Though the process was done with the approval of Bethlehem pastors and the elder chair, some wanted the church to do its own review of Naselli last year. I used to wonder if I was too soft. 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. This is another painful and confusing moment for us," Zuleger wrote. . This was supposed to be a landmark year for Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, as the historic congregation, best known for John Pipers 33-year tenure as pastor, marked its 150th anniversary. (Image credit: Bethlehem Baptist Church/Facebook), Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. No one should be surprised by these revelations of spiritual abuse -especially against women- in the Bethlehem ecosystem. It seems as though one issue is differing views regarding the churchs theological emphasis, while another issue is abusive leadership and a culture of fear. Are the Pastor(s) abusive? However, Takata said nothing ever came of her efforts. Any theology that creates abusive jerks is all doctrines taught by demons. Let's re-learn to lament together," he noted. Some of the resignations were due to normal factors, like families moving out of the area. "There's unethical behavior. In terms of the leadership of the school, its the same guys. ), I believe in 2013. Rigney has a degree from New Saint Andrews College, founded by Wilsons Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and has maintained ties with him. Not Jesus. 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. Calvins Misrepresentation of God) to see the outcome as we see here. 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 church went on to revise its stance on divorce and start a ministry response team to care for victims. WebRev David Dodge. Last Sunday, Bethlehem campuses began to meet to discuss Meyers letter and the reasons for his resignation. 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? The stakes continue to be raised, said Josh Panos, a BCS alumnus. ), Boyum said it was because of her training at Bethlehem that she felt like she should raise concerns. The downtown campus was the most diverse of the three, with people of color making up 21 percent of attendees. 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. Bethlehem was the plan until we were going to be in Jesus arms. As it should, he wrote. At the same time, worries around secular thinking overriding biblical approaches to race have spiked, particularly over critical race theory. Sadly, this teaching is gaining ground in the biblical counseling circles I move in as well. Rev Patricia Downes. 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. Jason Meyer has resigned from his position as the lead pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, amid allegations of toxic and Jason Meyer, pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, preached on the pride-crushing power of the cross in Alumni Its been a taxing year for everyone, and its been a taxing year for ministry. WebSince that time, his life has never been the same and the reach of his ministry has only grown. It may be worth noting that Naselli graduated from Bob Jones University. 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. 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. 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. He wrote in an email to her that he believed the elders would be taking up the issue in the days ahead.. So, lets call this what it is, address it as the foul, malevolent, pernicious evil that it is, and stand against the manifold oppression and abuse that are not only forbidden by God, but condemned by Christ Himself. Are we not caring enough about our responsibilities to weep with those who weep? She called what happened double abuse.. In the following weeks, as the church attempted to make peace between them and Naselli, the couple felt maligned in the process, as the professor went on to characterize their motion as divisive and disrespectful. Hes good at multi-syllabic word salads, but hes basically a fast-talking hyper-aggressive con artist who just happens to have chosen the church as the source of his narcissistic supply. 2. 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. In the podcast Mr. Rigney basically said, show compassion but dont have empathy.. Meyer served as the lead pastor at Bethlehem since 2012 after Piper resigned after leading the church for 33 years, according to ChristianHeadlines.com. My Plans Discover Plans Sample Share Don't Lose Heart By Jason Meyer The Takatas were jarred by the response. Up until this point, I thought he was a pretty cool guy and authoritative in his teaching.. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. We cant even think about whats next, said Debby Pickering, whose family left when her husband, Bryan, resigned his position as pastor. What was described in this article is one of the clearest examples of a local church functioning as a narcissistic family system. Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican, addressed the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, whose, A century after the 19th Amendment to the U.S Constitution gave American women the right to vote, a group of male leaders, Costi Hinn, nephew of Benny Hinn, has been called a progressive to mark and avoid for more than two years by Michael. He currently lives in Crystal with his wife Ann, two children, and a dog. 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. During a meeting in May, the downtown pastors faced further challenges from some of the council. 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. WebPastor: Jason Wallingsford, Pastor Paul Meyer | Series: Life Pending ), Bryan Pickering also expressed concern about the Man Rampant episode to Takata. We have room to grow, yet I know that my fellow North elders have sought to shepherd not under compulsion but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, and not domineering over others but serving as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:23), Lee wrote by email. But his take has also resonated. They were disappointed, too, that their pursuit of evidence and the truth became viewed as disbelieving victims or not showing compassion. Mekala, her husband, and another BBC elder met with Tomlinson in December 2019, Mekala said. We dont want that kind of escalation, inflation, and fragility in play. The situation at Bethlehem highlights not only certain issues being debated but also the conflicting philosophies shaping Christians responses: Are we accommodating feelings so much that we are crying sin where there is no sin? Im stumped over this direction. But I am glad Fod called Jason to be a preacher instead of an air-traffic controller. Are the elders or board members abusive? I think hes unnecessarily connected the two. It feels jarring.". And let us pray for Gods rescue and healing of those victimized by these wicked hired-men posing as undershepherds. Id like to see his surgically precise definition of neo-fundamentalism or even fundamentalism for that matter. To donate, click here. WebKnown Addresses for Jason Meyer 1801 Norwood Dr Hurst, TX 76054 Advertisements Source Texas Secretary of State Data last refreshed on Monday, January 23, 2023 What next? . For twelve BBC students to submit allegations against N is not insignificant. WebUrban Refuge Lead Pastor, Jason Meyer, has a deep and abiding passion to make much of Christ in all that he does. They felt pressure for not going along with the rest of the elder council, to the point where some elders said they considered it untenable for Tong and Pickering to stay given their disagreement. 