The Red Collar Scandal Series relies on public news stories for its content. If you read a story about an Evangelical preacher who can’t keep his pants zipped up, please send it to Bruce Gerencser.
Samuel Renihan has resigned as the pastor (elder) of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, after confessing he engaged in an adulterous relationship.
Prominent Reformed Baptist Pastor Samuel D. Renihan has resigned as the leader of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, after confessing to engaging in an adulterous relationship.
“I have sinned in an exceedingly wicked way. This past week it was discovered that I have committed adultery. The Lord, whose Spirit yearns jealously for his people (James 4:5), the Lord, who is an avenger in these things (1 Thess. 4:6), exposed my sin. To my great shame, I did not bring it to light,” Renihan wrote on his blog Petty France on Monday.
Renihan, whose father is prominent Reformed Baptist Pastor James Renihan, is well-known in the Reformed Baptist community and has authored several books, including The Mystery of Christ and His Covenant.
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post on Wednesday.
In his public confession, Renihan used multiple Scriptures to define his “stiff-necked sin” and said he was caught in arrogance.
“As a minister, I should have set an example in holiness, but by my unholiness I have made myself unfruitful and ineffective (2 Pet. 1:8), a warning, an example never to be imitated (1 Tim 5:20),” he declared. “Such clear warnings should have deterred me from sin in the first place, but I was the greatest of fools.”
Though he did not share many specifics about his sin, Renihan said he “read a letter of confession to my church, resigned from the office of pastor, and submitted myself to the judgment and discipline of the church.”
“I am deeply ashamed of my sin. All sin deserves damnation, but some sins are far worse than others, and mine is exceedingly wicked. The only way that I can honor and glorify God, and the only way that I can do anything to help those whom I have hurt is through the grace of repentance,” he added. “The Scriptures say, ‘By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil’ (Prov. 16:6). I do fear the LORD, and by his grace and help I will show steadfast love and faithfulness to God, to my wife, and to Christ’s church.”
Renihan, who has written for organizations such as Ligonier Ministries, said he also made confessions of his sin to “various institutions and organizations” he was affiliated with so “their good names may not be sullied by my sin. “
“I have also unpublished my self-published theological works,” he added. “I thank God that my wife has graciously forgiven me. I have humbled myself before God as a wicked sinner, praying that he would lift me up. And now I humble myself before a broader audience, asking only that you forgive me my hypocrisy and give glory to the Good Shepherd who will never leave or forsake his flock. By his grace, may my repentance be as notorious as my sin.”
Shocker, another Evangelical preacher gets caught fucking someone who is not his wife. What’s interesting in this story is Renihan’s confession. As someone who formerly ran in Sovereign Grace Baptist/Reformed Baptist circles, what I spotted right away in Renihan’s admission was a plethora of Puritan sounding verbiage. Instead of a simple admission of guilt, Renihan says things such as:
I am deeply ashamed of my sin. All sin deserves damnation, but some sins are far worse than others, and mine is exceedingly wicked. The only way that I can honor and glorify God, and the only way that I can do anything to help those whom I have hurt is through the grace of repentance. The Scriptures say, ‘By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil’ (Prov. 16:6). I do fear the LORD, and by his grace and help I will show steadfast love and faithfulness to God, to my wife, and to Christ’s church.”
Renihan could have said, I’m sorry for fucking Elder Bubba’s wife. Instead, Renihan delivered what I call a “sermon apology,” Instead of a simple confession and apology, Renihan used his press release as an opportunity to preach to others.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.
