Putting Out Fires: How Churches Can Respond to Sexual Scandal
12 minute read
recent news headlines about sexual scandal are troublesome and grievous. And I know that I’m not alone in the desire to make the bleeding stop.
Sometimes it feels like we are in a new era of moral fallout, but the truth is that humanity has always wrestled with deviations from sexual health, and the Bible certainly doesn’t try to hide the fact. I’d like to take a moment today to take a fresh look at a familiar, seemingly unassuming Old Testament story. You’ll find the story of Samuel in most children’s Bibles with endearing sketches of the young boy who learned to hear the voice of God and rose to be a great prophet in the nation of Israel.
But what most of us don’t realize is that these early chapters of 1 Samuel record far more than a narrative of how to listen to God’s voice. It is actually a detailed account of sexual scandal within the leadership of a faith community and the devastating fallout to the entire nation.
Israel’s History
As you flip to the early chapters of 1 Samuel, it is valuable to remember that by this time in history the nation of Israel had already been through a lot. They had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, had wandered in the wilderness with Moses, had begun to possess the promised land of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership, and had gone through numerous cycles of apostasy and revival under the guidance of judges that God had raised up.
At this point in history, we learn that Eli was now serving in the high priest position at the tabernacle along with his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. This is where the story of scandal picks up.
The way 1 Samuel describes the spiritual condition of this era is distressing:
“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.” (1 Samuel 3:1-2 ESV)
Do you see the nudging correlation between Eli’s physical senses growing dim, the light of the tabernacle growing dim, and the ability to hear and see God growing dim? How could this be?! These were God’s chosen people, the ones whom He desired to dwell with!
In a wilderness meeting place, God had given detailed direction to Moses on how the Israelites were to design and maintain the tabernacle so that His holy presence could always be among them. It was the priesthood’s direct duty to keep the light within the tabernacle lit, and to keep the fire on the altar burning. (Exodus 27:20-21; Leviticus 6:13) This fire had first fallen from heaven to consume the offerings on the tabernacle’s “opening day” ceremonies, but now it would be the faithful dedication of the priests that would keep this fire burning. It was more than fire. It was a symbol of the very presence of God.
Was God now carelessly abandoning His people, like a fickle highschool friend who decided to direct His attention elsewhere because He had gotten bored? Or He quieting Himself and withdrawing His presence just to play games with them?
There is something far more sinister at play, and we would be wise to pay attention to the included description of the lifestyle of the priests of Samuel’s day.
The Scandal of the Priesthood
1 Samuel 2:12 (NKJV) explains,
“Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD.”
First, this corruption was manifesting itself in the way that the priests, Hophni and Phineas, were taking extra portions of meat for themselves from the offerings that people were bringing to the Lord. Instead of following the instructions laid out for the Levitical priesthood, they were stealing from the offerings and preparing the meat to their own taste. (1 Samuel 2:13-17 NKJV) Their stomach had become their god. They were unwilling to yield their appetites to the boundaries laid out for them in the law, and in the process, they despised and devalued the offerings of God.
Secondly, we see another example of these two men were unwilling to yield to God’s boundaries for sexuality. Hophni and Phineas were seducing the women who were coming to the door of the tabernacle in order to have sexual relations with them. (1 Samuel 2:22 NKJV)
These leaders were leveraging their position of leadership and influence to get what they wanted, how they wanted it, when they wanted it. Instead of ministering to the Lord and serving God’s people, they were preying upon the vulnerability of people.
1 Samuel chapter 2 informs us that Eli was aware of what his sons were doing, that he confronted them once about it, but that his sons refused to listen. Eli took no further steps, and allowed the wickedness to continue without consequence. When an unnamed prophetic messenger came with a dire warning (1 Samuel 2:27-36), rather than motivating Eli to action, Eli remained unmoved.
The Consecration of Samuel
Running parallel to this scandalous story of perversion in leadership, there is a story of a young boy named Samuel. His mother Hannah, had dedicated him to the purposes of God, making an oath that Samuel would live the consecrated life of a Nazarite. He lived and served full-time under Eli’s ministry, and learned the ways of the priesthood. As he grew older, learned the law, and simultaneously watched the leaders around him, I can imagine that he would have begun to wonder at the practices of Hophni and Phineas.
That one fateful night, when Samuel heard the voice of God calling to him, the message that he received was a heavy one.
