tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post113327396004023037..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: William CowperRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-1133359124201095282005-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:002005-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:00Over at Free St. George's we have a post on 'The D...Over at Free St. George's we have a post on 'The Death of Cowper' <BR/><BR/>http://freestgeorges.blogspot.com/2005/11/death-of-william-cowper-by-alexander.htmlHighland Hosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205436472908741409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-1133321895694723282005-11-29T22:38:00.000-05:002005-11-29T22:38:00.000-05:00His wife divorced him, not vice versa. From what I...His wife divorced him, not vice versa. From what I can tell, she divorced him without sufficient Scriptural warrant. So he's the innocent party as far as that's concerned.<BR/><BR/>Stanley is a one-woman man. He's not remarried, has he? He's not a bigamist or polygamist or philanderer.stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-1133314522927142702005-11-29T20:35:00.000-05:002005-11-29T20:35:00.000-05:00"As to Stanley, he made the mistake of making a ra..."As to Stanley, he made the mistake of making a rash vow, reaffirming the policy of his church, according to which a divorced man was disqualified from pastoral ministry. That’s a rather legalistic standard which goes beyond Scripture."<BR/><BR/>Really? What about being a one-woman man? I can see if his wife was unfaithful to him, and the divorce followed, but In any other cirumstance, I can't see how the charge of "legalism" applies.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00781523237313565560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-1133312457815767822005-11-29T20:00:00.000-05:002005-11-29T20:00:00.000-05:00I should say, first of all, that I myself never sa...I should say, first of all, that I myself never said that Spencer was emotionally unstable. I haven’t read enough of his stuff to render that diagnosis.<BR/><BR/>We don’t expect our pastors to be men of steel. Pastoral burnout is, I guess, rather common. I knew a couple of PCA pastors who left the ministry. Both of them were excellent men. But they had very difficult congregations.<BR/><BR/>Pastoral ministry can be emotionally exhausting, and once you’re emotionally drained, you don’t have any reserves left to draw upon. The insulation is gone. All that’s left are hot bare wires.<BR/><BR/>Under such circumstances, I don’t think it’s bad for a pastor to take a leave of absence. Indeed, it’s a good thing.<BR/><BR/>That, of itself, doesn’t mean that he’s unsuited to ministry. Indeed, his strength may be his weakness. Because he is so emotionally giving, he’s vulnerable. <BR/><BR/>You have the phenomenon of good pastors with bad congregations. Oftentimes a pastor will take a new pastorate, only to find that there’s a family that forms a power clique, that thinks it should call the shots. They rest of the congregation may sympathize with the pastor, but they don’t side with him, they don’t publicly support him. <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, you have men who go into the pastorate for the wrong reasons. They’re untested material. Oftentimes they go into ministry because they’re people persons. And, of course, social skills are a prerequisite of pastoral ministry.<BR/><BR/>But you need more than social skills. You also need a strong faith and a certain amount of emotional toughness or resilience. <BR/><BR/>A pastor is a spiritual physician. When I go to see the doctor, I, of course, want a physician who’s compassionate, but I’m not looking for a physician who wants to hold my hand and have a cry-fest. <BR/><BR/>Regarding Swaggart, for a couple of reasons I don’t think he was every qualified for the ministry. To begin with, he comes out of a charismatic tradition in which your “call to the ministry” is judged by your oratorical ability—nothing less and nothing more. Now, public speaking skills are obviously an advantage in preaching, but a pastor can be an excellent Bible teacher without being a natural orator while a natural orator can be a lousy Bible teacher.<BR/><BR/>In addition, Swaggart became hooked on pornography as a teenager and was never able to kick the habit. Addictions are very hard to break. And he was impenitent.<BR/><BR/>As to Stanley, he made the mistake of making a rash vow, reaffirming the policy of his church, according to which a divorced man was disqualified from pastoral ministry. That’s a rather legalistic standard which goes beyond Scripture. For Stanley was guilty of being shortsighted and foolish on that account. Still, we should hold folks to Scriptural standards, not extrascriptural (or subscriptural) standards, so his vow was certainly forgivable. It may have looked hypocritical, but we shouldn’t hold folks to every stupid thing they say.<BR/><BR/>As I understand, his ex-wife first demanded a separation on the ground that he didn’t spend enough time with her. That’s a legitimate grievance—though not a biblical grounds for divorce. And after he made more time with her, she divorced him, which is a rather contrarian reaction given her original grievance.<BR/><BR/>I believe that Stanley is about 72 years old, and has been ministering for nearly 60 years in one capacity for another. So even if he had a nervous breakdown or two along the way, it’s clear that he has a lot of saying power.<BR/><BR/>Again, this is quite different from someone who is plagued by serious doubts about the veracity of the faith, or holds grudges against everyone who ever wronged him--whether real or imagined.stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-1133308929735940512005-11-29T19:02:00.000-05:002005-11-29T19:02:00.000-05:00Steve, I started a conversation with myself about ...Steve, I started a conversation with myself about those appropriate for pastoral ministry. I ended up writing about both Charles Stanley and Jimmy Swaggart.<BR/><BR/>I think Swaggart, besides having what is known in the therapeutic community as a SEXUAL ADDICTION, really shot himself in the foot, knee, chest and head when he refused Church discipline by the Assembly of God denomination for more than two months.<BR/><BR/>Charles Stanley has in public described at least two times in his ministry when he could not continue; he may have even called it a nervous breakdown. And then, of course, his wife divorced him some years ago.<BR/><BR/>Charles and Jimmy still hold pastoral positions. What thinkest thou Steve?S.G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09746381491495106590noreply@blogger.com