Many worship leaders agree. Platts 2020 book Before You Vote also drew criticism from some church members as being soft on traditional evangelical issues like abortion and sexuality. Online posts on blogs, Facebook, and email charged Platt with pushing critical race theory, revising biblical teaching on sexuality, and aligning with the SBC despite McLeans constitutional prohibition of affiliating with any denomination. And a celebrity is a two-dimensional figure who exists to serve the needs of everyone but themselves. The culture of Hillsong is the problem, and the pastors, from continent to continent and coast to coast, are simply the byproduct of the culture., Megan Phalon, who also worked with the Bogards while a congregant at Hillsong NYC, told The Post the email initially left her in shock and feeling hopeful that Brian was actually acknowledging the wrong that the Bogards had done., Her brief hope, however, was overshadowed by a now-deleted tweet Brian Houston sent on Sunday in response to a Christian Post article detailing allegations that married Hillsong staff administrator Jason Mays assaulted then-Hillsong College student Anna Crenshaw in May 2016. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. 3. I'm just wondering, how big was it really? Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. . When a megachurch scandal makes headlines, it doesnt usually affect your Sunday morning set list. Polemics Report posted an article about the Christian News Network post, entitled When Reformed Theology is a Cloak for Debauchery. Many factors, all amplified by the pandemic, have resulted in the difficult decision to pause all operations at Hillsong Dallas for now, Brian and Bobbie Houston, the husband-and-wife team who co-founded Hillsong and currently share the title of global senior pastors, wrote to congregants in a Saturday email that was forwarded to The Post. If youre the church of Jesus Christ, thats really problematic.. Prior to his resignation, Houston fired Lentz as the lead pastor at Hillsongs New York City location in November 2020, citing leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures. Lentz addressed his termination in a 2020 Instagram post revealing that he had cheated on his wife, Laura. Back at McLean, Platt and his fellow elders are urging the church in that direction. Now, shes conflicted about whether to keep singing favorites like What a Beautiful Name. I really love that song. I hate to say it but the vast majority religious people are gullible not sheep but just flat out mindless lemmings. On March 23, Houston resigned from Hillsong. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Roxanne Stone, managing editor of Religion News Service, about the latest controversies surrounding the downfall of Hillsong megachurch. The question over whether to keep playing Hillsongs music in worship falls in an interesting place. The reason Freese is pleading with these powerbrokers is that he hasnt yet fully realised how the system works. ,and
CHANG: That is the managing editor of Religion News Service, Roxanne Stone. Enough question marks. Heres Where You Might Want to Live Instead, Starbucks Wants You To Put a Shot of Olive Oil in Your Coffee, Ashton Kutcher Admits He Puts Orange Juice in His Coffee, A New App Can Tell if Your Date Isnt Into You, Tyler Perry Donates $2.5 Million to Help Low-Income Atlanta Senior Citizens Afford Housing, Study: Most Americans Believe News Organizations Intentionally Mislead, Less Than 30 Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Attend Church at Least Once a Month, Tony Evans: Why We Need Black History Month, Australian Lawmakers May Prevent Kanye West From Entering the Country Over Hate Speech, Uh Oh, Doomsday Clock Is Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before, What They Dont Tell You About Social Justice, New Report: Global Christian Persecution is Higher than Ever. That Mark Driscoll continues as a Pastor to whom some are drawn, while others are drawn to condemn him; speaks to a complexity. STONE: Well, I suppose it depends on who you asked and how far back you went. And during that time, I often heard people say, I miss him so much, I feel like he really knew me. To which I would reply kindly, Had you ever spoken to the pastor? Inevitably, they would reply, No. Such is the case with the mega-church pulpit. including mishandling the reporting and investigation of possible child abuse. The email also links to an open letter to Driscoll, detailing the accusations. One last thing: There is a personal responsibility to be taken by the fallen pastor and believe me, they suffer. . Yet, several high-profile pastors who have longtime supported Driscoll have stayed silent, including Jimmy Evans of XO Marriage, Robert Morris of Gateway Church, and North Coast Churchs Larry Osborne. What an average church-going person doesnt understand about the pressure of being a pastor, I can sum up in one word: currency. Great! Sadly, Durbin claimed only several years ago to hold to theonomy, a viewpoint with which James White does not agree. Some fans have drawn distinctions between Hillsong Church and Hillsong music. The truth is: The mega-church pastor is in real trouble. How else could an inveterate liar, serial adulterer bragging about assaulting women con-artist who was convicted of overt fraud at least twice (Trump University, Trump Foundation) and is entirely