Clergy abuse scandals and a prophetic moment I have not forgotten

Rev. Robert Morris founded Gateway Church in April 2000 at the Hilton Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Ten years later, the church opened its current sixty-four-acre facility. In November 2018, it was ranked the fourth largest megachurch in the US with about twenty-eight thousand weekly attendees.

While I do not know Robert Morris personally, I have known many who have benefited greatly from Gateway’s ministries over the years. It was deeply grievous to learn of horrific abuse allegations against Morris last June, prompting his resignation.

This week, news broke that Morris has now been indicted on child sex abuse charges in Oklahoma. The former pastor is charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The Oklahoma attorney general told the Dallas Morning News yesterday that Morris will “more likely than not” turn himself in and be arraigned by Monday.

Earlier in the week, the Dallas Morning News published an extensive article interviewing ex-Gateway employees who say the church had “a culture of silence and trauma.” They said that before Morris’ exit, the church had a “narcissistic” culture where criticism was silenced and staffers were left with lasting trauma.

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According to the elder board chair, the church is now reckoning with a “failure of culture.”

“If the salt has lost its taste”

Ruth Graham recently profiled evangelical author Aaron Renn in the New York Times. Renn is especially known for his historical taxonomy that has become conventional wisdom for many:

• American Christians experienced a “positive world” between 1964 and 1994, during which being a Christian generally enhanced our social status and “Christian social norms” were the basic norms of the broader American culture.
• In the “neutral world,” which lasted roughly from 1994 to 2014, Christianity no longer held a privileged status, but was viewed as one of many valid options in a pluralistic public square.
• About a decade ago, the US became a “negative world” for Christians. Following Christ and holding traditional Christian moral views, particularly related to sex and gender, is now seen as “a threat to the public good and new public moral order.”

I have written widely on this shift as well in numerous articles and especially in my book, The Coming Tsunami: Why Christians Are Labeled Intolerant, Irrelevant, Oppressive, and Dangerous—and How We Can Turn the Tide. I would nuance Renn’s description by noting that “positive,” “neutral,” and “negative” cultural engagements depend not only on chronology but also on geography. Evangelicals on both coasts and in major cities are likely to experience the “negative” world more than those in smaller Midwest towns, for example.

However, I agree with Renn that biblical morality has become more problematic than ever before in American history and that, despite recent more positive trends, the church in America is facing unprecedented opposition.

According to Notre Dame scholar Christian Smith, author of Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America, sex abuse scandals are especially to blame:

The scandals violated most of the virtues believed to make religion good. They demonstrated that religion did not make people moral, did not help its own leaders cope with life’s challenges and temptations, did not promote social peace and harmony, and did not model virtuous behavior for others.

It is inconceivable to me that ministers whose moral failings have captured so many headlines over recent years intended this to happen. Surely they did not know when they took their first steps into sexual immorality that their sins would grievously wound so many people and deeply damage the larger witness of the church in contemporary society.

But this is just what Jesus warned us could happen: “If the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13).

A prophetic moment I have never forgotten

Many years ago, I was teaching philosophy of religion at a major seminary when a megachurch pastor in the community was caught in numerous affairs. The news made headlines all weekend. The next Monday, I was attending seminary chapel when the speaker began his message by addressing the scandal.

I thought he was going to criticize the celebrity pastor for his appalling moral failures. But that’s not what he did.

After describing the story in some detail, he pointed his finger at us in the auditorium and declared, “And there but for the grace of God go you.” Then he pointed at himself and added, “And there but for the grace of God go I.”

It was a prophetic moment I have not forgotten. And one I’d like you to hear directed at your soul today: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15, my emphases). This process, unless halted through genuine repentance and sincere restoration, is inevitable.

A cancer left untreated will be worse tomorrow than it is today, until the day it kills the patient.

Why we need “abandonment to Jesus Christ”

Here we find yet another reason why you and I need the personal, transformational relationship with the living Lord Jesus that I have been emphasizing this week. He will “deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13), but we must seek such deliverance. His Spirit will give us victory over temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), but we must first submit our lives and temptations to him.

Oswald Chambers observed:

“The reason some of us are such poor specimens of Christianity is because we have no Almighty Christ. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment to Jesus Christ.”

Conversely, when we submit ourselves fully to the person of Jesus, “we walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). But only then.

According to our Lord, you can be “salt [that] has lost its taste” and is “thrown out and trampled,” or you can “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13, 16). You can be part of the solution, or you can be part of the problem.

I face the same choice today.

Let us choose wisely.

Quote for the day:

“May we not only be delivered from the outward act or word that grieves Thee, but may the very springs of our nature be purified!” —F. B. Meyer

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Denison Forum

Yesterday, a court ruled that Mahmoud Khalil—the Columbia University graduate who was arrested on Saturday for his role in pro-Palestine protests—will remain imprisoned in Louisiana while his case plays out in court. He is not, however, “in immediate danger of deportation” according to Department of Justice attorney Brandon Waterman.

