Evangelicalism’s rancid rot is inside. It demands repentance.

If anything unites earnest Evangelicals of all stripes, it's that they share an eminently honorable, two-fold desire: to see people come to know Jesus as Lord and to be an active part of the advance of God’s Kingdom.

The Lord is always working, but Scripture calls us to discern the times and seasons and act accordingly. And from where I sit, aside from anything explicitly political in these tumultuous days, it's an extremely sobering time within the Evangelical Christian church in the United States. 

Doctrinal error, distortion of the Gospel, and moral scandals are nothing new (see the churches in Corinth, Galatia, and several others that God addresses in Revelation). Even so, we must be ruthlessly honest about the current moment in America.

In the past decade, a striking number of high-profile Christian apologists, pastors, and ministers (from within evangelicalism, broadly defined) have been exposed for gross, disqualifying sins. With few exceptions, many of the ministry structures and boards of directors around them made excuses or, in various ways, gave cover. But independent investigative journalism, victims' advocate bloggers, and the proliferation of social media have made the masses keenly aware of all the malfeasance and corruption. Long-suppressed truths about rampant abuse and misconduct from leaders in this realm can no longer be buried or dismissed like they once were. As for Americans' trust in churches? It's at an unsurprising record low. 

Speaking personally, as a lowercase-o orthodox Evangelical who has done some of the difficult investigative reporting on church and ministry scandals myself, watching this unfold up close has been a disorienting, humbling -- even humiliating -- experience. While many factors have contributed to the documented decline of the Christian faith in America in the past several years, I can’t help but notice how many believers immediately become defensive and are quick to resort to blaming outside cultural forces for this — the big bad secular Left and an ideologically hostile mass media — rather than examine what has happened internally, particularly if it’s in a philosophically conservative, supposedly biblically orthodox denomination, group, or ministry. 

To be sure, yes, there are real external evil winds adamantly raging against the Kingdom of God and are diametrically at odds with the core values of our faith that have deceived many who were raised in Christian households. But after more than a decade in journalism here at The Christian Post, I’m more convinced than ever that the absolute worst kind of moral and spiritual rot is not outside churches, but inside them. 

Why does this matter so much? It's because when the name of Jesus is tethered to corruption, especially sexual abuse and spiritual manipulation by leaders, it usually leaves a gaping wound that can take years to heal. It shatters people at the most intimate level. It shatters faith. It brings great reproach upon the House of God and causes further social breakdown in an already fractured society. It has been nothing short of catastrophic. 

Think I'm being hyperbolic? 

If so, you might start considering this small but theologically diverse handful of now-infamous names: Ravi Zacharias, Robert Morris, Shawn Bolz, Steve Lawson, Bill Hybels, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Mike Bickle.

Whatever your particular doctrinal tribe (charismatic, Reformed, complementarian, egalitarian, seeker-friendly, or traditional), if you’re some variety of American Evangelical or Pentecostal Christian, you’ve probably felt at least some degree of relatable spiritual affinity with at least one of these men to some degree, even if you did not closely follow their ministries. All had large platforms and sizable influence in various spheres. And every one of them has been exposed in recent years as egregious frauds, deceitful liars, and sexual deviants and predators, some far more severe than others. 

But here’s the real kicker: I can imagine every man I've listed here intoning (in their own rhetorical style) about the importance of walking in integrity and biblically rooted sexual ethics. Now? Their hypocrisy isn’t just apparent; it’s downright glaring. Theologically liberal progressive types and their spiritual distortions -- you know, the ones that conservative Christian leaders like to highlight as the bigger, more threatening problem -- cannot be blamed for any of the sins of these Evangelical men. It's well past time to look in the mirror, because the names of those disgraced leaders I've listed are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Although some data show that faith is growing among the younger generations, in light of all the moral compromise and grievous sin, do you truly wonder why so many are disillusioned, disaffected, have checked out of church, and even abandoned their faith? We've reported on it extensively here at CP.

To earnest Christians who love the Lord and are reading this: I know it has devastated you to your depths to see the name of Jesus dragged through the mud like this. I know you are asking: if these vaunted "men of God" truly grasped the Gospel, why did it not transform them? What were they even offering if they did not live what they say they believed and were supposedly empowering people to do? 

And here’s something else worth considering amid the fallout. It may offend, but it’s true: the Holy Spirit might have used each of these men who have been exposed to communicate important, biblically-anchored truths that impacted you spiritually, in an undeniably positive way. If you were blessed by their ministries and encountered the Lord through them, it remains true that God’s Word never returns void, even when it comes from the mouth of a wolf. It's certainly possible that God gave those men genuine gifts and callings, and those are "irrevocable" (see Romans 11:29).

But even if they exposited life-giving, faithful sermons from God’s Word, it doesn’t make the vessels pure. The Apostle Paul rejoiced that the Gospel was proclaimed even from vain conceit and selfish ambition (Philippians 1:18) because whether from false motives or true, Christ was preached. That's how powerful our God is.

Indeed, some of the most inspirational, life-changing messages I’ve ever heard and absorbed over the years were from pastors and leaders I now no longer revere, alas, in light of what has been exposed about them. Holding both truths at once creates brain-boiling cognitive dissonance. I don't like it, but it's just true. 

Because there’s no point in sugarcoating the current reality. The rot in many segments of the Evangelical church is rancid, and it must be named and purged. If there is to be any course correction, it requires thorough, specific, public repentance, followed by meaningful structural reforms. It sure seems that God, in His divine sovereignty, is exposing and cleansing His Church, for He will not be mocked. The Lord is more committed to His Bride than any of us could ever be, and right now, it’s cleanup time (Ephesians 5:26). And, I should add, He sees the faithful remnant of people, many of whom are hurting deeply after having been a part of the churches and ministries with those exposed, corrupt leaders. 

And not to deflect from the seriousness of this moment, but if we repent in earnest, the many scandals and rot do not have to be the end of the story. They are what God uses before the cleansing. No politician or political party can spare us from this purification, nor should we want that. 

We would do well to remember that without holiness we will not see God (Hebrews 12:14). And we would do well to stop defending what the Lord is dismantling and embrace the process, no matter how painful and humiliating it may be, because it’s ultimately for our good.  

Name the sin, repent in public, and rebuild with integrity. The One who promised to make all things new (Revelation 21:5) is not done with His Church, and He has never stopped working.