Author, pastor Samuel Renihan confesses to adultery, resigns

Renihan, a pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, Calif., admitted to his actions in a letter published on his church history blog on Monday. He described what he had done as exceedingly wicked. He said he informed his church of his sin, resigned from his role, and has submitted himself to the discipline of the church.

Renihan is the author of several books and has written numerous theological articles in print and online for different national discipleship ministries and Christian media outlets. Some of his articles had been taken down by those publishers as of Tuesday morning. He noted that he confessed to the organizations he is affiliated with and took down his self-published theological works.

What does Renihan say happened? He said that someone else discovered his sin and exposed him, adding that it was a great shame he didn’t bring his sin to light. He said the consequences of his actions would be far-reaching, and the fault was entirely his own. He thanked God that his wife forgave him and said he wrote this letter to humble himself before a broader audience.

Renihan is one of five pastors at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, where he was ordained in 2012. He earned a doctorate degree from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam in 2017.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on a Dallas pastor who spoke out after he was fired for having an extramarital affair.