Steve Lawson, Lead Preacher of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas and Dean of D.Min. studies at John MacArthur’s The Master’s Seminary, has been removed from his church due to “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman, Trinity announced today.
“Steven J. Lawson has been removed indefinitely from all ministry activities at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas,” Trinity announced on its website around noon Central Time today. Shortly before posting, the church also sent an email announcement to its congregation.
“Several days ago, the elders at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas were informed by Steve Lawson of an inappropriate relationship has had with a woman,” the elder announcement added. “The elders met with Steve and will continue to come alongside him and pray for him with the ultimate goal of his personal repentance. Steve will no longer be compensated by Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.”
The announcement also reminded readers “that we are ALL sinners” and that Christ’s church “is bigger than any fallen man.”
“The Lord was building Trinity Bible Church of Dallas well before Steve became our Leader Preacher, and He will continue to build this church long after Steve Lawson, or any other man for that matter,” the elders said.
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The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to Trinity for additional comment and clarification about whether the woman involved with Lawson was a member of the congregation or staff at Trinity. The church did not reply by time of publication.
Lawson had been scheduled to deliver the sermon last night at the opening session of the Men of the Word Conference hosted by The Master’s Seminary (TMS), but was replaced by HB Charles. A pinned post on the X account of TMS still lists Lawson as a speaker at the event.
TRR reached out for comment to TMS, where Lawson also serves on the board, but did not immediately hear back. Lawson was listed as a dean at TMS’s website but was removed in the late afternoon.*
Lawson is the founder and president of OnePassion Ministries “and has dedicated his life to help biblical expositors bring about a new reformation in the church,” the ministry’s website states.
The website also says Lawson is the author of 33 books and is a teaching fellow and board member at Ligonier Ministries.
The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to Ligonier for comment but did not immediately hear back. However, Lawson’s page at Ligonier’s website has been removed.
Trinity Church has also removed the disgraced pastor from its website.
Lawson’s contentious history
Prior to coming to Trinity Church, Lawson pastored churches in Arkansas and Alabama for more than three decades.
In 1995, Lawson began pastoring Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, according to The Alabama Baptist.
However, in 2003, Lawson and “the entire full-time ministerial staff, including their assistants, as well as the organist and the pianst (sic), resigned.” The reason cited for the mass resignations was a “difference in theological beliefs about predestination between the pastor and some church members.”
A staff member at another Baptist church in town told The Alabama Baptist that Lawson and some of his church members had disagreed for years. But Lawson decided to leave when more than 300 people signed a petition calling for his resignation.
Bill Whitfield, a part-time minister at Dauphin Way Baptist told the newspaper that Lawson was a “five-point Calvinist who believed in double-predestination”—the doctrine that God chooses some people to be saved and others to be damned.
Whitfield added that the expository preacher lacked a “compassionate spirit” and believed anyone who disagreed with his beliefs “could not comprehend the gospel.”
Lawson then planted another church in Mobile with those who followed him from Dauphin Way, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church.
After about a decade, Lawson left Christ Fellowship Baptist Church and moved to Dallas, where he eventually became a teaching pastor at Trinity Bible Church, which launched in 2018.
Close friendship with John MacArthur
For decades, Lawson has been not only a colleague but a close friend of author and pastor John MacArthur, who’s also known for his doctrinal dogmatism.
When MacArthur pulled out of Ligonier Conference in March 2022, about 10 days after TRR reported that MacArthur had protected a child abuser and shamed the abuser’s wife, Lawson posted a picture golfing with MacArthur on Instagram.
Lawson has called MacArthur “the greatest influence on my preaching” and also referred to MacArthur as the “greatest expositor of our day.”
At a TMS conference in 2020, Lawson was even more effusive, saying, “It seems that in every generation, there is one man who is uniquely positioned to have the dominant voice in the church. . . . I really believe in the 21st Century that it is John MacArthur who has been raised up by God in an unprecedented manner.”
Lawson holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and a DMin from Reformed Theological Seminary.
According to his website, Lawson is married and has three sons and one daughter.
*After we published this story, TMS removed Lawson from its website. We have updated our story accordingly.
Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. She also previously hosted a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network, called Up for Debate, and has worked as a TV reporter for a CBS affiliate. Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals.
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10 minutes later and he is off the website Masters website. That didnt take long!
“Whitfield added that Lawson lacked a “compassionate spirit” and believed anyone who disagreed with his beliefs “could not comprehend the gospel.”
the fruit of the “gospel” he believed couldn’t even keep him from an affair. Whatever his “gospel” was, it did not have the power to transform- which there were many indicators, including lacking compassion- if your beliefs don’t bring about fruit of the spirit, that’s the first sign.