Given the way Khalil’s case has been adjudicated in the court of public opinion, Waterman’s statement may come as a surprise to many. That said, it may not take long for his case to come to a conclusion.

Khalil is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge in Louisiana on March 27, though his lawyers are working to get him moved back to New York in the meantime. It’s possible that should they succeed, his trial will occur closer to his home there. And, if the scene outside the courtroom yesterday is any indication, he’d find himself amongst a much more sympathetic crowd.

But before we go any further, let’s take a step back and discuss a bit more about who Mahmoud Khalil is and why his case has generated such strong opinions on both sides of the debate.

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Mahmoud Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University last year when protests rocked the campus and generated headlines. He was one of many who helped organize and lead those protests, though it’s unclear what role—if any—he played in the more disruptive elements like taking over buildings and forcing classes to close.

Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, earned a computer science degree from the Lebanese American University before working for the British Embassy in Beirut. He came to America in 2022 on a student visa to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs at Columbia.

When the protests broke out at Columbia, he was part of the group attempting to mediate between university officials and the others who were part of the protest groups. He has been accused of helping to lead the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD)—a student group wanting the university to divest itself of its financial ties to Israel—though he has denied playing such a role.

More recently, the Department of Homeland Security has accused him of “leading activities aligned to Hamas.” The White House has since claimed that he has also handed out pro-Hamas propaganda and supported the terrorist organization, though they stopped short of saying he was affiliated with the group.

To further complicate matters, upon graduating he switched from a student visa to a green card; a change that the DHS agents who arrested him on Saturday were apparently unaware had occurred.

That arrest has since sparked a heated debate about whether the government has overstepped in their attempts to deport Khalil for his actions on campus or if they are within their rights to send him out of the country.

Ultimately, that will be for the courts to decide, but their verdict is likely to have implications that stretch far beyond the current case.

Should Khalil be deported?

As Dr. Jim Denison wrote yesterday, the Trump administration is punishing the University as well, though Khalil is the first of the individuals who participated in those protests to face such a punishment. What many in these protests said, did, and stood for is antisemitic in nature and indefensible in both its ignorance of reality and defense of the unspeakable atrocities that occurred in the October 7 attacks. While there is competing evidence regarding the degree to which Khalil personally endorsed such rhetoric, those ideas are clearly wrong and unworthy of support.

However, that is not the question.

Rather, the more pressing issue is whether the government has the right to deport him for the role he played in speaking on behalf of those beliefs. And, honestly, no one really seems to know the answer.

The president signed an executive order during his second week in office intended to “combat antisemitism” on college campuses by threatening deportations and revoking visas of those who engage in such behavior. Yet it remains unclear whether that order gives the government the authority to arrest people without officially charging them with a crime—a step that, as of this writing, they have not taken with Khalil—or deport people for their speech.

The White House has cited the Immigration and Nationality Act for support. That law gives the Secretary of State the authority to revoke a green card or visa for those deemed a threat to the country’s national security interests. However, those statutes have typically required a more direct link to terror organizations to be considered applicable.

For all of his rhetoric and actions, there is little evidence to date that Khalil was a member of Hamas or was actively engaged in helping the group. As such, his case has largely been seen as an attempt by the Trump administration to define on its own terms when free speech goes beyond the pale of permissibility.

And that should make Khalil’s story relevant—and potentially troubling—to all of us.

Why I’m concerned about this case

As Isaac Saul wrote regarding Khalil:

“The entire point of free speech is to defend the principle even when you abhor the speech. I’m certain that Khalil and the organizations he affiliates with hold views I find abhorrent, and even if he publicly expresses them on a regular basis, I—along with anyone with real free-speech principles—should still defend his right to speak his views without fear of government reprisal.”

He’s right. Unless the government has evidence of a more direct and active link between Khalil and Hamas or other terrorist organizations—which is possible, if unlikely at this point—then they are dramatically lowering the bar for what can be considered deportable conduct.

If the government’s goal in doing so was to let those who supported Hamas know that they could be next, then mission accomplished. If it was to uphold the law and govern in accordance with the constitution, then they’ve missed the mark.

I know which of those priorities I would prefer for the president to focus on, especially since there are no guarantees that the next administration will not apply the same precedent to those who oppose abortion, stand for biblical sexuality, or support a host of other beliefs that were anathema to much of the popular culture less than a year ago.

You see, the problem with shifting your boundaries to accomplish your goals is that you lose the ability to cry foul when others do the same. One of the primary reasons why free speech is so important is that it enables us to advocate for the truth even when others don’t want to hear it.

Christ’s call doesn’t change

As Christians, there will be times when God calls us to stand up for some pretty unpopular and counter-cultural beliefs. It’s been like that from the beginning, and it’s not likely to change this side of heaven. So if anyone should be concerned about the potential abuse of power that would make it even more difficult and dangerous to express those beliefs, it should be us.

