South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford needs prayer and the opportunity to redeem himself following a secretive, seven-day trip to Argentina and the subsequent admission of an extramarital affair, area pastors say.

Pastors from across The T&D Region say while it was wrong to mislead the state in the manner in which he did, it is time to forgive and leave his family to its own healing process.

“Gov. Sanford said it well when he apologized to his wife, the children, the state and other person that he let down. By his own admission, he acknowledged his sin and, of course, he’s asked for forgiveness. It’s time for people to forgive him, and it’s time for him to work on building his family again,” said the Rev. Larry D. McCutcheon, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Orangeburg.

“I would just counsel him to be very honest and upfront with his wife and be truthful even when it hurts. He’s hurting at this particular point and time. The thing about it is not only is his family involved, but there’s another family in Argentina that’s involved also. I think honesty is his best bet at this time. ... People make mistakes and that’s why we pray for forgiveness for all people. Hopefully, the Christian community will ... encourage the larger faith community and the state in general to pray for the governor during this period of time.”

The Rev. Henry Murdaugh, pastor of St. Dorcas Baptist Church in North and Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Ulmer, said while Sanford made a “stupid” mistake, he appears to be serious about his quest for redemption.

“I know what he’s done is regrettable. I give him credit for admitting that he was wrong to the folks that he has hurt. I feel that he should be given the opportunity to redeem himself. As far as it concerns him remaining in office, that’s another story. I’m real concerned. There’s only a year and a half left, but I’m holding some thought on that,” Murdaugh said.

He said Sanford needs time to “reclaim his family and rebuild bridges there.”

“I think he needs to be given some consideration. I don’t uphold what he did. What he did was wrong. He’s an adult. He knew better and is a leading citizen in this particular state. This has really put a damper on the office and the state. He seemed to have been a family man all along. I thought he would have been the last person that we would have had caught up in a deal like this,” Murdaugh said.

Murdaugh continued, “He knows folks are watching him even if he turns his cell phone off. This man went out of the country ... and left his family on Father’s Day. I understand that it was something going on between him and his wife, but that’s a big step. I know she should be seriously hurt ... even if they had differences.”

The Rev. Shane Wall, senior pastor of The Feast of the Lord in Orangeburg, said Sanford needs prayer from more than just South Carolinians.

“The Word of God instructs us to pray for those in authority. My advice to ... Sanford would be to draw on that biblical command by earnestly, yet humbly, requesting ... for all ... to pray for him. I would also encourage him to know that the acts were the sins,” he said. “Where God is concerned, the sins are over with true repentance. Repentance is a turning from our evil ways.

“Only when we stop doing the wrong will God forgive us. Only God’s judgment really matters eternally.”

McCutcheon said there is a separation that must be made between Sanford’s private marriage and his public office.

“So often, we try and deal with family matters publicly as a people and as the press. Everybody thinks they have a right to know, but in the final analysis, it’s between Jenny and Gov. Sanford. She has said in her letter already that ... he deserves a chance to try to build his family again. I think people, just because of their like or dislike of him, should not feel like they have a right to get into the man’s marriage. We have no idea what goes on between a couple. I think that’s between that couple and God. ... Because of the Information Highway, we tend to know things too quick and start passing judgments. That’s a family matter,” McCutcheon said.

He said the way the governor handled his leadership role, however, was a horse of a different color.

“I’d recommend that next time no one should leave the state as a governor without notifying the proper person. I do have some concerns about that,” McCutcheon said. “The lieutenant governor, who’s second in command, didn’t know the governor was out of the country. With all of the stuff that’s going on in our world today, there’s a chain of command. I think that he did not deal with that properly at all.

“He made a major error, but I think we should be in prayer for the governor and our state. During this economic downturn, we don’t need to be sidetracked on certain things. We need to focus on building our economy and making sure people have a livelihood and a quality of life in the state of South Carolina. He violated some rules and regulations on that particular level.

“God will deal with him on the other matters, and God doesn’t need our help in dealing with it.”

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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