The last week has admittedly not been a good one for the Christian blogger and Christian Post writer Matt Moore, who, prior to this month, was on record as describing himself as someone who has overcome same-sex attraction and had been advocating the need for ‘gay’ youth to do the same thing.  Sadly last week, he was caught cruising on a gay dating website and has confessed publicly that he had done so.  He later gave an interview with the Christian Post about what had happened, why it happened, and what he is now doing in response to it.

Personally, I am very sad for him.  The pressures and seeming loneliness and frustrations in his journey prior to going on Grindr are very familiar.  Like many who deal with this issue in our lives, we realise how lonely our journey is: the world is against it, many in the church don’t understand it, some in the church think we don’t belong (due to homophobia) and other think the journey’s a waste of time because they’ve swallowed the wold’s message that people are born that way.  When making public representations, we are lionised in many ways because our message is so rare and hope-producing, and because of that the consequences of a moral lapse are so much greater and more magnified than if other pastors had done the same, or if a so-called ‘lesser sin’ (like stealing church moneys) were committed.  Moore’s fall last week is a very sad and timely reminder that falls are always a risk if a person is not guarding their heart (Prov. 4:23) and dealing with their feelings in a healthy, godly, way.  It’s so important to have open accountability and be surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 11) so a fall like that does not happen.

I am not here to say that I am condemning Matt or that God is not working in his heart.  In fact, I believe the contrary because in his interview Matt was frank about where he was at and I sensed sincere sadness and regret at what he had done.  No do I believe that his lapse in this sense represents a greater faithlessness in Him (see how gracious God was to the sexually immoral Samson, Solomon, David, and others) or that the Bible’s prohibitions against homosexuality are annulled because of what he did.  God does not give up on those He loves even when they fall greatly.  Perhaps (and I hope this is not the case) others might give up on Matt for his failure, but God never will (Heb. 13:5).  And though Matt has failed, he is not a failure; nor is Scripture, or God.  Perhaps there are people responsible for not getting behind Matt enough in ways that he really needed and perhaps Matt did not know where he was blind-sided.  It’s not easy, and there is usually more than one person responsible for it.

My prayer is that Matt quickly get back on track.  Scripture says that those who bring back sinners from the error of their ways do a great work (James 5:19-20) and Galatians 6:1 affirms, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted“.  Matt needs the grace of God and the surrounding of a cloud of safe and faithful witnesses on the one had to keep him on track and give him firm guidance where necessary, but love, prayers, and loving (understanding) community more than anything else.  If he’s not doing so now, I would strongly suggest a counsellor.

My prayer is that he be restored, reaffirmed in grace, and to have a stronger faith than he’s ever had before, with an even greater revelation of the Father Heart of God.  I pray that he have fatherly church men in his life to model godliness to him and all the help he needs in this dark and discouraging world.  Relishing in Matt’s downfall, to me, is sadistic and twisted.  I have no joy in it, but I long to see my brother in Christ restored and set back again on a firm foundation, to give a testimony that is warts and all and truthful to the One who has saved him.