What a great insight. I remember how at the strange fire conference how antagonistic Lawson was at any charismatics and so staunch of everything Calvin said about Charismatic, “lightweights”.
Lack of joy is a big one, too.
Galatians 5:22-24 and the ENTIRE letter of 1st John used to be litmus tests for people’s own good in order to “examine themselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5) to check they were regenerate (born anew/born of the Spirit, which Jesus says “you must be” in John chapter 3).
I know the following SOUNDS superficial but we all know that when God brings one from spiritual death to spiritual life (Ephesians 2, Romans 8 etc) EVERYTHING changes: 2 Corinthians 5:17.
I was transformed 180. My face and even my voice changed. It became calmer, softer and more gentle but at the same time more clear, too (I stopped using “fillers” such as “like” in my speech).
I personally have never liked MacArthur’s and Lawson’s voices.
And their Calvinism (especially regarding some people being destined from birth to damnation: a lie from the pit of Hell) is pretty much unlistenable in any case.
Moira, I’m glad God changed you so much. However, God is still working to make us more Christlike in all areas of our life over time on this earth. Believers have all sorts of issues that can vary and everyone’s maturity can look different. So I’m hoping you don’t believe in sinless perfection. I would advise caution to immediately claim any person who commits some sin is unregenerate. Now I get it is tempting to turn this standard onto this man who has done this himself (for example saying one who sinned was never a Christian to begin with). Only time will tell. All we can do is call him to repentance and that there are consequences such as losing his position.
According to some (not all) branches of Reformed “gospel”, God decrees all actions including sin, then holds YOU accountable for the sin HE decreed you to commit.
Remember, in their “gospel”, you’re saved ONLY IF God chooses you to be saved. Otherwise, you’re lost. And yet it’s still your fault if you go to Hell when you die.
I am surprised that Justin Peter’s hasn’t commented. I guess he only comments on those he theologically disagrees with
He will. It just came out Give it a second.
Agree….Peters will do about two hours of whining about this.
Hello, I believe in Pastor Steve’s resolve, he is man enough to admit his sin, voluntarily. That is enough to prove he is faithful, and strong in his conviction to face the consequences of his wrongful act. He is not perfectly pure, he is still a man being sanctified.
Instead of rejoicing in the fall of a respected preacher, a true Christian’s proper response is to pray and mourn for him.
Criticizing, and attacking verbally a fallen preacher who embraces the Scripture’s Doctrines of Grace is not a demonstration of the love commanded to us in the Bible.
I pray for you, Pastor Steve L. Be strong!
Our God is the God of Grace and Mercy!
From the Philippines.
So, those who point out the weakness in Pastor Steve’s applied theology are not “true Christians?” Good to know. I find it remarkable how quickly folks come to a favorite evangelical leader’s defense when his own public teachings and applied theology have been critical and dismissive of the beliefs of millions of fellow believers.
He spent MANY sermons condemning others for their sin- should he not be measured by the same standard? Judge not lest you be judged? I feel confident judging anyone in power having an affair because I will not be in power and having and affair.
Also, this doesn’t just happen to someone- affairs take a series of intentional choices- and at any point the ethical choice could be made. He actively, over time, continued to choose to betray his wife and his God.
We also don’t know that he chose to admit his sin voluntarily. He may have just been beating someone else to the punch.
Jen, Be careful. Many who are commenting describe Calvinists as arrogant and quarrelsome. That is not true. I know of no arrogant members in the small church I attend. It doesn’t take long online to find many arrogant Arminians, BTW, even in this comment section. Yes, Dr. Lawson sinned and needs to step down from his ministries. We hold pastors and teachers to a higher standard. But we should pray for him and not speculate about the circumstances. I hope Julie does not print the details. But I was concerned that you wrote you can judge because you are not in power and will not have an affair. It is likely you do have power within your circle of influence and that certain people look up to you. I would not assert I am not capable of a certain sin, nor should anyone. That’s dangerous territory. I believe that 1 John 1:8-10 applies to that and that the Holy Spirit inspired John to write that for a very good reason. I am writing in the spirit of love for a fellow Christian.
Judy, thanks for the lecture, but it’s unnecessary. My faith is vibrant, alive and transforming me to be more like Christ every day.
I have a lot of experience with calvinists- I even used to be one, but have since repented. There’s a unique smugness, arrogance and certainty. Every single one? probably not. But, I can tell you that it’s easy to spot, because the attitude is there.
