Step away from the table and the pulpit

Starting off, here are two common passages cited when defining the qualifications of a leader in a church, with a tangential third as follow-up that is also related:

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. - Titus 1:5-9 (NKJV)

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. - 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NKJV)

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. - James 3:1 (NKJV)

There are many facets to qualification, and in turn disqualification, but focus on the dynamics of discipline and self-control, especially as it concerns health and wellness, given the following:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

And let's also take a detour to the Old Testament and understand the context that such advice would have existed in relating to how much one eats:

Do not mix with winebibbers,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. - Proverbs 23:20-21 (NKJV)

Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
But a companion of gluttons shames his father. - Proverbs 28:7 (NKJV)

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you;
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite. - Proverbs 23:1-2 (NKJV)

And continuing the theme:

And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. - Deuteronomy 21:20-21 (NKJV)

All this to say that gluttony is no small sin, and while it does not appear to have such a significant penalty to participation in it as other sins such as adultery or murder, gluttony is essentially the same type of sin as those, manifested differently.

Adultery, and even just fornication, are the result of succumbing to desires of the flesh as related to sex. The feelings produced by such activities are so enjoyed, and so overwhelming to the individual, that when opportunities to experience such feelings arise, they cannot resist them.

This dynamic is not something which "goes away" even after having walked in repentance for some time, because the flesh that lusts after such things is not destroyed when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, but it is simply given competition. The flesh and Spirit rage throughout the rest of our lives, and if it did so for Paul who wrote a large portion of the New Testament, then the same is all the more true for us:

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. - Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV)

We still are still living in the flesh even if walking by the Spirit.

So what this means is that even elders will fail, will sin, but that alone is not a disqualification, because we are all fallen and we have all sinned.

Instead, what it means is that how a church reacts to any sin on the part of its leaders and teachers is of great importance:

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. - 1 Tinothy 5:17-20 (NKJV)

The double measure of honor does not come without a price, or without requirement, merely because a man placed a label upon himself as "teacher". Along with that greater honor comes greater scrutiny and lack of privacy relating to unrepentant sin.

A church that I used to attend had conflict with the behavior of its head pastor. The pastors which I interacted with tried to make a case for there being systems of accountability in place, and that any corrections would be dealt with in that private and more intimate setting.

Likewise, there have been people I've read or listened to on social media and blogs who take a "public support, private criticism" approach regarding their associates.

The problem here is that correction and censure do not occur where such correction would teach all. Individuals may be singled out and criticized for their flaws, but when it comes to central figures and leaders, somehow they are to be granted extra leniency in the error of their ways?

According to scripture, that is wrong. People should fear taking on such responsibility, such a position in the social dynamic, because instead of having extra leniency, they are instead granted less. If all leaders were being held to a higher standard, we would not be where we are today.

There would be fewer fools or schemers rushing to the protection and position of leadership, because to do so would expose them to their enemies, lay their own selfish plans bare before all. It's when such positions provide insulation that they are brave enough to seek them.

So look at waistline of the man who preaches to you, of the authors you read, of the people who have placed themselves in positions of honor. The consequences of their sin is so much harder to hide, and as such, calling it out should be of little consequence or controversy. The goal isn't to remove them forever, unless they are unrepentant.

Now, you might be wondering, why is this so important? Why is "sin sniffing" so often ridiculed while we're yet commanded by God to hold leaders to a higher standard?

People have difficulty convicting themselves. If I am guilty of a particular kind of sin, my instinct from my flesh will be to hide it away, diminish it, and in so doing try to mitigate the consequences of sin by my own efforts instead of relying on Christ's work on the cross. Such a pattern of behavior creates exploits which people can leverage to mitigate their own sinful behavior.

Not seeking to repent, but to mitigate.

Mitigation circumvents Jesus Christ's work on our behalf, and Jesus is the only path to God, so there will be many who believe they have been saved, but are instead still living in sin without the Spirit to guide them away from the desires of the flesh. We make less of Jesus when we make less of the sin among us, to treat it as middling or trivial.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

Repent of your sins, confess them and rely on the Spirit to guide your path away from temptation and evil.

Listen to those who do the same.

Reject the council of those who are still enslaved to the satisfaction of their desires.