When we talk about the six habits of heart and mind, [we need to] actually do that., Rigney said that as Christian hedonists, feel becomes an educational distinctive at BCS. WebUrban Refuge Lead Pastor, Jason Meyer, has a deep and abiding passion to make much of Christ in all that he does. Lee at the North Campus told CT that his congregation, the largest Bethlehem location, has been encouraged by the frankness of the discussion and is ready to move forward. But I am glad Fod called Jason to be a preacher instead of an air-traffic controller. a unity culture that breeds fear and seeks to protect the institution Jason Meyer WebPastor Jason Meyer. Naselli did not reply to CTs multiple requests to offer comment for this story. "At Bethlehem . This was baffling to me. Using language like unity culture waters down and redefines what is really going on. Elders and ministers at Bethlehem Baptist Church in But its more difficult to shift peoples thinking the other way, though more resourcesbooks like Somethings Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuseand Freeing Yourself from Its Power by Wade Mullen and A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Laura Barringer and Scot McKnightare changing how people see abuse within the church. 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. In the summer of 2019, the task force presented an 85-page report to the elders, which essentially died in committee. Another pastor who resigned is accusing a Bethlehem elder of spiritual abuse and calling on him to resign. Dave Zuleger, the church's South campus pastor for preaching and vision also confirmed and addressed Meyer's resignation in a blog post on the church's website, writing "this is another painful and confusing moment for us. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Rather, I believe our leadership culture has taken a turn in an unhealthy direction as we try to navigate conflict and division.. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. A debate over untethered empathy underscores how departing leaders, including John Pipers successor, approached hot-button issues like race and abuse. 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. Rev Juan Dominguez. This dysfunctional mess is the logical outcome of John Piper and his theology and its methods. Submitted by escamp on August 31, 2015 - 3:04pm. Pray for me, and I'll be praying for you. There are things that professors would admit in classroom settings when I began that they wouldnt be willing to admit now.. The attitude undergirding the motion is too easily offended or hurt, and it turns that woundedness or offense into a crusade, Naselli wrote in an email to fellow elders in February, referring to the move as a form of cancel culture.. . 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. with Pastor Shedrick Clark. Meyer, whose involvement at Bethlehem dates back to 1999, returned from his sabbatical with what he says was a clear calling that it was time for him to go too. The trip cost is $500, $250 is due with initial registration. According to the website, Meyer's resignation was announced last week in an email to the congregation by Elder Council Chairman Dr. Kurt Elting-Ballard and Bethlehem Pastor for Strategic Implementation Ken Currie. Learn more about Urban Refuge Church 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. 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. Approximately 75% of attending members voted AGAINST it. When someone at the meeting asked Naselli to explain himself, he responded that what was happening in the roomhow some were taking sides without any judgmentwas exactly what Rigney and Wilson were protesting in their podcast. In February 2021, the church released a statement on ethnic harmony that affirms Christians neighborly love across ethnic lines but denies that ethnic diversity should be an end in itself and rejects all systems of thought that view relationships primarily through the lens of powerthat is, those with more power are inherently oppressors, and those with less power are inherently oppressed.. He feels overjoyed in his calling to love and lead the flock at Urban Refuge in the strength that God supplies. Many at BCS, including Bowers himself, were influenced by Pipers 2011 book Bloodlines, his confession of his own racism, and his desire for diversity. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. The Takatas concerns quickly became about more than the motion, and they filed grievances challenging Nasellis qualifications as an elder. According to the church's website, the Bethlehem elders have called for an all-church meeting to be held on Sunday, July 25 regarding Meyer's resignation. He had the power to just wreck me. The threat effectively shut down discussion. More than 25 people spoke to CT at length about their experiences navigating conflict at Bethlehem for this article. The group faced pushback from elders and pastors, who were worried that their approach focused only on where Bethlehem was not doing enough on matters of race. WebOur Legacy. This prompted many members of the task force to leave the church, according to Janice Perez Evans, a task force co-leader. July 19, 2021 Source: Facebook In whats being called a major shake-up, four pastors have resigned from Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) in Minneapolis in the past Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. I think hes unnecessarily connected the two. "Pray for your leaders as we pray for you. 