Placing Pastors on a Pedestal of Sand

Pastor Josh Harris is not a Christian.[1]

Those are his words, not mine. I do not know Mr. Harris and I have not read any of his literature nor have I attended a single service pastored by him – just to set the record straight.

Michael Farris, president, CEO, and general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom does know Josh Harris, and his rebuke of the former pastor in a Christian Post article[2] is pretty strong. From Farris’ perspective, Harris renounced Christianity long before his public statement, most likely because God didn’t fit in Harris’ box. Again, to set the record straight, I don’t know Michael Farris either.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt 7:1-2, NIV)

One word of caution to my readers – before you go off and denounce Joshua Harris as an apostate, make sure you are on solid ground yourself.

Here’s what I see looking in from the outside.

Joshua Harris is hurting. Joshua Harris has questions. Joshua Harris is doubting everything he ever learned about Jesus, about faith, and about being a Christian in general. His entire world is crumbling around him and he doesn’t know where to turn. Now is not the time to accuse him of being a false prophet – if that were true it should have been done when he was writing influential books and speaking ill from the pulpit. Now is not the time to tell him he does not know Jesus – if that were true it should have been done when he was leading others to the Jesus he knew.

No, now is the time to listen to what Joshua Harris is actually saying. Now is the time to listen with God’s ears, to seek God’s wisdom, and to love with God’s unconditional love. Nobody that matters cares about how disappointed you might be in Harris’ decision. Joshua Harris is having a crisis of faith. As a pastor, Harris stood on the hilltop, shined his light bright for all to see, and said, “Here I am, Satan, take your best shot.”

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.” (1 Tim 3:1-10, NIV)

Christian, let me put it to you another way. Sitting in the pew, working behind the scenes, that’s safe. Standing behind the pulpit, writing a book, putting his faith on display for everyone to see, that’s faith. A wise man once told me, if I’m under attack by Satan, then I must be doing something right. As with most wise men, he was right – in that specific instance. And anyone who has effectively led Christians should be able to relate. So, let’s wrap this up with some perspective.

Anyone who seeks to lead Christians needs to come from a solid foundation. (1 Tim 3:6) That foundation must have been tested and proven, (v. 10) else when Satan finally gets around to shaking foundations, our leaders discover they are standing on sand. That is partly our responsibility, Christian. We must both support our pastors and challenge them to stay true. We must observe them with skepticism while relying on their relationship with Christ to teach us. We must be prepared to pick them up when they fall, and help them rebuild that pedestal with stone. It’s easy to judge the Joshua Harrises of the world for denouncing Christianity. It’s easy to say, “I disagree, but I still love you.” But that’s not what Joshua Harris needs right now. Not only is that the easy way out, but the horse is already out of the barn, to mix metaphors. It’s easy to throw stones when Joshua Harris is down.

If we really want to help the Joshua Harrises of this world, we need to pick up a stone and start rebuilding the pedestal with them. Only this time, instead of using the sand of misplaced praise and a lack of wisdom on our own part, let’s use the tried and true mortar of God’s word. Instead of watching him climb the steps and praying the mortar holds, hold his hand and ascend the stairs with him. Then, when God is done bringing him through this challenge, he can get back up on a solid pulpit that’s been built on a firm foundation. Oh the wonders he will do for the Kingdom with the right foundation!

And, if by chance, I’m wrong and Joshua Harris was never meant to be a leader in God’s Kingdom, then at least we’ve managed to love him and help him rebuild his relationship with the Jesus he claims to have forsaken. That’s worth the effort, right?

(Photo: Christian Post credited to TEDx Talks)

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/us/joshua-harris-divorce-apology-scli-intl/index.html

[2] https://www.christianpost.com/voice/a-letter-to-josh-harris.html