About this episode

Lisa Fields and Dr. Esau McCaulley discuss the impact of fallen leaders and public scandals on believers, exploring themes of accountability, grace, and healing.

In this honest conversation, Lisa Fields sits down with Dr. Esau McCaulley to discuss the difficult reality of fallen leaders, public scandals, and the impact they have on those who looked up to them. Drawing from Lisa's book When Heroes Fall, they explore what Scripture teaches about accountability, grace, trauma, healing, and the danger of confusing gifting with character. Together, they wrestle with questions many believers face: • Can someone do genuine good and still cause great harm?• How should Christians respond when trusted leaders fail?• What does biblical accountability actually look like?• How do we process disappointment without losing our faith? This conversation offers a thoughtful framework for navigating grief, disillusionment, and healing while keeping our eyes fixed on Christ—not human heroes. Subscribe for more conversations that help you know what you believe and why you believe it. Support the mission and vision of Jude 3 Project here: https://www.jude3project.org/donate Grab our curriculum here: https://www.jude3project.org Take an online course that will help you know what you believe and why here: https://learn.jude3project.org/library/

People in this episode

Host: Lisa Fields

Guest: Dr. Esau McCaulley

Topics covered

• fallen leaders
• public scandals
• accountability
• grace
• healing
• disappointment
• faith

Keywords

• fallen leaders
• public scandals
• accountability
• grace
• healing
• disappointment
• faith

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jude 3 Project

Books & works: When Heroes Fall

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• How Generations View Church Scandals - Special Guest: Dr. Cynthia James · July 6, 2026 · 39 min
• When Your Hero Is Racist - Special Guest: Dr. Vincent Bacote · June 29, 2026 · 32 min
• Accountability vs. Punishment - Special Guest: Dr. Stacie Otey Scott · June 15, 2026 · 54 min

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