anti-Christ now completely engaged in the Big Lie destroying the greatest country on the earth be the darling of the white American evangelical community.:-(????? At the end of the day, in grappling with such difference in pathway and understanding, we encounter theology and individual theologising. To (rightfully) be more respectful of privacy, I deleted my comment. He also warned against letting tensions swell. When the pastor says, Hey church, lets do XYZ!, hundreds of people do XYZbecause of the awesome pastor. But it began to feel like, wow, this is a lot of justification for incident after incident. per WenatcheeTheHatchet on Thu Jun 03, 2021 at 10:01 AM said: The question of why Jon Phelps, Matt Rogers, Larry Osborne and Michael van Skaik on the Board of Overseers decided to disregard the Board of Elders conclusion that Mark was unfit for ministry is something that those four men have yet to explain based on reports for the record so far., http://thewartburgwatch.com/2021/06/01/dear-mark-driscoll-hes-back-and-if-the-stories-are-true-he-appears-to-be-bonkers/, Michael Van Skaik, Id like to know why you gave a pass to MD. She claimed that she tried to end the relationship that September, and Lentzs wife learned of the affair the following month. Yeah. It was the most toxic thing I ever had to deal with, she claims. >What I dont understand is why the people in Driscolls church stay. They need each of you to take action.. I think people in this forum could do a lot better at understanding this. Yet, several high-profile pastors who have longtime supported Driscoll have stayed silent, including Jimmy Evans of XO Marriage, Robert Morris of Gateway Church, and North Coast Church's Larry Osborne. Hopefully, thats the point. ATLANTA The pastor of an Atlanta mega church is now asking for forgiveness. Hillsong leaders have criticized the Discovery+ documentary, saying its slanted portrayal is an attempt to harm the church, not an effort to present a true and fair account its ministry work. Some older evangelicals see it as sort of a coup.. After Driscoll blew up at one of the pastors, repeatedly shouting the f-word at him, Driscoll mandated that all staff attend a threat assessment two days later or lose their jobs, Freese wrote. Yonat Shimron. When I asked Pastor Brandon (how to handle this report, he instructed me to delete everything., At a later meeting, Driscoll and other staff members laughed about the accusation, just summing it up as a laughable absurdity, and accused the former security team member of being demonic.. But lets be really honest with each other, were you really shocked that this happened? Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. We sit in large part where we are today because of the centuries of gross injustice done to our black brothers and sisters, said Giglio. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Here is the controversial email in its entirety (bold emphasis added mine, all grammar errors left unchanged). Hipster Pastor Makes Late Night Comedy Show Mocking Sin, Making Christian Entertainment Not Su**. The following day, he apologized for the tweet. It is unclear, at the time of publication, whether White is leaving Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church as elder and member, however, dual-membership is not really something that happens regularly in Reformed Baptist Churches (but on the other hand, Apologia is not a Reformed Baptist Church). Worst. No. Under Solomon, the congregation had been known as a holy destination for GOP senators and Bush aides. Tensions ramped up the past two years amid political turmoil in the DC area and nationwide. The worst aspect of feminism is when its adherents decide that they want to get even by becoming the abuser. And when a church hits 1,000 there are enough staff members and congregants that even subtle moves in leadership affect peoples paychecks, trust and lives. A true shepherd will not ever even begin to fit in with a den of thieves or a brood of vipers as our holy book calls such. Haydn, though a far-flung parallel, is relevant as one example of a composer whose music has transcended its provenance as a product of the patronage of an unjust system or corrupt organization. So, to ever really be vulnerable would require you messing with the trajectory of one of those satellites, which would then mess with everything else. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Pastors all over the globe should have publicly communicated stern warnings regarding all of these incidents. Another woman, Leona Kimes, whod worked for the Lentzs as a nanny, also alleged that Lentz took photos of and touched her without permission, and that both he and Laura had mocked and bullied her daily. We want MBC to be a place where people with all kinds of convictions on matters of conscience can thrive, the Q&A stated. The Washington-area megachurch led by best-selling author David Platt has affirmed three new eldersbut only after a public tussle over politics, race, and alleged liberal drift, plus a lawsuit . In the post, the chief made controversial comments about the Black Lives Matter movement. Picture a world where you like the preaching and the criticism is mostly coming from people who seem to have an axe to grind with the person, the church, or the theology. It enters the world as a commodity; it enters the world under a brand name, he