I was recently directed to an apology, composed and delivered by a pastor to his congregation, and made available to the general public. I have no direct interest in the mess being addressed there, but I am intrigued by this scenario where a leader, not found engaging in scandalous crimes, would be persuaded to stand in front of his followers and apologize for providing a hurtful type of leadership. Not just intrigued, refreshingly intrigued.
Forget about the details, the general picture here is that a leader was told that his way of leading was hurtful, and instead of bristling at the confrontation, he not only accepts the correction but then goes out to his congregation and the general public to apologize and promise change.
In this case, the error related to presenting too narrow a path for faithfulness. It seems he was proclaiming "narrow is the way" and then also leading his followers to believe that they should only walk along a particular line at 1/3 the width of the already narrow way. This over-narrowing is not at all unique, but I would suggest that this apology for the error is quite extraordinary.
We should all applaud anytime someone is willing to say something along these lines, "My particular way of thinking and acting is not the only right way of thinking and acting. There are other ways that are also right. It was wrong of me to suggest otherwise."
Cheers to Joshua Harris, probably best known as author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Click this link to READ THE APOLOGY.
"...this is a disservice to you...also a problem because it can lead to a legalistic environment where some people are more concerned with what other people practice...has also resulted in people feeling judged by others for not having the same practice...we have often done a poor job..."
Forget about the details, the general picture here is that a leader was told that his way of leading was hurtful, and instead of bristling at the confrontation, he not only accepts the correction but then goes out to his congregation and the general public to apologize and promise change.
In this case, the error related to presenting too narrow a path for faithfulness. It seems he was proclaiming "narrow is the way" and then also leading his followers to believe that they should only walk along a particular line at 1/3 the width of the already narrow way. This over-narrowing is not at all unique, but I would suggest that this apology for the error is quite extraordinary.
We should all applaud anytime someone is willing to say something along these lines, "My particular way of thinking and acting is not the only right way of thinking and acting. There are other ways that are also right. It was wrong of me to suggest otherwise."
Cheers to Joshua Harris, probably best known as author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Click this link to READ THE APOLOGY.
"...this is a disservice to you...also a problem because it can lead to a legalistic environment where some people are more concerned with what other people practice...has also resulted in people feeling judged by others for not having the same practice...we have often done a poor job..."
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