God commands us to be compassionate. Two Bethlehem elders, Ken Currie and Chairman Kurt Elting-Ballard, responded that they are focusing our energy on the needs of our flock and had no other comment or statement to add.. I was living a life apart from God. Jason Meyer, the successor to pastor and Desiring God founder John Piper, has resigned from his role as pastor for preaching & vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church Using language like unity culture waters down and redefines what is really going on. He may have a point about detached wisdom in making hard decisions. In this context of untethered empathy, he argues, you lose the ability to actually make an independent judgment about anything that theyre saying or doing. | Screenshot/YouTube/Fellowship Church Church of the Highlands and ARC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit when contacted by The Christian Post on Tuesday. Brilliant people dont do that because they dont need to. And I stand by what I wrote. Share Podcast Audio Download. Jason informed Bethlehem's Council of Elders of his resignation effective August 1, 2021," the statement read. I was pretty disappointed. To my knowledge, and I have researched it, that is the only time Piper got even close to creating distance. Piper responded to Bowerss account in an email to the campus community, saying that his characterization did not line up with his own as chancellor. The departures most directly affect the downtown campus, where Stokes, Bethlehems pastor of church planting, has assumed some of Meyers duties in the short term. A motion was brought at a July 25 QSM for such an investigation. Bowers said that at BCS, Black lives matter feels more threatening than the racism that has made that phrase necessary.. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. The news of official grievances against Naselli, one of the best-known professors at BCS, spread among its 400 or so graduates. When Christina Boyum, a graduate of the college, discussed what happened in Nasellis class with a fellow church member at Bethlehem, she was told, A student feeling hurt does not mean that the student has been sinned against. He is well respected for his scholarship and rigor, earning two PhDs (from Bob Jones and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) before he turned 30. WebWe are excited to share that t he youth of UPC are heading to Duluth for their summer mis s ion trip June 11 th-16th. Why? Paul used this same verb in verse 19 (you gladly bear with fools), and now he repeats it once more in order to make plain some of the foolish stuff the Corinthians put up with. You'll hear sermons, worship, life-changing help, and prayer. If youve seen much of Doug Wilson or his church/school/publishing empire in Moscow, ID, and you have some understanding of narcissism, youll immediately recognize the warning flags. Jason Delgado served as lead pastor of Vibrant Church in Columbus, Mississippi, until he resigned in April 2021. What a thorough article. I believe aspects of BCS culture are inconsistent with the mission and vision I came to love, she said. Rev Juan Dominguez. In the years after Piper stepped down in 2013, Bethlehem had its own reckoning on domestic abuse in complementarian marriages. Are the elders or board members abusive? Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. By now, you ", "We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. cultural, damaging behavior that's being done, and has been done, for a long time.". Even people whove left in frustration agree theres no single cause or person beneath the conflict. Rigney at BCS lamented the challenge of responding if a harsh word immediately becomes abuse. Lee at the North Campus worried that even tenderhearted, gentle pushback is at risk of being dismissed. When he resigned, he came to an agreement of some kind where he committed to not interfering in the elders leadership or the direction of the church. Web1-31-2021 Worship Service Pastor Meyers retirement. Last Week (July 2021) Jason Meyer announced his resignation from Bethlehem, following the resignation of several of fellow woke pastors, the agenda he Pastor Brian Dow. To donate, How Big Christian Nationalism Has Come Courting in North Idaho, Doug Wilsons Disciples Question Womens Right to Vote, Did Costi Hinn Get Canceled? But many were due to tensions resulting from racial and womens issues, ties to controversial pastor Doug Wilson, and the elders handling of allegations of misconduct by Andy Naselli. It would have been easier, he said, to move from understanding abuse within institutions and systems, as can be the case with spiritual abuse and racism, to the ways abuse manifests in marriage relationships. With Rigney slated to lead the college and seminary, some worried that his theological views and his affiliations would become conflated with Bethlehemsspecifically his concerns on empathy discussed in the hour-long Wilson interview (which is now on YouTube). This fall, the school will inaugurate its second president, 10 years after its first graduating class. The church where John Piper pastored for 33 years is arguably facing one of its greatest crises in 150 years. There is no one factor that has driven me away from this school. Great! There are things that professors would admit in classroom settings when I began that they wouldnt be willing to admit now.. Please contact Pastor Jason if you are in need of financial suppor t or The Roys Report noted Meyer, the successor to founder John Piper, is the fourth pastor to resign from the megachurch in the past four months. