BishopAccountability.org
	Is There a Double Standard for Clergy? By Les Wicker Naples Sun Times January 10, 2007 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2605&dept_id=592840&newsid=17688826&PAG=461&rfi=9 The recent intensification of sexual abuse by members of the clergy has brought to the surface that age-old question of a double standard of morality, one for clergy and another for laity. Put another way, should more be expected from a person of the cloth than the general population within faith communities? The double standard issue is not limited to sexual abuse, but may surface in such common stories as a pastor caught with Internet pornography on his office computer, or one found to have been engaged in an adulterous relationship, or one guilty of embezzlement. Certainly, compared with the general population, pastors are in the minority when it comes to impropriety. Their given roles as moral leaders does, however, bring undue exposure when misconduct becomes known. The question of double standards is nothing new, even though recent settlements of clergy abuse cases have brought the issue once again into the limelight. The fact that young Timothy was admonished to "be an example to believers in speech and conduct," would lead one to conclude that even in the infancy of the church the question of exemplary behavior by those set aside for pastoral leadership was at issue (I Timothy 4:12). The Reformation itself was not so much about theology, but morals among clergy or lack thereof. Some priests were living in open relationships with women and some church historians believe the pope himself may have fathered children. Sexual abuse has cost the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. more than $1.5 billion since 1950, with some of the biggest payouts coming from the Diocese of Orange, California, in 2004, and the Archdiocese of Boston in 2003. (Associated Press, Dec 1, 2006). Sexual misconduct is not exclusively a Catholic problem. Renowned televangelists and mega-church pastors have lost religious "empires" when the dual standards they were living were discovered. One study found that 12 percent of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted sexual relations with a parishioner (R. A. Blackmon, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1984). Pastors are in a unique role in terms of trust, charisma, patriarchal privilege, and power. They are often viewed as "God's representative", whose authority and actions are above reproach. Concomitant with the position is a sense of trustworthiness and moral admiration that may be embellished by personal charisma and charm. But violating boundaries of morality, in whatever form, by pastors is not good and must be addressed by those in authority. Failure to do so only further erodes the moral authority of the church itself. If the church does not monitor itself, who will? People do have a right to look to their pastor for moral leadership. Pastors are in glass houses and people do take note of their actions as well they should. Part of the vow of ordination is to live an exemplary life. If one is going to "talk the talk," s/he must also "walk the walk". At the same time, there can be no rejoicing when a pastor falls. The failure of one is the failure of all, just as the pain of one is the pain of all. In a larger sense, such failure not only brings horrific hurt to a parish, but to the greater church itself. Indeed, the Body of Christ is hurt. Having said that, there must also be no double standard for healing and restoration when a pastor does fall. Pastors are human, and pastors, like anyone else, make mistakes. The same grace offered any child of God who has fallen, must also be extended to pastors. The message of grace is not one of condemnation, but one of redemption. There is life beyond a fall. Jesus said it perfectly, "Go and sin no more." Rev. Les Wicker is Senior Pastor at First Congregational Church of Naples, Temporarily meeting at Pelican Marsh School 10:00 a.m. Call 293-5210, or e-mail leswicker@aol.com.
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