Broken Theologians

Martin Luther was a racist against Jews. Karl Barth had a long-term affair with his writing assistant. A.W. Tozer was emotionally absent from his wife and family. I’ve recently been reading many blog posts about the sins and failures of these theologians, and it saddens me to hear about the reality of their lives, especially since their writings and teachings have been foundational for so many people. It also reminds me that even the greatest theologians were mere men, who struggled and sinned, just like the rest of us. Nothing is new under the sun. Look at our biblical heroes: David was an adulterer and murderer, Solomon had hundreds of pagan wives, Jonah was a coward, Peter was brash. There’s always a temptation to put our heroes on a pedestal and to elevate them based on their accomplishments. When we find out about their secret or not-so-secret sins, they get knocked off that pedestal pretty hard, shattering the saintly image we had of them into broken and scattered pieces on the floor. It reminds me that we are all prone to these temptations, that none of us are safe, and that we need to keep a careful watch on our lives, and have people in our lives who can support us and keep us accountable.

I also remember that all of these theologians are mere men, and that Jesus was the only perfect man who we can fully trust and follow. As Christians, we are called to be disciples of Jesus, not other men. Even Paul addresses these divisions and rebukes the Corinthians believers  in 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17:

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.  For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?  I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.  (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)  For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

With so many divisions within the church today, we sometimes forget to see that the thing that unites us needs to be our devotion to Christ, instead of other men, who are sinful and fallen. We are all in need of God’s saving grace. At the same time, I see God’s grace in the midst of it all – that he still uses broken and sinful people to accomplish his purposes. While reading about these theologians’ failures are quite disappointing, as their sins caused great distress to their families, especially to their wives, I am still grateful for the way God used these broken men to promote truth. Even if they were not living out the ideals that they themselves described, God still used their work to help further His kingdom. I’m grateful that God’s goodness and grace is not dependent on people’s achievements or failures, but that He works in all things, ultimately for His glory.