THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE—SO DON'T MESS IT UP! There have been many false accusations posted on social media about me and the culture at MorningStar. Even so, we have investigated these to see if there was any truth to them. To date, the only ones we found to have any truth were those we did discover, and we addressed them as soon as we did—dismissing those who were guilty but offering a restoration process if they were willing to submit to it. This is not to imply that nothing has ever gotten by us; it is likely that this happens in every organization on earth. Sinners, especially alcoholics and the sexually perverse, can be some of the greatest geniuses at hiding their sin. We do not spy on our people and would never allow this, but we do confront sin according to the Matthew 18 procedure—for the purpose of helping people, not condemning them. We also remove from leadership positions those who have failed to live by the biblical standards required of leaders in the church or those who have given themselves to any form of debauchery, according to the Scriptures. I am very confident at this time that our leaders and people are, and have been, living by the high biblical standards required of them. Though some incidents may have happened in the past that we were unaware of, and there were several incidents of sexual misbehavior that we did discover and dealt with swiftly as soon as we became aware of them, most—if not all—of what I and our team are being accused of regarding sexual indiscretions or any degree of drunkenness are false accusations. We see in Scripture that Jesus was accused of being a drunkard because He loved and drank wine. Though I do not believe He ever became impaired in the slightest, and while there is no biblical command against drinking alcohol, there are many against drunkenness. This is the doctrine we hold to. We are also commanded to "Let your moderation be known..." and that is our resolve. We believe we are free to partake in what has not been specifically forbidden, in moderation. However, those who are prone to be immoderate should refrain completely. I have been to many events and gatherings where alcoholic beverages were available, and I have never witnessed a single person from MorningStar impaired. Others have this same witness. For the forty years I have been the leader of MorningStar, I have resolved, according to biblical principles of discipline, to confront excesses and all that is clearly forbidden in Scripture—but also not to forbid anything that Scripture has not forbidden. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, legalism has no power against sin; rather, it excites it. To forbid anything the Scriptures do not forbid is legalism, and it is a terrible pride to presume that our beliefs are higher than God's wisdom. The above has been well proven: God's wisdom—to not forbid, but to teach moderation in regard to alcohol—is reflected in the studies concerning this. The people groups that have the highest incidence of alcoholism are those religious groups that forbid any drinking of alcohol. Those who have the lowest percentage of alcoholics are the groups that allow it. For this reason, I have resolved to live by God's wisdom and not man's. I have also held to and taught that sex is a gift from God for the married, and that outside of marriage, it is strictly forbidden. Interestingly, studies show that those who live by this rule have the most fulfilling sex lives. I'm just saying...

Posted by Rick Joyner at 2025-02-20 13:19:03 UTC