Covenanters React to Clinton Visit at Willow Creek

SOUTH BARRINGTON, IL (August 16, 2000) - When Covenant pastor Mike Coglan showed up for a leadership event at nationally known Willow Creek Church, he had no idea that the leader of the free world would be taking center stage on opening day.

Coglan and others were surprised to learn that President Bill Clinton was to be interviewed by Willow Creek senior pastor Bill Hybels during an afternoon session last week. Clinton's comments to some 4,500 religious leaders about the Monica Lewinski scandal and his attempts to rebuild his image and personal life gave people much to think about.

The interview drew criticism from the local Christian community - Hybels and other Willow Creek leaders struggled with the decision to host Clinton during the leadership conference. Coglan and the handful of other Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) pastors and church leaders attending the conference were candid in their assessments of the historic event.

"I think it was a really neat experience," said Coglan, associate pastor at Maple Grove Covenant Church in Minnesota. "You knew this was not your typical activity. Just from that standpoint I was grateful to be part of the event. It was a mixed group. I think some were enamored with the president and I thought the group was very gracious to the man. There was no jeering, nothing negative about it. I was very proud to be a part of the group; I think we showed due respect for the president."

Coglan said he did not vote for Clinton and at first questioned Clinton's motivation in agreeing to be interviewed by Hybels, a friend and confidant in recent years. Although Coglan found the interview to be "a little bit hollow," he said he was moved by some of what Clinton had to say.

"One of the great things that he did say was that he's in the second year of the process of rebuilding his life," Coglan said. "He also said that having messed up as bad as he has, it has made him more tender towards other people. I appreciated that on his behalf. This whole thing has been embarrassing beyond all understanding . . . I think he's definitely paid the price for his actions."

Will Coglan perceive Clinton differently because of what happened at Willow Creek? The associate pastor said that the event forced him to look honestly at his own attitude toward the president.

"I anticipate when I go back to my church in Minnesota that some there will think it (the interview) was a very bad idea," Coglan said. "I will have to preach on grace, respect for civil authorities, and I'll have to challenge people on their behavior towards Clinton. I'm sad that my 12-year-old son has grown up without knowing a president I have been proud of. I feel some sense of responsibility for that. I have spoken about Clinton's failures and haven't lifted him up. And we haven't prayed for him enough."

Craig Swanson, pastor at Northbrook Covenant Church in Illinois, also was impressed by the event, calling it "a unique moment in presidential history." Listening to Clinton's answers during the interview, he said he gained a new perspective on his own views of the president.

"I found myself with lots of different reactions," Swanson said. "I've never been a huge Clinton fan. But I was surprised by the impact that it had being in the presence of the president of the United States. I'm from a generation that is not overly impressed by leaders, and yet Clinton's reflections on his own life and his own struggles were unique. I thought he answered (questions) thoughtfully . . . he didn't seem to want to whitewash himself at all."

Given the tenor of the 75-minute session, Swanson said that he is still unsure as to what Clinton's motives were for the interview with Hybels, but said he appreciated the inside look at the U.S. president. He believes Clinton's experience is something that we can learn from - both the good and the bad behavior - as we examine the role of leaders.

"Has the president disappointed people and let people down? Yes, he did," Swanson said. "There's no way of going back and pretending he didn't do it . . . but what do you do about it? All I can do is go by what he said and how it appeared. At the end of the day if we have to err on one side or the other, I want to act on the side of grace," he continued.

"His saying that he's had to take the last two years and rebuild his marriage and family life - I don't think we've thought through things on that level," Swanson reflected. "It was quite a peering into the spiritual life of a public person. And I don't think we've ever seen a relationship between a president and a religious leader like this. Hybels seems to be able to shoot straight and talk very honestly. It would be a very interesting relationship to know more about."

Bill Orris, pastor at DeerGrove Covenant Church in Palatine, Illinois, was able to attend the interview between Clinton and Hybels. The event was poignant for him as well.

In a sermon Orris preached days after the event, he reminded his congregation that being Christ-like means showing Christ-like characteristics both in private and public. In examining Clinton's actions in the Lewinsky scandal, Orris said he can understand why many would question whether the president's faith is genuine. However, said Orris, "I felt the man was totally genuine, he was very sincere. You could tell he was nervous and for the first half an hour the whole conversation was about his relationship. He literally relived his confession. You could imagine that there are many who will condemn Clinton, but the majority of those there sensed he was genuine."

For Kurt Tillman, church chair at Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church in Illinois, Clinton's appearance at Willow Creek was more vexing, although he admitted the presence of the media may have made it more difficult to ask more pointed questions about the Lewinsky scandal and its effect on Clinton's leadership.

"It was probably the least important time for a leadership summit, in terms of helping me be a leader," he said. "I thought the value was lost because the right questions weren't asked. I didn't think anything new was added to the public discourse. How did what was broadly perceived as a significant moral failure impact your ability to lead? To me, that was the question that begged to be answered," he continued.

"Clinton said that he had asked for forgiveness for the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal," Tillman continued. "What I haven't heard is Clinton confess to lying about it. He didn't confess until he had a gun to his head. Second, the whole Lewinsky thing is . . . a repeated pattern of moral indiscretion. In one way, it was a lost opportunity, because more substantive healing could've taken place. One positive, however, was the way Clinton was received. People really treated him graciously and the message of grace was communicated, particularly in the session prior to the interview."

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