Why Sexual Integrity Is Non-Negotiable for Christian Leaders
This article reflects on the devastating effects of moral failure among Christian leaders and the spiritual dangers that often precede public collapse. It calls leaders to guard their hearts, set wise boundaries, and pursue integrity of mind, practice, and awareness.
- Public ministry success can become a crucible that tests a leaderโs humility and private integrity.
- Sexual sin often develops through pride, secrecy, neglected spiritual formation, and unguarded boundaries.
- Christian leaders must cultivate integrity of heart, practice, and awareness to resist temptation.
By Jeff Faull
When Christian Leaders Fall
To this day, I remember the first time I ever heard him preach. His stage presence, his knowledge of the Bible, his insights, and his flawless command of language quickly made him my favorite preacher. Iโd have given anything to learn from him. A preaching internship at his church would have been the pinnacle of achievement in my mind. I would sometimes drive a couple of hours to hear him; if he was the guest speaker in chapel, I wouldnโt miss it.
The church where he preached grew rapidly. To this day, I think his sermons were some of the best Iโve ever heard.
But unfortunately, what I saw on the outside wasnโt lived out on the inside, and the day came when I found out that this “prince of preachers” wasnโt who he appeared to be. He was removed from his position in total disgrace after being discovered in multiple grievous moral failures. In my world, he was the first of many such disappointments. The present landscape is littered with the wreckage and debris of leaders who have morally crashed out of ministry.
No names are necessary here; the sex scandals in Christian leadership have become ubiquitous. Recently, North Texas was plagued by numerous high-profile church leadership scandals that made headlines. The New York Times declared, “Around Dallas, the Church Scandals Seem to Have No End.” Christianity Today framed it similarly: “Deep in the Heart of Megachurch Country, Dallas Mourns a Summer of Pastor Scandals.” A Reddit heading described it as, “Trouble in the Sanctuary: The Biggest North Texas Church Scandals.”
The Fire of Sexual Sin
One article listed eight prominent Texas pastors embroiled in scandals and called it “the great reckoning.” But, of course, the trend is not limited to Texas or to a particular denomination, nor is it a new problem. In the context of sexual integrity, the wisdom literature of the Old Testament poses a pertinent question with an obvious answer: โCan a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?โ (Proverbs 6:27-28, New International Version).
Itโs always been true: you canโt play with fire and not be burned. Abraham, the father of the faithful, couldnโt. As a result of his sexual liaison with Hagar, he had to live in constant turmoil with his wife and eventually had to send his son Ishmael, born of that union, away into the desert. David, the man after God’s own heart, couldnโt. As a result of his adulterous tryst with Bathsheba, he became a murderer, was punished by God, and watched his own children follow his example of lust, death, and perversion. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, couldnโt. As a result of his numerous sexual exploits, he was drawn away from worship of the true and living God. Judah, the ancestor of our Lord, couldnโt. As a result of his visit to a prostitute, he was publicly embarrassed, humiliated, and guilty of incest with his daughter-in-law. Samson, the mighty Judge of Israel, couldnโt. As a result of his unbridled sexual expression, he was captured, had his eyes gouged out, and spent the rest of his life as a slave and an object of public ridicule. Sexual desire is a fire that is everywhere, a fire that affects everyone, and a fire that can envelop everything. You canโt play with this fire without eventually being burned. What is difficult to understand is the spiritual productivity, creativity, and brilliance that is often simultaneous with the depravity and compromise occurring in the time preceding a public failure.
Often, when Christian leaders seem to be at the pinnacle of their craft, they are actually at the precipice of their crash. How does that happen? Here are some observations after more than four decades of ministry that might be instructive.
The Crucible of Praise
It seems that post-crash investigations often reveal there were telltale signs. I am convinced that most moral failures are as much about pride as they are lust. Once a man believes his own press reports and lowers his guard on his interior world, he becomes more vulnerable to sexual sin. In some cases, itโs not even primarily about sex.
Consider the concept of a crucible: a refiner’s pot that tests and purifies precious metal. We generally use the word crucible to describe a time of testing by fiery trial and tribulation. Scripture refers to a crucible as a testing by God: โThe crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heartโ (Proverbs 17:3).
