[Note: On Fridays we post new rants from one of our writers, edited only for typos and spelling.This new series is not for those easily offended or for those who only like to play nice. So read this before you start posting your comments.]
The big news to come out of megachurch Christianity lately is that Perry Noble has been fired from the church he founded, NewSpring Church. Why? Because, according to the church’s board, he engaged in alcohol abuse and other “unfortunate choices and decisions.”
Along with the news that he’d be fired, Noble released a statement about it, owning up to his behavior and hoping for the best.
I’m not here to talk about Noble’s behavior or to argue about whether drinking alcohol or getting drunk are good or bad. You can have your own opinion about that. I’m just glad that he’s taking responsibility for himself and I hope for the best for NewSpring Church.
What I want to point out is something that was in Noble’s statement, toward the end:
“Let me be very clear, neither [my wife] nor I have committed any sort of sexual sin. I have not stolen money. I have not been looking at porn and there was absolutely no domestic abuse.”
This is what makes me want to puke.
In case you haven’t caught it, let me make it clear: Noble is saying that being consumed by alcohol is NOT AS BAD as having an affair or beating up your spouse.
[shortcode-variables slug=”mypilgrimage-inline”]Or looking at porn.
So in Noble’s hierarchy of sins, porn is down there with cheating and/or beating. Better to hit the bottle than to hit up a porn site.
It’s infuriating, because I run into this kind of mindset all the time, and it’s what keeps people hooked on porn. They feel like they can’t come clean about their porn usage because they’ll be looked at like they’re some kind of abusive spouse or someone who has hooked up with a coworker.
I don’t want to get into a discussion about which sins are “better” or “worse” than others. I know that all sin is the same in God’s eyes, but, unfortunately, we don’t always see with those eyes. We see with human eyes, and our human eyes put more weight on some behaviors than we do with others.
I just really wish Perry Noble hadn’t equated porn with affairs and abuse. Because it’s not.
If we want people to get free of this thing, then we need to encourage people to talk about it. And they’re not going to talk about it if they think just admitting to an addiction is going to cost them friends, family, or their job in ministry.
I have news for you: if every pastor who looked at porn had to resign like Perry Noble, then over half of church staff positions would suddenly become available. This is a problem in our churches, yes, but it’s a problem we can deal with if we just give people the space and room to be honest about it.
Can we do that?
I’d like to think so. We have tons of resources here at XXXchurch to help people do just that. And if you’re a pastor who struggles with porn, we have something just for you as well. Try it out and find the freedom you’re looking for.
PS. Whether you are a pastor or not, porn use is something you don’t need in your life. If you want to find freedom in this area of your life start by watching these three videos.