But what I noticed, underlying the meaningful time I worshiped at Bethlehem, was rigidity and control among leadership. He and Pickering, who read the names of the victims in prayer that week, received criticism from a fellow elder for bringing up race as a component in the incident. From afar it looks to me like Bethlehem Baptist has dodged a bullet of baloney. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation WebPastor Jason serves as Pastor of Holy Nativity. *This article has been updated for accuracy. Piper cant step in, from what I understand. 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. Outside the church, they are concerned by the cultures increasing hostility to Christianity, most prominently from mass media, social media, and the government., https://mereorthodoxy.com/six-way-fracturing-evangelicalism/, Ive been so concerned that a man who is widely known for thinking empathy is a sin is now the head of a seminary. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation in May; and Bryan Pickering, pastor for care and counseling, in June. WebBethlehem Baptist Church. In an emailed statement to CBN News on Wednesday, Ken Currie, Bethlehem Baptist's pastor for strategic implementation, said Meyer's resignation would be effective Aug. 1. The congregation is the highest authority and there are systems in place which allow congregants to bring up concerns (motions) to the rest of the congregation. One of the things that gets brought up in the abuse conversation is that abusers and their communities gaslight and minimize what theyve done, said Rigney. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Are the Pastor(s) abusive? Former Elder, and BBC professor of Biblical Counseling Pickering, however, said he was not surprised by Nasellis response at the meeting. We dont want that kind of escalation, inflation, and fragility in play. In other words, you lose contact with truth.. Tabb and fellow leaders at BCS conducted the investigation of the former students complaints, which concluded last August. He said he felt a conviction that he couldnt in good conscience stay at BCS and by the end of 2020 his family left Bethlehem too. Instead, he said it confirmed the pattern he already suspected after speaking with nearly all 12 former BCS students who in 2020 submitted allegations against Naselli to BCS administration. There's domineering. At the meeting, Steve Takata moved that the task forces unedited reports be released to Bethlehem members. Tabb, in an October 2020 email announcing Bowerss final days at BCS, described him as being beloved by students and colleagues for his excellent teaching, good humor, compassion for the marginalized, and faithful friendship.. Its not bad to feel hurt., The BCS alumna said that he went on to say, We came from a generation where Nasellis teaching philosophyand Don Carsonsis completely normal. Join now Sign in Jason Meyer Jason Meyer Executive Pastor at Sierra Vista Church. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Many of us (myself included) were blessed by Johns teachings on Christian hedonism and we gave him a pass on certain teachings because of his warmth, enthusiasm, and geeky charm, but make no mistake, this is the house he built. At Bethlehem, Rigney said, we want to un-coddle the American mind, or at least the Christian mind. Last year, as BCS academic dean Brian Tabb reviewed the students grievances against Naselli, the school also underwent a separate investigation in response to a group of current and former employees who raised broad concerns about leadership and workplace culture, including the position of women and minorities at the school. The episode was titled The Sin of Empathy, and featured guest Joe Rigney, who at the time of the January meeting had been appointed president of Bethlehem College and Seminary (BCS) but had not yet assumed office. Some of the faces that appear in the compilation video of 150 Gods Grace at Bethlehem no longer belong to the multisite Twin Cities churchmost prominently Jason Meyer, Pipers successor and Bethlehems pastor for preaching and vision. According to Pickering, Tong called the elders process and decision to dismiss the allegations against Naselli unethical., In Meyers resignation letter, Meyer writes:(I)t seemed that a committee of non-staff elders from each campus would be the best group to be able to take the allegations and sift them. 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. WebRev David Dodge. ", "We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. | 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. Both sides in a conflict want to get at what really happened; as Christians, they rightly set out to work toward justice and reconciliation where they can. After Christ is a deliverance church. All three had conflicted at times with Bethlehems 40-plus-member elder council, and they eventually saw their own ministries and the focus of the church going in different directions. "There's unethical behavior. Its a simple case of the seeds of the founder coming to fruition. The episode, which argued that empathy is sin because it leads to siding unquestioningly with aggrieved parties, deeply upset several people at Bethlehem. It is indeed worth noting the problematic environment of the school where Naselli chose to incubate himself. Bowers had been a professor who looked forward to the first day of school every year and loved interacting with studentsand it showed. 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.. Brilliant people dont do that because they dont need to. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. She called what happened double abuse.. ,and Jason has been a dear friend and mentor since we met in his tiny closet of an office during my first year of seminary back in 2010. Looking back, Pickering, as a counselor, wishes the church had established an understanding of systemic abuse prior to its focus on domestic abuse back in 2015. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. Web1-31-2021 Worship Service Pastor Meyers retirement. But when urged to make a public statement that BBC did not endorse Rigneys view, one elder instead directed Mekala to meet with Tim Tomlinson, who was then president of BCS. A year later, Rigney, who had taught theology and literature at BCS since 2007, was named the schools second president in an announcement by Piper as chancellor. He seems to be warning that a large amount of empathy will muddy the waters. "It's been more painful to me personally than corporately. This prompted many members of the task force to leave the church, according to Janice Perez Evans, a task force co-leader. Jason Meyer has resigned from his position as the lead pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, amid allegations of toxic and Subscribers receive full access to the archives. 