Hurt By Christian Leaders?

This is a letter received from Dr. James C. Dobson, Ph.D

President of Focus on the Family

P.O. Box 500, Arcadia, Ca 91006

April 1987

Dear Friend,

I'm sure many of you share my concern and dismay over the recent

developments which have rocked the Christian community and threatened its

credibility. Not in my lifetime do I remember such revelation and conflict as

have occurred in the last few weeks, and the worst may be yet to come. Two

stories, especially, have caught the press, and even moved the Iran-contra

affair off the front page.

First, Oral Roberts announced to his supporters that God planned to

"take [him] home" if he didn't raise $8 million by March 31. Many of us

flinched, wondering what kind of a God would kill a loyal servant for the

failure or disobedience of his television viewers. Please understand that my

purpose here is not to criticize Oral Roberts, but rather to express concern

over the way the event is being PERCEIVED by the non-Christian public. Believe

me, I have evidence of their scorn.

Shirley and I received a letter a few weeks ago from a woman who was

very upset by the Roberts controversy. She sent me a news clipping of the

story and then vented her wrath on us. We were blamed for holding a "tin cup"

out to the public and living off the contributions of exploited people. The

letter was painful to read, even though Shirley and I have never taken a dime

of salary from Focus on the Family in its ten-year history. That is but one

example of how disillusionment generalizes from one person or one ministry to

another.

On the heels of the Roberts episode came the shocking admission of an

adulterous affair by PTL Club President Jim Bakker and possible extortion

payments to keep it quiet. Jim and Tammy Bakker resigned in a swirl of

controversy, and Jimmy Swaggart entered the fray by bringing additional

charges. Then came the news media--Ted Koppel, Larry King, Dan Rather, Peter

Jennings, and Tom Brokaw. Johnny Carson aimed his monologue at the Bakkers

and a reporter observed, tongue in cheek, that we had lived through Watergate,

Irangate, and now Pearlygate.

Our hearts are grieved by these tragic developments. Not only do we

regret what the Bakkers and the Swaggarts are experiencing personally, but we

are especially concerned for the multitudes of people around the world whose

faith may have been weakened by these revelations. In their eyes, another

Christian leader has fallen. A proclaimer of the Word has shown himself to be

flawed like everyone else. And now, clergymen are hurling public accusations

back and forth and threatening to sue one another. I can almost hear the

disillusioned believers asking themselves, "Is this Christian way of life

really valid? Is anyone living up to its standard? Or is it all a cruel

hoax?"

If you have asked those questions in the past few weeks, or if you have

been hurt or rejected by an uncaring pastor or hypercritical church, I would

like the privilege of expressing some thoughts that might be helpful. First,

what is so new about Christian leaders who fall victim to the ravages of sin?

Didn't the majority of the great patriarchs of the Old Testament prove to be

just as fallible? Adam and Aaron and Samson and Saul and Solomon revealed

their weaknesses. David himself, being uniquely ordained and loved by God,

killed Uriah so he could conceal his infidelity with Uriah's wife. As for

hypocrisy in the New Testament church, Ananias and Saphira blatantly lied to

their fellowship about money and paid the penalty of death for their folly.

Certainly, sin is not a new phenomenon in the church, nor should it weaken our

faith when it occurs. After all, our confidence is not in men or women, but

in the Holy One of Israel who is the only All-Wise and Perfect God. Only He

is worthy of our trust.

I am reminded of the Pharisee who asked Jesus a question, calling Him

"Good Master." Before responding, Jesus commented on the way He was

addressed, "Why do you call me good? There is none good but God." By this

admonition, Jesus was telling us not to put our eyes on our fellowman--even

those who have been exalted in positions of respect. This is not to say that

we should disregard the authority of godly leaders, but rather that our faith

should not depend on the goodness of professing Christians. To lean too

heavily on another person, regardless of how committed he or she seems, is to

set ourselves up for disappointment. I have witnessed that disillusionment

occur time after time.

Let me say with strong conviction that the truth of the Gospel does not

rise or fall with human experience. The message of Scripture would still be

valid if every person on the face of the earth abandoned its ideals. In

Noah's day, only one family out of millions remained devout and obedient. Lot

was equally outnumbered in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet the eternal

Word of God has continued unaltered down to this moment, and it will persevere

even when the world is history.

Speaking personally, now, I have thought about these issues for many

years. In fact, my greatest fear has been that I would do something to hurt

the cause of Christ. Some of you have heard me share an experience that

occurred in 1976 in which the Lord spoke very clearly to me. I was a featured

speaker at the Christian Booksellers Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey,

and arrived a day or two early to capture the spirit of the event. I'll never

forget walking down the aisles where new materials were being displayed and

seeing my picture and my books prominently arranged in various places. At a

precise moment in time, I seemed to hear the inaudible voice of God speaking

directly to me. This is what He said as expressed in my own words: "Jim,

look around you. I have chosen for reasons that you don't understand to make

you visible and influential with my people. And in that sense, I am preparing

to make the work of my Kingdom vulnerable to you. That's why I'm telling you

now to be careful. Think before you act. Hold a tighter reign on your tongue

and on your thought life than ever before. When your natural impulse is to

become angry or vindictive, resist the temptation as much as possible. And

keep your life free of willful and deliberate sin. You will soon be in a

position to hurt my people. See that it doesn't happen!"