But the writer of Proverbs also uses the word crucible in another way. Proverbs 27:21 says, โThe crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and each is tested by the praise accorded himโ (New American Standard Bible). Success, power, and accolades can bring a crucible of temptation. Have you noticed that seduction and sin are often accompanied by flattery, manipulation, and self-perception needs? A crucible test doesn’t have to be a harsh trial; it could be a hard temptation.
Money, sex, and power issues are usually all intertwined with pride. There is a reason that Johnโs famous trifecta of “loving the world” in 1 John 2:15-17 involves the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They may be three separate categories, but they are often enmeshed. Follow the money? Noโfollow the pride.
The Satanic Weapon of Opportune Targeting and Timing
We are familiar with the statement, โEvery man has his price.โ But it might be more accurate to say, โEvery man has his moment.โ When Jesus emerged victorious from his temptation season in the desert, Luke tells us that โthe devil left him until an opportune timeโ (Luke 4:13). We can point to later moments in Jesus’ life where Satan returned with a vengeance, launching more intense but failed attempts to draw Jesus from his mission.
Satan is a master at identifying our moments of greatest vulnerability and the specific leaders and ministries where capitulating would create the most catastrophic damage. Although leadership immorality is never excusable, we can have a measure of compassion and pity for those who have succumbed to Satanโs increased attacks and fallen into his devious snares.
The Unexamined Voids in the Leader’s Interior World
In some cases, leaders have a self-perception of invincibility and consider themselves impervious to sexual sin, failing to remember that pride goes before destruction. They ignore the biblical command to take care, lest they themselves also be tempted. Whenever a leader steps into sexual sin, you can be sure it was preceded by some foundational decay or neglect in their private world: failing to deal with family issues, neglecting the cultivation of a daily engagement with God, or failing to take the time to examine inappropriate desires and secret thoughts.
Nursing illicit fantasies and indulging in an immoral thought life leads to ruin. It is interesting to contrast the Bible’s description of an immoral woman as one who does not “ponder her path” with the description of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as one who “pondered good things in her heart.” No wonder Scripture instructs us, โAbove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from itโ (Proverbs 4:23).
The Unique Nature of Sexual Sin and Spiritual Leadership
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that sexual immorality is somehow different than all other sins. His reasoning is that sexual sin is a sin against our own bodies, which are his dwelling: โFlee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. . . . Therefore honor God with your bodiesโ (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
The nature of spiritual leadership is also unique. The unrealistic perception some people have of spiritual leaders as “kind listeners” and “desirable partners” places those leaders in a position that creates frequent opportunities for dangerous encounters. Many Christian leaders fall unwittingly through an incremental series of bad decisions and a lack of safeguards. However, some leaders intentionally exploit this. Paul describes them vividly: โThey are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible womenโ (2 Timothy 3:6). When the unique nature of the temptation to sexual sin collides with the unique nature of spiritual leadership, the negative consequences can be exponential.
We have all seen the script: you run into an attractive coworker several times each week. A few moments of meaningful eye contact turn into pleasant conversation. It makes you feel good about yourself. You want more. The brief conversations turn into extended talks. Soon, you are arranging times to interact outside the work environment. It progresses with seemingly innocent expressions of affection but soon turns into a full-blown extramarital affair.
Three Arenas of Integrity for Leaders
Christian leaders can and must “flip the script” through the power of the Holy Spirit. All believers, but especially those of us who are leaders, must vigilantly develop integrity in three arenas:
Integrity of Mind and Heart: Guard against evil thoughts and desires. Avoid illicit material and the trap of pornography. Fill your mind with wholesome beauty and cultivate a godly interior world.
Integrity of Practice and Boundaries: Itโs time to quit ridiculing those who know their own potential for depravity. We must start setting safeguards and boundariesโas leaders and churchesโthat will keep us from giving the devil an opportunity. (The โBilly Graham ruleโ wasn’t so foolish after all.)
Integrity of Awareness and Insight: Scripture reminds us not to be ignorant of Satanโs schemes. Revisiting the instructions to the Thessalonian Christians is a great place to start: โIt is Godโs will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality. . . . For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy lifeโ (1 Thessalonians 4:2-8).
Who among us has not tasted the powerful appeal of the flesh? Who among us has not been disappointed by a fallen leader? Who among us is above temptation? Who among us is without sin? Attention to sexual integrity is non-negotiable for Christian leaders. The prayer of Psalm 51 still echoes in our hearts: โCreate in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within meโ (Psalm 51:10).
