Steve Lawson Breaks Silence
The theologian’s tweet addresses six-month silence, confesses sin, asks for prayers
After six months of silence, pastor and theologian Steven Lawson, 73, who stepped down from ministry following an adultery scandal, has published a public confession admitting his sin and repentance.
Steven Lawson / Video screenshot
On March 12, in his first tweet on X since before the scandal broke, Lawson addressed his followers in a nearly 500-word tweet disabled for comments.
“It is with a shattered heart that I write this letter. I have sinned grievously against the Lord, against my wife, my family, and against countless numbers of you by having a sinful relationship with a woman not my wife,” the tweet began.
In September 2024, Trinity Bible Church of Dallas removed Lawson, their lead pastor of six years, after he admitted to church elders that he was having an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman. Before joining Trinity in 2018, Lawson was a pastor for over 40 years, leading churches in Arkansas and Alabama.
Lawson formerly served as professor of preaching and dean of D.Min. studies at The Master’s Seminary (TMS) and was a frequent preacher at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church (GCC) and its conferences. Lawson is also the founder of OnePassion Ministries, executive editor of Expositor Magazine (a ministry of OnePassion), and author of 33 books.
Shortly after Trinity’s announcement on September 20 revealing Lawson’s moral failure, many ministries including GCC, TMS, and Ligonier Ministries, removed his profiles from their websites and he stepped down from his roles in these organizations.
Since the scandal, the websites for both OnePassion and Expositor Magazine are no longer publicly active.
Lawson tweeted that he is “deeply broken” and that he “betrayed and deceived my wife, devastated my children, brought shame to the name of Christ, reproach upon His church, and harm to many ministries.”
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He addressed his six-month silence, saying he needed time to identify the roots of his sin and search his soul to determine whether his repentance was genuine.
In the tweet, Lawson claimed responsibility and added that he confessed his sin to God, his wife, and his family and has repented.
“I hate my sin, weep over my sin, and have turned from it,” he said. “My sin carries enormous consequences, and I will be living with those for the rest of my life. Over the years, many have looked to me for spiritual guidance, and I have failed you. I beg for your forgiveness.”
According to Lawson, he has received counseling and spiritual guidance for the past five months while actively engaging in church life, accountability, and biblical growth.
Multiple outlets have reported seeing Lawson attending Stephens Valley Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is not in a leadership role but is undergoing counseling as part of his repentance and healing process. Reportedly, Lawson temporarily relocated to give his wife space while they walked through the healing process.
The identity of the woman involved in the inappropriate relationship has not been officially disclosed.
According to a reply thread of now-deleted X posts from Phil Johnson (executive director of GTU and pastor at GCC), the woman in her late 20s was not a member of Trinity Bible Church, where Lawson pastored.
Lawson concluded his tweet by asking followers to pray for mercy and grace as he seeks to correct his behavior and move forward. “Please pray for the Lord’s mercy and grace as I seek to make right the deeply wrong sins I have committed against my wife and family, and that in His time and way He will bring about redemption and restoration in our marriage, for His glory.”
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