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. Some current seminary students say they were satisfied with the outcome and have seen repentance from their professor following the investigation. Having just come out of an abusive system where women arent believed, it was like, Yeah, this is exactly what Ive lived, Mekala said. 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 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. Pastor, you have introduced the last three sermons that way. I feel like we have encountered wave after wave after wave, and that in a good-faith effort to keep the peace and maintain some form of unity, we have not spoken with sufficient clarity about what is true and what is false and instead have attempted to appease left-leaning folks who are virtually unappeasable , By the time the Takatas eventually met with Naselli and church leaders, they saw that there are more dividing lines being formed here than we expected, Janette told CT. There's domineering. I doubt CCEF itself is changing direction on that. Five of our professors are elders; four of our trustees are elders, said Rigney. God has moved at FCC in amazing ways. 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. 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.. Im sure that systems like this may be corrupted (or at least those whose ideas arent accepted may think the system is corrupted), but at least it allows the collective will of the people to be expressed and it allows individuals to speak openly. They did great for a week when they simply sat with Job in silence. 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.. On July 26, 2020, the congregation Janette and Steve Takata, who have attended and served at Bethlehem since 2003 and 1990, respectively, were concerned enough that Janette made a motion at the churchwide quarterly meeting in January. "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. Rev Bethany Douty. It remains based at Bethlehems downtown campus, and though BCS has its own board of trustees, theres significant overlap in leadership. And are people on either side pitting truth and grace against each other and distorting the way of Jesus? Bethlehem is in Gods hands, she said. So, at the January 31, 2021, meetingjust months before Joe Rigney was installed as president of BCSTakata moved that the elders make a public statement separating the views expressed by Rigney in Man Rampant from the views and teaching of BBC. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. 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) A few Bethlehem elders responded positively to her letter, Mekala said. Rev Ernie Dorrell. The church where John Piper pastored for 33 years is arguably facing one of its greatest crises in 150 years. His writings are dreck, laughable to those who havent already decided to worship at his temple. Those allegations were dismissed by BCS last August. And if Im saying its no longer a place to be able to say those things publicly and remain safe, theyre thinking, Thats not a place for us then either.. Bethlehem uses the phrase ethnic harmony, believing ethnicity is a better match for the the cultural categories described in the Bible than race, which is primarily biological or physical. 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. Pray for me, and I'll be praying for you. 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. 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. Zuleger also asked church members to pray for their leaders. 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. Jesus Word speaks as loud today as it did then. We should not be surprised then that this is the house that disregards the voices of the abused and protects the abuser. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. 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. Now I wonder why he was so harsh.. Meyer preached in 2015 against the dangers of hyper-headship and made the case that doing nothing when faced with abuse is taking the side of the abuser. Last Week (July 2021) Jason Meyer announced his resignation from Bethlehem, following the resignation of several of fellow woke pastors, the agenda he If yes leave the church. 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.. Using language like unity culture waters down and redefines what is really going on. Stokes said that even without charges of heresy or a false gospel, just differences in approach, the discussion can feel very personal. Brilliant people dont do that because they dont need to. The Bethlehem pastors reveal their own corruption by their alliance with Wilson, and church members are right to flee. Rigney acknowledges that a criticism of empathy sounds provocative, and hes made efforts to explain and defend his position online. I was pretty disappointed. Such sensitivities, he fears, can threaten Christians relationship with the truth. 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. After more than 30 years as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, the fiery preacher of hardline biblical values is retooling his priorities. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. WebThe New Hope leadership and staff is comprised of men and women who love, care and pray for every single person in the church. 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.. The Sunday after George Floyd was killed, he preached on racism and the call to sit in solidarity with those who are suffering. "At Bethlehem . a unity culture that breeds fear and seeks to protect the institution Jason Meyer I attended Bethlehem for nearly 3 years, belonged to one of the small groups. Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. If I just resign and pretend that I think everything at Bethlehem is fine, I would be dishonest, wrote Meyer, who left August 1. Halls was one of two official grievances filed against Naselli last year. Thats actually kind of incredible. Part of what I want to say is theres actually an answer to that question.. The others who have resigned include Bryan Pickering, former 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.. He feels overjoyed in his calling to love and lead the flock at Urban Refuge in the strength that God supplies. 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. 