I do not claim to know all the ins and outs of Crist& #39;s offenses or his pursuit of repentance, but I am compelled to urge consideration of the huge problem we only compound when we equate restoration with restoration *to a platform.* https://twitter.com/ChurchLead/status/1283446052306202627">https://twitter.com/ChurchLea...

The rush to forgive fallen public figures is essentially good-hearted. But we can further harm victims *and* offenders by assuming re-platforming them is necessary to forgiveness.

I do think disqualified pastors can potentially be restored to the pastorate, but we rarely see it go well because we move too quickly, assuming we& #39;re not truly being gracious unless we open both the door to personal reconciliation and to a position of authority. But it& #39;s unwise

And unbiblical. The qualifications for the pastorate are there for a reason. In many cases of restored pastors, "not a new convert" and "good reputation with outsiders" are applicable considerations.

I know Crist is not a pastor -- at least, I don& #39;t think he is -- but this is just the latest example of a kind of "repentance tour" that may only serve to put a vulnerable person right back into the patterns that exacerbate temptations and impulses.

If someone is confessing a kind of "the fame/authority/position went to my head and I harmed people," how does it make sense to put them right back into that position without a (long) season of living faithfully as a restored member of a flock, overseen and fed by good shepherds?

And as hard as it can be for those accustomed to platforms to fathom, what they may learn, albeit in a difficult way, is that Christ is good, Christ is sufficient, Christ is precious, Christ is sweet, and Christ is powerful just as much out of the spotlight as in it. /end