And I do hold power, in most jobs I have held, ministry or now secular. And also, I’ve had zero affairs with anyone. it’s truly not that hard- and yet there’s something in the “gospel” that these men believe and preach that doesn’t have enough transforming power to keep them from having sex with people that they shouldn’t be. that is a weak and anemic gospel. I hope they one day meet and choose to follow the true and transforming Jesus, and not just the characature that allows them to control people.
My comment, however, was refuting the idea that Lawson’s sin is the same as any other sin- it’s not. He had power and authority and used it to harm people. The hypocrisy of doing it while preaching piety is what is most infuriating.
I cannot claim that my own faith and strength will allow me to say, “I will not commit that sin.” That is indeed arrogant and very unwise. Remember Peter’s denial of Jesus after he said he would not betray Him. I just heard an online sermon from this weekend from a reformed pastor. He stressed that faithfulness to God’s word begins with humble reliance on God’s grace. He pointed out the great need for humility in pastors and the need for prayer for pastors. This is probably my last word on the subject. I wish you well and hope you will consider what I said.
Don’t be deceived, you really think he just manned up and confessed and wasn’t found out I.e. caught, don’t kid yourself he was forced into this one way or another, period. He had a band aid on his nose and bags under his eyes and was literally angry at the pulpit and really yelling at himself BTW
This link on Lignonier is still up:
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/teachers/steven-lawson
Regenerate men do not cheat on their wives.
Regenerate men still sin, Paul. King David who wrote inspired scripture committed adultery and murdered innocent people. We are not free from sin completely until we die and are face to face with Christ.
Yes. Someone claiming regenerate men cannot fall into gross sin has some reckoning to do with their own sinful heart, in my opinion. Lord, have mercy.
However, there will be godly repentance in the regenerate. “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” – 2Tim2:19
David was by definition NOT regenerate because regeneration has only been possible since the Resurrection.
John 7:39.
Regeneration (John 3, Romans 8, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3 & 23 etc) is never mentioned in the Old Testament because it did not exist.
It is a major part of the Gospel (Good News!) and a major theme of the Gospel is FREEDOM/DELIVERANCE (from the chains of death, trauma, shame, guilt and yes, sin: John 8:34-36, Romans 6 & 8 etc).
It’s there in Matthew 1:21 because that verse is referring to his Name (“rescuer, deliverer, loosener”) and why he was sent but, tragically, that verse and the theme in general are overlooked by many who blindly follow men and don’t read what is written.
Converted&uncorverted have the same capacity for sin.
Difference is that a converted heart hates sin,is desperate to rid of sin, is so grieved when it sins & throws itself at the mercy seat of God. This is faith.
The more you realize just how wretched you are the more you get to grow in the knowledge of God’s love, the increase of knowledge of this love is what makes you more resistant to sin and merciful&loving towards others.When one realizes how helpless we are against sin the more precious the blood of Christ becomes
We obey because we love Him.We Love Him because He loved us first.
Mathew 5:4
Rom 7:15-24
Your first paragraph is a favorite church cliché but it is plain wrong, DANGEROUS and found nowhere in Scripture.
Almost everyone in “by works” type false religions feel terrible guilt when they sin. I know because I was there once and surrounded by people living in regret and shame.
The more zealous they are, the more bad they feel.
But they have no power to stop it. They do not have the Holy Spirit. That’s the whole POINT of Romans 6 thru 8. The man under the law portrayed in the second half of Romans 7 is a man who knows the law but is unable to keep it because he has no Holy Spirit indwelling (i.e is not Christian by definition: Romans 8:9, Corinthians 13:5 etc). A truly wretched position.
Only those with a seared conscience do not feel guilt but that is a small – though growing – percentage of the unsaved.
A SAVED, REGENERATE person BY CONTRAST is referred to in passages like John 8:34-36, Ephesians 2, Romans 6 & 8, Galatians 5:22-24 & 1st John chapter 3 and 5
Moira, you are correct on those verses about regeneration. We are no longer slaves. However, those verses also show the activity we must be involved in to “live in the Spirit” and not the “desires of the flesh” (which we still have). And that activity matures over time. It is incorrect on Calvinist and Armenians part to use the singular claim “a true Christian is changed” to look at one sin and conclude one is no longer a Christian or never was. 1st John says to look for a sinful lifestyle which usually indicates a lack of conviction the Holy Spirit gives end responding repentance. But even then we can only conclude it appears they are not regenerate (they might repent later, again they may not be mature enough to turn). This is why in Matt 18, Jesus said to treat them AS a pagan.