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Nothing in seminary wife class prepares you for this.. No one has leaned in to care for my soul more than him," he wrote. WebView Jason Meyers profile on LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional community. A lay member, who attended Bethlehem for over a decade and asked not to be named to preserve ministry relationships, told CT it made sense that Meyer, Pickering, and Tong were the ones to go since they were seen as the empathetic ones. Piper quite dysfunctionaly spoke in regard to Wilsons repentance over his hurtful and honestly unsupportable writing, I believe in regards to Southern Slavery As It Was. And I want to speak against her motion. Here is a checklist to determine if someone should leave a church: 1. Another elder in the meeting said of Pastor Jason, of Pastor Ming-Jinn, and of me that when we preach or pray publicly, or publicly communicate to the congregation, we are subordinating the gospel to other things, Pickering told CT. The sensitivity over Black Lives Matter and differing approaches to contemporary racial issues hits particularly hard in the Bethlehem community. Rigney recognizes spiritual abuse as something that does happen in Christian contexts, but he also challenged what he saw as the possibility for criticism or correction from a position of authority to get inflated as abuse. Naselli did not reply to CTs multiple requests to offer comment for this story. In other words, you lose contact with truth.. WebOur Legacy. Feb. 06-Feb. 06. . They resigned not long after. He wrote in an email to her that he believed the elders would be taking up the issue in the days ahead.. I dont see how there can be any interpretation other than empathy for the Romans 12:15 instruction to Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Is there a way to do any rebuke or admonishment when someone is hurting?, he asked. When the image of the family is more important than the individual members of the family, this is a narcissistic family system. I attended Bethlehem for nearly 3 years, belonged to one of the small groups. Yesterday I saw a Video from John Piper asking for prayer during his upcoming 7 week writing sabbatical. Wilson can easily be intellectually challenged, but he uses verbal and physical intimidation as a shield to avoid it. Thank the Good Lord that Jesus Chris didnt consider empathy a sin. I still believe we should have done the investigation, but I was able to get to the point where I regarded the March 16 process as incomplete, not immoral.. Among his concerns, the former assistant professor of theology and philosophy wrote that leaders used Scripture or Christian vocabulary to dismiss employee and student complaints, and that he felt pressured to tiptoe around addressing racial progress. Thanks Megan. On the whole, I think you are correct that the majority (of those with power) at the very least appear to be carrying the same torch. Pastor Apologizes After Confronting G3, Deletes Wilson Tweets, https://heresthejoy.com/2019/06/your-empathy-is-a-sin-a-response-to-desiring-god/, Former Pastor Accused of Rape Resigns from Churchome After TRR Investigation; Church Official Makes False Claims, Arkansas Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to 13 Counts of Sexual Assault, Bishop Scott Jones Moves from Extreme Center of UMC to Global Methodist Church, A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including A Pot Farm, Bank and Airline, 2 Megachurches Rocked by Allegations They Allowed Pastor Guilty of Clergy Sexual Abuse to Re-Offend, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Mother for Refusing to Take Back Child Abuser, Days-long Revival Sweeping Asbury University in Kentucky, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Covered Up Pastors Sexual Abuse, Witnesses Say, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthurs Church Supported Convicted Child Abuser & Pedophile, Records Show, Dante Bowe Posts, Then Removes, Apology for Behavior Causing Split with Maverick City Music, Matt Chandler Steps Aside After Admitting Inappropriate Online Relationship, John MacArthur Pulls Out of Ligonier Conference, Pastor Resigns From Houston Megachurch After Admitting Affair, Televangelist Creflo Dollar Renounces Past Teachings on Tithing, But Questions Persist. Seriously? 