by Rob Nelsen

Carl Lentz, the former Hillsong pastor who fell from grace due to an affair, has reemerged with a podcast alongside his wife, Laura. Much like a phoenix rising—or perhaps more aptly, a Hydra that refuses to stay down, Lentz remains a fixture in the public eye. In a recent episode, he took aim at street preachers, labeling them as “lazy”:

“You hop on TikTok. You can see a guy who, you know, might preach from the street corner and he gets persecuted. And in his mind, he’s being bold. I have respect for some people that do that. I’m not going to judge what they do. But to me, it always seemed easy and even lazy.

“Because what takes work and boldness is to show up in an industry like you’re in every day for years and years and years and years and love people, meet them where they’re at, show them what you believe through your life, and do it again and again and again. That’s bold. Bold to me is not standing up in the middle of a mall where you haven’t earned a single relationship.

You haven’t spent a day with anybody. But you think standing up and just speaking over people trying to eat their peaceful lunch about who Jesus is and nobody listens and you go away. See, nobody wants the real gospel, but I’m doing my job.

That’s not bold. Bold to me is invading dark spaces every single day regardless of how you feel because people forget that.”

You can watch the discussion here (the part I quoted starts right around the 21-minute mark:

Now, should anyone be shocked that a man who cheated on his wife, dodged the abortion question on The View, and rarely quotes Scripture, dislikes the open proclamation?

First, let’s not claim we won’t judge others, only to call them lazy. There’s nothing more disingenuous than declaring you won’t do something and then doing just that.

Second, ponder this: what truly requires more boldness? Mingling with celebrities, dressing like them, receiving all the worldly acclaim while offering the gentlest Christian platitudes, or standing outside an abortion clinic, pleading with men and women to embrace Christ and choose life?

Does anyone genuinely believe that showing your friends the love of Christ through your lifestyle is bolder than standing on a street corner, potentially risking your life, to call people to repentance?

No, Carl, street preachers aren’t lazy. It’s those like you who are. Boldness is standing up for the unborn when millions are watching, instead of dodging with, “I’m not the judge.” Boldness is fidelity to your wife when tempted to stray. Boldness is found in those without platforms who faithfully proclaim the Gospel, not just hoping others will somehow grasp it through osmosis.

It’s baffling that anyone still follows Carl Lentz, let alone heeds his words. I long for a day when disgraced pastors honorably step aside and fnd real work. Alas, that day seems distant.

Meanwhile, do not let men like Carl Lentz deter you from your calling. If you’re preaching God’s Word with love on the streets, you are bold. More importantly, God delights in it.