Not defending Lawson but what makes you think that a saved man is unable to sin. I believe you ( and I ) did yesterday and today and will tomorrow.
Hi Tom. Saved people who choose to have affairs are not actually being transformed by the gospel. To be clear- when he chose to have this affair he had been a pastor for decades, and it sounds like one who judged others fairly harshly, also a signal of not being transformed by the gospel. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find in the coming weeks and months that this is not his only affair, as men with power and authority issues rarely get found out the first time they use those traits to abuse others.
Are you suggesting that saved people use their power and authority to abuse people in their care and have affairs every day? that you do that every day? I certainly do not. Or are you suggesting that the calculated, premeditated sin involved in keeping an affair secret is the SAME as say, whatever sin someone struggles not to commit?
I do think this is evidence that whatever gospel he has preached is not a gospel that transforms, based on the fruit of his life. The good news is that he can still repent and follow a gospel that transforms! So can the folks following him!
You mean, don’t sin the sins that YOU think are important.
You could not be more wrong. Paul makes it clear that the body of sin is still active and a powerful adversary. Suggest you re-read
As a believer in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are all sinful regenerated children of God. Dr. Lawson’s sin is no different than our sin. He is held to a higher standard as a teaching shepherd which results in huge consequences with huge rippling effects in all of his ministries. I am devastated for him and his family and praying for each of them to personally experience God’s grace and reconciliation. Nothing is too big for our God to restore.
Agreed, Pastor Paul!
On a different post I had posted this: Contrast Samson, David, Solomon with Joseph, Job and Daniel. Joseph fled leaving his garment at Potiphar’s, and said “How can I do such wicked thing and sin against God?”Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at any woman. And no deceit was found in Daniel. And these gentlemen had not a page of a Scripture to guide them. If God’s Holy Spirit gave them power to exercise wise judgments and not give in, we have zillion writings, counsel and wisdom available. For us to think people are so depraved that they have to give into sin is saying they are helpless puppets.
What about his wife? Will she be guilted into staying with this man or ex-communicated from the church if she leaves him? That seems to be the standard treatment for the wives of men associated with MacArthur who are caught in sexual sin.
If you know Steve Lawson’s wife, please make sure she is okay.
I had a similar thought. As soon as news broke yesterday, every comment seemed to be focused on praying for him! What about his spouse and family? What about the other woman and her need to repent? We need to lift up his spouse (and possibly the spouse of the other person) who was scorned and wounded by this blatant betrayal. As far as TMS and its staunch followers go, they need a heavy dose of compassion for those who were the recipient’s of hurt.
To be clear, we do not know if the woman involved has anything to repent of, because Trinity has not answered if she’s a member of the congregation, and therefor under his authority. Spiritual abuse is 100% the fault of the pastor doing the abuse.
It is TWO people doing the sinning, Jen. Two. Can there be a power imbalance? Of course. But the sinning is 100% the man’s fault and 100% the woman’s fault. 40 year olds claiming to be victims when they kanoodled willingly with their pastor. Then books are written about it, praising the victim.
And this “under authority” garbage??? Folks, let me break it to you. You’re under the authority of The Lord Jesus Christ, not your pastor. And any pastor who INSISTS on such authority, those are your abusers right there and go after them tooth and nail.
If it is clergy sexual abuse (which we don’t know) it’s 100% his fault. Just like with David and Bathsheba, the Prophet Nathan put the fault 100% on David. When a minister uses his power and influence to coerce women into sex, that is only and always the fault of the minister. The woman bears 0 guilt.
We don’t know that this is the case in this situation. But if it IS the case, if she WAS under his authority and he used that authority to coerce her- that’s all on him.
The institutions he was a part of were HIGH authority institutions, so this isn’t blind speculation. this kind of abuse is abundant in MacArthur’s realm, and MacArthur and the institutions often side with and support the abusers rather than their victims.
Perhaps this indicates he is not one of the “elect.” https://onepassion.org/about/ “All believers in Christ will pursue A LIFE OF PERSONAL HOLINESS and will never fall away from grace.”
well said …. we now know that one passion is
JMac sure knows how to pick fraudsters
There is no such thing as The Elect…..or predestination.
Except those are very biblical words used over and over again in Scripture. How can you say there is no such thing as predestination when that word is used so often?
Anne Rector: Look up the words elect, chosen, chose & called in the bible.
Prayers for the wife and family who will be greatly impacted.
