What on earth is happening to our culture?  Yesterday was just insane.  Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jacson all died, Shaq is traded to the Cavs to play with LeBron, and Vince Carter is going to Orlando.  But the thing that shook me most yesterday was a front page article in The Wall Street Journal about SC governer Mark Sanford and his affair with his Argentinian mistress.

I am a native South Carolinian and follow state politics somewhat.  I knew of his bold proclamations of Christian faith, his possible future as a star in the Republican party, and his adamant refusal to accept money from the federal bailout package (regardless of what the state supreme court had to say about it, or the state legislature).  So hearing about his affair was in a way surprising, and in a way…not so much so.

The article I read went into more detail than what I had heard on the news, particulary his disappearance for many days and subsequent lies about where he was.  The article also recalled the sex scandals of previous years, from a NY governor using prostitutes to the governer of Nevada admitting indiscretions just last week, all the way to John Edwards affair while his wife was battling cancer.  On top of all this, a colleague in ministry and pastor of a large and growing church recently came clean about the same kind of sin just weeks ago, something that has affected many of my friends who knew him well.  All of this leaves me with several questions.

1. What in the world is going on, particularly with men in prominent positions of leadership and influence, and why are so many falling into this type of sin?
2. Who is next?  What public figure that is respected in ministry will be uncovered next as a womanizer and a liar?
3. Am I doing all I should as a friend and brother to pray for, encourage, and challenge my colleagues in ministry to stay pure in all areas?
4. Is it possible to stay pure, to live a life above reproach, and to stay faithful to the finish line?

Of course, by the grace of God, it is possible to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.  I said it was possible, not easy.  And I live daily with the reality that it could happen to me.  I am more than capable of falling into the same temptations, the same traps, and the same sins as these men.  I am not better than them and am probably no stronger than them, and if I begin to pass judgment on them, I better watch out lest I fall, too.  My heart is to see a generation of Christians, men and women of integrity, living for the glory of God, not just for a season, but for a lifetime.

Next time, I will share a few practical things I do in my own personal life to avoid being put into situations where I would be tempted to step out of bounds, particularly with the opposite sex.  In the meantime, let us pray fervently for those who have been wounded deeply by the sins of others, because we know that our own sin effects those around us as much or more than it effect us.  Let’s pray for their families, their churches, and their souls, that they would repent and receive the mercy of God.