Dr. Tony Evans Has Stepped Down From His Pastoral Duties for an Unnamed "Sin"

Whenever a religious leader “sins,” it just becomes another reason to lose faith. If the leader of a religion and church can’t practice what they preach, how can they expect their followers to do so? Dr. Tony Evans was the senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, which he founded in 1976. But now he’s stepping down from his post because of a “sin.”

News broke of Tony’s decision on June 11, 2024, effective immediately. While the current church leaders have yet to announce a replacement, the 10,000 members of the megachurch are eagerly awaiting news of what exactly happened. Tony didn’t share any details about what he did, but perhaps some internet sleuths have figured out exactly why he decided to step down.

In an official statement on the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship website, Tony announced his departure from his pastoral duties after 48 years. With multiple decades as a pastor, it’s impossible to think he hasn’t committed any sins in that time. Regardless, something set him over the edge recently which informed his decision to leave the church he created.

“The foundation of our ministry has always been our commitment to the Word of God as the absolute supreme standard of truth to which we are to conform our lives,” he wrote. “When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God. A number of years ago, I fell short of that standard. I am, therefore, required to apply the same biblical standard of repentance and restoration to myself that I have applied to others.”

Tony added that he shared his sin with his wife, Carla Evans (née Crummie), and his children, Hurst Evans, Anthony Evans Jr., Jonathan Evans, and Priscilla Shirer, as well as the church elders. His decision to leave was made with the other church leaders. “I am stepping away from my pastoral duties and am submitting to a healing and restoration process established by the elders,” he added. This will afford me a needed time of spiritual recovery and healing.”

Naturally, by only giving vague information about what happened and when, people will speculate and gossip about the full truth. While some think they are owed absolute honesty as people who have supported the church, both financially and in spirit, others believe that Tony has as much of a right to privacy as anyone else. Regardless, the most common opinion among punters is that someone threatened to bring information about this sin to light, so Tony is getting ahead of it.

“Anyone who admits years later is usually being threatened with exposure,” one Redditor wrote. “What's done in the dark will usually come to light, even if it takes years.” Another cited Bill Hybels, a pastor who was taken to task in 2018 because of sexual assault and misconduct allegations that were eventually proven true after an investigation.

However, Tony stipulated, “While I have committed no crime, I did not use righteous judgment in my actions.” One of the most common “sins” among men in leadership positions that isn’t a crime would be a consensual affair. Many are speculating that if Tony had an affair during his first marriage, then whoever his partner was could be coming out of the woodwork.

Another common “sin” that’s not a crime? Homosexuality. Tony has said that homosexuality is “weighted heavier in terms of its implications both for, not only the family, but then how the Church functions in light of it, and how the Church interacts with the culture in light of it,” espousing it as one of the most impactful sins there is. Often when people are so against homosexuality, they have internalized homophobia that could stem from their own desires.

Of the seven deadly sins — pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth — all have levels of criminality. Gluttony can lead to theft, greed can lead to fraud, wrath can lead to abuse, etc. But if one is bad enough for Tony to step down that also isn’t a crime, something in “lust” family is most likely.