Tony Evans has resigned, sparking another controversy among celebrity pastors in the United States.

Evangelical pastor and radio host Tony Evans recently announced his decision to step down as senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, citing an unspecified “sin.” This development follows a pattern seen among prominent pastors in the U.S.

According to a church spokesperson, Evans will be “temporarily stepping away from his senior pastor duties.” In a statement posted on the church’s website, Evans clarified that while he “committed no crime,” he failed to exercise “righteous judgment in actions.”

Deborah Whitehead, a professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, explained that high-profile pastors often face scrutiny and fallout from their mistakes due to their elevated status. Whitehead highlighted the inherent risk of celebrity within American Christianity, noting that the fame pastors achieve can amplify their controversies.

This trend of controversial pastors isn’t new. As early as the 1700s, preachers like George Whitefield gained widespread attention, which continued into the 1980s with televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart and Ted Haggard, who both became embroiled in scandals.

“There’s a long history there of seeing these very public figures be hypocritical in some respects and have to go through these very public scandals and sometimes imprisonment,” Whitehead said. “It’s had an impact on the way Christianity and especially Evangelical Protestantism is viewed—but also religion more broadly as an object of potential suspicion.”