A Pastor Caught Between Two Lives

The call opens with a confession that carries the weight of years. An assistant pastor, poised to become senior pastor of his church, has been secretly living with his girlfriend for several years while preaching a different standard to his congregation. He knows what he's doing is out of step with what he teaches. He knows the church leadership has unanimously chosen him as the successor. He knows the truth is going to come out eventually. His question is not whether to confess, but how to become a man of integrity again after so long living without it.

The Problem With "Calling"

Dr. John Delony immediately pushes past the surface question. He tells the caller directly: "I don't think you want this job." The caller admits he doesn't really want it. This leads to a deeper critique of how Christians often use the language of "calling." Delony argues that what people often call a calling is actually something they wanted when they were younger, something they liked the idea of, but they dress it up as divine compulsion to avoid admitting they've changed. "I think what we do is we have an idea, something we like, something we want to do. And we're either nervous to say that that's what we want or we're uncomfortable. We feel like we need extra justification for being excited about something." The caller had a picture of how his life would