How does the Christian relate to the positive features of a ministry that later collapses in apostasy or scandal?
We have spoken a number of times in recent months regarding the dilemmas which often challenge believers when a Christian leader experiences a doctrinal or moral fall. Even those who experience a relatively remote relationship with such a leader can be negatively impacted when such a fall occurs. But what about those who have been blessed by such a one in a very up-close-and-personal manner?
What of those whose lives were directly rescued from spiritual, intellectual, or moral chaos by the ministry of one who later abandons key Bible truths or is found to have practiced egregious sins? How should they relate to the role such a person or ministry has played in their religious pilgrimage?
Healed by Judas
Recently I watched a video exposing the dark deeds committed by the now-deceased head of a Christian apologetics ministry, which addressed this very question. At one point in his remarks, the one narrating the video spoke of those early Christians who might well have had a disease cured or a demon cast out of them by Judas Iscariot. During His earthly ministry, of course, Jesus gave power to all twelve of His disciples—including Judas—to work such miracles. The Gospel of Matthew tells us:
And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.
Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus;
Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him (Matt. 10:1-4).
We can be sure that most if not all of those healed or delivered by the miracles performed by each of the disciples likely joined the Christian community in the wake of Jesus’ ascension and the events of Pentecost. Those who had been healed by Judas may have had some seriously reflective moments in the aftermath of his betrayal of their Master. How could someone so close to Jesus have ended up this way? How could one exposed to the Savior’s love, example, and admonitions on a 24/7 basis have ultimately chosen such a course?
But in the end, like the man born blind who was healed by Jesus, who was told by the Jewish leaders, “Give God the praise: we know that this Man is a sinner” (John 9:24), those healed of disease or demons by Judas would likely have reminded themselves, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (verse 25). The parallel is not exact, of course; Jesus was never a sinner like Judas. But the restoration Jesus had made possible through the labors of Judas was still very real, something the subsequent history of Judas—however sordid—could never change.
My own family history bears witness to something similar. My ancestors on my father’s side were brought into the Seventh-day Adventist Church through the labors of L.R. Conradi, who later apostatized. I’ve often wondered how Conradi’s spiritual journey in his later years might have affected those members of my family who owed their introduction to the Advent message to this man. Did any of them feel betrayed, as some today may feel in the wake of apostasy or scandal on the part of certain ones they once regarded as spiritual mentors?
Wisdom from the Prophet
Two of the greatest spiritual giants in Adventist history, A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner, are remembered not only for their role in the 1888 righteousness by faith revival, but also for the fact that they later strayed from the Adventist fold. Interestingly, Ellen White stated as early as 1892—in the midst of the revival she and these men were facilitating—that the apostasy of these men was in fact a possibility. In her words:
It is quite possible that Elders Jones and Waggoner may be overthrown by the temptations of the enemy; but if they should be, this would not prove that they had had o message from God, or that the work that they had done was all a mistake. But should this happen, how many would take this position, and enter into a fatal delusion because they are not under the control of the Spirit of God [1].
At the bottom line, it is imperative for all to keep before them the fact that God alone is the Source of truth, that His Word—not the one who may bring that Word to us—is to function as the supreme guide and unerring lodestar of our spiritual journey. No matter how lofty one’s profession or how apparently godly one’s public witness, every believer—be his profile high or low—still possesses the freedom to choose between righteousness and sin. Spiritual or moral failure on the part of such persons cannot alter the truthfulness of the truth they once proclaimed.
A Fraud from the Beginning?
When a Christian leader apostatizes or falls into conspicuous sin, the question often arises as to whether such a one was ever a genuine follower of Christ. Could such a one have always been a spiritual fraud? Evangelical leader Michael Farris effectively pronounced this sentence on Joshua Harris, founder of the anti-dating movement among conservative Christian youth relative to marriage preparation, following the breakup of Harris’s marriage and his simultaneous renunciation of Christianity. Farris, one of Harris’s original mentors [2], wrote in a public letter to Harris on this point:
I would never reach this conclusion about you on my own but what you have said yourself can be fairly summarized as this: you thought your faith and your marriage were based on formulas. They never went deeper than that.
Jesus says about people like you that in the last judgment, He will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
You know that this means you never actually knew Him.
As immersed as you were in Christian culture and a career as a pastor, you never actually knew Jesus [3].
