By Elizabeth Prata

I’ve been watching the discussion around the new book for sale apparently written by fallen Reformed Teacher Steven J. Lawson. I said ‘apparently’ because due to its seeming AI content, many wondered if it was written by Lawson or if it was a totally generated piece put out by a counterfeit. Phil Johnson and Justin Peters did confirm it’s by Lawson. It apparently contains a lot of AI however.

Why is there a discussion on whether to read his book? Well, in September 2024, Lawson, formerly professor of preaching and dean of D.Min. studies at The Master’s Seminary (TMS), highly sought after conference speaker, and guest preacher at many well-known churches, was discovered to have been engaging in a 5-year-long sexual affair with a younger woman. Lawson is married. Worse, when the affair was discovered, Lawson delayed speaking about it and apparently was forced to come clean. Most people understood he would not have done so if the other party and her family had not outed the affair first.

Lawson separated from his wife and to this day are living in separate states. It took 6 months for Lawson to publish an apology or repentance open letter on Twitter, now X.

Strangely, a mere year after his fall, in September 2025, a post appeared promoting Lawson as speaker at Brown Baptist Church’s ‘Contending Conference’. Then it disappeared. Justin Peters has the screen shots, reproduced below.

The same thing happened less than a year after that, in July 2026, Lawson was promoted again as a speaker by Brown Baptist for their Contending Conference. The posting included details on which day Lawson was scheduled to speak, a bio, and the title and synopsis of his upcoming session. There was an outcry. The post disappeared. Lawson’s entry was deleted from the conference promotion. Lawson did not appear at the conference.

Now in September 2026, a posting appeared announcing a new book. It is called “Mercy in the Wilderness: Why I fell and What I Learned” by Steve Lawson. It is self-published. Initially the publisher was listed as ‘But God Press’. However, the publisher link went to a Japanese page. Soon the publisher on the Amazon listing was changed to “Steven Lawson”.

Is it any of our business?

This event has caused no little discussion. Many of the questions and points being raised are good ones. I have been thinking about them and sorting through my conclusions about how to react to a re-emergence of a fallen pastor.

Of late and disappointingly, several pastors have fallen who I previously enjoyed. Art Azurdia, RW Glenn, Ligonier’s Samuel Renihan, and Steve Lawson are ones in my section of the faith who have shown themselves to be adulterers. It’s crushing.

Seeing this happen over and over raises many emotions that bystanders impacted by their fall need to sort through. I posted one lady’s feeling on that below. Hopefully the sorting through is done graciously and according to standards set by the Bible.

And rather than naysayers chirping “It’s none of your business,” I recall a years ago investing hard earned money in Todd Friel’s Drive By Discernment series. There were 72 lectures and most of them with Friel paired with RW Glenn. After Glenn’s fall, the series was revamped with solely Friel and Steve Lawson. Oops. And again it was revamped.

Mainly, such events concern us because the name of Christ is reproached. Psalm 23:3 says

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.

Righteousness and His NAME’s sake go hand in hand. In Ezekiel 36:22, God rebukes the house of Israel because they have profaned His name-

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.

Even if you don’t care about the Lawson issue, his affair, or his book, do care about the name of Christ and how you conduct yourself from day to day so you will not be rebuked for profaning it.

Why do leaders fall?

This is the first question such a situation raises. We invest in our local pastors, teachers, and leaders near and far with our reputation, money, time, and goodwill. When they sin, it’s as if they betrayed us as well. But as David said, “Against You and You alone I have sinned”. All sin is ultimately against our Holy God.

But the damage left behind is enormous. For example, not only was I personally affected by the RW Glenn situation as I remarked above, but I attended and promoted the G3 Conference. I went to two of them and publicly promoted the whole scenario with that organization. It turned out to be a rat’s nest of secret sin.

Scandal: The Fall of G3 Ministries

Even more personally, years ago I was in a church where I discovered the pastor was plagiarizing every sermon he spoke, word for word. He even adopted and preached the family anecdotes and illustrations as if he had lived them. Worse, he was taking sermons from Charles Stanley, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen! I was so heartbroken and physically ill it took me 5 days to recover. I gathered the evidence, brought it to one trusted leader (that’s another damage, who can I trust with this? Will the elders do right by the evidence? They didn’t at first with Glenn). Eventually after proper biblical standards were met, the plagiarizing pastor was ‘encouraged to resign’.

