All the fuss surrounding Tiger Woods' potential return to golf has left me wondering about how times have changed.   There was a time when it was key for public figures to keep private sleaze private; if it slipped into the public realm, they were finished.    That was perhaps overkill: as many have already commented, a man like Woods only owes us a good game of golf; if he cheats on his wife, it doesn't affect his primary appeal to the rest of us.

But what about church leaders?  Does this cultural shift towards tolerance have implications for us?   I don't think so.  Some years ago I found the argument of John Armstrong's excellent book, "The Stain That Stays", utterly convincing: post-conversion adultery, unlike other sins, is the one which permanently excludes one from leadership or office-bearing in the church; of course, there is forgiveness and restoration to fellowship for those who repent and ask for such; but as far as leadership goes, it's over.  I still point to that book, especially the superb last chapter on avoiding sexual sin, as required reading for men going in for ministry.

I wonder -- I hope! -- that today the same standards apply; that those who assume the mantle of teaching and leadership are held to the same biblical standards taught by Paul and so ably articulated by John Armstrong.   But there is evidence to suggest that even this is now slipping, and that is worrying. 

It will surely be a sad day if we ever start to look back to the era of men like Jimmy Swaggart with nostalgia because he at least bowed out of the limelight for a fleeting moment. When Swaggart appears like a man of integrity, we will know we have skidded a long way; but it could happen.   Given that the church so often apes -- sorry, `listens to' -- the surrounding culture, I would not be confident that biblical standards in the area of adultery are still the norm.  Make no mistake: adultery is not only the ultimate betrayal of a spouse, and the breaking of solemn vows, but also a public sullying and denial of the relationship which, with its love, sacrifice and intimacy, is supposed to reflect that of Christ and the church more accurately than any other.   Adultery: to use contemporary jargon, neither very transparent nor authentic, really.