said. Respectfully, you are ignoring the fact that Christians are supposed to be led by the Spirit instead of being lead by their emotions, intellect or pure ignorance. STONE: Well, before the pandemic, they talked about having 30 campuses globally, over 150,000 people attending. In August 2021, New South Wales authorities arrested Houston on charges of concealing child sex offenses, alleging that he knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the attention of police.. That thought is repulsive. Now, the former head of security at Driscolls new church in Scottsdale, ArizonaThe Trinity Churchis pleading with these pastors to act. Enough questions. CHANG: Well, do you think that Hillsong's fall from grace will have ripple effects through the larger evangelical community? Both moves raised questions for some members. Like, do we know its reach? But it's a huge church with campuses all over the world, with friends in very powerful places and certainly in the U.S. And the New York campus, that was known for these lines around the block. Jesus DOES NOT lead His children and especially NOT HIS LEADERS into this kind of thing! In the case of Hillsong, said Mercer-Taylor, the music will be handled as a commodity, subject to being unseated in the marketplace even if it has artistic or spiritual value. (These actions were previously reported by The Roys Report). They need a Shepherd for the Flock. But no matter the case, we must do whatever we can do make the role of a pastor one that truly allows for a person to be a human. (Freese said in his open letter he had felt led to fulfill the director of security role as a full-time volunteer.). Wolves in sheeps clothing. . Morris told Driscoll in a special birthday message on a video posted to The Trinity Churchs Facebook page this past October. Freese addresses Driscoll directly in the open letter, alleging a slew of questionable behaviors ranging from fostering a toxic culture to avoiding oversight; implementing over-the-top security measures out of distrust and paranoia; harassing others and allowing subordinates to do so; and mishandling a case of possible child abuse. The only people who can stop Driscoll are the authorities, if hes committing crimes, and the congregation by separating from him. Leighton Flowers Latest Anti-Calvinist Convert is Interfaith Ecumenist, Childermas: Matthew Henry on the Slaughter of the Innocents, Social Justice Christians Attack Nationalism With Joint Statement. Under founding pastor Lon Solomon, McLean launched a church planting partnership with the SBCs North American Mission Board in 2016 while remaining nondenominational. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Daniel Knighton / Getty Images. A FAST-growing megachurch is dealing with a scandal after its pastor was allegedly caught half-naked at his home with a married employee by shocked worshippers who had stopped by to surprise him. McLean Bible Church, the multisite megachurch in McLean, Virginia near Washington, D.C. where David Platt pastors, confirmed three new elders Sunday in a revote where members labeled their ballots with their names. And as noted by The Independent, other megachurches have been fined for flagrantly ignoring pandemic rules designed to protect the public. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. In response to The Posts request for comment, Hillsong sent Houstons apology tweet. The three-part Discovery+ docuseries Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed re-examines the churchs tangled history including the recent downfalls of co-founder Brian Houston and its most famous pastor, Carl Lentz. White is an amillennialist, and Durbin is a post-millennialist and his post-millennialism seems to drive the rest of his theology. Freese volunteered on the churchs security team for eight months and he served as director of security for seven weeks. So its you, alone. We pray that James White will influence Apologia Church more than Apologia Church will influence James White. When your pastor makes a joke, 10,000 people laugheven if it's not that funny. We suspended him from his pastoral duties as we initiated a review into these incidents, the Houstons wrote, adding that the Bogards decided to resign early in the investigation process, which has since concluded. My husband and I were just talking about Gateway church since we live in Frisco. Will Maule, Faithwire. Hillsong, a megachurch, has over 150,000 members around the world Credit: Discover+ Im sure that Morris and Jimmy Evans are trying to distance themselves from Mark at this point. Certainly, it seems like the most recent scandals and the U.S.-based sort of implosion really started a little over 18 months ago when the celebrity pastor of Hillsong New York City, Carl Lentz, was fired for an extramarital affair. vetting worship hits on a theological basis, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, No Celebrities Except Jesus: How Asbury Protected the Revival, The Kings College Faces Threat of Closure, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. Some may dismiss the expulsion of Hillsongs music as an example of cancel culture, a rush to get rid of historically significant influence on worship culture and songs that have been meaningful and formative for so many. * * pastors to act awesome pastor for seven weeks why the in! 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