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 His experience in the class led him to hear from others who had been called out by Naselli, and he brought concerns from a dozen students to leaders at the church at BCS the following year. As another biblical example, Im reminded of Jobs 3 friends. The three departing pastors from Bethlehem were based just a few miles from where George Floyd died in 2020. As the debating and name-calling escalated, Jeffrey Hall joined the group of students defending the Augustinian position of evil as privation, or evil as the absence of good. I used to wonder if I was too soft. They insisted he sinned against them by explaining and denying instead of seeking to understand. Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. This idea has come up in the cultural conversation with more loaded and often less theological terms: the overly sensitive snowflake generation, the debate over trigger warnings, and the 2018 bestseller The Coddling of the American Mind. The motion passed on a voice vote and Takata told The Roys Report that three of the task forces five reports were eventually released to church members with redactions. At the conclusion of the two investigations, Johnathon Bowerswho had taught for a decade at BCSfelt no better about the growing reservations he had over his place at the college. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation In a letter emailed to his congregation, the pastor of one of the three Bethlehem campuses referenced nuanced and complex issues at play in Meyers resignation last month. May they work it out together in a godly manner. He currently lives in Crystal with his wife Ann, two children, and a dog. ), Bryan Pickering also expressed concern about the Man Rampant episode to Takata. James Lutzweiler 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. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. 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. The successor to John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church this week resigned in what appears to be a major shake-up at the church amid allegations of toxic Theyre trying to toughen you up. Something that gives me hope that BBC will be able to navigate this very difficult time is that they seem to have a church government in place designed to serve the congregation. . 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. We are open and available if you need to talk 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. Its been a taxing year for everyone, and its been a taxing year for ministry. God has moved at FCC in amazing ways. Particularly since Donald Trumps presidency, theres been a deepening of divisions among American evangelicals, exposing disagreements not in theology per se but in how they as Christians see their greatest priorities and fears in society. By now, you have received notification of the resignation of Pastor Jason Meyer. Prior to ordination, Pastor Jason attended the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and the University of Chicago. What a dysfunctional mess. Zuleger noted Meyer's resignation was painful to him personally due to their years-long friendship. In terms of the leadership of the school, its the same guys. From afar it looks to me like Bethlehem Baptist has dodged a bullet of baloney. Former Elder, and BBC professor of Biblical Counseling Pickering, however, said he was not surprised by Nasellis response at the meeting. [ This article is also available in
I didnt start experiencing regular conflict until I started advocating for racial justice issues, Bowers told CT. Are there good reasons for why Pastors are leaving the church? He commands us to show sympathy, but people demand empathy, and they regard it as a kind of betrayal if you refuse to join them in their pain, in their grievance, he says in the series with Wilson. I was living a life apart from God. These churches that are really heavy on theology, we hold our theology so high that when were leaving, it felt like were leaving orthodoxy by leaving our church, she told CT. If thats how you feel, theres probably a problem., Brima, who is white and whose husband is Black, said she saw the empathy as sin idea used as protection from critique and believes it can do unique harm to women and minorities, seemingly minimizing their feelings and experiences. No one has leaned in to care for my soul more than him," he wrote. The first, Your Empathy is a SIn: a Response to Desiring God is here: https://heresthejoy.com/2019/06/your-empathy-is-a-sin-a-response-to-desiring-god/. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. This is the hyper complementarian house that says a woman cant divorce even an abusive, philandering husband. When Pastors leave a church due to a fear culture there is a massive problem with that church. 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. I had zero ill intent against you.. In the years after Piper stepped down in 2013, Bethlehem had its own reckoning on domestic abuse in complementarian marriages. Bowers said that at BCS, Black lives matter feels more threatening than the racism that has made that phrase necessary.. 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