So whether it’s our own local pastor or a leader in whom we’ve invested in some way, we care about their fall, their soul, and their life after- for the sake of Jesus NAME. We’re all one Body. (Not to say we get involved with another church’s business in discipline, but only that we care and we must sort through our own feelings and stances in the aftermath).

“Trust, but verify” to quote President Reagan. In the Christian world, this is where discernment comes in. Trust in grace, but verify by the Word.

The “WHY?!” of it is a hard one to answer. It’s also easy. Why do pastors fall? We are human and we sin. Humans are sinners, and I am a sinner too. Why some pastors fall and others don’t is the everlasting question I leave to Jesus.

What happens after the fall?

We all sin and we all need to repent and receive grace. We are fortunate to believe in the One True God who is love, who dispenses grace to those who humbly come to Him. If a layperson sins, repent. You and I will be forgiven. For leaders though, there are more dire consequences.

Do not become teachers in large numbers, my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a stricter judgment. (James 3:1).

While we all must behave well, remembering we were bought with a price, (1 Corinthians 6:20), pastors and teachers have a heavy burden on them particularly. They speak and teach in Jesus’ name. They are front line. Nothing must be done doctrinally or behaviorally to besmirch His name or ruin His reputation among the flock.

But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11).

Since God is God and is the most supremely intelligent Being in the universe, and since He is our creator, He knows us. He knows we will sin and He knows leaders will fall. His word contains many directions for what do to after.

1.First, Matthew 18 gives advice on how to handle a sinning congregant. If the person does not repent, there is a process that ultimately leads to excommunication. If they do repent, we forgive him. However, there is an additional layer of protection and procedure to follow when an accusation is made against a pastor/elder. Erik Raymond at For the Church explains in this essay on the basis of Matthew 18:15-18 and 1 Timothy 5:21-

Is There a Different Process of Church Discipline for Elders?

Keep in mind that there may indeed be 5 Situations in Which Matthew 18 Does not Apply

2.Second, the issue of restoration. It’s this issue that’s sparked the most discussion in recent years. Some say that we forgive the person and eventually after a period of reflection and humble living, they can resume their pastoral or teaching position. That they can be restored to their office. David who committed adultery is often cited in support of this stance.

Differences with David:

-David’s kingship was civil position, not a religious one.
-David instantly confessed. He confessed without qualification or prevarication. There was no delay.
-David wrote Psalm 51. Notably, he did not package it as a stand-alone essay and sell it.
-He endured dire consequences afterward but did not blame God, nor did he shift the topic to himself and exclude God. He kept the focus on God’s righteousness and his own sin.

Others say they can never be restored to office but can be restored to God’s good graces. Forgiveness is the restoration. The support for this viewpoint is 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6-7.

I’d like to add Proverbs 6:32-33 NASB to the mix, which says-

One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself commits it.
He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.

This means when a pastor/elder commits adultery, he can be forgiven, but he is permanently under reproach because his shame for this sexual sin remains forever. It is never removed. Pastors who have fallen due to this sin can never be a pastor, elder, deacon, or teacher again. They are not above reproach anymore, as 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6–7 says they must be.

Personally my stance is that the fallen pastor or teacher can never be restored to that office or position. He squandered it. The shame of his reproach remains. YES, definitely forgive him if he is repentant. YES definitely ‘forget’ his sin and treat him as the beloved brother he is. But no, he cannot re-attain that official position of leader.

People say. ‘But, but, DAVID! He was forgiven and remained king!’ King was a civil position, not a religious one. Also, be aware that David was disqualified from building the temple, something he dearly wished to do. He also lost his children, and endured many other dire consequences due to his sin.

Moses disobeyed God and also was disqualified from entering the Promised Land. Eli and his sons were actually killed for their sins and squandered their opportunity to honor Jesus while occupying their priestly positions.

Trust lost by a leader or pastor is trust gone for good. Disobedience has consequences. Personal relationships can recover, beautifully and according to the grace of the Gospel but not the office.

I am often puzzled by people who reject this reality. Never mind the Bible verses that state so, but there is illogic of re-installing someone who has disqualified themself from the job. In the secular world, would a company hire an embezzler to be their treasurer? A pedophile to run a daycare? A gigolo to manage a singles ladies night? A drug addicted doctor? There are ethical standards for secular jobs and consequences for falling under those standards. A spokesman for God has an even higher calling and a more weighty position. Thus the consequences are deeper and more lasting.