“And the Lord said to Samuel:, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family - from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefor I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” (1 Samuel 3:11-14 NIV)
Can you imagine having to be the messenger for a prophetic word like this? Scripture tells us that Samuel lay down until morning, then got up to open the doors of the house of the Lord. I wonder if he slept at all that night, or if he lay awake wondering how to deliver such a message.
When Samuel did tell Eli in the morning, Eli does not respond in humility or deep repentance. Instead, it’s as though he shrugs his shoulders and says, “Sure, whatever God thinks is best.”
Later, we read in chapter 4 that judgment on Eli’s family came swiftly at the hand of the Philistines. Both Hophni and Phineas were killed in battle, the Ark of the Covenant was captured, and Eli died from the shock of hearing the news of it.
When Phineas’s pregnant wife heard the news, she went into early labor, and gave birth to a son. The labor had exhausted her, and she knew she was going to die. In her final moments, she named her child “Ichabod”, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
That grieving mother was right; the fire of Israel had gone out.
The Fire of Fleshly Desire vs. The Fire of Consecration
The church has been hit with some hard blows lately. Even today, while on a national news outlet’s website I saw articles announcing another handful of church leaders across the continent that have been caught in their lies.
The Sexual sin and compromise that was hidden in darkness for a long time is now being shouted from the rooftops.
I recently heard a woman pose the question, “Can my faith sustain another leader’s betrayal?” This woman is not a new believer, but has walked with the Lord for years. We both know that she is not the only one shaken by the news of adultery, abuse, and addiction by those we were hoping could show us a better way. I have seen first-hand the fall out and implications of this kind of scandal, so my stomach drops every time I learn of the seduction and secrecy within church leadership.
Though it is painful, I have to remember that It is the Lord’s mercy to bring these things into the light. There are stains on the robes of the church, His beloved Bride, and God is dedicated to washing her clean.
There is a high standard set for leadership of the people of God. This is not just a cultural tradition or pressure. It is a command of God that is laid out in the early books of the Old Testament, reiterated through the voice of the prophets, and then echoed in the apostolic instructions to the church in the New Testament. Leaders cannot live as though they are the exception to the rules, but rather must live above reproach.
Elijah’s Call for Fire from Heaven
Years ago I was struck with curiosity about the bold claim of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel during the epic showdown with the prophets of Baal. Though we don’t read of any direct instruction from the Lord, Elijah had the guts to declare, “I will lay out an offering, and fire will fall from heaven.”
“How could he have been sure that this would happen?” I wondered. That question helped me to recognize an incredible pattern within the Old Testament - at key moments in Israel’s history, when an offering was laid out on the altar, the fire of God would fall from heaven. It happened at the dedication of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and it happened at the dedication of the temple during King Solomon’s reign.
So, I reasoned, Elijah was able to make this bold claim because he knew that God’s pattern was to respond to His people’s offerings of obedience and surrender with fire.
We see that fire falling once again in the book of Acts, when 120 disciples of Jesus were gathered together, waiting and praying, setting themselves aside to the purposes of God. Those men and women were met with a baptism of fire. Ultimately, all followers of Jesus are called to live consecrated lives, where the fire of the Holy Spirit burns within them. This is the message that the apostle Paul brought to the Roman church when he appealed to them, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1 NIV)
Fire will burn in your life. It’s a question of which type of fire.
It will either be the fire of your sinful appetites and lusts, or it will be the consuming fire of God that falls on those who are living a life of worshipful consecration.
Jesus is Not Afraid of Bad Press
It is natural to consider the reputation of the church in the eyes of the world whenever a scandal of leadership occurs. The other day my husband and I were talking about how difficult it can be for a chain restaurant or business to overcome bad publicity. The question in the mind of the people is, “If one location messed things up that badly, how can I know that I can trust the other locations?”
I think the same question is front-and-centre in the minds of the world right now when it comes to the church. Even though there are hundreds and thousands of faithful men and women who serve their communities with pure motives and behaviour, the scandal makes it feel like we have more to prove now.
Jesus is not afraid of bad press. He is more committed to integrity and the chance for victims to find healing than He is to “protecting reputations”. He will even welcome the guilty back into right relationship with Him and not be afraid to be seen in public with them. This is the love of God.
That all being said, what can the church do to walk in the genuine love of Jesus and to cultivate atmospheres that smother the fires of the flesh that have burned all too often? First, remember that if we are living a life of consecration, we’ll have the courage to confront sin, within ourselves and within the culture around us. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
We must be more committed to truth and holiness than we are to hiding sinful, damaging patterns.
