickness to embrace freedom and liberty, they are not ignoring dangers and even blind to how this can hurt the opportunity to reach our neighbors. He adds, "But on the other side of the issue, even those who have long held a position against any consumption of alcohol at all must start addressing addiction in a way that is more open and transparent. After all, the gospel we proclaim is exactly what brings the freedom we long for, and it should mean that we don’t have to hide anymore."

So, how do you process this information?  Well, for one thing, recognize that there are addictions within the church that affect people from the pulpit to the pews.  God instructs us to confess our sins and to rely on His power to overcome those areas of sin.  If there is a behavior that cannot be controlled and a person has tried to walk in victory without success, then stronger steps need to be taken.  

We see that our leaders are under spiritual attack today, and some have fallen into moral failure, including addiction.  Some, like Perry Noble, have been called out and are seeking help. Others, unfortunately, are not - I would imagine that there are those who are keeping it a secret, either harboring it out of enjoyment, which is a dangerous and vulnerable position, or hating the manifestation, but feeling powerless to do anything about it.

We can recognize that God's Word and the power of His Spirit are available to overcome these addictions that can take hold of a person's life.  And, in an atmosphere of compassion and accountability, a person, even a church leader, can step into the victory that has been bought and paid for by Christ.  He wants to control our life - not an addiction.   

And, finally - a person has to take necessary steps to prevent an addictive behavior from controlling him or her.  A LifeWay survey that was referred to in the Christianity Today article said that about one-third of evangelicals consume alcohol.  Perry Noble, by his own admission, was one of them. 

He also wrote a rather cheeky article earlier this year about buying a lottery ticket and speaking negatively toward Christians who opposed the lottery.   Paul wrote that liberty should not become a stumbling block for others.  We have to take precautions so that liberality and lack of preventive maintenance do not result in some rather dire consequences.  A flippant attitude about various addictions can be misleading or damaging to believers.  We have to realize that addiction is serious and people need to be taught how to resist it and stand strong in the face of it.