I’m baffled about something — his age! How could a man of that age be messing around, unless, he’s really arrogant, or unless it happened a long time ago and the woman just realized that she was abused by someone with more power and is about to go public. If it happened a long time ago, he’s been a huge hypocrit for how long? Anyway, his age tells me there’s a lot more to this story. So sad, and yes, it’s no surprise that a 5-point Calvinist has been found to be generally lacking in compassion. A person’s view of God affects how they act.
I mean, have you met Calvinists? In my experience they’re pretty arrogant.
Happened along time ago, hypocrite for how long? Have you confessed all of your past sins to the public? If not, does that make you a hypocrite? I bet God wouldn’t say that!
Keff, I don’t have any affairs that I’ve hidden for decades if that’s what you’re asking.
It’s one thing to have unconfessed or worked through sins. It’s another thing to have that AND stand in a pulpit condemning others and pretending at righteousness while speaking for God.
Disclosure….anytime I have been “playfully” asked by friends who would I want to be married to if I had a choice. I have always replied, Dr. Steve Lawson. But the question was “married,” as I have thought he is/was close to perfect. I would not have an affair with him or anyone else. I know better now.
Doesn’t it feel good when someone you don’t like falls into sin and destroys his ministry?
1 Corinthians 13:4-6
[4] Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5] or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [6] it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
You guys are reveling in the sin of a pastor and the damage he caused to his family because you don’t like a certain kind of Christian. This is not the way of Jesus.
It does feel like some kind of justice when people who are preaching a false gospel, condemning others, and sitting in judgement are revealed to be frauds. there’s a bit of shadenfraude in that, sure. but mostly sadness at how many he’s led astray with his false gospel, and how many will continue to follow even though this is the fruit it produces.
Certain “kind” of Christian? How many kinds are there? Can you name them for us? If a person is teaching Calvinism/Predestination, they are preaching a patently false doctrine. Hard to be right with the Lord when one is willingly teaching something false day after day. Predestination breeds a particularly nasty kind of pride because every single Predestination devotee out there, (of course) believes that they are one of the “Chosen Ones.” So they can bask in the warm glow of being special while looking out over a crowd that is probably filled with poor saps that aren’t predestined like they are. Of course, statistically, not everyone who believes themselves to be predestined could actually be predestined. If it’s a crap shoot whether you are hand-picked for Glory or hand-picked for damnation, some of the ones who think they are on the good side aren’t. If they knew they weren’t on the good side, this wouldn’t be such a cool doctrine to teach, would it? That’s the beauty part of being predestined. If your going, no matter what, it doesn’t matter if you do some stepping out on the side, does it?
I suspect you have been exposed to all the false explanations of the evil of Calvinism. I am anecdotal evidence of election and irresistible grace at the age of 57. I was not looking for God and had ignored Him for decades. I’m now 83 and have seen evidence in my life of the growth of my love for God and for His Holy Word. I do not understand why I was chosen. I am simply thankful. I go to a very small church and I cannot think of anyone I would call arrogant about their faith.
Evangelism is extremely important. I can have confidence that if God has willed salvation for someone to whom I give the news of the gospel, He will use that message and then that person will be regenerated, receive the effective call and accept Christ, in God’s timing. God is sovereign and chooses His people based upon His purposes and He does so without violating our wills. God, the Holy Spirit, changed my heart and gave me new affections so that I was able, willingly, to repent and believe. Isaiah 55:11 (ESV) . . .”so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
I have included applicable verses. But one needs a broader base, the whole counsel of God. I’m on about my 6th time through the Scriptures and I see more clearly each time, God’s sovereignty in election, regardless of who we are, how sinful we are, how resistant we are, etc. See John 1:12-13, John 6:37, John 6:44, Romans 9:15-16.
Thank you Judy… you have described the doctrines of grace as I have experienced them, and as I see them in God’s word. What other people call arrogant I have experienced as a passion for God’s glory. As to this sorrowful situation… praying for all involved, especially Anne Lawson and their children.
Thank you. I believe, in God’s providence, three years after my conversion, I moved from a non-denominational “Arminian-theology” church to a small conservative Presbyterian church. It was a jaw-dropping experience. I had no idea what reformed theology was and was just looking for a different church because of some concerns I had about the church I was attending. After my first visit, being exposed to the Westminster Confession of Faith in Sunday School and an expository sermon, I never left! I’m so sad about Dr. Lawson and I am praying. I am commenting a lot on this article because I am distressed to see his sin attributed to Calvinism. . .so untrue.
