Christian History Institute (CHI) provides church history resources and self-study material and publishes the quarterly Christian History Magazine. Our aim is to make Christian history enjoyable and applicable to the widest possible audience.
Guest Contributor
When a history of secret sin is suddenly revealed in the life of a Christian leader, the results are catastrophic. Families and victims are devastated, ministries are destroyed, and the reputation of the Lord Jesus is maligned. Unfortunately, what we see in a public failure is often repeated dozens of times in situations much closer to home. As we try to make sense of a ministry collapse, weâre prone to ask how it is possible that accountability was avoided for so long. Why does accountability seem, so often, to fail?
For one, we simply neglect to ask others about the condition of their spiritual lives. We assume that close friends or spiritual leaders are walking faithfully with Christ â so we donât ask. Paradoxically, the more âsuccessfulâ or seemingly mature a Christian is, the less often he may be engaged in true spiritual conversation.