The Lure of Sexual Attraction
All the safeguards in the world will not help the counselor who has not come to terms with his own sexuality.
Andre Bustanoby
Prayer, meditation, and temptation make a minister.
Martin Luther
Recent surveys by Christianity Today, Inc. (CTi), show that both pastors and lay people recognize clergy are particularly vulnerable to sexual temptation. Our positions and duties put us in places of potential danger. And all too often, because we are fallible human beings, pastors fall. In the recent past, as we all know, the secular news media have delighted in reporting the sexual sins of prominent ministers. Unfortunately, they've had no shortage of stories to tell.
Actually, according to the CTi surveys, there are a lot more stories of pastoral indiscretion that could be told, which should come as no surprise. Of the pastors responding in one survey, 23 percent admitted to having done something they consider sexually inappropriate since entering local church ministry. Most of the time it's been with someone in the church.
Fully 79 percent of the pastors said they personally know at least one other minister who's had an extramarital sexual relationship while pastoring a church.
Thus, while we all struggle in this area and many have fallen, it's to our credit (and God's grace) as a group, I think, that more of us haven't yielded in light of the temptations we face, especially in today's seemingly sex-obsessed society. But there's no escaping the fact that it's a serious problem, one of the most serious we face in the tension between being holy and being human. There's probably no surer way to damage a pastor's ministry.
In the hope of helping us better understand and deal with this dangerous area of temptation, then, I offer the lessons ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,358 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