No one is “elected.” We all have freewill, and most people seem to find God’s grace highly resistible. Just because you were not looking for God does not mean He was not waiting for you. He does not force anyone to choose Him against their will and He does not force them to accept Him. I answered an altar call in a Southern Baptist Church at 10 years old. I am 64. And I spent large periods of my life morally bankrupt. God did not elect me. He simply refused to abandon me.
You are so very correct, Eddie. R C Sproul is the king of this heretical teaching. He too, was a fraud, just like this so-called doctrine.
How was RC Sproul a fraud?
Your response speaks the truth and is very much appreciated.
I can still remember the first time I entered a Lutheran church (ELCA) after “running” from a fundamentalist church and saying in the liturgy, “If we say we have no sun….” What a blessing that was for me.
Assuming a typo and you mean “sin”, referring to one out-of-context verse in 1st John chapter 1, did they go on to read chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 so that that one verse could be understood in its CONTEXT?
Did they read Romans 6? John 8:34-36?
Matthew 1:21? 1 Peter 4:18? 1 Corinthians 15:34? John 8:11? 2 Timothy 2:19b?
Revelation 21:8? 22:14-15?
How about Psalm 1? 26:9? 104:35? Proverbs 1:10? 13:21? 23:17?
Just wondering…
Please understand that there’s always a reason why people love 1st John 1:8 out-of-context (which actually mirrors 1:10) and why they hate and actively ignore 1st John chapter 3, especially verse 8.
Lawson is the founder and president of OnePassion Ministries “and has dedicated his life to help biblical expositors bring about a new reformation in the church,” according to The Master’s Seminary Website.
All those years of rigidly right doctrine and deep “theological truths” didn’t transform him at all! To me, this demonstrates that the incessant pursuit of doctrinal “purity” doesn’t actually make better people.
But I suspect the Jesus of the Bible could have probably told us that!
You are correct Barney, Jesus did tell us that. The parable Jesus told of two men building a house speaks directly to what we see here with Mr. Lawson. In Jesus’ parable BOTH men heard and knew the words of God but only ONE put them into practice. Jesus called the man who knew the doctrine and did not practice it a fool- his house was therefore built on sand and fell with a great crash. Jesus the called the one who put God’s words into practice wise- his house stood firm. Mr. Lawson’s house has come crashing down because he did not practice what he preached.
Why oh why do people in churches think that having the right doctrine is so everlastingly important without a corresponding fruit of the spirit proving one has actually been transformed by the Living God? In another comment earlier someone said that Calvinists are simply passionate for God’s truth. Not really. Show me a humble, kind person who loves their neighbor as themselves and goes about doing good deeds which even unbelievers recognize- that person is passionate for God’s truth.
A comic was told that karate was one of the oldest means of self defense. He replied: “It ain’t older than runnin!” Preachers need to be alone with their wife, mother, and unrelated women over 80. This may not be an enlightened view, but it has a 100% success rate for avoiding public scandal and future regret. If we feel that a leader MUST be alone with females, then we must accept that this constant repetition of moral train wrecks.
As seen previously, very few on here agree with you.
If we read the Sermon on the Mount (as well as verses like Matthew 12:33 & 35 & 15:18-20, which also INCLUDES “adulteries”), we can see that Jesus was not “only” concerned with outward behavior but with the condition of the HEART (and by definition, the mind) which is the origin of any behavior.
Sin begins in the heart. That’s a major point that Jesus is making throughout the Gospels.
It was always true, of course (i.e under the Old Covenant too) but now there would be a SOLUTION to the problem of sin in the heart: Jesus himself indwelling (2 Corinthians 13:5) through the HOLY Spirit (John 14:16-17, Romans 8:9 etc).
Let’s not think that a man who has rebellion against God (eg. adultery) in his heart can be forced to “avoid other women” 24/7 and all will be well. Any ongoing sin inside will corrupt everything surrounding him on the outside.
Eric, what a sad and low view you have of men. and women.
Preachers just need to have an actual relationship with Jesus and exercise self control. You talk like being alone with any woman will inevitably lead to sex. That is patently ridiculous. Just grow some fruit of the spirt and don’t entertain lustful thoughts and you’ll be fine.
“the billy graham rule” and people who think it’s necessary reveals SO MUCH more about their lack of sexual self control and maturity, and ability to see women as full humans, than anything it might be saying about the nature of relationships. If you need a “rule” to not have sex with people you have no business having sex with, you should be NO WHERE near leadership or authority.
Treat everyone you meet like a full human, not a sexual temptation, and you should be fine.
