Over one year after he stepped down from his leadership position at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas. June 2024, Dr. Tony Evans had admitted to committing a sin many years ago that, according to church leadership, fell “short of the high standards of scripture.” In a statement, Dr. Evans did not disclose the specific details of the sin but denied he had done anything of an illegal nature. “The foundation of our ministry has always been our commitment to the Word of God as the absolute supreme standard of truth to which we are to conform our lives. When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God. A number of years ago, I fell short of that standard. I am, therefore, required to apply the same biblical standard of repentance and restoration to myself that I have applied to others,” wrote Dr. Evans.
Dr. Evans’s first public teaching appearance occurred July 11 during The FAMiLY Leadership Summit in Des Moines, IA. In making his first appearance, Dr. Evans joked about conversations he and the group’s president and CEO, Bob Vander Plaats, had about whether or not he was “ready” to return to public speaking. When Dr. Evans jokingly stated he offered to come for free, he said Vander Plaats then knew he was ready.
In his sermon entitled “Principle Over Politics,” Dr. Evans addressed how his listeners should lead his lives in such a way that people want to watch the “whole show,” like how previews draw in crowds to coming attractions. “My brothers and sisters, one day, there’s a big show coming to town. God is the producer, the Holy Spirit is the director, Jesus is the superstar, and it will be a worldwide production. It’s called the Kingdom of God. But in the meantime, He has left you and me here as previews of coming attractions,” he said. “See, we’re supposed to be the hot clips of the upcoming show. People are supposed to see the clips of our presence and impact and the culture and say that clip is hot and raise the question, ‘Where can I buy a ticket to the whole show?’”
While this was his first public preaching, it is unclear whether Oak Cliff approved Dr. Evans’s preaching at the event. It is also unclear if he has been restored to preaching in his previous position at the church. Multiple outlets, including The Christian Post and The Roys Report have stated that any attempts to receive a comment from either the church or the summit have received no responses.