Readers weigh in on reporting a fallen pastor's deeds.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

When I asked you to play newspaper editor and decide whether to run a story about a pastor who resigns over his involvement with Internet pornography, I anticipated what some of you would say:

Out of compassion for the pastor, don't run the story.

"His sin is between himself and his God (same as you and me)," wrote David Beers. Said Lyn Sutterlin: "Let us not crucify ordained ministers over back fences, in daily newspapers or across church pews."

What I didn't anticipate, though, was the lofty expectations that others put on their pastors _ and the anger that comes when he or she falls.

For every person who thought the press should protect a troubled pastor, there was someone else saying that a pastor who betrays God and the congregation deserves to have the sin shared with all.

"They have been called by God to teach persons about God and the right way to have a Christian life," wrote Stroupe Lang. "When they do wrong, people should know about it."

Each of the 40 people who responded to the question about the troubled (and imaginary) pastor spoke eloquently. But I sensed the deepest passion coming from those who felt their faith had been betrayed by this person.