Carl Lentz: ‘I’m Not a Disgraced Pastor’ - By James Lasher

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Ordinarily we fisk self-described Bible teachers, the Doctrinal Police, and cessationists, but today we examine Charisma News' reporting on Carl Lentz, and Mr. Lentz's statements. 

Mr. Lentz is a disgraced former pastor who claims he is not disgraced. Charisma News barely pushes back against this statement, comparing Mr. Lentz's indiscretions to Paul's thorn. Thus Charisma News disgraces itself. 

We think Charismatics are a forgiving to a fault when it comes to fallen church leaders. While we agree it is often possible to restore them, some should not be restored, and some need a few more years away from church leadership before restoration should even be considered.

Regarding Mr. Lentz, he has clearly not come to grips with the seriousness of the situation. He thinks he's not disgraced because "disgraced" is not the conventional meaning, it is more like "dis - graced." So, he weasels out of his egregious behavior by redefining words.

This manipulation means he should not be on a church staff in any capacity let alone a pastor. And shame on Charisma News for giving him cover.

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Carl and Laura Lentz’s self-imposed isolation from the public eye is now officially over, as they have launched their new podcast, “Lights On” and are starting it off talking about their journey thus far.

A lot has been thrown at the couple over the last few years—some warranted, some not—but one thing that Carl Lentz addressed in their very first episode is this: he is not a disgraced pastor.

“Every headline, typically would say, ‘disgraced, disgraced pastor,’ or ‘pastor falls from grace, falls from grace, disgraced pastor,'” Lentz recalls. “What’s funny about that is, God bless those people, they don’t understand grace. Because you can’t fall from grace. You fall into grace. 

“It didn’t make any sense to me. And I’m not mad at the tabloids who write … ‘disgraced pastor.’ Disgraced? You don’t understand what grace is. The opposite of grace. Grace is mercy and favor and forgiveness that you do not deserve but God gives it to you anyway. (Even though Mr. Lentz was a pastor and Bible teacher he doesn't know what grace is. Grace is favor, but grace is not mercy or forgiveness. 

The Greek word for grace is charis, preeminently used of the Lord's favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is "always leaning toward them").

Grace is God's desire to be near, to be favorable towards, without regard for merit or unmerit, mercy, or forgiveness.)

So if anything, I fell into grace. And if people could stop writing headlines like that, I would appreciate it because it’s inaccurate—disgraced pastor,” he adds. (Mr. Lentz plays word games. Either he doesn't understand what happened to him, or he wants to recharacterize it. "Disgraced" does not mean removed from God's grace, disgraced is the loss of respect, honor, or esteem; ignominy; shame.)

Lentz continued, showing that this was a subject very important to him, as though he is holding onto the Lord’s grace with both hands and refusing to let go. Because without the forgiveness of the Lord and His great grace, we would be hopelessly condemned to eternal death separate from Him.

“I’m not a disgraced former pastor. I am a human being that made huge mistakes. Mine were public, everybody got to see them,” Lentz says.

“And now, I’m a human being that’s trying to rectify my life and make wrongs right and to live completely differently. But disgraced, I am not. I’m more filled with grace than I’ve ever been. Did I fall from grace? Absolutely not. I fell into it. And I’m really grateful for that.”

There are still those who hold quite strongly Lentz’s past against him, (This link is another Charisma News article from almost exactly a year ago. We have no desire to review two articles at once, but we do need to note this article also provides cover, justifying Mr. Lentz. At that time he was going on staff with Transformation Church. He and this church claimed that he wasn't involved in ministry, he was only a strategist. Mr. Lentz himself said, 

I’m no longer in ministry. I’m not preaching, not overseeing people, my role is to help give perspective and insight where I can. I can also say that what gives me joy and hope is knowing that what I have been through, what I have made it past can help so many others. 

In other words, to him being in the ministry means being a pastor, and because he's not a pastor he's not in ministry. Thus he can counsel people and provide other services to help people and this church. 

However, Mr. Lentz most certainly is in the ministry.)

believing he is completely disqualified from ministry and think he is playing semantics with his newest episode. (This is the strongest criticism Charisma News will give, softening it by attributing the criticism to nameless others. And ironically, the critics are exactly correct.)

And with as public of event that his leaving Hillsong was, there are still man (sic, "many") eyes scrutinizing the podcast as well.

“You could say what I did was disgraceful. Maybe at times, sure. But I’m not disgraced because we’re forgiven,” Lentz argues. (More word games. 

In the Bible we find these verses:

Lk. 13:17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. 

1Co. 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.“

Humiliation, shame, embarrassment. This is what Mr. Lentz experienced. The Greek word is 

kataischuno , From kata and aischunomai; to shame down, i.e. Disgrace or (by implication) put to the blush -- confound, dishonour, (be a-, make a-)shame(-d).

Mr. Lentz is engaged in verbal dodge ball in order to lessen the weight of his humiliation. He's either lying to us or lying to himself, probably both. And Charisma News just plays along.)

I have been able to feel God’s grace more than ever, I understand the thought, but I just wanted to get it out there. That doesn’t fit me. I don’t identify as the disgraced former pastor. No, sir. No, ma’am.”

The Bible, the inerrant Word of God, can summarize a person’s journey of humility and reliance on God and His grace better than any other orator, and does so in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul knew firsthand the power of God’s grace, leaning into it during his own times of weakness, and in doing so, becoming one of the greatest voices for the Lord in all of history.