By Fr. Steve Macias In Politics Like

On Tuesday, San Francisco police announced they had arrested five men in a child porn bust. According to an article published at SFgate.com, one of the men was a Lutheran pastor named Rev. Steven Sabin of Christ Church Lutheran in San Francisco. Sabin is accused of possessing a cell phone and a cloud storage device with, “hundreds of child pornography videos and images depicting juvenile minors being sexually abused,” San Francisco police said in a written release.

The Sex Abuse Scandal in the Church

The child victims of this latest case are a sad reminder of the state of the American church. Digitized images of children being sexually abused in the possession of a pastor, signal that the problem is systemic. The shepherds have turned on their most vulnerable sheep. When St. James warns, “Not many of you should become teachers…” I believe the Apostle has the doctrinal fidelity and moral behavior of leaders in mind when promises that, “we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1)

What we do with our body is one way we teach. Our behavior is our strongest testimony for what we truly believe. How we act, whether in public or private, reveals what we truly believe. Abusers take advantage of their office in an environment of trust demonstrate their true beliefs.

What did Rev. Sabin believe?

As I live and pastor in a nearby Bay Area community, I looked up Sabin’s church. Christ Church Lutheran is affiliated with the very liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The same church is home to the foul-mouthed, porn-defending Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. Bolz-Weber took heat earlier this year for her statements defending the use of what she called, “ethically sourced porn.”

Co-laboring in this denomination Rev. Sabin and Rev. Bolz-Weber both professed the same liberal, progressive brand of “Christianity.” Is it too much of a leap to see how the ELCA’s aberrant theological views led to the acceptance of pornography and the disdain for human dignity? Is it then very difficult to see how these same beliefs that devalue our fellow man could create men like Rev. Sabin who sexually prey on children?

Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse

Many articles and statements have flooded the news supposing a connection between the homosexual orientation of Roman Catholic clergy and their involvement in the current child sexual abuse scandals. His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke is quoted by NPR for claiming that the clergy sexual abuse scandal is largely, “homosexual acts committed with adolescent young men.”

But is this only a Roman Catholic issue? As I googled Rev. Sabin and his congregation, I quickly discovered that Christ Church was not his first assignment or even his first controversy.

Rev. Sabin was the poster boy for advancing gay rights in the late 90’s when he challenged the ELCA policy against actively gay clergy by “coming out.” Iowa Public Television even ran a special on him.

In 1998, a ELCA Discipline Committee removed Sabin from Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ames, Iowa. The committee’s “determination” indicated that he “must be considered a practicing homosexual” and is “precluded from the ordained ministry of this church.” Ten years ago, the ELCA officially loosened its stance on active homosexual clergy and Sabin was formally received back into the ELCA. Free to continue in his sinful lifestyle as the pastor of his San Francisco congregation.

Christian sexual standards come as a whole package. Our standards come from the Scriptures and have been faithfully delivered from our Lord to each generation. It is not an option to revisit Christ’s definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

Dallas Willard once wrote that Christ, “is not just nice, he is brilliant.” Our Lord anticipated the questions and struggles of every generation and not one situation is outside of his comprehension. Willard explains that Jesus is, “the smartest man who ever lived. He is now supervising the entire course of world history while simultaneously preparing the rest of the universe for our future role in it. He always has the best information on everything and certainly also on the things that matter most in human life.” (The Divine Conspiracy)

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