How I pray that I will remain faithful to that charge! I would rather

have never been born than to cause others to reject the plan of salvation and

the Christ who gave His life for them. More than any other purpose in living,

I am determined to fight a good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.

Nevertheless, I ask you to pray that the Lord will help me fulfill that

calling. I, too, am riddled with imperfection and could fall victim to

Satan's temptations. I do not believe I am vulnerable to the sin of

infidelity, because my needs for love and companionship are met so beautifully

by Shirley. But there are other dangers, perhaps emanating from weaknesses of

which I am not even aware. What I'm trying to say is this: Don't put your

trust in me, either! I will do my best not to disappoint you, and my only

desire is to serve you and your family. But remember that there is none good

but God. Keep your eyes on Him, only.

Here is one final thought that I must express while I am reflecting on

these critical issues. I have tried to say that EVERY man and woman is

vulnerable to sin at some point. When the conditions are right, each of us is

capable of bringing embarrassment and reproach to the cause of Christ. "Satan

is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour" (I Peter 5:8). This

satanic pressure and our human vulnerability to it poses a vitally important

question to Christian leaders: How can we protect the reputation of the Gospel

in such insecure hands?!

I can't describe how strongly I feel about this question and what I

believe to be its only answer: WE MUST NOT LEAVE THE REPUTATION OF THE

KINGDOM IN THE HANDS OF ANYONE WHO LACKS STRICT ACCOUNTABILITY TO ASSOCIATES

WHO CAN HELP KEEP HIM ON THE PATH. In the highly visible and often criticized

arena of finances, for example, a Christian organization was formed in 1979 to

administer that kind of oversight. It is called the Evangelical Council for

Financial Accountability (ECFA), and was established to provide strict

guidelines and requirements for ministries that join voluntarily. Among other

things, to belong to ECFA it is necessary to (1) have a functioning board of

directors that is independent of staff and family; (2) conduct an annual audit

of books by certified public accountants; (3) provide a full disclosure of all

financial details to anyone who requests it; and (4) remain within tight

guidelines in fund-raising efforts. ECFA is a wonderful idea, providing

accountability and stability where there could otherwise be enormous money and

power held privately by mere mortals.

I am pleased to say that Focus on the Family has been a member in go

standing of ECFA for years. We are grateful for the accountability that we

feel to it and to our strong and independent board of directors. Several

times per year, these men and women who serve on our Board ask me to account

for every dollar contributed to Focus. Furthermore, a board audit committee

monitors expenditures of funds month by month. These men and women also have

the courage to confront me if they feel I am drifting one way or another. I

have asked them to provide this oversight responsibility and they consider it

their Christian duty to perform it.

I am pleased to say that many Christian ministries have taken similar

steps to protect themselves against wrongdoing. ECFA now has 341 members;

unfortunately, many large ministries do not belong, including those involved

in the present conflict. I'm not sure why that is true. I believe that any

ministry which chooses to remain autonomous is making a serious mistake even

if the highest integrity has prevailed to this moment. EVERYONE needs to

report to SOMEONE. The dangers of power are simply too great to be held in

independent hands. It is at least possible that the recent embarrassing

events would not have occurred if the proper accountability had been

maintained. I pray that this painful experience will produce a greater

appreciation for independent boards of directors and accountability to the

Christian community at large. It is long overdue.

These are my thoughts for this month. I would welcome yours in return.

Our highest accountability here at Focus on the Family is to God and then to

YOU, our loyal friends and supporters. We listen when you talk. We respond

when you are displeased. Even the lady who sent the "tin cup" letter received

a courteous reply. Her opinion was important for us to hear. We consider your

trust to be our most priceless gift from the Lord, and I pledge to you that I

will never DELIBERATELY betray the cause of Christ.

Pray for us, won't you? And if you choose to continue supporting the

work of this ministry, that would be deeply appreciated. April is one of the

months when we have experienced deficits in the past, perhaps because of

federal and state taxes. But with your help, we will continue and pursue the

exciting projects and ministries God has laid before us.

Pray ÿalso for Jim and Tammy Bakker, ÿJimmy Swaggart, ÿÿOral

Roberts, ÿÿJerry Falwell and all leaders of ÿChristian ÿmovements

today. ÿÿWe may APPEAR to have no needs, ÿbut we are made of the

same imperfect stuff as the rest of humanity. ÿOnly the Lord can

keep up from falling.

Sincerely,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D

President

That was the end of the letter, with the exception of a list of the

members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. The address

for the ECFA, in case you would like a free member report is:

ECFA

P.O. Box 17511

Washington, DC 20041

(703) 938-6006

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