Tony Evans Steps Down From Pastorate “Due to Sin,” Enters “Restoration Process”

Dr. Tony Evans has recently stepped down from his pastoral duties following an admission of personal failure. Evans, a towering figure in the evangelical world, has long been a polarizing character due to his controversial theological positions and alliances. Serving as the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, for an astounding 48 years, Evans has built a significant public following, authored many books, and has even released a study bible under his own name. However, his ministry has been marred by several heresies and doctrinal errors that demand scrutiny.

Tony Evans’ theological aberrations are not merely minor doctrinal differences—some of them are serious fundamental deviations from orthodox Christianity that have been overlooked by much of Evangelicalism. Evans taught Pelagianism, a heresy that denies the doctrine of original sin, suggesting instead that humans are born morally neutral and capable of choosing good without divine grace. This is a blatant contradiction of the biblical teaching that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Evans is also known for his inclusivist heresy, which dangerously undermines the exclusivity of Christ for salvation. He has been quoted saying that if a person acknowledges a higher power and seeks truth but dies before explicitly knowing Christ, God would judge them based on their intent rather than their faith in Christ alone. This heresy dilutes the gospel’s core message that salvation is found in no one else but Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

Evans’ errors extend to his teachings on the Trinity. At the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2022 annual meeting, he infamously used the illustration of a pretzel with three holes to describe the Trinity—an analogy that aligns with the heresy of partialism. Partialism suggests that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are parts that together form the complete God, rather than three co-equal and co-eternal persons of the Godhead.

Evans’ daughter, Priscilla Shirer, is a prominent figure in charismatic circles and a well-known false teacher. Shirer often promotes extra-biblical revelations, suggesting that believers can hear God’s voice directly apart from Scripture. Her associations with other false teachers like Beth Moore and Christine Caine further demonstrate the serious problems of her ministry.

Thought not a Southern Baptist himself, Evans has also been a key player in the Southern Baptist Convention’s push in recent years for “racial reconciliation,” partnering with former SBC president Ed Litton to promote what Evans terms “Kingdom Race Theory” (KRT). This initiative is a thinly veiled rebranding of Critical Race Theory (CRT), which has divisive and clearly secular underpinnings. Evans and Litton’s efforts to intertwine racial justice with the gospel is an attempt to inject social justice rhetoric into the church.

Now, the latest development in Evans’ ministry is his decision to step down from his pastoral duties at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.

In a statement issued on June 9, 2024, Evans acknowledged that he did not use “righteous judgment” in his actions, although he did not specify the nature of his failings. This vagueness is typical of celebrity pastors who generalize their sins and seek restoration without providing their followers with clear explanations. Evans’ admission mirrors the recent stepping down of Matt Chandler, who also stepped down for vague reasons, reflecting a broader pattern among high-profile church leaders who fail to uphold the standards they preach and are quick to enter an arbitrary “restoration” process that fast-tracks them back into the pulpit.

Evans’ decision to enter a period of spiritual recovery and healing, while necessary, leaves many questions unanswered. Public figures like Evans, who have built their ministries on the financial and emotional investment of their followers, owe it to their supporters to be transparent about their failings. The lack of specificity in these admissions only serves to erode trust and highlight the inconsistencies in the accountability structures within evangelical megachurches.

Tony Evans’ ministry is a strong reminder of the dangers of theological compromise and the need for uncompromising adherence to biblical truth. His departure from pastoral duties, though wrapped in spiritual language, demonstrates the significant doctrinal and ethical issues that have plagued many celebrity ministries just like his. As the evangelical community reflects on Evans’ legacy, it is imperative to uphold the standards of Scripture and ensure that leaders are held accountable to the highest degree of integrity and orthodoxy.

So you would argue, all people groups, over the last 2000 years, and infants, without directly knowing Christ, are going to perish … I can’t accept God works that way - he’s not willing that any should perish; some will, and a narrow number are created as ‘vessels for destruction’; but I would argue the vast number in humanity have access to salvation based on the work of Christ but not always a direct knowledge of this work - that’s where natural law comes in;

Again, I realize this is a minority position

Acts 17:22, Paul’s Apologetics in Athens speaks most directly to your posting. God wishes to become knowable but only by means of Jesus Christ. There is no salvation outside of Christ. Now a person might be led by the Spirit and not know at first the power that shapes him but inevitably he or she will come to know that it was Jesus.
Paul here speaks of your posited “Unknown God”!

Acts 17: 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

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