In a book I read and reviewed today for one of the publishers who send me reading material [1], there was reference made to the “Modesto Manifesto” of Billy Graham and his associates who wished to avoid the common fate of evangelists tripped up by massive moral failings. Among the many temptations they dealt with were ones that are common to many who are engaged in the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in this world. This is what Peter Greer and Chris Horst had to say about the three types of temptation on pages 95 and 96 of their book Mission Drift:

“1. Shady handling of money. The temptation here was to “wring out as much money as possible out of an audience, often with strong emotional appeals.” Graham and his team understood the seductiveness of greed and the possibility of taking advantage of the audiences who came to hear their presentation. As a result, they intentionally downplayed the offering and created a fundraising plan dependent on funds raised by local committees to avoid the allegation of financial impropriety.
2. Sexual immorality. The team identified that one of the most difficult strains on traveling evangelists was the time spent away from their families, which opened up doors to inappropriate behavior. In Graham’s words, “We pledged among ourselves to avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion.” Citing as a core verse 2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee…youthful lusts” (KJV), they committed to not being alone with women other than their wives. When they had a meeting with someone of the opposite sex, they did it in “an uncompromising way.” Essentially, this meant meeting in public.
3. Exaggerated accomplishments. A “minor” moral lapse of not telling the truth was (and is) a temptation for people on stage. But this small compromise becomes the gateway to larger moral issues. Graham knew there were no “small sins” and decided to put procedures in place to promote truth telling. For example, instead of exaggerating the size of an audience, Graham and his team accepted crowd size estimates from the police and other officials, even if they believed there were more people in attendance. Also, rather than calling people who came forward at events “converts,” they chose to identify people as “inquirers.”

These principles became portions of the “Modesto Manifesto.””

Today I would like to at least briefly comment on how these three particular temptations can (and have) caused a great deal of problems for leaders and how they reflect some of my own concerns as a person engaged in public discourse. I have seen (and sometimes even known) leaders whose ability to preach and lead was affected or even ruined by these problems. Leaders have made false prophecies about the end of the world, hurting their credibility, and have made inflated claims of their membership and influence as well as the value of their writings and thoughts. It is best to be honest, and more than a little modest, about our accomplishments, giving such glory as we can find to God rather than seeking such matters for ourselves. If we are too modest about ourselves, we can be sure that there will be others who will have no problem in speaking up where we are somewhat shy and diffident, allowing us to build a well-earned reputation for being honest and truthful. If we can be honest about our struggles and our experiences, and about those aspects of our lives that may be somewhat lacking in glory, then we should have the credibility to be honest about God’s promises and blessings for those who believe and follow Him.

It should go without saying that sexual temptation is a major problem for people. Avoiding the reality of evil can be hard enough when people are far from home or are in compromising situations and not aware of the dangers they are facing. Avoiding the appearance of evil is even more difficult, since even the commitment to only engage in conversations in public does not necessarily stop all rumors from developing. Even a commitment to openness and honesty is not sufficient when one is dealing with situations that have the appearance of inappropriate behavior. That said, given the fact that warnings against exploiting positions of authority for the gratification of lusts is a consistent biblical matter, we must pay serious attention to such matters. It is only by pursuing a commitment to public honor and the avoidance of secrecy in our dealings with others that we can hope to avoid the taint of scandal in our dealings. Even that might not be enough, but we have to make every effort not to allow any substance to suspicions of dishonorable conduct in our dealings.

It is also a truism that people often use ministry as an opportunity to seek a living for themselves to make merchandise of the Gospel of God as well as the people of God. The manipulation of emotional appeals in order to seek offerings and tithes and other support is a lamentably common matter. The vulnerability that leads ministers to resent any threat to authority because there is nothing else that they could do to support the standard of living to which they have become accustomed, and the desire that self-appointed people could easily have to share in that sort of lifestyle. It is easiest to avoid any kind of temptation to make merchandise of God’s word and to make sure that it is clear that one is not personally ambitious for titles and power and money, but is rather most concerned about serving God and others with the talents and gifts that one has been given. The only solution to gossip and suspicion is building a reputation of decent and honest and honorable living. Let us hope that whatever manifestos we need to show our commitment to such matters, and whatever actions we take to proactively build and defend our reputation, we live upstanding and honorable lives and serve for the glory of God and for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/book-review-mission-drift/