I agree with MacArthur’s advice in his essay Should Fallen Pastors Be Restored? Restored to the pew- yes. Restored to the office- no.

Should I buy/read Lawson’s book?

Some say that Lawson’s book should be read, because even if he has selfish or greedy motives, if Christ is proclaimed it’s worthwhile. They cite Philippians 1:15-18, where Paul rejoiced that even though a group may have had selfish motives, Christ was proclaimed. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says of the Philippians verse,

“‘The proclamation of Christ,’ however done, roused attention, and so was sure to be of service. Paul could thus rejoice at the good result of their bad intentions (Ps 76:10; Isa 10:5, 7).

Yet others cite Acts 16:16-18, where a demon possessed slave girl was following Paul & Co. saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation” and Paul was mightily grieved by her proclamation, even when he hadn’t been grieved by the selfish crowd with ill-intent in the Philippians verse. Barnes’ Notes explains why-

(2) Because it might be said that he was in alliance with her, and that his pretensions were just like hers;
(3) Because what she did was for the sake of gain, and was a base imposition;
(4) Because her state was one of bondage and delusion, and it was proper to free her from this demoniacal possession.

So in that vein, if Lawson is not saved and is in bondage, buying his book is an affirmation on which he would rest, which won’t lead him away from the dark and into the Light. And while we’re on the topic, let’s talk about filthy lucre and the sake of gain by peddling the name of Jesus.

Others who say they will not read Lawson’s book mention Simon Magus, who tried to BUY the Holy Spirit, as Barnes had said, “a base proposition”. In today’s language, GROSS. This sentiment on X hit the target for many who read it-

Nonna on X wrote, @Nonna6Hearts

I’m a legit nobody over here, but I feel a sharp sting of betrayal by Steve Lawson for 1. Selling me many books and studies for years during his affair. 2. Wanting me now pay to read of his repentance. I wish he would have shown his face, his heart and done an interview for free.

Lawson has already gained lots of money from his hypocritical books and teaching positions, speaking honoraria while having his affair. Justin Peters shows a clip in his Youtube conversation where Lawson is explaining to a young seminarian how not to become an adulterer, WHILE Lawson was engaged in his 5-year adulterous affair! Hypocrisy to the highest order.

Challies has some good words here on the very topic of whether to read a book by a fallen leader-

“First, I don’t think all of us will respond to this question in the same way, and I don’t think we need to. It is not a matter of clear right and wrong as much as a matter of wisdom and conscience.”

Should You Read Books by Fallen Pastors?

---

Is Steve Lawson saved?

Much of how we deal with sinners in the faith depends on if they are saved or not saved. Some say we shouldn’t even broach the topic at all, ever. ‘We don’t know their heart’ they say. That is true, usually. In some cases the Bible tells us that their behavior reveals their heart. 2 Peter 2:2-3 says this regarding false teachers,

Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

“Heart motives are reflected in actions.” DB Harrison

Or they say ‘Leave the judgment to Jesus, don’t judge’. However there are many verses which instruct us to do exactly that- judge. Meaning- discern, assess, evaluate. How will we know the false teachers by their fruit if we do not examine their fruit? How will we know who to mark and avoid if we never assess who to mark?

A significant indicator is Lawson’s behavior of being able to resist the Holy Spirit’s conviction in him, if he indeed has the Spirit. And resisting the Spirit’s pointing to righteousness and to Jesus. Remaining un-reconciled to his wife and living in different states is another indicator the situation is not moving toward a resolution in a godly way.

That’s why we wait a while before deciding whether the fallen leader ‘s walk is worthy or false. Fruit takes time to grow, both before AND after a fall. After the fall the fig tree is withered. Will figs grow back? Or will the tree remain fruitless?

Challies has some ideas as to why some fallen leaders push for restoration to their platformed position. The religion career is all they know.

Why Fallen Pastors So Rarely Walk Away

“Have you ever wondered why pastors who have been disqualified from ministry so rarely concede to the reality of their disqualification and just move on? Have you ever wondered why they so often disappear for a year or so and then turn up at another church or in a different denomination? I have wondered often and have formed a theory about the matter.”

---

Justin Peters hosted a good conversation on Youtube with Steve LeBlanc and Jim Osman. All three men pastor their own churches. I recommend it. Didaché – Steve Lawson’s New Book: Should It Have Been Written?