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. 276. Many brought up the untethered empathy concept as a factor that they believe shaped leaders responses when confronted with claims of bullying, institutional protection, and spiritual abuse. He later apologized for not being quick to listen in the moment and in later discussions of the incident, though in April the elders considered the grievances against him unfounded. Couldnt agree more, Rebecca. I have found abuse of power issues typical among conservative churches. Those allegations were dismissed by BCS last August. Submitted by escamp on August 31, 2015 - 3:04pm. At Bethlehem, the biggest source of frustration and disappointment, in many cases, came not from the grievances themselves but from the resistance and attitudes people said they faced when they tried to bring those grievances forward. Part of what I want to say is theres actually an answer to that question.. He is well respected for his scholarship and rigor, earning two PhDs (from Bob Jones and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) before he turned 30. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. An outside investigation TEAM is objective, trained, experienced, know what they are looking for, knows how to speak to the church about what they see, and love Jesus Christ. A narcissistic family system can be a family, a local church, an organization, or any other group. Tong led the churchs efforts to help the community in the unrest and grief in the aftermath of Floyds death, including setting up pop-up grocery stores. there's harm being done," Pickering said. Sadly, this teaching is gaining ground in the biblical counseling circles I move in as well. Thanks Megan. Prior to ordination, Pastor Jason attended the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and the University of Chicago. After Christ Christian Center. Theyre trying to toughen you up. This is the hyper complementarian house that says a woman cant divorce even an abusive, philandering husband. Abigail Dodds, who attends the North Campus, said that most remain confident in the churchs leadershipnot as blind allegiance, but based on personal knowledge of their characterand that she has seen a renewed unity around Gods Word and deepening hope in Christ among our members in recent weeks. Feb. 06-Feb. 06. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.. I believe that the issue isnt whether or not we should show compassion (we should), but whether our compassion will be rooted in the gospeldeployed with discernment and with a willingness to provide correction or rebuke (Titus 1:13), Steven Lee, pastor of Bethlehems North Campus, wrote in a response to Meyers resignation letter. More than 25 people spoke to CT at length about their experiences navigating conflict at Bethlehem for this article. Stokes said that even without charges of heresy or a false gospel, just differences in approach, the discussion can feel very personal. Man Rampant? Not Jesus. Unlike other high-profile evangelical scandals and shakeups in the headlines, the story at Bethlehem is not so clear-cut. Its the same individuals who are sitting in both places. Great! We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. I wish the congregation the best in getting this all sorted out. As far as I can see, Pipers church and seminary are just carrying the torch. Rev Juan Dominguez. Rigney has a degree from New Saint Andrews College, founded by Wilsons Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and has maintained ties with him. This dysfunctional mess is the logical outcome of John Piper and his theology and its methods. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. He also expressed misgivings around the treatment of women, which he claimed was the result of attitudes that went beyond complementarian convictions, as well as around Rigneys ties to Wilson. Ahead of the commemorations, though, the community finds itself in the midst of what current leaders have called a confusing and challenging time and a hard and difficult season in the life of our church. Three pastors and a staff member resigned from the downtown campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church in recent months, alongside dozens of lay members. Pickering, however, said he was not surprised by Nasellis response at the meeting. He kept saying dont get sucked in which is quite a different thing than having empathy. 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. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. Having just come out of an abusive system where women arent believed, it was like, Yeah, this is exactly what Ive lived, Mekala said. Naselli often started the semester with an explanation of Malcolm Gladwells terminology of direct speech vs. mitigated speechdirect being the commands you give when a plane is crashing, and mitigated, the niceties you use as a matter of courtesy. 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. Worship Service 1/24/2021 Pastor Jason Wallingsford, Pastor William Knippa, June 20, 2021 Most Recent Blog Post. with Pastor Shedrick Clark. In our next article on events at Bethlehem Baptist Church, well explore the allegations against Naselli, as well as the response by BCS administration and BBC elders. It is on YouTube, Race and Culture (??? The trip cost is $500, $250 is due with initial registration. They said he falsely accused us of insubordination to a pastor and acting in a manner that is intentionally divisive., But Naselli, according to the Takatas transcripts, spoke up about the difference between intent and impact and ultimately did not see his response as sinful. I have never been a member in a church which allows a member to put forward a motion to the entire congregation designed to rebuke an elder. The key thing in a lot of waysmaybe Im feeling this one more directly nowis the way that our emotional responses to reality need to be in accordance with reality.. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. 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. It has been multiple factors in concert over time, he wrote in a resignation letter last year. Rigney has become known for raising concerns about the sin of empathy, a topic hes written about on Desiring God and discussed in a video series hosted by Doug Wilson. 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