Carl Tuttle

I'm guessing that most people don't read the comments after the blogs I post. But the one by Mike, is something we should all consider. In essence he is asking whether or not there is a correlation between the 'fallen leader' and the community of faith they fall within. In other words, do those who follow, those who support and those who idol's the celebrity leader need to take some responsibility for the 'failure' of their leaders. I place quotation marks around 'fallen' and 'failure' because I wonder about how we are going to define this. It almost goes back to the old question of whether or not if a tree that fall makes a sound if no one hears it. The fact is for years, maybe decades, a persons ministry is applauded and supported until the 'chink' in the armour is discovered. So for 20 years the person is a saint, a hero and icon and then suddenly they are deceivers, hypocrites and liars. Hmmmmm, could it be that some of the responsibility lies elsewhere? Could it be that when we develop systems which support celebrity outside of accountability, we are simply getting what we ask for?

We say that when 'one part of the body hurts we all hurt' but what we really say is because one part of the body hurts I am hurt', therefore we can judge and 'rebuke' the one who hurt us, without any attention being directed to our idolatry or our participation in the fallens, failure.

Another thing we should consider is, What about 'church discipline'? Could it be that the reason it is so dysfunctional and ineffective, is because there is nothing of this nature expressed in the scripture. Where does the Bible express and explain the exact procedures for 'church discipline'. Where does the Bible use the term 'church discipline'? Please don't quote Matthew 18 because that is all about forgiveness and restoration's. Please don't quote Galatians 6, because that is all about 'restoring such a one with gentleness'. Please don't quote Paul to Timothy who didn't in any way shape or form explain what the exact repercussions of 'rebuke and elder publicly' meant. We are the ones who have imparted meaning and definition to these text. No one on the planet can argue that they are explicit and defined for us.
We are left with general principles, biblical stories and common sense to develop philosophies for discipline and procedures. And in many cases, most cases? It appears none of the afore mentioned are utilized to bring about the healing and restoration of the fallen. The fact is, it appears to be the exception not the rule, when gentleness, compassion and any sense of fairness if applied when dealing with the fallen.
Mike raises a valid question and I have yet to hear or read about anyone who has addressed it. I guess it is so much easier to point the finger and wag the tongue, than it is to actually deal with these things in a just, fair and biblical manner.
As Bill O says, 'Am I wrong?' Inform me. Give me clear and tangible examples of when, where and how things are different. Something that is more than an accepting. In my opinion it is to far and in between. What's amazing is we have had 2000 years to figure it out and we are still muddling around.