Just a few days after elders at Cross Timers Church, a congregation located in Argyle, Texas said that lead Pastor Josiah Anthony stepped down from his post over “inappropriate and hurtful” behavior toward staff that was not of a sexual nature, more facts have come to light contradicting that statement. The elders came forward and revealed they found evidence that Anthony was engaged in sexual behavior and are now preparing for more allegations to be made in the near future.
This is absolutely tragic. Sexual sin is so prevalent in our society, celebrated, accepted, and even encouraged. It’s difficult for folks, especially men, to remain pure in Christ, though that’s not an excuse to engage in sexual activity of any kind outside of marriage. Anyone who has been on social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, is bombarded by scantily clad women who are trying to use the platforms to sell subscriptions to their personally made pornography.
However, men, especially those in leadership positions within the Body of Christ, need to take whatever action is necessary to avoid sin of this type as it’s an absolute soul destroyer. It also sets a poor example for believers and unbelievers alike about what it means to be a Christian.
“After announcing Josiah’s resignation to our congregation, we then learned about additional inappropriate comments he made in text messages and through social media that were sexual in nature,” the elders of the Texas megachurch went on to say in a new statement to congregants published by survivor advocate, Amy Smith last Friday. “We want to be very clear; we do not consider any of these instances to be emotional affairs. Because the power dynamic of these interactions were never equal, we do not consider these to be consensual. This behavior will not be tolerated at our church.”
via The Christian Post:
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In a statement read to the congregation two Sundays ago, John Chalk, the most senior member of the church’s elder board, said Anthony’s struggle with his emotional and mental health had caused him to engage in “inappropriate and hurtful” actions toward current and former staff at the church, but it never involved anything sexual even though those actions led to his resignation.
In the elder board’s latest statement, they provide a more comprehensive accounting of the events that led to Anthony’s resignation.
The elders revealed that toward the end of June, just before their lead pastor took his yearly sabbatical, they got a report about inappropriate communication on social media with a female former member of the church. Leadership took the allegations seriously and stated they were grateful the individual brought the situation to their attention.
They went on to add in the statement that Anthony has always been open in his preaching and teaching about the mental health issues he struggles with, which he told the elders contributed to his actions. But after more investigating, the leadership of the church found Anthony wasn’t being completely honest, noting he had an established pattern of inappropriate communication with women.
After learning about Anthony’s “inappropriate communication that was not sexual” but “excessively personal, and overtly familiar with a former staff member” on July 2, the elders said they asked him to resign. They later learned of his sexual communication.
“We may learn more in the coming days; we commit to take additional action, as necessary. This will be a continual process, but the elders, and staff are committed to having a culture of support and care for every current and former member of our church,” they said in the statement.
“The elders also noted that Toby Slough, the church’s founding, and legacy pastor, will take over as interim lead pastor in light of the new development until a replacement for Anthony has been found,” the article concluded.
Pray for your pastors, ladies and gentlemen. They are battling for their souls and yours.