I don’t agree with what Mahmoud Khalil stands for or many of the beliefs his organization espoused. But that doesn’t mean he should be deported, and I am genuinely concerned about the precedent it would set if he is.

Either way, though, our job won’t change, and the truth Christ has called us to share will remain just as important regardless of what it costs us to share it.

How will you heed his call today?

Quote of the day:

“Let [Truth] and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?” —John Milton

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Denison Forum

What evangelicals get right—and wrong—about our faith

This Wall Street Journal headline caused me to click immediately: “Will There Be a Trump Recession?” The subtitle adds: “Economic signs are mixed, but his willy-nilly tariffs have markets worried.”

Fears of a recession sparked a major sell-off Monday, as the Dow dropped nearly nine hundred points. This after President Trump declined over the weekend to rule out a recession this year (though he stated yesterday that he did not foresee the US going into recession).

After Ontario imposed a 25 percent tariff on electricity sold to the US, Mr. Trump said he would double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada yesterday to 50 percent. The provincial government of Ontario then backed down on its planned surcharges. The Dow careened through the day, rising before finally falling 478 points.

Today, the president imposed a sweeping 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports to encourage more companies to move their production to the US. The European Union retaliated this morning with new duties on US industrial and farm products.

All this amid worries that American consumers, whose spending is vital to the US economy, may be maxed out. With a shutdown looming if the Senate does not approve the GOP government funding measure passed by the House yesterday, economic uncertainties abound.

Asking your car to fly to Hawaii

As I noted yesterday, we live in a world changed in every aspect by the COVID–19 pandemic. One example: the US economy fell abruptly when the pandemic hit, but has since recovered these losses and ushered in a new era of growth.

However, such growth is no longer tethered to consumer sentiment. The two were largely aligned before 2020; now they are widely divergent. Amid widespread discouragement and pessimism, the US stands today at an all-time low ranking in the World Happiness Report.

Christians should not be surprised.

We know that “he who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). To the contrary, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). It is idolatrous folly to expect created things to take the place of the Creator in our lives.

By contrast, we know that the “abundant” life we were created to experience is found only in Christ (John 10:10). Asking for material prosperity to make us happy is like asking your car to fly you to Hawaii. That’s not what it was made to do.

Leaving your baby at the hospital

However, the fact that our secular culture doesn’t understand this is not the fault of our secular culture. People don’t know what they don’t know. I could have cancer right now and be unaware of the fact. Consequently, I am not pursuing treatment for a disease I do not know I have.

But if my doctor knows my condition and doesn’t tell me, who is at fault—him or me?

Here is what evangelical Christians get right: We know that salvation is found only through faith in Christ (cf. John 3:18; 14:6; Acts 4:12). But here’s what many evangelicals get wrong: We lead people to trust in Christ as their Savior, but take them no further.

This is like parents who bring a child into the world and then leave it at the hospital. The “new birth” is only the beginning of the Christian life. Jesus wants us not only to be saved from hell but to experience the transformation only he can make in our lives.

He did not call people to be “believers” but “disciples,” consistently inviting them to “follow me” (Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21). The Greek means to “walk with me, going where I go.” It describes not just a “decision for Christ” but a lifetime of experiencing him in an intimate, transforming way.

“By this my Father is glorified”

Our Lord was clear: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). To “abide” is to remain, to think and act biblically in all we do. This is the daily, holistic decision to make Christ the Lord of every dimension of our lives, using all we have and are for him. Accordingly, he said, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

When we experience the living Lord Jesus in this way, our lives demonstrate our faith: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). We love others as we are loved: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

We are commissioned to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20, my emphasis).

Imagine the difference if every Christian lived by all that Christ commanded us.

“A disciple is not above his teacher”

Now we have a choice to make. We can disregard the last two sections of this article and seek secular happiness along with the rest of our secular culture. But beware: Such a decision is a deliberate rejection of Jesus’ clear will for us, one made in the misguided belief that we know better than he does.

Our Lord stated, “A disciple is not above his teacher” (Luke 6:40a). We cannot choose our will above his and claim to be his disciple. It’s that simple.

However, Jesus added that “everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (v. 40b, my emphasis). When we walk with Jesus, we become like Jesus as his Spirit sanctifies us (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and conforms us to the character of Christ (Romans 8:29).

The result is that we fulfill our name as “Christians”—literally, “followers of Christ.” Not believers—followers. And followers of Jesus always change their world (cf. Acts 17:6).

Alan Redpath was right:

“All of the Lord Jesus Christ is mine at the moment of conversion, but I possess only as much of him as by faith I claim.”

How much of Jesus will you “claim” today?

NOTE: I often write articles for our website during the day on breaking news and current events. I encourage you to visit the website daily for more content from me and our writing team.

Quote for the day:

“Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” —Thomas Watson (1620–86)

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Denison Forum