It happens so often that it seems almost routine in our modern world. We read or listen to certain stories with interest and then make little jokes about how public figures shoot themselves in the foot when they yield to temptation and it becomes public knowledge. In recent years, we have become privy to the temptations which have seduced several public figures.

Not long ago, Gary Hart was the leading candidate in the Democratic Party for the nomination for President of the United States. But, when he took a cruise on a yacht called The Monkey Business, with a young woman named Donna Rice, his race for the Presidency was over. He lost his battle with temptation and his hopes and dreams for the future came crashing down around him.

A Methodist minister with a bright future in the church was t…