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.
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.”
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?
