This may not be a big deal in the western world but in the post soviet world with a resurgent, strident and increasingly nationalistic  Orthodox church this is a big deal.  They label all free churches as cults and "western plots".  To have one of the most well known christian leaders in the area exposed in such a manner makes it vastly more difficult for other free churches.  

To the secularists of the former soviet world that Sunday has been exposed as first a financial scam artist and now a serial adulterer only confirms to them that the religious leaders are the same as their corrupt politicians.

Remember John's thing about the stuff in the world?  You know "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life"  not being "of the Father"?  That one?

So in the charismatic world we have this "culture of honour" stuff where "the man of God" teaches the people of God to honour the man of God.  Right!  (I really do wish I was making this stuff up!)  So the leader ends up with all of his/her pride of life issues filled to the max.  They have titles, preference, place and end up being the head of a personality cult.  We have made "pride of life" into a spiritual accomplishment!

Likewise we have the prosperity gospel where material blessing is a sign of God's favour.  The "man of God" is honoured with every material, financial blessing so that they live like a rock star and teach that you can have the same if you have enough faith (or can manipulate enough people to give to you!).  We have made possessing  whatever our eyes see as the proof of the blessing of God.

Why is that we  celebrate pride of life as honour and baptize rank materialism as blessing but sexual "variety" as scandalous?  

Actually some do NOT view a variety of sexual relationships as scandalous.  They say that David was the man after God's own heart and he had multiple wives.  They say that Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and he had hundreds.  They say we live under a better covenant so we should have at least as much as they did! 

But those who believe such nonsense tend to hide it for fear of losing followers and finances but my question stands-  Why do so many accept pride of life and its attendant personality cults  rebranded as a "culture of honour", the lust of the eyes rebranded as the blessing of God and cannot see that they are on the same list as the "lusts of the flesh"?  

The logic of pride works like this, If I can have everything I want in title, position and honour and if I can have everything I want in finances and things why can I not have everything I want sexually?  Indeed why not?

Why not? Because cultures of honour and the prosperity gospel have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God just as using your position and power to seduce members of your congregation has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.

How many times must we see these things to get the lesson?

Jesus walked among us as with a band of brothers.  He called us friends. When the crowd tried to make  Him a king, he ran from them.  When will we learn to do the same?

Your brother