Until his death through a self-inflicted gunshot wound, David Rowan was serving as pastor for Faith Baptist Church in Milton, FL. Before he took his life on December 2, 2021, Rowan had been charged with sexually molesting two sisters aged 14 and 15 while ministering as a guest in a church in 2014. He was arrested in 2018 and was expecting the verdict of the jury when he ended it all with a gunshot. Rowan’s death evokes the memory of certain scriptural truths. The deadly nature of sin is again underscored. The end product of sin is death. “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:15 NKJV. The only safety valve is to nip things in the bud when a sinful desire begins to stir in the soul. Waiting for it to bloom will always leave a sordid tale in its wake. By the way, age does not conquer sin. He was 66 when he took his life. He must have been around 59 or 60 when the offence was committed. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses sin, nothing else.
The unfortunate story of Rowan teaches another thing; that is, the gap that sometimes exists between what is preached and practiced. He preached till as late as November 28, 2021. In a Thanksgiving service sermon on November 21, Rowan said, “The truth will stand, my dear friends, when the world is on fire. Thank God for the truth of the word of God.” Continuing he said, “If anyone has ever experienced [depression], find things to be thankful for, and your depression and gloom will flee’’. Rowan delivered the sermon a mere 11 days before his death. So while he was offering a solution for depression, he must have been suffering the same fate himself. Hearing the word is not what saves. Preaching the gospel truth does not save either. The real deal is becoming a doer of the word.