This question reminds me of an SAT-type problem: “What do these four names have in common?” What Clinton, Craig, Swaggart and Paulk have in common is power, lots of power. Sexual misconduct is not so much about the sex as it is about the fact that power corrupts.
A profound sin these people have committed is the abuse of power, their unfaithfulness to the public trust that comes with being in positions of power. Conservative religion always wants to focus only on the individual and private transgression and ignore the massive issue of the betrayal of trust that is the result of the sexual misconduct by a public figure.
If you confine the issue of the behavior of these four men to whether "sex outside marriage" is sinful, you miss a deep wrong that is being perpetrated. When a public person deceives and dissembles and is ultimately caught and exposed as a hypocrite, a great part of their sin is in the infidelity to the public trust. Thousands and even millions of people are let down and disillusioned. It is important to underline, however, that this is by no means to disregard the fact that it is sinful on their part to betray the trust of those with whom they are pledged to be in an individually intimate and committed relationship.
Clinton and Craig are (or were) government officials; Swaggart and Paulk are religious leaders. Public trust in government is at historic lows—this didn’t begin with Clinton and his ridiculous behavior, but his presidency did much to shake public confidence in the trustworthiness of presidents; no matter what you thought of Reagan or Carter, their presidencies had begun to restore some faith in the office itself that had been nearly destroyed by President Nixon and his resignation over Watergate. Congress as well has taken many hits over the years in terms of public trust. Senator Craig’s alleged behavior as well as his subsequent attempts to take back his guilty plea diminishes the office of Senator. Is having sex (or signaling you want to have sex) the only sin? Don’t be fooled. It’s the abuse of power.
The betrayal of trust of a religious leader is worse, in my view, because Swaggart and Paulk (and so many others) cultivate a personal image of holiness in front of their congregants. The abuse of power by a religious leader is the ultimate betrayal, especially when linked to a theology that seduces the believer into confusing the religious leader and God. That hubris is, in and of itself, sinful in my view. What happens to the believer whose faith in God is rocked when he or she discovers that the pastor is engaging in sexual misconduct? Many people are so stricken by this betrayal of trust that their faith in God is shaken, perhaps permanently. Think that’s a sin? You bet it is.
Yes, in a People Magazine kind of way folks are fascinated by sexual misbehavior. Sex, after all, is interesting.
The full range of sin, however, lies somewhere else, in the deep corruption of our public trust that flagrant betrayal brings as well as in letting down your life partner, the one to whom you have sworn to be faithful.
Sex, power and sin? These three are a winning combination if what you want is to destroy our faith in one another and our society.
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