Farris doesn’t know Harris’s heart, to be sure; only God does (I Kings 8:39). But Farris’s comments may well arise from the “once-saved-always-saved” theology so prominent in conservative evangelical circles, a teaching strongly denied in both Old and New Testaments (e.g. Eze. 18:24; 33:18; Heb. 6:4-6; Rev. 3:11). Many who hold to this erroneous paradigm may be tempted, when a Christian leader falls, to insist such a one was never saved in the first place. Seventh-day Adventists, thankfully, have never accepted this false doctrine, and thus we should recognize—more readily, perhaps, than some of our fellow Christians—that one who is genuinely righteous through the grace of God can in fact fall from grace, a possibility the apostle Paul frankly acknowledges (Gal. 5:4). No matter how passionate one’s Christian profession, how high one’s profile, or wide one’s influence for God and His truth, such a fall can happen—to anybody.
Should We Still Use Their Sermons and Writings?
But a question often persists in many minds when such a person falls. To what extent, if at all, should the spoken and written messages of such a one be used to guide and direct Christians?
The passage of time may have much to do with our answer. After all, thousands in our day have been blessed by the writings of Jones and Waggoner relative to the message of righteousness by faith and related topics that was so central to their ministry. Ellen White, of course, did not regard their teachings as error-free [4], and the need to apply the Berean test to their sermons and writings (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11) is as imperative as it is with anyone whose writings or ministry we encounter. But it is probably fair to say that sufficient time has elapsed since the labors of these men that their eventual departure from faithfulness need not obscure the light, guidance, and benefit to be found in the study of their materials.
However, with ministry leaders whose offenses, particularly those of an abusive nature, stand fresh in the memory of those within the sphere of their influence and especially among persons directly impacted by the wrongs they committed, greater care is needed. The public use of the sermons and writings of one who has fallen in this manner is not wise, as it can easily cause listeners to take their sins lightly and may be seen by those who suffered injury at their hands as belittling the harm thus inflicted. If those who have been blessed by the erstwhile ministry of such individuals can still privately benefit from their insights and wisdom, that is one thing. But any public promotion of the messages or written materials of one who has fallen in this fashion can be seriously hurtful to the cause of Christ, for the reasons noted above and perhaps others.
Conclusion
How well I remember when word reached me of the moral fall of a prominent conservative Adventist scholar a number of years ago. Even at this point in time, I still have a hard time believing it actually happened! Traveling the next day to an overseas speaking appointment, I received a call from a fellow revivalist as I stood in the airport security line. We didn’t have much time to talk, but my friend had sufficient time to issue the following Biblical warning:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (I Cor. 10:12).
While the positive labors and witness of a fallen soldier of Christ will certainly live on, this will not negate the ruinous consequences such missteps always inflict on the Lord’s sheep and the reputation of His cause. The body of Christ must exert prodigious effort to help those who have been blessed by the work of such persons to not lose that blessing, and to ever bear in mind that God’s Word remains true even if its champions cease to be true themselves. God declares through the prophet Isaiah:
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void (Isa. 55:10-11).
The good accomplished by those whose faithfulness later falters is not, therefore, accomplished in vain. Those healed by Judas the evangelist remained healed, even after he became Judas the betrayer.
But the wisest course is to not publicly utilize ministry materials produced by those who fall, even if private benefit might still be received from them. Most of all, those who labor in word and doctrine must daily and fully consecrate themselves to the Savior and the Word that defines their spiritual obligations and the church’s mission. No temptation, of whatever sort, is so strong that it can’t be resisted. Again, from the words of the modern prophet:
God has made ample provision for His people; and if they rely upon His strength, they will never become the sport of circumstances. The strongest temptation cannot excuse sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to do evil. Satan attacks us at our weak points, but we need not be overcome. However severe or unexpected the assault, God has provided help for us, and in His strength we may conquer [5].
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, p. 201.
2. Joshua Harris, I Kissed Dating Good-bye (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), p. 233.
3. Michael Farris, “A letter to Josh Harris,” The Christian Post, July 28, 2019 https://www.christianpost.com/voice/a-letter-to-josh-harris.html
4. White, 1888 Materials, vol. 1, p. 164; vol. 2, p. 566.
5. ----Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 421.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan