We acknowledge that change is needed, the Hillsong board said in a statement to The New York Times. Well, some do it well, like Stanley, Groeschel and Warren. Feb. 2Venue Church has shuttered its North Georgia campus, the latest fallout after weeks of controversy surrounding the megachurch's leadership and direction. Ive never in my life thought there was any blessing in slavery. Putting it off is only going to make it worse. Under founding pastor Lon Solomon, McLean launched a church planting partnership with the SBCs North American Mission Board in 2016 while remaining nondenominational. Musicologists and critics have considered how we engage with songs produced by problematic composers for centuries, and revelations around contemporary artists like Michael Jackson and R. Kelly have also challenged how listeners engage with groundbreaking and chart-topping songs. 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. It never goes away on its own.. HOWEVER, Trump and Driscoll are NOT the problem they are the symptom of the complete failure of religious people to remotely consider Jesus. Whether abuse happens in Pennsylvania or Australia, its tragic.. Worst. When the pandemic was heating up, I learned that some people will jump on board with anything, some will never jump on board, and everyone else is going to come on board at different times based on a lot of factors. This Mark Driscoll is a deranged psychopath. Accuracy and availability may vary. 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. In its Q&A, McLean states that it is not Southern Baptist and links to an undated letter from SBC Executive Committee employee Ashley Clayton stating, The SBC Executive Committee recognizes that McLean Bible Church is an independent, nondenominational Bible church, and they are not affiliated denominationally with the SBC., However, Baptist Press, the SBCs news service, stated in a July 21 article, McLean Bible Church is a cooperating church with the Southern Baptist Convention, yet like all Southern Baptist churches, remains independent and autonomous in its functionality and governance.. He concluded his letter with a call to Driscoll to repent, resign, and step down and away from Trinity.. 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. And one story by a former security guy in the inner circle corroborated by emails and texts is worth about 1000 posts by discernment bloggers that lament the price of a thing/who gets credit for buying it/which persons salary was on a particular tax document/etc. 08-04-2018. Just days after Driscolls resignation, Morris welcomed Driscoll to speak at a Gateway Church conference, urging attendees not to believe everything they read on the internet. These kinds of screw-ups will forever dominate the search results of these pastors and their respective churches. The works that I do in My Fathers name, they bear witness of Me. 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. Sports Betting Hits a New High: A Crisis in the Making? To donate, to spy on congregants and those working or volunteering, so he can avoid interruptions from church attendees, due to the immoral, unethical, and unbiblical actions by the pastors and staff., Mark Driscoll Says He Wants to Heat Up Your Marriage in Billboards & Mailers Around Phoenix, Mark Driscoll Supports Arizona Gov. . It should be noted that Apologia Church is passionate about the abolition of human abortion and holds to orthodox, non-heretical theology. If the blind lead the blind they will both end up in the ditch. 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. That man, Freese explained, had been peacefully escorted off the stage at a church service about six weeks before. Does It Matter Where Your Clothes Come From? This Hillsong megachurch branch has been deemed beyond immediate redemption. 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. (In a May 2021 letter to the church, Houston wrote that Kimes experience was very disturbing and that she had the churchs full concern and pastoral support.). including mishandling the reporting and investigation of possible child abuse. The email also links to an open letter to Driscoll, detailing the accusations. Allegations that leaders were seeking to join the SBC in violation of the churchs constitution led McLean to suspend all contributions to SBC causes this month. Thanks to Roys for fulfilling the actual call of the Kingdom of God in Christ. There are deep questions about who Jesus is and what kind of relationship they want to have with Him that they need to honestly ask themselves. We understand the curse that was slavery white people do and we say that was bad but we miss the blessing of slavery that it actually built up the framework for the world that white people live in, said Giglio during the discussion. There is some resistance from what some would consider the old guard in evangelical circles to younger guys accused of being soft on doctrine in an effort to reach a more diverse audience, Hannaford said. He wrote, In no way do I endorse or turn a blind eye to the scandals that have rocked Hillsong in recent days and acknowledged some points of disagreement on ministry approaches. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Its just historically a very significant thing, and Michael Jackson was a very significant figure.. The recent fall and firing of Perry Noblefor that matter, Darrin Patrick, Tullian Tchividjian or any number of mega-pastors who have been removed from their pulpits and leadership positions for what is referred to as a moral failing. In other words, they got caught doing something you wouldnt want anyone doing, much less your pastor. ROXANNE STONE: Hi. The Sermon In LeBron James' Controversial Nike Ad Isn't Real. I dont think there is a silver bullet answer. He creates this great pile of symphonies that lay the blueprint for the future of the genre, just invaluable work, Mercer-Taylor said. 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. She claimed that when she tried to tell pastors at Hillsong, they "blamed and silenced" her. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 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. If I wouldnt quote their pastor or allow him to preach in our pulpit, then I wont use the songs their bands write, wrote musician Dan Cogan in a blog post in 2016. Church staffers use campus surveillance technology to spy on congregants and those working or volunteering and rated people on a sliding loyalty scale, Freese said. What I dont understand is why the people in Driscolls church stay. Seriously, Who? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. At a June 30 meeting, nominees Chuck Hollingsworth, Jim Burris, and Ken Tucker had failed to receive a clear 75 percent majority, the margin required for elder election. Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month. But youll be hard-pressed to find a college course on the era that doesnt include his works, even if they must come with an asterisk. The email goes on to detail a previously unannounced internal investigation into the Dallas branchs former lead pastors, Reed and Jess Bogard, who quietly and suddenly resigned in January after more than a decade of employment at the once-celebrity-beloved international worship chain. Christian News Network questioned the wisdom of associating what most consider a vice alcohol with a church function. The truth is: The mega-church pastor is in real trouble. Every weekday, get RELEVANT's top five articles delivered to your inbox! Back at McLean, Platt and his fellow elders are urging the church in that direction. W hen a megachurch scandal makes headlines, it doesn't usually affect your Sunday morning set list . And, you know, his father helped him start that church. Roxanne Stone is managing editor of Religion News Service, and she is here to explain. The reality, though, is that What a Beautiful Name and other Hillsong hits will likely remain in the regular music rotation for many churches. Yes, I wonder if the large church model isnt doomed. 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. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. Several outlets, including The Roys Report, have recently published numerous allegations of abuse and financial misconduct concerning disgraced former Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll. In June 2019, then-President Donald Trump showed up at a worship service and Platt prayed for him from the stage, an action that drew criticism from some in the church. Here is the controversial email in its entirety (bold emphasis added mine, all grammar errors left unchanged). Which, I dunno, should pretty clearly make the point that theres a public facade over all of this stuff, and it must be really good. The only people who can stop Driscoll are the authorities, if hes committing crimes, and the congregation by separating from him. So just to start, like, what exactly caused this enormous collapse of Hillsong? Five months since the firing of adulterous NYC superstar pastor Carl Lentz which exposed rifts across the church, fraud accusations and congregant allegations of abuse Hillsong's senior pastor. Luckily, (Driscolls personal security lead) followed protocol and created an incident report with the staff members name redacted. Since the explosion of the song Shout to the Lord in 1994, Sydney-based Hillsong has shaped worship in the US, particularly among Pentecostals and evangelicals. It is true that big-name Hillsong artists like Brooke Ligertwood and Joel Houston have their own brands and images, but they are still employees of the church, and they have acknowledged the difficulties facing Hillsong, though in relatively veiled or general terms. Mega-churches arent designed to have a human in the pulpit, theyre bred to sustain a celebrity pastor. The legacy of composer Richard Wagner, another giant in the Western canon, is frequently relitigated because of his antisemitism and Hitlers embrace of his music as a symbol of German greatness. A Florida Lawyer Argues That a Pregnant Inmates Unborn Child Is Being Illegally Detained, What God Gives Black Americans That The Country Does Not, Experts Predict the Ozone Layer Will Fully Heal Within 40 Years, The Biblical Reasons for Going Low Waste, The Spiritual Toll of Americas Food Waste Epidemic, The Buffalo Supermarket Shooter Has Been Sentenced to Life in Prison. He doesnt care about seeing us who were abused by people he put into power get justice or healing. These are all points of seeming disagreement with White. We have walked through tumultuous days over the last year in the world, surfacing many challenges in our lives, families, our country, the world, and the church, Platt told CT. We all need Gods grace to love one another well and to live for the spread of his love in a world that desperately needs what only he can give. Hillson also said that Houston exchanged an inappropriate text message with a staffer in 2013, along the lines of, If I was with you I would like to give you a kiss and a cuddle or a hug, resulting in her resignation. For worship leaders worried about guilt by association, the financial connection between Hillsong and its music may be irreconcilable. Such is the case with the mega-church pulpit. Pastor of Atlanta megachurch asking for forgiveness after controversial comments Last weekend, Louie Giglio, the pastor at Passion City Church in northeast Atlanta held a roundtable discussion about race -- and made controversial comments about slavery. Many worship leaders agree. At the end of the day, in grappling with such difference in pathway and understanding, we encounter theology and individual theologising. evangelical male leaders are apparently vulnerable to narcissism, a disregard for what is ethical (if not an inability to understand the concept), stupidity, and a clueless lack of awareness of common sense. Platts 2020 book Before You Vote also drew criticism from some church members as being soft on traditional evangelical issues like abortion and sexuality. The three high-profile pastors Freese emailed were named in his open letter as overseers for Driscoll. But though it still boasts 150,000 weekly worshipers, its also been mired in several scandals since its inception in 1983. This is truly an incredible opportunity for Christs Kingdom and we are grateful to our Lord for this blessing. It was only after that third which cost them two years of their life and much more that they started asking these bigger questions. Meanwhile, leaders like Platt see the pushback as its own sort of coup and remain concerned about the influence of opposition fueled on social media and watchdog blogs. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Cmon, we are. 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