I first came across Sam Allberry while I was vetting a grant proposal for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics almost a decade ago.

At the time, the Christian foundation I worked for was closely partnered with Ravi Zecharias International Ministries (RZIM), and Allberry was one of several British apologists, including Professor John Lennox, who were partnering with RZIM to re-engage the secular West with logical arguments for the Gospel.

Allberry, who has admitted to being sexually attracted to men, gained accolades in evangelical circles for separating homosexual behavior from "same-sex attraction" - a line of thought that spread like wildfire to church leaders across the West. Instead of preaching against homosexuality, churches could preach celibate homosexuality.

Allberry's perspective came at a time when church leaders were looking for some way to hold onto biblical teaching about sexuality while also avoiding the label of "bigot." Allberry seemed to provide a "third way" to follow God while also being empathetic to sinners so that churches could avoid violating what the late Pastor Voddie Baucham called the 11th Commandment: "Thou Shalt Be Nice."

That "third way" mentality quickly landed Allberry a fellowship at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, a ministry of The Gospel Coalition named after the late Pastor Tim Keller. Allberry then moved to Tennessee and joined Russell Moore's church, Immanuel Church Nashville, as an associate pastor in 2023.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what brings us to the inevitable end of this experiment in sin-dabbling:

From the church:

In spring of 2024, the Immanuel Elders were made aware that Pastor Sam Allberry engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an adult man in 2022. This relationship concluded prior to Sam being called as a pastor at Immanuel in 2023. Being made aware, the Elders immediately began a thorough investigation. After considering the information available at that time and the posture of Sam and the other party, the Elders ruled that though Sam's conduct was unwise, it did not rise to the level of disqualification. However, in January of 2026, the Elders received new information about this relationship that had not been disclosed previously. This initiated a reopening of the investigation, the findings of which led the Elders to conclude that, while the relationship did not go as far as it could have, Sam's conduct constituted a serious breach of trust and a failure to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. The Elders are unanimous in their decision that Sam is currently disqualified from gospel ministry. Sam agrees with this decision and has resigned from Immanuel Church.

Throughout this process, Sam has been repentant, humble, and cooperative with the Elders and outside counsel. The Elders continue to care for Sam as a brother in Christ and Member of Immanuel. We will continue to support Sam and the other party with counseling, and we are determined in so far as we are able to 'restore him in a spirit of gentleness' to full fellowship in the church (Galatians 6:1).

The church is dealing with this in the way that Christ and the Apostle Paul instructed them to. But one must wonder at the willingness to accept Allberry into a position of leadership in the first place.

The Gospel Coalition also made a statement.

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Many of the Christian leaders who once seemed so smart and well spoken have stumbled headfirst into walls of their own sin in recent years. Ravi Zecharias sexually harassed spa employees and supporters and had a secret lover in Asia. Sam Allberry tried to soften the church's approach to sodomy and fell headlong into sodomy in the process. Russell Moore dove headfirst into liberalism and has made a laughingstock of "Christianity Today" in the process.

Capitulation is always a foothold of Satan. Toxic empathy gets wrapped in language of being winsome and loving, and it becomes a matter of church policy.

Then sin spreads like a cancer, and when full-grown, leads to death.

God never speaks nicely about people who coddle their sin in order to assuage a guilty conscience. He does speak positively about people who decisively treat sin like cancer, even when they take drastic action:

'...an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman's stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped' - Numbers 25:6-8a

'[King Josiah] did away with the idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places in the cities of Judah and in the areas surrounding Jerusalem. They had burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, moon, constellations, and all the stars in the sky. He brought out the Asherah pole from the Lord's temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it at the Kidron Valley, beat it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people. He also tore down the houses of the male cult prostitutes that were in the Lord's temple, in which the women were weaving tapestries for Asherah.' - 2 Kings 23:5-7

Crucify your sin. Carry your cross. Smash the idols.

Give no quarter to evil.