There are systemic patterns that we need to be aware of, and begin to take tangible steps to correct course. Here are 4 areas that I’ve seen that I believe must be addressed if we want to cultivate the fire of consecration within leaders and communities of faith:
Lower the platform on which leaders stand, not the standard they are held to. The standard of personal integrity for leaders needs to remain high, but leaders must not be placed so high above the crowd that they become untouchable. We must find a way to honour leaders, while asking honest questions and looking out for their growth and maturity. They are not the head of the body. That position belongs to Christ. Every man and woman, no matter how influential or powerful, is still a human, prone to temptation, weakness, and warfare. We must bless them to rest, to have boundaries, and to have hobbies. We encourage them to get counselling and work through wounds. We don’t honour leaders for holding to an illusion of perfection or immortality. We honour them for the work they do in serving the church.
2. Cultivate transparency at all levels. This piece is directly linked with lowering platforms. When we recognize (in practice) that leaders are human too, we will anticipate that leaders will have struggles that they need to be talking about. This is not about watching one another with suspicion or a critical eye, but rather about asking real questions and giving more time for the real answers. We aren’t just patting one another on the back at the confession of sin or struggle with a shrug of the shoulders, pretending its not a big deal. Rather, we must learn to kindly walk with one another to the foot of the cross in surrender, to receive grace and cleansing. Church communities would be wise to consider the statistical evidence of sexual deviance and childhood traumas, and stop acting surprise that there is brokenness or struggle within an individual or community. It’s time to be proactively addressing matters of sexuality, not just waiting for another moral failure.
3. Break our obsession with comfort. I suspect that the western church is particularly guilty of this obsession with pleasure and comfort. We must do a better job of keeping one hand on the doctrine that establishes us in our identity as an overcoming royal priesthood with access to the resources of heaven, while not losing grip of the doctrine that reminds us that we are also called to the fellowship of suffering with Christ. We must be prepared to suffer in order to not succumb to the lusts of our flesh as well as to face the rejection and persecution that will come as we hold to a biblical standard of sexual morality in our post-modern nations. As Augustine said, “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.
4. Teach disciples about healthy sexuality. Jesus distinctly instructed His disciples, “Wherever you go preaching my good news, make sure to teach them to obey everything I have told you.”
If we are going to move beyond “putting out fires” in a public relations kind of way, we will need to have some honest conversations in church about God’s design for sexuality.
The early church knew it and talked regularly on the matter. Why wouldn’t we? In this porn-saturated culture, we will need to teach men and women how see one another as more than an object of desire to be consumed. We certainly will not exclude the sermons about faith and prayer, but we are kidding ourselves if we think that a message about sexual struggle once a year or a church small-group tucked down a dimly lit hall on a Tuesday night will suffice in giving our congregations the strength and wisdom they need to find wholeness in the areas of sexuality, relationships, and identity.
many leaders are feeling desperate for a change within their church communities. They are tired of having to put out fires, and are longing for the fire from heaven to fall on the altar of our lives again.
The work we do with The Union Movement is not meant to just help married couples have better sex lives (though that will likely happen with increasingly healthy sexual ethics) or to help teen boys from getting addicted to pornography (though we also hope that will happen). Our desire is to help people find wholeness in the context of worshipful surrender to Jesus Christ AND to help churches establish cultures where sexual and relational health is the norm, not the anomaly. The world needs an answer, and we believe that Jesus wants to use local churches to bring it to them.
If you and your church would like to take an intentional step towards establishing a sexually healthy atmosphere, our simple Sexual Health Evaluation Tool is for you.
We’ve developed the Sexual Health Evaluation tool to help leaders recognize areas of strength and weakness within themselves and their community. Many questions are directly related to the previously listed 4 areas that need to be addressed. It asks questions about the practices of individuals, staff and leadership culture, the general congregation, and the families within that community of faith.
The Evaluation brings awareness to the 5 Key Values that we have seen need to be strong in order to have sustainable sexual health:
Honor
Legacy
Gospel-Centredness
Holistic Approach
Transparency
The questions are concise and simple, meant to help leaders strategize ways to cultivate sexual health. We have the evaluation linked on our website and in our profile to download for free.
Leaders can go through the process on their own, or in consultation with us. Whichever approach you take, we urge you to take that step forward today.