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Pastor’s addiction leads to lie
A high-profile Australian pastor known for the hit song “Healer” has admitted to lying about his two-year struggle with terminal cancer in order to hide a long-term obsession with pornography. Pastor Michael Guglielmucci hid the truth from his wife and family, sending fake emails about his condition from non-existent medical practitioners while his addiction led to physical conditions that mimicked the symptoms of cancer.
“This is who I am … I’m addicted to the stuff, it consumes my mind,” Guglielmucci said in a TV interview. “I’m sick and this is why I had to come up some sort of explanation of what was happening in my body.”
Guglielmucci, whose credentials with the Australian Christian Churches have been suspended, said he would cooperate with any police investigation into his indiscretions.
“Obviously it was the wrong thing to do, but I’m proud that he’s come out and admitted it,” said an 18-year-old student attending a service yesterday where Guglielmucci’s father asked for forgiveness for his son, who is now receiving psychiatric care.
HT: Anthony Bradley
back to top29 Comments to “Pastor’s addiction leads to lie”
Some one is going to have to fill me in! Just what did an addiction to porn do to his body, that he need to pretend to have cancer?
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The details are in the linked to article: “The shame of his addiction manifested itself physically, resulting in him losing his hair and purging his body.”
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So, it was like the long-term effects of bulimia. I have not heard this song “Healer” — at least I don’t think I have — but what can you say to this? He’s getting help and understands what he did was wrong. Sin often manifests itself physically. His body was trying to tell him something and he didn’t listen until now. I have to admit that this one is for the books. It’s the strangest case of denial I’ve ever heard about.
It’s up to him now, but with prayer and hard work, he can overcome this.
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It is a problem within the ministry which gets far too little notice.
I’m surprised churches dont install “net Nanny” or B-safe on line or other filters. One error keystroke can take you to some quite sickening degrading stuff.
I recall how shocked everyone was when Kirk Franklin came forward to confess to a porn problem. I think most (but not all) married gals see porn as a betrayal of the marriage vows; quite hurtful.
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I’m with Luke.
I had no idea porn could induce cancer-like symptoms.
In fact, if the man was vomiting and losing hair, I’d be concerned that there really is a medical condition. I suppose it could be psychosomatic, but I’ve never heard of stress or shame having such drastic physical effects. Then again, I’m not a doctor or psychologist.
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So it wasn’t the porn itself, it was the shame?
That’s as good an argument against shame-based religion as I can think of.
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Oh, I wouldn’t knock shame, SteveG. Sometimes I wish there were some more of it floating around. We would be a better nation for it.
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JJF: The problem is people are made to be ashamed of the wrong things.
You run a company that pollutes the air and exploits foreign labor? Kudos to you! Jesus is proud!
You like to see images of human beings nude? You horrible, perverted filthy thing!!
I don’t buy it.
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That’s as good an argument against shame-based religion as I can think of.
You’ve changed the subject. He’s a Christian, not a Muslim. Christianity is shame-based to the extent that it’s based on the shame of Christ, but it’s fundamentally based on God’s grace to us. Anything else is a false gospel.
But to the subject, I don’t get this porn thing at all. I’ve stumbled onto it a couple of times, usually from guessing at URLs, and I could hardly get out of there fast enough. Now that there are so many stories of men destroying their lives this way, what kind of moron sits at his computer and says, “Let’s see what comes up if I google ‘girls with big butts’”?
As the father in Blast from the Past said, “Stay away from the adult book store. Poison gas.”
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Steve, you are only seeing this situation at face value. Jesus is not proud of anyone who exploits their employees or damages Gods creation with unnecessary pollution. Per Genesis, we are to be managers of this planet taking care of what has been given to us. James 5:4 warns us about not paying those that work for us. So I don’t know how you can make your statements. Exploiting those that work for us and intentionally trashing Gods creation is shameful and sinful.
Regarding nudity, before there was sin we didn’t have clothing and there was no shame and there is nothing shameful in what God created so in a sense you are right. It wasn’t until after Adam and Eve had sinned that they became aware of their nakedness and covered their bodies. I believe our desire to cover ourselves comes from acknowledgment of our sin nature.
There are other aspects to covering ourselves as well. The most obvious being the temptation to lust over the sight of naked body. We are warned in Matthew about commiting adultery in our hearts by what we see. We can do this whether someone is clothed or not, but it is easier to tempt another, and easier to fall to that temptation, when more is revealed to the eye.
For those who are not believers in Christ, living under the curse of calling evil good and good evil, I can understand where this might not make sense. Not sure I should throw this out or not, but I am trying to find a way to relate this to you. What emotions would be generated within you if your buddies were staring at your mom, or sister, or daughter with no clothes?
