Hi Ray Carroll

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Jonathan Brink
Provoketive Magazine

You posted the following comment:
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You're right Tony. I was speaking with a pastor a few days ago who had committed adultery. It had been a long time ago. Even in that long period of time, he is still an object of shame and derision in his community. He feels that God still wants to use him in some way, but he is not given any chance by the churches around him. At times, he is faced with not being allowed to be a productive church member because of his past.

Unfortunately, the search term "fallen pastor" is a common way to refer to those who have committed a sin. That's not the way God looks at us, He has set us free from our sin. We are clean and have been washed from all unrighteousness. But that's not the way the world sees us. We will always have to deal with the consequences of our actions.

I always tell pastors to find a community of faith that will love them, encourage their gifts and allow them to work freely in the capacity God allows them. It is a difficult thing to find in this world. But I thank God that there are churches like that out there, but they are often far and few between.