---

In addition, Peters reviewed Lawson’s book (he read all the sample pages but did not buy or read the entire book):

Justin Peters’ review of Lawson’s book on Amazon excerpt.
1 out of 5 stars

Justin Peters: “This book should have never been written – don’t buy it. …Peters said, “If you have a true godly sorrow over sin (2 Cor. 7:9-11), the last thing you would ever want to do is make money off it.”

Peters explains his reasoning in the review linked above.

---

My Conclusion (yours may differ)

My decision is I am not going to read anything by Steve Lawson. In fact, the one book of his that I owned I threw out. It’s my own conscience, my own need to read wholesome material unpolluted by obvious sin’s taint. For the sake of my discernment and my walk with Jesus I strive to absorb sermons, speeches, books, essays, and podcasts that are MORE wholesome rather than LESS wholesome.

If you stayed with me this whole, long essay, thank you. What are your thoughts?

By Elizabeth Prata

I love a nice rain, don’t you? We haven’t had rain here for a long time. We are in a drought of varying levels up and down the state. Ours is ‘Extreme drought”. I miss a nice, gentle rainy day, with rumbles of thunder far off and some lightning.

The air smells (people tell me) so fresh and vibrant after a rainy thunderstorm. I never thought about why. Then this week Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis wrote the following. There is a scientific reason. The air actually DOES smell different after a storm!

---

By Ken Ham @aigkenham

Trees glow during thunderstorms. A recent study of tree leaves has revealed what scientists have long suspected but have never been able to observe: The tips of tree leaves shimmer as a thunderstorm passes overhead. This “glow” is called the corona and is caused by a weak electrical discharge. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but technology has allowed researchers to observe and document the phenomena. And this glow is actually really important. As the corona is discharged, it releases hydroxyl radicals, which clean the air, removing pollutants. It’s such a powerful cleaning force that it’s known as “nature’s detergent.”

This whole process is just another example of how our Creator God has lovingly provided for the needs of His creation. God’s creation is truly amazing, and every discovery of the things He’s made brings glory to Him. “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, as well as its fullness; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before Yahweh, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psalm 96:11–13).

---

From the magazine Science Daily: Scientists just captured trees glowing with electricity during storms

Scientists chasing thunderstorms in a retrofitted minivan finally captured something never seen before in nature: faint electrical glows shimmering from treetops during a storm. These “corona discharges,” long suspected but never observed outside a lab, appeared as tiny UV flashes at the tips of leaves. The discovery could reshape how we understand forests, since these bursts may help clean the air by breaking down pollutants.

---

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “seas”; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (Genesis 1:9-13)

God did all that in one day! He is an amazing, powerful creative, holy God! He made this for US, so we could live on a beautiful planet. So many places are still so stunningly beautiful even with the Fall of man polluting and corrupting it. Imagine what heaven will be like! God’s dwelling place with no sin to stain it. Imagine what He has in store for us in eternity to do for Him! It will not be boring, that is for sure. It will be beautiful, good, and true.

By Elizabeth Prata

Dr. Dan Schricker, who earned a Ph.D in music composing, is a highly intelligent and educated man. He was also a cult victim and one who has made a lifetime study of cults. He is often an invited speaker on the topic such as when he spoke as a presenter at the 2023 International Cultic Studies Association Conference.

Lori Alexander is a blogger who puts out teachings on her version of the Bible’s female submission issues. Lori’s output is vast and constant, but only on one topic: behavior of women and wives based on only 3 verses of the Bible, Titus 2:3-5. Her teachings are not consistent with the Bible and is in fact warped and legalistic. Lori is a false teacher.

Two years Dr Schricker studied Lori Alexander’s output. Based on widely recognized criteria regarding cults that social scientists use to recognize and warn about high-control groups, AKA cults, Dr. Schricker concluded that Lori meets the criteria of being a cult leader a cult of women who have sadly fallen into Lori’s high-control mind thought.

In Dr. Schricker’s article from two years ago, after laying out quotes and examples from Lori herself, with linkable footnotes, he concluded,

Make no mistake, the thin veil of Scripture and religious terminology that cloaks Lori’s teaching seeks to hide the fact that her message is fundamentally anti-gospel, anti-Christian, and anti-women. The legalism, the misuse of Scripture, and the spiritually bankrupt view of marriage and women are all disqualifying factors in terms of her teaching ability. My recommendation is to reject her message on all fronts and, when necessary, call it out if you have the platform to do so. I am grateful for the people who have already done that.

