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{"id":1848,"date":"2024-06-11T18:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T23:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/?p=1848"},"modified":"2024-06-14T10:14:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T15:14:06","slug":"dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/","title":{"rendered":"A Wage of Sin: Dr. Tony Evans Steps Away from Pulpit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Dr. Tony Evans<\/strong><\/a>, acclaimed men\u2019s leader and esteemed pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas<\/a>, advised he is stepping down from his pulpit because of an \u201cunnamed sin.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shocking news<\/a> was posted Sunday on the church\u2019s website, following a grueling decision from Evans and the elders of his church. At both Sunday, June 9 services, Dr. Evans addressed the congregation saying that he has \u201ccommitted no crime,\u201d but \u201cdid not use righteous judgement in [his] actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his official statement, Tony Evans, 74, continued discussing his thoughts looking back on the near half-century of serving as pastor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation of our ministry has always been our commitment to the Word of God as the absolute supreme standard of truth to which we are to conform our lives. When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although the repentant statement shares humility, remorse, and grief, the reason behind the statement still remains a mystery to the millions of people who have been touched by his ministry.<\/p>\n

Dr. Tony Evans: Falling Short, Standing Tall<\/h2>\n Dr. Tony Evans, pastor and host of \u201cThe Urban Alternative.\u201d (Image credit: TUA via Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n** ** The decision for Dr. Evans to walk away from the church and ministry he established 48 years ago was \u201cmade after tremendous prayer and [following] mulitple meetings\u201d between church elders and key members of the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship pastoral team.<\/p>\n ** **The \u201cunnamed sin,\u201d while causing national speculation, happened \u201ca number of years ago,\u201d according to Evans\u2019 statement. Following the admission of \u201cfalling short\u201d of God\u2019s standard, Dr. Evans applied that same sacred filter to his life and those of his family and friends.<\/p>\n " \u201cI have shared this with my wife, my children, and our church elders, and they have lovingly placed their arms of grace around me. While I have committed no crime, I did not use righteous judgment in my actions. In light of this, I am stepping away from my pastoral duties and am submitting to a healing and restoration process established by the elders. This will afford me a needed time of spiritual recovery and healing.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Dr. Tony Evans lost his first wife<\/a> of over 40 years, Lois, in 2019 following a difficult and well-documented fight with gallbladder cancer. She was 70. Their four children\u2013Chrystal Hurst, Jonathan Evans, Anthony Evans, Jr., and national evangelist Priscilla Shirer\u2013have not spoken about this decision and are reported to be with him during this time.<\/p>\n Pastor Bobby Gibson will now lead the church Evans began in 1976.<\/p>\n " \u201cWe serve a God that is merciful to forgive and gracious to restore,\u201d the website reads. \u201cIn the days ahead, Pastor Bobby Gibson and the elders will provide more information regarding interim leadership and the next steps for the future of our church.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Evans created a legacy of respect and admiration. He was the first Black person to earn a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary, created by Dr. W.A. Criswell, the founding pastor of First Baptist Dallas. From 1976 to today, he speaks to people globally and has established over 100 ministries, including his televised staple, \u201cThe Urban Alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n His new wife in November 2023, Carla Evans (n\u00e9e Crummie), stands by his side, as does his church that still features Dr. Evans throughout its online properties.<\/p>\n \nWant to stay in touch with the faith-based issues that affect us close to home?\u00a0Subscribe to our free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and never miss what\u2019s said about the Church and how Christians should talk back.<\/h4>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"**** ** ****Pastors deserve as much forgiveness as they minister to others, but Dr. Tony Evans believes any leader of any pulpit should live to a higher standard. That’s why he left his church, where he has pastored since 1976. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5303,"featured_media":1857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[246,95,164,131,405,402],"class_list":["post-1848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","tag-christian-leadership","tag-church","tag-forgiveness","tag-pastor","tag-sin","tag-tony-evans"],"yoast_head":"\nA Wage of Sin: Dr. Tony Evans Steps Away from Pulpit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following the disclosure of an "unnamed sin," revered pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Dr. Tony Evans, steps down.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Wage of Sin: Dr. Tony Evans Steps Away from Pulpit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the disclosure of an "unnamed sin," revered pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Dr. Tony Evans, steps down.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Close to Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-11T23:50:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-14T15:14:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/2027\/2024\/06\/Dr.-Tony-Evans-1024x684-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"684\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Paul Wood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@shawnpaulwood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn Paul Wood\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/\",\"name\":\"A Wage of Sin: Dr. Tony Evans Steps Away from Pulpit\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-11T23:50:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-14T15:14:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/#\/schema\/person\/0ed10bbbb8643760b6194268c009e3ee\"},\"description\":\"Following the disclosure of an \\\"unnamed sin,\\\" revered pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Dr. Tony Evans, steps down.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/2024\/06\/dr-tony-evans-steps-away-from-pulpit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Wage of Sin: Dr. Tony Evans Steps Away from Pulpit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/\",\"name\":\"Close to Home\",\"description\":\"Today's decisions create tomorrow's directions for God's people. 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