PRIVATE SINS OF PUBLIC MINISTRY
Forum
January 1, 1988
As something of a spoof, Harper's magazine recently commissioned seven advertising agencies to develop full-page ads promoting each of the Seven Deadly Sins. The agencies' efforts included, for instance, "The world's foremost authority speaking out on the subject of greed." Santa Claus is pictured in a business suit defending avarice (and Christmas wish lists) by saying, "Greed has always motivated men and women . . . to make better mousetraps . . . to create greater art . . . to find cures for diseases and pathways to the moon."
Another ad proclaims: "Any sin that's enabled us to survive centuries of war, death, pestilence, and famine can't be called deadly." Underneath is a 1930s-ish photo of an amorous couple. The caption: "LUST: Where Would We Be Without It?"
The series satirizes today's ambivalent filings about sin. How easy it is to come up with good reasons for bad behavior! And sexual temptation, in particular, offers great potential for rationalization and self-deception.
What guises do sexual temptations take for pastors? How can they be dealt with? To address these questions, LEADERSHIP gathered four individuals with significant experience in ministry and in counseling pastors:
-Burdette (Bud) Palmberg, for twenty years the pastor of Mercer Island Covenant Church near Seattle, Washington.
-Arch Hart, dean of the school of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
-Louis McBurney, a psychiatrist and the founder of Marble Retreat, a counseling center for clergy, located on the mountain above Redstone, Colorado.
-David Seamands, a former missionary and pastor, and currently professor of pastoral ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Leadership: These days, when terms like ...
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