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Chalzz: For those who are not believers in Christ, living under the curse of calling evil good and good evil, I can understand where this might not make sense. Not sure I should throw this out or not, but I am trying to find a way to relate this to you. What emotions would be generated within you if your buddies were staring at your mom, or sister, or daughter with no clothes?
If she’s old enough to legally make that decision and has made it freely, without coercion, then it would not bother me.
Christianity has invented this whole concept of a “sin nature,” and the obsession with sex as a primary manifestation of it. There’s nothing at all wrong with sex. There is a lot wrong with abusive sex, coerced sex, covenant-breaking sex, but sex in general is part of human (not “sin”) nature.
To a large extent I think the reason people like this pastor develop serious sexual issues is the strong conflict between their honest human nature and natural interest in sexuality, and the utter shame their religion compels them to feel about being human. That is profoundly unhealthy.
You are right that the hypothetical industrialist I used as my example would actually be in sin according to Biblical beliefs. But, I will guarantee you that if someone proposed laws to compel him to limit his pollution or pay higher wages, the good moral Christians of WoW would fill up a comment thread defending his right to behave as he does. Because, they would argue (and I know because they have argued this on related topics) it would cost a business more money to pollute less and pay higher wages, so any proposal to that effect must come from business-hating “Marxists.”
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I remember an article surrounding McCain’s Toplessgate (where he macho-jokingly offered to have his wife compete in a raunchy beauty contest) talking about “the daughter principle.” Men will make those kind of comments about their girlfriends and wives, but not about their daughters.
I have a 6 year old daughter. I wouldn’t want her to grow up to be a porn star. Not primarily because of my religiously-informed condemnation of pornography, but chiefly because I don’t think it would be a healthy, happy, fulfilling lifestyle for her.
Porn is not morally neutral. Granted, prostitution is the oldest profession, and porn is its low-risk digital iteration (maybe an inevitable result of putting prostitution in the gutter — at one time being a temple prostitute was a position with some degree of honor). Human nature will always drive men to look at, lust after, sleep with, beautiful and available women. But that doesn’t make it morally neutral, any more than the fact that human nature drives men to achieve success at the expense of those around them (laborers, the environment) makes that morally neutral.
and may even serve as some kind of societal lubricant
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It is difficult for those of use who struggle with sexual addiction to get help because there is so much shame and guilt involved. There are really few places in the church where one can go where it is safe to talk about getting free from this compulsive bondage.
But, things are changing and there is help out there. Groups like Celebrate Recovery addresses this (along with the secular counterparts SA, SAA, S&LA, SCA). Recently there was a great cover story in Christianity Today about sexual addiction which lists faith-based groups that are addressing this as well.
I’m glad Guglielmucci sought help. I know exactly the anguish he was going through. For me, I had to get into a program. It had to be more than just church-as-usual, Bible Study and prayer to address this insanity.
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How does it start, Outdeep? That’s the part I don’t understand.
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I’m wondering why no one is castigating him. Oh yeah, he’s one of your own. If that guy had been a Catholic priest, the usual bashing would have taken place. I guess “love the sinner, hate the sin” only works in your own camp.
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Stubob- you asked Outdeep “how does it start?” What are you referring to? Are you asking specifically about porn addiction/ sexual addiction or just any general addiction?
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Thanks for sharing, Outdeep. That takes a lot of courage. I’ll be praying for you, Brother.
Lester, we ALL, every last one of us, have some besetting sin with which we have to deal every day. We are struggling to be overcomers. Shall we shoot the wounded among us? He’s penitant and struggling to overcome, and so we encourage and seek to understand.
It’s the unrepentant sinners who are proud of their sins we have problems with, you know, the ones who call good evil and evil good? And even then we are to have compassion, although we do not share fellowship with them. But do not confuse compassion with acceptance of the sin.
Righteous indignation is also another matter. If someone only confesses because they have been caught in a sin, there is cause for righteous indignation, especially if the other person’s sin affects loved ones and innocent victims.
Often the Christian reaction is a matter of attitude on both the Christian’s part and on the part of the one commititing the sin.
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Well, I guess it’s applicable to the whole gamut of addictions. But I really meant porn in particular. Porn seems like intravenous drugs to me — I’m trying to understand what makes someone do it the first time.
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I don’t know why the porn theater (this was pre-internet) was so attractive to me but I was very drawn to it (ironically I went for the first time after a Bible Study). Inside, I thought the movie was the most wonderful thing I ever saw and felt high. I thought I had found a friend. My initial acting out could have something to do with the creative secrecy I developed in order to get around my mom’s control – but I simply don’t know. Lot’s of people have hard lives and controlling moms. Plus, alcohol or drugs never appealed to me.
