The Apostle Paul, or more precisely the Holy Spirit inspiring him, saw this coming. God knows who we are and what we are each capable of.
God instructs us through Paul in Galatians 6:1 which says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
On Thursday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2023, we became aware that our brother in Christ, Willie McLaurin, had lied on his resume — listing academic credentials as his own that he did not in fact possess.
The Baptist Press article telling the story states, “On his resume, McLaurin listed earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary. Those entries proved to be false.”
The Executive Committee Presidential Search Team, having done its due diligence in trying to validate his claims on his resume, discovered that his claims were false. They did good work and should be encouraged for that.
But what about the rest of us? Those of us who love our brother and who care deeply about our cooperative approach to advancing the gospel here at home and around the world — what should we do? Others may have different suggestions, but here are mine:
1. We must pray. Our greatest prayers are probably those that come from a deep place of hurt, burden, grief, concern and helplessness. That is the way I have been praying for Willie, his family, the Executive Committee Search Team, and the way I hope to pray in days ahead for the Executive Committee officers, trustees and staff. They all need our prayers, and we all need to pray.
2. We must extend grace. Each of us has used the phrase, “but by the grace of God there go I.” Those of us who are recipients of grace must also be distributors of grace. Being gracious toward a brother or sister who is caught in a transgression does not take away from the important practice of holding one accountable, local church discipline or the call for personal repentance. Being gracious is more of an attitude and posture toward someone who has made a terrible choice that affects us all.
3. We must thank God. God is more interested in uncovering unconfessed and unforsaken sin than anyone else because His mission is a holy mission, and He calls us to be holy as He is holy. We should always thank God when habitual sin has been uncovered. Everyone is better off, including the erring brother, when sin can be addressed, confessed and turned from. There is no way to be restored without those practices.
4. We must watch ourselves. Paul warned the Corinthians, “let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” This admonition is given to those who think they are above grievous sin. One of my good friends says that each of us is six seconds away from stupid. For me some days it is less than six seconds. We are each capable of making terrible, sinful choices that can do damage to others and ourselves and we must watch ourselves.
5. We must move forward with our mission. God has given us one mission — the Great Commission — and we must move forward with it. We must grieve. We must pray. We must be careful and we must be gracious — but we must also move forward with our work. Dr. Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board of the SBC, so faithfully reminds Southern Baptists that the world’s greatest problem is lostness and that we have the solution to the world’s greatest problem — the gospel.
Dr. Todd Gray 