No. 1658 Espen Ottosen: Jan Aage Torp Should not be a pastor!

No. 1658
Espen Ottosen: Jan Aage  Torp Should not be a pastor!
One of the very few within the Christianity who has dared to question both the work of Pastor Torp and personal life is Espen Ottosen, information manager in the Norwegian Lutheran Mission. In several articles on our country's value debate, he explains why Torp should no longer serve as a pastor:

Picture of narreapostel Jan Aage Torp where he grabs his own son publicly, illustrated.

Should retire as a pastor!
I have expressed on twitter that I think it's regrettable that Jan-Aage Torp does not end up as a pastor. The reason is not just the story that his son appears in today's issue of the A magazine. My reasoning is more comprehensive. Here are some words.
Jan-Aage Torp is a pastor. Also the term apostle is used for his ministry. Nevertheless, it is natural to emphasize what Paul asks as a supervisor's requirement. Here are some important verses from 1 Tim 3.2-7:
"Therefore, an overseer must be impeccable, one woman's man, sober, sincere, worthy, hospitable, capable of teaching others, not drinking, not violent, but gentle, not fierce or money-loving. He must manage his house well and have obedient children with all honesty. But whoever does not know how to govern his own house, how can he care for the church of God? He must not be converted, lest he be inflated and fall under the devil's judgment. He must also have good testimony from those who are outside, so that he will not be mocked and caught in the snare of the devil. "
These words present great ideals. First of all, let me say that I (of course) does not believe that a Christian leader should be perfect. We are all sinners. Fortunately, the Bible says that God can also use weak and wrong people. At the same time, I think the words of Paul represent a scale of relevance and importance. We have no right to cancel the meaning of these words because no one is flawless. A Christian leader relies on trust. Therefore, there must be a connection between life and learning.
As far as Jan-Aage Torp is concerned, I think that he himself has weakened his trust in a fundamental way, especially in recent years. I think it's uncomfortable to claim. But I actually think it's even more difficult to be completely silent - for his conduct he has discredited the entire Christian church in Norway.
The last example relates to the story the son is now telling. It's simply shaking, even though I take into account that the media do not give a completely balanced representation, even though Torp has had the opportunity to respond. Many Christian leaders have experienced that their children have gone away from faith. Some would think that it in itself disqualifies a pastor. I do not think so. Also, pastor children must have the opportunity to choose their own faith. But the story of Anders Torp is very special, also because the son today has broken all contact with his father. It obviously weakens the trust of Torp.
Even more serious is this since Torp today admits that the theology he made sure his son was met was unhealthy. To some extent, it is good that Torp takes self-criticism. The problem is just that there are limits to how many times a person can greatly upset their mistakes - and still keep trust. Torp prophesied bloodbath during the Olympics in Athens, something he later regretted. In today's articles, he regrets both contact with the Danish "Father's House" and "Spirit-Driveners" from Zambia. That's why there is reason to ask if Torp has shown sufficient spiritual discretion. I do not think so. In addition, I think of much of the substance found on the website of Oslo Church, and the blog of Jan-Aage Torp shows that Torp still markets an extraordinary charismatic approach. It is very problematic.
One last moment is that Jan-Aage Torp is married again. This is a difficult point to comment - as regards the privacy of Torp. At the same time, I think it is unreasonable to think that all topics relating to marital status should be stamped as irrelevant. Paul, after all, emphasizes such questions in 1 Timothy's letter.
It is probably well known that my basic belief is that reprint is wrong. This I justify with Matt 19.3-10 and some other bielvers. At the same time, I think the question is difficult. Many conservative Christians believe relegation in certain situations may be right. I respect that. On the other hand, I firmly believe that Christian leaders should refrain from remarriage - for example, because Paul writes that a leader should be "a woman's husband."