I think the Billy Graham rule contained a great deal of wisdom as a rule of thumb. Particularly for high profile Christian leaders, who need ‘to avoid the appearance’ of evil in front of a watching world.
Ignoring it hasn’t done well, has it.
On the other hand I take your point that men in more everyday life should have more self control and not need to be paranoid about women as though normal friendships are always inherently dangerous.
You can avoid the appearance of evil without avoid interacting with women. What that communicates, loud and clear, is that you believe women to be evil.
As a women I have great working relationships with my male colleagues. Friendships even. We all have boundaries, and literally no one thinks there is any appearance of evil. My working relationship with my male boss in a former ministry literally transformed that ministry because it had previously been only men in any sort of leadership, and seeing the fruit of my boss and I co-leading well, and how impacting it was on both the men and women we served, led several other departments to develop a male-female co-leadership model- and they’re better for it.
I think part of the reason so many of these male pastors fail is BECAUSE they are so avoidant of any kind of relationship with women- they see women ONLY as sexual temptations and threats, rather than people- and that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If you see women as people first, not threats, you can get to know them as people, not threats.
Jen, I agree with the ability for both sexes to work with each other. And although the rule can be a crutch (because they have a low view of women, etc) rather than reliance on the Spirit, it is because all people are sinful and can make erroneous conclusions and accusations that are hard to disprove esp when the damage is done.
That’s just clothes line preaching. It’s basically blaming the women for this guy’s sin. Wrong every time. He had the lust, he committed the sin. 100% on him.
Billy Graham rule is about avoiding false accusations and creates transparency only as far as someone adheres to the rule they’ve created for themselves.
There are several ways that it does not live up to expectations and can do harm to
1. You can tell others about your Billy Graham rule and create a false sense of piety, but still find ways to engage in inappropriate behavior.
2. It devalues women in social and professional settings, sees them as temptresses to be avoided and places the blame on the women for men’s lack of boundaries or self-control
One of the benefits of being Elect is that you get to misinterpret Martin Luther’s advice: sin boldly. Or maybe he’s not Elect after all, but rather is reprobate. Even Calvin said, “As by the revolt of the first man, the image of God could be effaced from his mind and soul, so there is nothing strange in His shedding some rays of grace on the reprobate, and afterwards allowing these to be extinguished.” 3:2:12
I cannot but wonder how much mercy Lawson would have received had he lived in Calvin’s Geneva.
They were very strict on ‘inappropriate relationships’ – why when these sad things happen isn’t the biblical word for this used?
“Lawson and some of his church members had disagreed for years. But Lawson decided to leave when more than 300 people signed a petition calling for his resignation.”
Well, that’s good. I’d organize a petition drive if I thought it would get our assistant pastor to say, “Oh, you’re right: I have dementia, and I’m treating people horribly,” and retire.
I was in both the churches in Alabama. Hurt for him and his family. Bill Whitfield worked behind the scenes with those opposed to Lawson and was a really pain in Lawson’s butt. I’ll NEVER forget the feeling of evil in church the day he and the entire staff resigned.
Seems like Bill Whitefield may have been on to something though. Turns out Lawson’s not a good guy, and a hypocrite to boot!
When you’re “reformed” (i.e., Calvinist) everything that you do and that happens to you is pre-ordained, “God’s will” so he was doing God’s will.
Such a pernicious doctrine. Even God was surprised at the choices and actions of many of his servants throughout the ages.
So, if the victim was not a child, he should be able to be restored fairly quickly.
Right?
The statement from One Passion has a bit of the, “devil made him do it,” vibe. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but the tone seems odd. It’s true enough Satan is crafty and looks for our weaknesses, but it almost seems like moving away from any sense of personal agency to treat it more like an attack by Satan on the spread of the gospel.
“The board of OnePassion Ministries mournfully announces that just recently Steven J. Lawson confessed to the board that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a woman, a sin that has disqualified him from ministry. In response Steve has resigned from all his duties at OnePassion Ministries.
All scheduled events and engagements have been cancelled. Steve has confessed and regrets the damage he has caused to his family, the church, the reputation of OnePassion Ministries and most of all Jesus Christ.
We are saddened for the glory of Christ in this matter. The truth of the gospel will continue go out to the lost world as it is empowered by the Holy Spirit and not by men. It is a reminder that we have been warned of the craftiness of the enemy.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).””
https://onepassion.org/
(It’s also a little ironic since they imply here that the glory of Christ and gospel testimony is diminished by his sin, when one of the common teachings of Calvinism is that everything that happens was predetermined for the sake of God’s maximal glory, even sin, else it would be meaningless.)