After Dr Schricker’s careful presentation, rife with explicit examples and compared to scripture how did Lori react? She wrote a few months ago,

“A man wrote a LONG, boring post trying to convince people that I am a cult leader”.

Then Lori went on to reject the evidence in exactly ALL the ways cult leaders always do.

Now comes another post exploring these themes. Elise Heerde is an educated and trained Religious Trauma Coach & Cult Recovery Expert. Her article about Lori Alexander is here. She also refers to Dr Schricker’s article. Ms Heerde wrote,

This piece responds to Lori Alexander’s post “Am I a Cult Leader?” published at thetransformedwife.com on June 26, 2026. All quotes are taken directly from that post. The analysis applies publicly documented research frameworks to publicly available content and teaching.

Ms Heerde’s verdict, according to the data, is that yes, Lori Alexander is a classic cult leader leading a cult of women who are emotionally manipulated, highly controlled, and drenched in false teachings.

She makes an excellent point that when we think of cults, we think of a charismatic leader who sequesters himself and his followers away from public society, normally in a compound, in order to perform weird behavioral and sexual things, which usually ends violently. (I.E Branch Davidians, The Peoples Temple-Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, The Manson Family…). Yet that is not the only version of cults. Looking at Robert Lifton’s 8 criteria for cults, Heerde wrote,

“None of those criteria require a compound, a charismatic leader, or explicit punishments for leaving. They describe psychological mechanisms that can operate in a living room, a blog comment section, or a Facebook group with hundreds of thousands of followers.“ Source Heerde.

Heerde went through Lori Alexander’s rebuttals and rejections of Dr Schricker’s evidence and showed how they are just deflections against the truth.

These types of warnings are important because firstly, of course you do not want anyone falling into a “cult”. Saying the world cult usually implies an isolated and manipulated group led by a controlling figure as mentioned above. Yet any idea or religion taken to an extreme can become a cult.

Ms Heerde wrote, “Coercive control doesn’t require the controller to be physically present, to have direct access to the person being controlled, or to impose consequences through their own direct action. What it requires is a framework that the person has internalised so thoroughly that they control themselves on behalf of the system.”

In Jesus day, cults existed. The Cult of Artemis in Ephesus was a potent one with many followers who were not isolated on some compound. In and around Jerusalem there were 4 groups of ‘believers’ who claimed the One True God. Whether these were cults or sects is still a debate, but the Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, and Sadducees were competing high-control groups oppressing and/or isolating the believers in various ways. (John 9:22; John 12:42)

The framework Lori Alexander pushes is constant, errant, and dangerous. Ms Heerde goes through some of the more troublesome aspects of it in her article. I recommend it not just to learn why Lori Alexander fills the marks of a cult leader, but for information in general. It is easy for a false teacher to become popular then begin to warp the faith and grow his or her platform of followers, who then become like minded as the leader.

Heerde also focuses on deeply troubling aspect of Lori Alexander’s framework. It includes Lori having been formed through the dangerous teachings of Bill Gothard and Michael & Debi Pearl. Both these groups are recognized as cultish, abusive, and dangerous. Ms Heerde wrote,

The company someone keeps is relevant information. When someone cites as their primary formative influences two figures associated with documented institutional abuse, sexual misconduct allegations, and child welfare concerns, and defends both of them against scrutiny using the same logic she uses to defend herself, that pattern is worth noting.

I worry greatly for Lori, her husband Ken, and their followers who are deceived into thinking Lori’s version of Christianity is viable. It’s dangerous not only to her followers, who are internalizing a warped version of the Gospel and life’s walk with Jesus, but because Lori uses Jesus as her basis for promoting her false teachings. He hates that. (Revelation 2:20-23).

Lori’s output is constant and vast, across multiple platforms. It is Jesus-adjacent, so that a person could be easily confused into thinking what Lori teaches is actual truth. It isn’t. Please avoid Lori Alexander The Transformed Wife. Dr Schricker ended his article with a pointed plea, which I echo-

“In short, do not join the cult of Lori Alexander. And if you have joined already- for heaven’s sake, get out.”

Further Resources

Dan Schricker: The Cult of Lori Alexander

Elise Heerde: “I’m Not a Cult Leader”- On the Oldest Deflection in the High-Control Playbook

Audio/Podcast: Coercion Confession and Control w/Daniel Schricker

Elizabeth Prata: Cut to the chase: Four reasons to avoid Lori Alexander of godlywomanhood