Steve Lawson Cheated With Woman A Third His Age, Lasted 5 Years

Last week, Steve Lawson was removed from Trinity Bible Church of Dallas over an “inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.” Lawson’s adultery scandal has rocked the Evangelical world, as the once revered pastor has been scrubbed from his lofty position in Evangelicalism. The Dallas Fort Worth area has been plagued by megachurch scandals this year with TD Jakes being caught up in P Diddy, Robert Morris molesting a child, and Tony Evans being removed over an undisclosed sin.

In a now-deleted tweet thread, Jon Benzinger of Redeemer Bible Church in Gilbert, Arizona, accidentally reveals a key detail in Steve Lawson’s adultery.

Dr. Steven Lawson had an affair with a woman around a third his age after being married to his wife, Anne, for over four decades. He has devastated her, his kids, his grandkids (pray for them all!), and tens of thousands that looked up to him. He has disqualified himself for ministry and brought shame on the pastorate and on the Name of Christ. In Satan’s prowling, he devoured another one who chose sin instead of Christ.

It’s worth noting that the woman is approximately a third the age of Lawson and is presented as a matter-of-fact, not opinion or speculation by Benzinger. He would go on to cast doubt on whether Steve Lawson is genuinely repentant, perhaps the detail most want to know. He furthermore refers to the foreboding final sermon of Steve Lawson delivered on the 15th.

You may have seen people rebuking Steve online, and you may see more of it as the days go by, and I say, rightly so. What he did was egregious. It was reprehensible. It was inexcusable. It was satanic. In July of ‘18, I listened intently as he lectured on 28 Tragic Consequences of Sexual Sin in the Ministry after another prominent pastor committed adultery. He knew better and he did it anyway. He didn’t fall into sin. This wasn’t a hiccup.

He persisted in it and for a while. We’ve even been told he only confessed because it was coming out anyway. If that’s true (and I hope it’s not!), public rebuke is right and it is good, not just for him, but for us that we may all fear God and fear sin’s consequences.

Benzinger made speculations after this that he would later view as imprudent causing him to delete the original thread, stating:

The guys I’m on staff with, collectively, know a lot of people, some who are very close to this situation. I haven’t been able to corroborate every detail, nor do I plan to, which is why I was careful to use the words I did above.

People close to the situation clearly have cautions about how repentant Lawson is, perhaps the saddest of speculations.

If he is repentant (and from what I’ve heard that might be a big if), Dr. Lawson should never be restored to ministry, but he must be restored to fellowship in the Body of Christ. The circle our church is most aligned with is known for the Doctrines of Grace, but not for being gracious. We don’t shun the repentant, even if their sin has deeply disappointed us. 

Benzinger is doubtful that Steve Lawson is repentant but he would change his position in a thread the next day.

If repentant (which he seems to be), Dr. Lawson should never be restored to ministry, but he must be restored to fellowship in the Body of Christ.

Jon Harris of Conversations That Matter and Tom Rush, a Southern Baptist pastor, revealed that the adultery lasted 5 years in which Steve Lawson participated in a compromising relationship.

Phil Johnson, the right-hand man of MacArthur’s ministry, corroborated the above as well as added more.

Steve himself informed the elders, but only after the girl’s father had confronted Steve and threatened exposure. This was not a noble confession of sin.

“Inappropriate” is too ambiguous—as if someone merely caught them holding hands. This was a 5-year relationship with strong romantic overtones. Both parties insist no literal fornication was involved, but their tie to one another was adulterous in spirit, if not in fact.

He is 73. She is in her late 20s. She is not a member of his church. In fact, she lives in a different state nowhere close to any of the ministries Steve served. I don’t believe any good end would be served by exposing her identity to the public.

Both Phil Johnson and Jon Benzinger publicly say that Steve Lawson did not confess completely on his own volition and that he was made to confess. Johnson does not comment on whether Steve Lawson is repentant.

This information confirms that Steve Lawson is permanently disqualified from the ministry. Moreover, the hypocrisy of Lawson persisted far longer than initially reported.

This is a developing story.