This seems to be a day for departures: a reader points me toward news that Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian, has resigned his pastorate due to an extramarital affair.
I resigned from my position at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church today due to ongoing marital issues. As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself. Last week I was approached by our church leaders and they asked me about my own affair. I admitted to it and it was decided that the best course of action would be for me to resign.
Some thoughts, in no particular order:
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To mention his wife’s indiscretion at all, especially as a device for explaining his own … ummm, not a very gentlemanly thing to do; it suggests the vanity, or character failure, or plain-vanilla immaturity, that may have helped her decide the grass is greener elsewhere. He should have left her out of it, taken his lumps, and departed.
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Cheating pastors are common as dirt; I have seen estimates which place the incidence of it in the 50% neighborhood. We would do ourselves a lot of good, and probably them, too, if they weren’t installed on pedestals. There are of course exceptions but, as a class, clergy are neither well-educated nor reflective men.
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But every cult needs a cult leader, somebody to herd the insecure and childish people who are drawn toward “you’re no damn good, so just do as you’re told.”
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Pastor Tullian was a regular star of the “Dismal theology tweet for the day” series, regularly reminding his fans that they are no damn good. Pardon me if I wonder — not for the first time — if these clowns who bear down hard on Original Sin are, in fact, projecting.