I propose that when a pastor/whatever has to leave because of inappropriate what have you, he be forced to walk through a gauntlet of pies thrown by members of whatever it is he’s been fired from. This would reduce his level of dignity to that of the rest of us.
This could also be part of a fundraising thing – “Tithe with Pies.”
Use pies like those Soupy Sales enjoyed.
Richard, this is weird.
The sins committed by Lawson, and others, are grievous, and you suggest a circus? weird.
weird.
Did I suggest a circus? I reread my comment. I never suggested a circus.
Churches and other organizations that have been lorded over by miscreants should express their disgust in a way that is unforgettable. Too often the devotees of such people continue their devotion, regardless of what the admired one has done. Too many people have a deep need to admire those that don’t deserve it.
Remember Bill Gothard? Rules for thee but not for me and my brother? I knew people that thought he was wonderful. Now there’s a man that deserved pies.
Lighten up a bit.
Bill Gothard had a long history of groping young girls, and you think he deserves…. pies? a comedy routine? so gross. He deserved to be locked away, where he could no longer grope young girls, not some carnival act.
seriously. you’re not making it better.
I propose that people like this walk a gauntlet of pies thrown by the folks at the church/whatever where his presence is no longer desired. This would reduce his specialness to that of the rest of us.
Combine it with fund-raising and call it “Tithe with Pies.”
Use the same kind of pies that Soupy Sales did to save money.
Here is Mr. Lawson in his own words judging himself.
Odd…according to what he said, an elect person might go to hell for lacking radical repentance. Round and round it goes…
“God will only use one kind of a vessel.”
I suspect Paul and the Corinthians and the Galatians would be surprised to hear that.
As Christians I would hope that we all want the best outcome which would be that any victim receive healing, family members receive support compassion and practical help.
Perhaps we also pray that Steve Lawson be humbled, repent and seek forgiveness. As a humble man He would then be in a position to receive God’s grace.
James 4:6 says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”.
What he says is accurate and I wish we had ministers with these characteristics. Not “good” communicators who “look” good.
“They need to be under the influence of strong expository preaching…”. Dr Stephen Lawson
Odd how that strong, expository preaching didn’t seem to work for him. But why should anyone be surprised by that?
Wow! Read lots of comments. Such hatred expressed, hatred of Steven Lawson, RC Sproul, John MacArthur; hatred of Calvinism. . . Why??? Total misrepresentations of reformed theology/Calvinism are being expressed as unconditionally true, when they are truly strawmen that perhaps those commenting read on line or hear from the pulpit. You need to study Scripture for yourselves. BTW, Arminianism (which I assume includes all of you who hate Calvinism) was declared heretical in the early 1600’s, but I will not call you heretics. I consider you brothers and sisters in Christ, even though I believe your soteriology is not quite correct, specifically, the sovereignty of God is not held high enough.
People speak out against these men because they are twisting and weaponizing scripture. they are misogynists in the name of Jesus, which is the worst way to be- and they’re hypocrites, as Lawson proves.
1 Cor 13: 1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
The vast majorities of their ministries have not love. they are nothing. Not by my judgement, by scripture.
Calvinism, Election, Predestination are false teachings and heresy. God did not pre-ordain some people to Hell. Christ would not have died if that were true.
I heard John MacArthur say, “Jesus didn’t die for the whole world. He died for The Elect.” No more heretical words were ever spoken. Johnny Mac may see Hell for teaching that
Anne, the Scriptures distinctly talk of “election, predestination, foreknowledge etc. It is how one defines these terms that cause people to break fellowship over. A great example is Joseph being sold into slavery. The brothers chose to do great evil, but God used this to put Joseph into power and basically save the world from famine.
ANNE RECTOR: OK, Lets say Jesus died FOR THE SINS of the whole world. If that is so why are people in Hell today even though Christ died for ALL of their sins. All of their sins were forgiven yet they still went to Hell. Therefore, Jesus did the same thing for those in Heaven as He did for those in Hell. So why are people in Hell if all their sins were forgiven ?
Converted&uncorverted have the same capacity for sin.
But a converted heart hates sin,is desperate to rid of sin,is grieved when it sins&throws itself at the mercy seat of God.This is faith.
The more you know of your wretchedness the more you grow in the knowledge of God’s unspeakable love & mercy,the knowledge of this love is what makes you more wage war on the sin in you & more merciful&loving towards others.When one realizes how helpless we are against sin the more precious the blood of Christ becomes
We obey because we love Him.We Love Him because He loved us first.
Mathew 5:4
Rom 7:15-24