Today, Trinity Bible Church of Dallas announced that its lead pastor Steve Lawson has been removed from ministry for “inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.”
The church released the following statement:
ANNOUNCEMENT
The elders at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas regretfully announce that effective immediately, Steven J. Lawson has been removed indefinitely from all ministry activities at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas. Several days ago, the elders at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas were informed by Steve Lawson of an inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman. The elders have met with Steve and will continue to come alongside him and pray for him with the ultimate goal of his personal repentance. Steve will no longer be compensated by Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.
In light of this, may we be reminded that we are ALL sinners, and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners – and Christ remains Head of His Church, which is bigger than any fallen man. In fact, Jesus Christ will continue to lead His Church, including Trinity Bible Church here in Dallas, just like He has from the start of this work on January 5, 2018. Since that time, the elders have focused on the primacy of biblical exposition knit together by various men filling the pulpit each week. The Lord was building Trinity Bible Church of Dallas well before Steve became our Lead Preacher, and He will continue to build this church long after Steve Lawson, or any other man for that matter. We would ask for your prayers for the elders, for our Body, and for Steve and his family. Let us always be mindful of the words of 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
Per the statement, there is no indication that the inappropriate relationship described is either abusive or pertaining to child sexual assault but appears to be a consensual marital affair that was confessed to the church by Lawson himself. Feminists will doubtless assert “spiritual abuse” on Lawson’s part, but this charge is baseless in Scripture and pertains only to modern conceptions of “power dynamics” absolving one of their sins. Trinity is up front in their somber, eulogistic statement in which they are mourning the situation of their church community.
Lawson has served in ministry over forty years and has been a major figure in Reformed/Calvinist Evangelicalism. He is a teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries and the Dean of Doctor of Ministry Studies at The Masters Seminary. Lawson has authored over thirty books. Lawson’s disgraceful exit from ministry serves as a warning that even good teachers can fall prey to sin. In a year of scandals arising from Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area churches, this is by far the most heartbreaking case of them all.
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8 Responses
I know they have called this inappropriate action adultery. But is it? A married man who has an affair with a single woman is fornication. If the woman is married and has an affair then she has committed adultery and he is complicit and held accountable. Sin is sin, inexcusable, but can be forgiven. That doesn’t mean there will not be consequences. Whatever a man sows in his heart, he shall also reap. Proverbs 5 warns us of this type of sin. Even though he is a pastor and has been for 40 years +, he’s human, and desires, wants, and emotional needs, can weigh on anyone, and the lustful demons await and will pounce at the slightest of opportunities. Judge not, for each man will be accountable for his actions. Guard your heart, less that temptation overtakes you as well.
Matthew 5:27-28 is translated as adultery, and with the Sermon on the Mount commentating on the Ten Commandments, it is accurate to use a broader term to label this situation since we do not know the background of the women, whether she was married or not. And absent a specific context, the New Testament uses adultery mostly in the context to describe a man’s actions.
That sucks. I found a lot of value in his teaching. Nevertheless, my faith wasn’t in him. I hope the Lord grants him repentance. Stay out of ministry and get back on the narrow path, Mr. Lawson.
I liked his ministry too. He and JMac introduced me into being Reformed. God is in control and Lawson hopefully will repent and be used for God’s glory. No one is immune to sin.
wow
So incredibly sad and quite frankly frustrating. Satan is a roaring lion and is looking for souls to steal. I pray for his wife and kids and those he hurt or destroyed. Steve is disqualified from ministry and needs to turn to the Lord as David did. I pray he will. Stay strong everyone, in the Lord. God is good.
This is very disappointing, especially coming from a leading figure in Reformed circles. That being said, I feel like this is the fruit of the idolization the Church is guilty of with regard to these pastors. We treat them as celebrities and they soak it up. It’s the fallen human condition. When we prop these people up, and of course people are going to flock to them more and want a piece of the action. The risk is these pastors can become susceptible to buying into that celebrity culture and that leads to more chances for sin.
Steve Lawson made a grave mistake. He ruined his legacy. But, let’s not condemn the man to hell. He messed up big time. We all have and do. Yes, it’s more disappointing because of who he is and he is supposed to be an example for us. But he’s still a fallen human being. If he repents and I’m sure he will, we must welcome him back as a brother on Christ. Yes, he is disqualified from being an elder but he isn’t disqualified from being our brother. Let’s remember that and let’s not be so quick to condemn because I guarantee we all are just as bad in different ways. We all need to repent every day.
I agree 100% with that.