Comments on: An Angry Evangelical Speaks

By: Meredith Efken

Meredith Efken — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:22:37 +0000

Thank you, everyone, for sharing my grief and for understanding my anger. And thank you for encouraging me–you all are the reasons I could never totally give up on the church. There’s still a lot of wonderful people that comprise it. Thanks for that.

By: Paula

Paula — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:01:39 +0000

Thanks, Meredith. I’ve been hurting for Haggard and grieving for our community, too. My husband and I had a long discussion. He said that he has no doubt that Haggard didn’t want to enter that kind of sin–that his head and heart said no, but that the old wounds and sins warred against that desire to follow God’s ways. And aren’t we all like that at some level. It may not be sexual sin, but don’t we all struggle against not doing what we want to do and doing what we don’t want to do? (Quoting the Apostle Paul here)

Anyway, painful subject, but even in this there is God–the God of grace whose mercy is new every morning, not only for Ted Haggard, but for all of us in the evangelical community who, as you point out, helped along his demise.

By: Monica - books are our friends

Monica - books are our friends — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 13:38:04 +0000

I totally agree with what you said about the church holding up sexual sin as the ultimate evil. We’ve lost a lot of credibility over this scandal. So sad for all involved.

By: Kathleen Marie

Kathleen Marie — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:16:47 +0000

What a wonderful heartfelt post. You are so very “right on”. We need to love, let love shine forth and be there for those who are so hurting.

We also need to be accountable to one another for our actions and when we put people on pedestals we can’t be there to offer anything because we have placed them so high above us that all they can do it fall. We make people our Towers of Babel.

God Bless your heart for sharing from your heart.

And I don’t think I totally agree with Pattie. We attended a very small church that grew quickly and many did indeed place the pastors on a pedestal and what resulted was adultry when the pastors wife, who was a pastor herself, counseled another pastor. 11 divorces resulted from that ordeal. My This was a small church in the midwest. My husband and I left and drifted from church to church for about three years…we needed time to heal as well and then we found a church we really loved.

So, I do think anyone at anytime can place a pastor on a pedestal and it is a dangerous place for anyone to be.

God Bless you!

By: Pattie

Pattie — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:00:59 +0000

I think it’s necessary for me to point out that a large percentage of pastors in this country are working not in megachurches, but in smaller congregations for less than secular-job wages, often bivocationally (or their wives must work to make ends meet). Percentage-wise, very few ministers get any sort of book deal, much less six-figures. Pedestal? Not hardly!

Everything else you’ve said, you’ve said very well.

By: Gina

Gina — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:12:51 +0000

I’m so glad that after my pastor “fell”, he repented and was restored!

I touch on his story here http://portraitofawriter.blogspot.com/2006/11/prodigal-or-other-brother.html

By: barbara

barbara — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:01:10 +0000

Well said, Meredith. I am sometimes too quiet on such subjects. May the Lord forgive me for that.
>..

By: momrn2

momrn2 — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:45:17 +0000

You might be interested in reading my archived post “Going Out On a Limb, a Very Thin Limb” posted Feb. 1, 2006. My post from today may also interest you. (”The Formula” Nov. 7)

I believe they go hand in hand with what you have said here, and done well by the way!