Surprise! The Church is full of a bunch of sinners. Between the Christians who give in to terrible temptation (like David) or the wolves in sheep’s clothing preying on the weak (like Judas), the stories of scandal within the Evangelical Church simply won’t go away.

It’s heartbreaking, to say the least. But is shouldn’t surprise us. We live in a broken world consisting of broken people. To see sinful things taking place, even within the Church, is only another confirmation of the truths of Scripture.

Our tendency in these sorts of situations is to look outward. There is certainly biblical warrant for critiquing or even condemning the actions of another Christian or church (1 Cor. 5:11-13, Jas. 5:19-20, Ez. 33:1-9, Gal. 2:11-14, 1 Tim. 5:20) , so long as it is done with love and a desire to ultimately protect the gospel or draw these people closer to Christ. However, I believe that as scandals come out we would be remiss if we did not take a second to look inward. Rather than praying with the Pharisee “I thank you Lord that I am not like them“, our hearts should first plead, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:9-14)

In light of the Houston Chronicle report regarding sexual abuse in the SBC, here are four inward-looking reflections every Christian should stop to consider.

1. The Church Universal

Rather than reveling in the downfall of another, perhaps it would do us well to remember that whether we like it or not the people who have sinned are our own people. We can have our differences in theology or practice, but let us not forget that we are all one family. Our hearts should be broken because these evils exist within the Church Universal.

2. My Own Denomination/Brand

Are you a conservative Christian? Liberal? Charismatic? Fundamentalist? Baptist? Presbyterian? Anglican? Non-denominational? Reformed? Evangelical? Predominately black church? Predominately white church? Megachurch? Mini-church? I have bad news for you, no matter where you stand. These kinds of evils and scandals exist within your particular brand of Christianity. Don’t jump to point fingers at how someone else’s tribe is doing it wrong and your tribe does it right because I promise you there are bad things happening within your tribe too. Sin doesn’t discriminate. Our hearts should be broken because these evils exist within our particular brand of Christianity.

3. My Own Local Church

Yes, I am sure that your church is just fantastic. There are lots of great churches out there, and I am glad that you love yours. However, do not be deceived. No local church is free of sin. The scandal may be coming from the church down the street today, but it could just as easily come from yours tomorrow. Our hearts should be broken because these evils exist even within our own local church.

4. My Own Heart

The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Your heart. My heart. Every human heart. If you think that, apart from the grace of God, you are not capable of carrying out the worst kinds of evil, you are a fool. There are leaders in the SBC who were negligent, but do you think that you are so far away from that same dismissive attitude? There are others within the SBC who actively participated in a cover-up. Is your lying heart truly incapable of falling that far as well? Some within the SBC were the abusers themselves. These are people who replaced the image of God with the idols of sex and power, in turn destroying the lives of fellow Christians. The lust of the eyes lives within us all, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Let your defenses down for only a moment, and sin could come crashing down on you just as easily as it did David. Our hearts should be broken because these evils exist inside each of us.

I don’t say all of this as means of sending you into despair and cynicism. Rather, I seek to remind you of the serious danger in which we all daily live. We must be diligent in pursuing holiness and waging war against sin, for it is a vicious enemy. Be ever on guard. Through a deep and resounding love for Christ, remember to be watchful of the Church at large, be watchful of your denomination, be watchful of your local congregation, and be watchful of your own heart. If you let up for even a moment, you too may find yourself on the wrong side of a scandal.

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“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 
– 1 Cor. 10:12

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Fabrizio Verrecchia