Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The largely conservative northern Virginia church across the Potomac from Washington had . You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. We heard about people driving in from Florida to Maine. Thanks so much. Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. Save McLean Bible Church. On June 30, 2021, McLean Bible Church (MBC) in Vienna, Virginia, held a members meeting to affirm three new elders via vote.MBC is pastored by former Southern Baptist's International Mission Board (IMB) president and bestselling author David Platt. Lon Solomon the legendary pastor of McLean Bible Church has not set foot in McLean for a worship service since becoming pastor emeritus. Greear and Texas megachurch pastor Matt Chandler, have been outspoken about racism and social justice issues, saying that the Bible teaches them to address those issues. Those dissident members argued that church leaders, including senior pastor David Platt, a best-selling author, had violated the churchs constitution. Platt took a shot at blogs and social media. The churchs constitution requires that new elders receive 75% approval and for the first time in McLeans history, a new group of elders failed to reach that margin. One of the churchs pastors expressed outrage over it. Opponents of McLeans current leadership wrote in a blog posted by the right-wing Capstone Report that Plattwho became pastor of the DC church full time in 2018was attempting to purge conservative members., Platt also described one email circulating that claimed MBC is no longer McLean Bible Church, that its now Melanin Bible Church., I know its so ugly and painful to even hear, but I want to point out the approach thats being used by people giving leadership to this group in these meetings, he told the congregation, calling the claims made about him and the incoming elders unquestionably untrue and in many cases completely unreasonable.. It couldnt be that David Platts Woke rhetoric has driven about 40% of church members to attend church in other non-Woke evangelical churches in that part of Virginia! Church members were required to show identification, and ballots were labeled with members names. He became pastor in 2018 after resigning from the IMB, where his tenure had been disappointing and included the loss of almost 1,000 missionaries to resignations and early retirement. The Capstone Report can reveal the photograph was only removed after repeated demands by members of the elder board. Read More FILE - Stacie Wood and her husband, Andy Wood, stand for a portrait on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Stacie Wood, the woman pastor at the center of . Under founding pastor Lon Solomon, McLean launched a church planting partnership with the SBCs North American Mission Board in 2016 while remaining nondenominational. Back at McLean, Platt and his fellow elders are urging the church in that direction. While the church is slashing spending on a variety of things including missions, discipleship, outreach, and church plants, one area of increased spending in 2021 is in the Senior Management salaries. The Evangelical Church Is Breaking Apart. The conflict at McLean Bible Church is significant not only because of the congregations size and influencewith several thousand attendees and a prominent place in the DC church landscapebut also because the incident marks the latest salvo in an ongoing clash within American evangelicalism. But its pastor says a group . It was an exercise in eisegesis (p. 121). Over the last several years, weve watched David take the churchthe church we built, the church we love, the church weve poured are hearts and souls and lives intoand turned it into a political, stripped-down version of what it used to be, wrote former elder Mark Gottlieb, who is encouraging members of a group called Save McLean Bible Church to admit defeat and walk away after the July 18 vote. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to journalist and pastor David Roach about an ideological rift at a Washington, D.C.-area church that highlights similar divisions in evangelical groups across the U.S. We have a story now of divisions within a single church that suggest wider divisions in many churches. It must be an unprecedented group of divisive liars and racists! They organized a new election for elders in mid-June 2022, using secret ballots. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit objected, saying anyone who joined the church after the June 2021 election should not be allowed to vote. 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. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. The suit is pending despite the announced vote outcome. But then you have some of the younger evangelicals who say, look. NO VIDEOS! 13-minute video summary, pastor Kelsey talking about "torching all white people" 51-minute detailed presentation, The sacred duty, and the money trail of . We just want to give believers freedom to disagree on things that aren't essentials. To some observers, McLeans conflict seems like a replay of other recent episodes from American evangelicalism, where leaders who appeal to Scripture to address social issues are accused of theological liberalism or secular influence even if they continue to hold traditional Christian views. In fact, Platt's sloppy moral reasoning was one point of controversy in a letter to leadership from five long-standing members of . He also warned against letting tensions swell. While the church building was locked down and most of its ministries ceased amid Covid-19 fears, David Platt turned a blind eye to his staff marching in a Black Lives Matter (BLM) event in Washington, DC. Platt chose to ignore those entreaties and promote divisive teachers and divisive concepts like Critical Race Theory. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". We have to address conflict intentionally and face to face, Hannaford said. Assume this is true for a moment, wouldnt that make someone pause and ask what is going on here? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The stated purpose of the church is "that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ . Platt lied about the extent that Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement influences McLean Bible Church leadership. Many of its members come from the top ranks of government, media, and business. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. And all three nominees got at least 78% on that day and were elected as elders. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He told Religion News Service that the church believes it will prevail if there is an appeal. Hannaford advises pastors not to make changes too quickly and recommends cooperation from both sides, allowing believers to differ on secondary doctrinal and ethical issues. The church approved a 2021 budget slashing $2.5 million from what it budgeted in 2020. The group has also reportedly filed other complaints . OK, so a local megachurch is having a catfight. (RNS) David Platt had a dream for the future of McLean Bible Church. The church was rocked by controversy in 2019 when President Donald Trump stopped by the service for prayer. Is it to be humble? We want MBC to be a place where people with all kinds of convictions on matters of conscience can thrive, the Q&A stated. Both moves raised questions for some members. Because of the nature of a lawsuit, unfortunately, we cannot provide any further comment at this time, the elders said in a statement. But there were some who were concerned about the direction of the church, and they made that elder election an occasion to speak out against the leadership and direction generally. The podcast is two hours on the use of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality at the MLK50 Conference and the T4G Conference sermon by David Platt. From 1980-2017, I had the honor of serving as the Senior Pastor of McLean Bible Church (MBC) in McLean, VA., in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Congregants dance and pray with the church band before Pastor Andy Wood gives a sermon on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Stacie Wood, the woman pastor at the . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Barber pointed out that voting is usually donein a public way, by voice vote or raising hands, so theres no historic expectation of privacy, but using a ballot with a church members name on it, especially for a leadership role, would be unprecedented, in his experience. Apparently, amid the controversy with Calvinism that Lon and the elders initially rejected, they added that position statement on Calvinism. If youre the Red Cross, thats problematic. I want you to listen closely to the words I am about to say, he said in his sermon the following Sunday. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit echo Frazers concerns, saying that the ballots used by the church violated McLeans constitution. See more. After graduating from the University of Georgia with two bachelor's degrees, he earned an MDiv, a ThM, and a PhD from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; he completed his education in his early 20s, becoming one of the youngest students, if not the youngest student, to ever earn a terminal degree at NOBTS. Platt doubles down on his Woke Social Justice agenda. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Solomon pastored the church from 1980 until becoming pastor emeritus in September 2017. Brothers and sisters, I think we see all over Scripture that the Bible speaks of both sides of this picture, Platt said. Similar to Naples, McLean Bible Church recently held a vote to confirm three elders the first vote failed. We're glad you're here! That is not acceptable for the Body of Jesus Christ. : Democrats. The dispute at the church came to a head on June 30 at a congregational meeting held to approve three new elders to the small group that wields most of the authority at the church. No Celebrities Except Jesus: How Asbury Protected the Revival, After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, The Kings College Faces Threat of Closure, Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, left the presidency of the SBCs International Mission Board, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal. We are zealous in the present not to prolong or replicate in any way racial injustice from the past.
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