Whose watching The Watchmen?

Several months ago I was directed toward a site called The Ministry Watchmen. According to their own mission Statement Of Purpose: Ministry Watchman holds Christian ministers and their ministries accountable to biblical standards of conduct by, where necessary, exposing internal graft, compromise, hypocrisy, tyranny and corruption. Our primary focus is on those ministers who profess to hold to the Reformed faith traditions and teachings.

These men however, have a few accountability issues of their own. They have over the last several months taken it upon themselves to hold Dr. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries accountable. In a recent article Dr. Sproul has been accused of being a power mad dictator who has surrounded himself by glorified yes men who do his bidding. The article is filled with serious personal accusations, of which if true, Dr. Sproul should immediately have his ordination revoked. So, why has the PCA not already done so?

The Ministry Watchmen have no proof. They have half of a story of which they have now injected their professed prejudice against making an above average salary, and have made claims that I wouldn’t make against Osama Bin Laden without documentation. They have inserted innuendo into a claim of holding men accountable to biblical standards, but have not been able to prove the standards broken. Why? Because they are nobody’s sitting in a room with a keyboard and half a clue. The somebody’s, whoever they may be, can and will find the truth, and they have the authority to do so.

R C Sproul has had a tremendous influence on my life and others I personally know. I am not defending Tim Dick or Dr. Sproul here. If all of these accusation are proven true then I will be saddened. However, if you are going to accuse a Pastor of being a lying, corrupt, conniving, dictator prove it. The wisest statement in the entire article is posted right before the copy of the email in which Henry says “I don’t know R.C. Sproul”. Making statements such as “from all appearances” and “reportedly” don’t lend to credibility.

Also the member moles from Saint Andrews that are supposedly feeding information to The Watchmen should actually follow the biblical guidelines for church discipline instead of trying to find an outside source to do your dirty work or cause division. If I felt one of the Pastors at my church was mishandling the churches money I would ask for a financial statement. If it made me “a suspect” so be it, but biblically the member or other elders should be the one holding these men accountable. If they refuse accountability there are biblical guidelines for that also. However, The Watchmen don’t need to be naive or arrogant enough to believe they are going to do something the elders of the church can’t do. Their claim is to hold non profit organizations who ask for donations accountable, but Saint Andrews Chapel does not fit this mission. In my opinion The Watchmen show a blatant disrespect for ecclesiology in this situation. If man refuses to show himself accountable to the biblical standards set forth, God will still hold him accountable.