"That is a lesson that must be learned again and again by the church.
When a minister of the Gospel is caught embezzling funds or having an
affair, then certainly the biblical principle for discipline must be
brought to bear immediately. If the law has been broken, the civil
authorities must be contacted. If families have been damaged, there may
be a great deal of pastoral work to be done. But understand well that
many unbelievers will be gleefully rubbing their hands and saying, 'See?
What can you expect? All this religious stuff is so hypocritical and
phony.' Thus Christ is despised and the credibility of Christian
witnesses diminished. Christians must restrain their tongues, watch what
they say, and be especially careful about saying anything unnecessary
to unbelievers. This is a time for mourning, not gossip. 'Tell it not in
Gath. . . .'"
D.A. Carson in For the Love of God
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