Somehow, I crossed over from mere youthful disobedience to an addiction that controlled me and was impossible to shake on my own. I knew this behavior was destroying me and displeased God yet I was obsessed with it and felt controlled by it. I don’t think this happens to everyone – why it happened to me (like I said) I really don’t know.
My only point in joining this conversation is to give hope to anyone that is struggling in the same way – there is really no shame in getting help. I know there are many different opinions on addiction and even on whether or not sexual addiction is a legitimate category. I would say it didn’t help me to try and figure it all out. I couldn’t rationalize or theologizie my way out of this. I am just thankful to God that I found programs where I am getting the help I need.
Thanks for folk’s kind words.
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I have looked at a lot of porn and I’ve never come close to losing my hair over it, NJL.
Clearly some other element is required other than just “sin manifesting itself physically”! If it were just “sin,” you wouldn’t expect me (and SteveG for sure) to just be skipped over.
“Sin” is a social construct; it doesn’t manifest itself physically. Stress does.
And you know what often relieves stress?
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Beer?
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Watch the palms of people’s hands for signs of hair growing.
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What I want to know is whether church discipline will be applied in this situation and to what extent. Regardless of why this man has viewed pornography regularly and lied to millions of people about having a terminal illness, the fact that he did so remains.
Would blind justice prevail in this case, or would favoritism on the part of church authorities and adoration on the part of ordinary churchgoers elicit undue leniency? Would this man’s status and talent afford him “special consideration?”
I can’t help but think about what would happen if the church’s janitor were caught doing the same thing. Would he receive the same outpouring of love and support, or would he immediately be castigated as a sexual predator, potential child molester and con artist, fired from a job that puts food on his table and hauled off to jail?
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In the healthier churches I’ve been in, church discipline has always been done with a view to redemption and helping the individual get better. In my church, when a pastor had fallen, he needed to step down from his public role and the church had helped with counseling and career transition. If the pastor gets into a recovery program that is worth its salt, he will learn to make some form of amends and restitution.
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There can be a culture in some churches where leaders are untouchable. Certainly some in the Planetshakers movement have been concerned about this for a while, but I hope that this episode will help them to establish a greater degree of accountability in their midst, especially for their pastoral staff. I wrote up an article about Guglielmucci today: http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/2008/08/28/pastor-confesses-to-16-year-porn-addiction/
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Well Stubob I was going to say porn, or if available, sex. Both would be a healthier way to channel stress than drinking.
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Covenant Eyes:
The product you set forth is a good tool. (For those who don’t know, Covenant Eyes is a program that will send to your accountibility partner or wife a report of all the porn sites you go to. You can’t take it off without your accountibility partner knowing about it).
However, I think the church is a little wrong-headed in promoting Covenant Eyes as the “solution”. I can have this on my computer at home and still act out in my hotel room. The point is, the solution is found in some sort of recovery program where I am meeting in a safe group and talking to others on a regular basis and dealing with the “addict within” as opposed to depending on some sort of external restraint. External restraints won’t help me if the basic compulsivity of my heart remains the same. This is where I think things like working the twelve steps are so effective.
I think the church’s emphasis should be on sex addicts coming out and working a program (such as Celebrate Recovery, SA, SAA, S&LA, etc.) with other men. Tools such as Covenant Eyes, meetings, calling sponsor daily, out-of-town plans, etc. are all tools that support the program and recovery. But the tools itself do not amount to recovery.
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No offense, but I get the feeling that those who responded to my comment completely missed my point.
This is my question: will this person face church discipline, and will his status in the church and the community have any effect whatsoever on the dispensing of justice? Will he or will he not be granted special consideration?
Look at it this way: pretend that he’s not “good-looking”. Pretend that he’s not a multi-million-dollar “Christian” recording artist and superstar evangelical pastor. Pretend that he’s just a lowly church janitor or the social misfit in the church that everyone quietly avoids talking to. Now imagine such a person is caught viewing pornography on a regular basis and lying to everyone about having an illness so he can get attention and (perhaps) financial support. What would your feelings about him be then? Would church discipline be applied “with a view to redemption” or would everyone instinctively recoil in horror, brand him as a potential child molester and have him hauled off to jail for sexual misconduct and fraud?
The reason why I ask is because somehow I already know what the answer would be, and it’s not something anyone really wants to acknowledge or hear but is forced, at the end of the day, to admit.
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I would say it depends on the church and the character of the elder board. In a healthy church I was in church discipline was always done with a view to redemption. In an unhealthy church I was in, prominent leader’s sins were covered up and little fry’s sins were made an example of. I don’t think I would know the answer unless I was familiar with the board handling the situation.
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