Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 5-11).
The recent Peters–Kozar denunciation of Steve Lawson was issued long before the evidence justified anything resembling a verdict to the point of being irresponsible. They were not grieved as they should have been; rather they relished the chance to show their underlying hostility and hatred towards Lawson. This episode has revealed them for what they are, exposing them as nasty, unforgiving, and unrestrained. They have since moved quickly to erase all record of their vicious remarks.
The suspect post from Protestia: "Lawson briefly appeared as a Conference Speaker along with various women pastors and speakers at the Contending for the Faith Expository Preaching & Teaching Conference, which is presented by the Tennessee Baptist Missionary & Educational Convention (TBMEC), a regional body of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and was subsequently purged from website."1 Specifically, Lawson was listed as having several workshops on how to prepare a sermon, both on day one and on day three of the event. This generated a spate of protests stating that he is not qualified without anyone even factchecking the source and the information.
Protestia subsequently published a correction: "We can confirm that the conference organizers advertised Lawson’s participation without his knowledge or consent. They invited him to be a speaker, but before hearing that he intended to decline, there was an internal misunderstanding that led them to assume he would agree. As soon as he found out, he informed them that he would decline the offer, and they promptly removed him from the line-up."2
The furor began when Justin Peters and Steve Kozar could not wait to stick their knives into Lawson. Their zealous reaction to the suspect news erupted without factchecking the information or thinking about the repercussions of their stinging condemnation of Lawson. These two "discerners" have been left with egg on their faces.. but frankly they could do with a bit of humbling!
Peter's reaction on X: "I was just sent this. Hey, see this is proof Steve Lawson never repented. I wish I could say I was surprised but I'm not." The post has been hastily deleted.3
Kozar reposted Peters' post and added: "Steve Lawson, the narcissist, needs to have an audience."
Kozar subsequently posted an update: "I removed my earlier post about Steve Lawson from Justin Peters."4
Comments
Steve Lawson was formally and permanently removed from ministry about eighteen months ago after the elders of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas determined he had engaged in an
“inappropriate relationship” with a woman for five years. Following their decision, Lawson resigned from all roles at OnePassion Ministries.
5 Various leaders were quick to issue unanimous condemnation and shock reverberated throughout the Reformed camp. Justin Peters wasted no time offering his two pennyworth and weighed in with: "In our camp, you disqualify yourself sexually as a minister, you're done. You can be forgiven, you can be restored to church, but you'll never minister on the pulpit again, ever."
Lawson’s sin was grave indeed and met the biblical threshold for disqualification. Nevertheless, he has complied with every requirement placed on him and he has maintained a low public profile for eighteen months. No one had any reason to doubt his genuine repentance.
Although they have apologised to their readers, Peters and Kozar have failed to apologise to Lawson personally. Assuming that Lawson is a true believer, I wonder how this slander and concealed hatred has affected him personally? (James 4:11; Proverbs 10:18).
Peters-Kozar pattern of conduct is entirely predictable:
Peters' skewed teaching on repentance and his various questionable teachings.
Kozar's pronounced self‑importance, his dismissive posture toward other discernment efforts, and his commitment to baptismal regeneration and other Lutheran errors.
* As a qualifier, I do not grant the legitimacy of Reformed or Lutheran theology.
2. Steve Lawson Briefly Appears As Conference Speaker, Then Is Purged From Website - Protestia
3. Post Not Found - X | 404 Error
4. Steven Kozar on X: "I removed my earlier post about Steve Lawson from Justin Peters. Here is an update:" / X
5. Dr. Steven Lawson Resigns From All OnePassion Ministry Duties Following Moral Failure
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