'I Prayed in the Name of Jesus, and He Answered': Heroes Rescue 17,000 While 'Saving Aziz' in Afghanistan, 'It's a Crisis': Historic Staffing Shortages Lead Police Departments Nationwide to Get Creative, 'An Existential Struggle': Congress Points to Escalating Global Threats from China, Advisor to Israel's President Finds Rare 2,500-Year-Old Inscription with Name of Persian King Darius, After Asbury Shutters Revival Services, Outpouring Moved to Lexington Arena: See Full Video Here. D. degrees. Frankly, its because I graduated from our undergrad program that I have concerns. The stakes continue to be raised, said Josh Panos, a BCS alumnus. Having just come out of an abusive system where women arent believed, it was like, Yeah, this is exactly what Ive lived, Mekala said. Disagreements in this area can feel like personal attacks or as doctrinal attacks, when they really are neither.. He added that Wilsons church has received a great deal of scrutiny about its poor handling of abuse cases in the past, so I cringed when I heard (Wilson) bring up . Both Meyer and Tong spoke out against racism, Pickering said, but added that the charges were not true. He also opposed the selection of Rigney as president for how it complicates BCSs relationship with the church and for his Wilson affiliations. For some, these three pastors willingness to listen to and advocate for congregants, their teachings on race and abuse, and their leadership at the downtown campus were particular assets to Bethlehem. 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. Freedom City Church (FCC) was born in a small art studio in Uptown Whittier, CA, and it has quickly expanded to the present facility Pastor Jason and his beautiful wife and co-pastor, Elizabeth, lead in Whittier, CA. She requested that, prior to Rigney taking office, the elders make a statement to separate Rigneys views in the episode from the views and teachings of Bethlehem Baptist Church.. We put a high premium on education in serious joy, and therefore we think the emotions are important, he said. This led the Takatas and other BBC members to file grievances against Naselli with BBCs Elder Council. In Meyers letter of resignation, which The Roys Report obtained, Meyer writes, Despite the charge that Bethlehem is drifting toward liberalism, I actually think we have lost some of our elasticity as the wind blows more in the direction of neo-fundamentalism., Meyer also wrote, I personally fear we are in danger of veering too much towards a unity culture. These tensions came to a head at a contentious BBC congregational meeting on January 31 in which two members, Steve and Janette Takata, submitted motions for the church to consider. Thank you for this comment, Pastor Lamb. Is this not the very thing that the Pharisees did that got Jesus so mad that he would call them out by comparing them to that which was the most filthy and disgusting thing in their own theology? Like in many evangelical churches that are majority white, some members of the congregation believed the church was putting too little an effort into addressing ethnic harmony and justice, while others felt like it became too much of a focus. Though Rigney serves as a pastor at a Bethlehem church plant in St. Paul, Cities Church, he is the first head of BCS who doesnt belong to Bethlehem Baptist Church itself. From afar it looks to me like Bethlehem Baptist has dodged a bullet of baloney. Interview with Jason Mayer | North County Campus Pastor by Dave Franco | August 15, 2014 How did you become a Christian? It transitioned to a formal degree program that eventually became accredited in 2015. Meyer wrote in his letter, It is hard to avoid seeing (the charges) as retribution., The Roys Report reached out to several elders for comment. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. Co-author of the entry on fundamentalism in the Encyclopedia of North Carolina (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2006), Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees (preachers and teachers,) you hypocrites! So far this year, about 200 peoplenearly 10% of the megachurchs total membershiphave resigned as members from Bethlehems Downtown campus, according to statistics provided to The Roys Report by former BBC members. examples (from Wilsons church). (An investigation by Wilsons denomination found several serious errors in Wilsons handling of sex abuse cases in his church, including shifting blame for sexual abuse from the perpetrator to the father of the victim. In a letter that Pickering presented to Naselli in February, and the churchs Elder Council in March, Pickering accused Naselli of displaying a pattern of controlling and egregious sin against God and people., I do not think you are presently qualified for the office of elder, Pickering wrote, and urged Naselli to resign to spare the church, and the elder council, grief upon grief.. Janette Takata pointed