For the sake of the gospel....
Paul, standing in the midst of a court room, stretches out his hand to make his defense of the gospel to Agrippa, king of the Roman Empire, proclaiming publicly the God has raised Jesus from the dead--the heart and soul of the gospel.
Surprisingly, Paul also publicly discloses his previous ungodly, illegal, immoral, and abusive behavior to the king. Paul publicly confesses to arresting followers of Jesus, innocent of any Roman crime; Paul publicly admits to sending these disciples to prison for their faith; Paul publicly declares he punished them in the synagogues; Paul publicly recognizes he approved and voted for them to be put to death; Paul publicly reveals he tried to force them to deny their faith; and Paul publicly acknowledges he pursued these believers even outside of Israel--all the while being sanctioned and approved by the religious leaders.
Why did Paul publicly share his former abusive behavior, especially to a pagan, political ruler, with whom God had called to share the gospel?
When Paul was confronted--with a blinding light--on the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus didn't ask why Paul had been persecuting--abusing--innocent believers; the Lord Jesus didn't ask Paul why he was denying them their human rights; and the Lord Jesus didn't ask why he was breaking the law of God.
The Lord Jesus asked Paul, "Why are you persecuting me?"
To persecute, to betray, to hurt, to abuse the innocent and vulnerable is to persecute, betray, hurt, and abuse the Lord Jesus.
Paul would never forget his abusive persecution of the Lord Jesus after that day. Embedded into God's call to declare the good news of salvation to the Gentiles, Paul would also include his own former abusive conduct upon the church as a testimony of the very power of the Gospel to impart forgiveness through the cross, restoration through the resurrection, empowerment through the Holy Spirit, and eternal life through the return of Jesus.
Paul did not cover-up his abuse.
Paul did not misrepresent his abuse.
Paul did not lie about his abuse.
Paul did not remain silent about the abuse.
Paul did not deceive others about his abuse.
Paul did not ignore his abuse.
Paul did not tell others to cover-up his abuse.
Paul did not bring legal action against any of his victims.
Paul did not ask the other apostles and elders to support him remaining silent.
Paul's public acknowledge of abuse did not undermine and destroy the reputation of the church; it ironically enhanced the power, mercy, grace, and love of the Lord Jesus.
Yet this is not always the case today.
When more and more church leaders, missionaries, and Christian college personnel are being exposed--by the secular media, by victims turned bloggers, and by advocates on their pod casts--for covering-up sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse, they often continue to preach a gospel of light while hiding in the dark.
But why the silence?
Fear.
They fear the loss of revenue from declining supporters and they fear criminal and/or civil lawsuits from victims and/or whistleblowers.
Imagine if Paul had received counsel from these Christian leaders who have covered-up abuse. They would advise Paul, by their lawyers, to keep quiet for the past abuse to avoid a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the families of Paul's victims. They would recommend Paul to say nothing so not to damage the reputation of his ministry and the kingdom of God. They would remind Paul that without liability insurance, his ministry would not be able to pay out a large civil settlement. And they would encourage Paul to never speak publicly about the past abuse but to move forward.
So, Paul MUST remain silent--silent for the sake of the gospel.
Douglas Lay
February 24, 2022
(A few reminders about reading literature:
1) No one blog post, magazine article, or even a book is designed to extensively address any one topic.
2) Biblical authors often used satire as a means of emphasizing one specific point to catch your attention.
3) A narrative genre, unlike an expository genre, is less obvious about the "thesis", often increasing the level of misinterpretation.)
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