All ya gotta do is supernaturally discern if the fellow has genuinely repented, and is no longer a risk! Same for ex-pedophiles, ex-rapists, ex-murderers, ex-TV-watchers, etc.
Simple!
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
I always ask, why is it so important that a person always be restored to a leadership position? Or why do they have to do the exact same thing that got them in trouble in the first place? I would NEVER let my kids (and do my best to not let other kids) be with someone who had previously been a pedophile no matter how repentant they were. Likewise they shouldn't be in a position of dealing with money if they were guilty of serious mismanagement (aka, embezzlement) in the past. Why would said person insist on being "restored" to such a position if it is directly related to their past crimes?
I always ask, why is it so important that a person always be restored to a leadership position? Or why do they have to do the exact same thing that got them in trouble in the first place? I would NEVER let my kids (and do my best to not let other kids) be with someone who had previously been a pedophile no matter how repentant they were. Likewise they shouldn't be in a position of dealing with money if they were guilty of serious mismanagement (aka, embezzlement) in the past. Why would said person insist on being "restored" to such a position if it is directly related to their past crimes?
Because they were called to that position! Don't argue with God!
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
I always ask, why is it so important that a person always be restored to a leadership position? Or why do they have to do the exact same thing that got them in trouble in the first place? I would NEVER let my kids (and do my best to not let other kids) be with someone who had previously been a pedophile no matter how repentant they were. Likewise they shouldn't be in a position of dealing with money if they were guilty of serious mismanagement (aka, embezzlement) in the past. Why would said person insist on being "restored" to such a position if it is directly related to their past crimes?
Good post.
There's no way my child would be in a Sunday School class taught by a former pedophile. There's no way I would allow my daughters to be alone with a former rapist. I don't feel as strongly about leaving my purse near a former thief BECAUSE the consequences aren't as bad if they have a weak moment. It's not that the sin is worse, but the consequences of falling back into the sin ARE far worse. That's where the difference is. Lose my wallet to a thief? Annoying, but I'll get over it. Have my child abused by a former pedophile because I was trying to prove how "forgiving" I am? Stupid and negligent on my part, with long lasting consequences.
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"God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours."
--David Livingstone
"To see no being, not God’s or any, but you also go thither,
To see no possession but you may possess it—enjoying all without labor or purchase—
abstracting the feast, yet not abstracting one particle of it;…."
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of the Open Road
All ya gotta do is supernaturally discern if the fellow has genuinely repented, and is no longer a risk! Same for ex-pedophiles, ex-rapists, ex-murderers, ex-TV-watchers, etc.
Simple!
Bump!
You guys do believe in discernment, don't you? And you do believe that God changes lives, don't you?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
I always ask, why is it so important that a person always be restored to a leadership position? Or why do they have to do the exact same thing that got them in trouble in the first place? I would NEVER let my kids (and do my best to not let other kids) be with someone who had previously been a pedophile no matter how repentant they were. Likewise they shouldn't be in a position of dealing with money if they were guilty of serious mismanagement (aka, embezzlement) in the past. Why would said person insist on being "restored" to such a position if it is directly related to their past crimes?
I believe "restoration" should be just that....restoration. A return to where you were before. I agree, I wouldn't let my kids hang out with a repented pedophile, but I don't see how that relates to the discussion. That's an appropriate safeguard. For an adulterer, a proper safeguard may be not doing again the activities or temptations that led one to the adultery.
I believe "restoration" should be just that....restoration. A return to where you were before.
I don't think that's practical, or necessary.
Say my best friend decides my husband is fair game, and makes a serious play for him. I may forgive her, but our friendship will NEVER be restored to the place it was.
Leadership (or close friendship) is not a right, it is a privilege.
I think that to effectively discuss that, you'd have to get into the whole church setup. As it is, and as it was intended. As Aquila mentioned, you have the 'priesthood of all believers' to sort out, and then how leadership was really intended to operate... elders, deacons, etc. And what the qualifications are for those positions.
Our setup is not perfectly biblical now, anyway, so our standards for 'ministry' have been adjusted to work with the way we do things.
So, how to biblically deal with 'failure' in 'the ministry' is a fairly complicated subject.
It is a complicated subject. Perhaps this is where we should depend on the elders over him. They know him, we don't. They know things about his circumstances, we don't. They know his first wife and his new wife, we don't. They know the tears shed in counseling sessions, we don't. Maybe we should allow his elders to restore him as they feel led of the Holy Ghost and consume ourselves for praying for him and his new family.
I believe "restoration" should be just that....restoration. A return to where you were before. I agree, I wouldn't let my kids hang out with a repented pedophile, but I don't see how that relates to the discussion. That's an appropriate safeguard. For an adulterer, a proper safeguard may be not doing again the activities or temptations that led one to the adultery.
It relates to the totality of the discussion. Men (and women) falling into some sin and/or crime then wanting to be restored to the same position they fell from. Molestation is just one example. A pastor or church board member caught embezzling would be another. Again, why would such a person, regardless of their crimes, want or insist on being in the same position that led to their original downfall? There are certainly MANY areas that a person could work which would be far from what they came from yet still immensely useful to the body. I can certainly forgive a pastor or board member who stole or misused my money, but shame on ME if I allow them the same access a second time.
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