out that Rigney was identified as being from Bethlehem in the video and that a BCS professor and Bethlehem elder posted a five-star review of the episode. Four other congregations with female pastors were also determined to be not in friendly cooperation with the SBC, as well as one removed over its abuse response. (BBC has about 40 elders, but the congregation is considered the final authority and meets quarterly to vote on church matters.). . No one should be surprised by these revelations of spiritual abuse -especially against women- in the Bethlehem ecosystem. During a meeting in May, the downtown pastors faced further challenges from some of the council. A unity or one voice culture puts a lot of focus on institutional protection. Meyer adds that while unity is a great goal, the problem comes when unity moves from a desired goal to a demanded outcome.. I observed leadership patterns that sought to help hurting people but left those same people even more frustrated and disappointed.. Piper should intervene to save what is left at Bethlehem. If I just resign and pretend that I think everything at Bethlehem is fine, I would be dishonest, wrote Meyer, who left August 1. She said the meeting did not go well, and Tomlinson told her that he supported Rigneys view. As another biblical example, Im reminded of Jobs 3 friends. "I'm convinced that we live in a culture (Christian culture) that is constantly angry and shaking its fists because we've lost the place for and the healthy rhythm of grief-filled lament that the world is broken, sinful, and not as it should be. ), I believe in 2013. As it should, he wrote. The implications were clear: He would not be sugarcoating in this class. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. A better way to describe this is rigid and controlling. Halls was one of two official grievances filed against Naselli last year. It is indeed worth noting the problematic environment of the school where Naselli chose to incubate himself. Another four faculty and staff left the college and seminary in the past year. It may be worth noting that Naselli graduated from Bob Jones University. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation in May; and Bryan Pickering, pastor for care and counseling, in June. Bethlehem College and Seminary (BCS)which grew from the churchs lay training institute to an accredited programalso has reason to celebrate. Pastor Jason Meyer, Bethlehem Baptist Church Almost 1-1/2 years ago, I wrote an article about John Pipers former church, Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) What a dysfunctional mess. Pipers successor, Jason Meyer, is the fourth pastor to resign from Bethlehem in the past four months. Hi. I think hes unnecessarily connected the two. It took a lot for him to leave the classroom behind. Jason Meyer, John Pipers successor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, has stepped down from his position as pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehems Naselli stated that he reacted in the meeting because he worried about discrediting Rigney prior to his presidency, after BCS had undergone a careful, scrutinizing selection process to choose him. Similarly, Lee at Bethlehems North Campus referred to the spiritual abuse accusations against Naselli as the result of concept creep, suggesting that conceptions of abuse and victimhood are being expanded too far. By now, you have received notification of the resignation of Pastor Jason Meyer. Mekala, who says she was emotionally and spiritually abused for eight years while serving in a campus ministry overseen by Bethlehem, told The Roys Report that listening to the podcast was traumatizing. Jason refers to an article in his letter, which describes neo-fundamentalism as one of six groups into which evangelicals are fracturing. Heres a short definition offered there, but youd have to read the entire article for the more complete definition: Neo-Fundamentalist Evangelical Neo-fundamentalists are those who have deep concerns about both political and theological liberalism. The three departing pastors from Bethlehem were based just a few miles from where George Floyd died in 2020. But I am glad Fod called Jason to be a preacher instead of an air-traffic controller. In an interview with The Roys Report, Bryan Pickering, the former pastor for care and counseling at the church, said he resigned over a pattern of abusive conduct by Bethlehem's leaders that he not only witnessed but experienced. A debate over untethered empathy underscores how departing leaders, including John Pipers successor, approached hot-button issues like race and abuse. "Jason Meyer's resignation is not due to impropriety or moral failure, and we thank God for Jason's ministry among us for the past nine years, first as Pastor for Preaching & Vision for Bethlehem's three campuses, and then since last summer as Pastor for Preaching & Vision at the Downtown Campus," the statement concluded.