To be honest, I can track with where both of you are coming from. When someone gets nailed for something, and then immediately plays the "Jesus card" as you called it, it leaves you with the sense that you are somehow the "bad Christian" for not forgiving "as Jesus forgave." Furthermore, it seems to me that if someone has a genuine sense of repentence for sins that he or she has committed, that individual must, in the process of turning from their sin, recognize that others have been wounded by their transgressions. Furthermore, in the process of recognizing the damage that they have done, there ought to be some sort of ... desire ... to right the wrong (so to speak). So to my way of thinking, when the leader immediately plays the "forgive as Jesus forgave card," he is probably saying more about the actual condition of his heart than he is about the condition of yours (based upon your willingness to either forgive or not forgive).

But ... there is the issue of Luke 6:37 and the "measurement of forgiveness" that we are willing to pour out. While I agree that the pastor (in this particular circumstance) does not appear to be genuinely remorseful (based upon his apparent lack of concern for the damage he has done and upon his apparently greater concern for maintaining his position) and thus is not fit for leadership, I wonder whether our desire is to truly see him restored or whether our desire is to merely protect ourselves from being swindled and being left to feel like a doormat. If it is the latter, than we are are every bit as guilty as he is in terms of failing to live as Christ commands.

What do you think?