WorldNetDaily columnist Michael Brown doesn’t like to talk about scandals involving the evangelical ministers he has been in league with; last year, for instance, he discussed the scandal surrounding evangelical preacher Mike Bickle without mentioning exactly what Bickle did (sexual misconduct involving several women), then spun away from it that people’s faith shouldn’t be affected by it. When pastor Robert Morris faced accusations from a woman who says he first molested her when he was 12 years old, Brown snapped into defense mode again — but was even more oblique about it. Brown’s June 21 WND column didn’t mention Brown at all — who just happens to have endorsed one of Brown’s books — but instead was all about declaring that “God is purifying His church”:
Without question, God is purifying His church, bringing the dross to the surface in the heat of His refiner’s fire. It is ugly. It is painful. It is grievous.
Many hearts are broken and many lives devastated.
God’s children are wondering, “Who can we trust? Where do we turn? Is anything we believed real?”
The truth is that we are witnessing the hand of God at work. We are witnessing the love of God in action.
This is a move of the Spirit. This is what happens when the Lord draws near. It is intensely difficult, but it is awe inspiring as well.
[…]There are “Christian critics” who delight in finding fault, who are quick to repeat negative stories without factual verification, quick to stir up dissension, quick to look down at others who are not in their camp.
Careful, my friend! Your day will come as well. God hates a proud heart as much as He hates adultery. He detests bearing false witness as much as He hates stealing. You will be judged in the same way that you judge.
That’s why Proverbs urges us not to gloat when our enemy falls. That same judgment could quickly turn on us (Proverbs 24:17-18).
[…]In these difficult days, there are non-believers who are mocking the church, as if every preacher was corrupt and every pastor immoral. They fail to recognize that this season of purging actually gives evidence to the reality of God. And they fail to understand that judgment begins with God’s household, “and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, ‘If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'” (1 Peter 4:17–18)
So, this same Peter who taught that, if we grew in grace and pursued holiness, we would receive a “rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11) also said that “the righteous are barely saved” (1 Peter 4:18, NET).
Yes, the righteous, those who love the Lord, those who lead godly lives, those who seek to honor and obey Him, even they are “barely saved.” What, then, will happen to “the ungodly and the sinner.”
Let us, then, get low, asking God to cleanse us and purge us and make us like His Son, granting us true and deep repentance where we have fallen short.
His mercy is overwhelming and His redemptive power amazing. But He does not wink at sin. And He loathes a self-righteous spirit.
God is seeking to accomplish a very deep work in His entire body. And if we fixate on sexual sin alone, as critically important as that is, we will completely miss the comprehensive level of purity to which He is calling each of us. It is time to step so much higher in all the deep crevices of our lives. Let us not miss this opportunity when the Spirit is so graciously moving!
As the Morris scandal continued to unfold, with one of his attorneys outrageously blaming the girl for having “initiated” the abuse, Brown repeated this tone in his July 8 column:
In the American church today, we hear so much about God’s love for us that we sometimes think that the Gospel centers on “me” and “my needs” and “my goals” and “my dreams” and “my destiny.” Rather, the Gospel centers on the Lord – on His desires and goals and plans. And while He cares deeply for us, sending His Son to die for our sins, He is working to see His name glorified, not ours. Put another way, it’s not about us, it’s about Him. We are replaceable, He is not. And what matters most is not our reputation but His.
That’s why the first words of the Lord’s prayer are, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,” meaning, “May Your name be revered as holy by the people of this world.” Nothing is more important than that.
[…]Right now, in America, the name of Jesus is being tarnished by one devastating church scandal after another. Yet rather than covering over our sins to protect His reputation, He is allowing our unrepentant sins to be exposed and judged. And while it may seem for the moment that His name is taking a hit, He is actually at work in all this to bring glory to Himself – by cleaning house.
Of this I am 100% sure: He will act for His name’s sake. He will get Himself glory. He will set the record straight.
He is God, and the entire universe, along with every created thing in it, revolves around Him, not us. Let us never forget that.
So, be glorified Lord, in us – whatever that means, whatever the cost. Your glory is what matters most.
Again, Brown censored any mention of Morris and the fact that Morris endorsed one of his books.