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. "Pray for your leaders as we pray for you. Tabb and fellow leaders at BCS conducted the investigation of the former students complaints, which concluded last August. But he loses people when he says empathy is a sin. There is some overlap and co-belligerency with Christian Nationalism (a syncretism of right wing nationalism and Christianity) but neo-fundamentalists do so with more theological vocabulary and rationality. 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. He challenged his flock to consider their own experience in light of Meyers claims of drift toward neo-fundamentalism and unity culture.. Bethlehem College and Seminary grew out of the church-run training center that dates back decades. This generationyoung peopleare not being prepared to survive in the world they are going to find themselves in.. 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. ,and Learn more about Urban Refuge Church Here is a checklist to determine if someone should leave a church: 1. This is the hyper complementarian house that says a woman cant divorce even an abusive, philandering husband. In one class, Naselli argued with those who disagreed with him over whether evil was created, to the point that he clenched his fists, grunted, and called the opposing position almost a heresy. He accused a student of watering down the Bible with his understanding of evil and its existence, according to Brax Carvette. When the image of the family is more important than the individual members of the family, this is a narcissistic family system. 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. 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. What a thorough article. 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. But he also saw the debate as a proxy for the other issues stirring around Bethlehem. Part of whats happened, in the last five years plus especially, is emerging fault lines among people with sensibly shared theological commitments, Rigney said in an interview with CT. At the same time, Theres been an escalation of language and inflation of language such that when a certain issue rises to where it becomes the litmus test, where it becomes, Youre either with us or against usas opposed to simply a different instinct or tendency within a same shared theological commitmentthats when theres real problems, and its hard to work together.. I have been majorly burdened for our church for the past several years regarding how we approach ethnic harmony and related issues in our culture, including partisan politics, Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, Black Lives Matter, etc. It has been multiple factors in concert over time, he wrote in a resignation letter last year. This dysfunctional mess is the logical outcome of John Piper and his theology and its methods. Theyre trying to toughen you up. Ive always been mystified by claims that Doug Wilson is brilliant. "With regret, a deep sense of loss, and praise to God for his mercy and grace even in trial, we announce the resignation of Pastor Jason Meyer from the position of Pastor for Preaching & Vision, Downtown Campus. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Sarah Brima and her husband were former members of Bethlehem and Rigneys Cities Church but left in part over his affiliation with Wilson. But what I noticed, underlying the meaningful time I worshiped at Bethlehem, was rigidity and control among leadership. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. 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. Elders and ministers at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Hes the one that featured Wilson repeatedly on the Desiring God website, and (to my knowledge) hes never once called Wilson out for his revolting rhetoric and his various public misdeeds. 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. No decent man, and no credible minister of Jesus, should enter the same room with such a craven and corrupt person as Wilson, much less appear on his radio show or promote his thinly-veiled sexual fantasies as credible theology. Former Elder, and BBC professor of Biblical Counseling Pickering, however, said he was not surprised by Nasellis response at the meeting. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. Piper cant step in, from what I understand. 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.. Then, its findings werent released to the church as a whole until a year and a half after issuing a report to elders. He also did not respond to The Roys Reports repeated requests for an interview. cultural, damaging behavior that's being done, and has been done, for a long time.". 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. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation I had zero ill intent against you.. One of them, Ann Mekala, wrote in a 2019 letter to several elders, There is an air of disdain and distrust towards women woven throughout the episode. She noted that Wilson and Rigney gave examples of women falsely accusing men in the podcast and encouraged listeners to be skeptical toward those who report abuse. The resignations and fractures in leadership at Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) extend to the congregation and have been simmering for years. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. In the end, seven of the 17 original members of the task force ended up leaving Bethlehem, which some elders saw as confirmation that their misgivings about the group were justified. Unlike other high-profile evangelical scandals and shakeups in the headlines, the story at Bethlehem is not so clear-cut. A Taiwanese American, Tong also wore traditional Chinese attire as he preached on the Sunday following the Atlanta massage parlor shootings. If not leave that church. Naselli, associate professor of theology and New Testament at BCS, spoke up to identify himself as the five-star reviewer and said that if the motion passed, hed quit. 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. I enjoyed your article. She said the meeting did not go well, and Tomlinson told her that he supported Rigneys view. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. There's bullying. A better way to describe this is rigid and controlling. He described his reasons for leaving in a 3,100-word resignation letter that was recently leaked, nearly a month after the church announced his departure in a brief email. More than 25 people spoke to CT at length about their experiences navigating conflict at Bethlehem for this article. 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. Pastor Ralph Donohue. Bethlehem College and Seminary (BCS)which grew from the churchs lay training institute to an accredited programalso has reason to celebrate. When met with issues that strike at the core of ones identity, its natural to have visceral responses, she tweeted. This moment is hard. 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.. He had the power to just wreck me. One of the few evangelical colleges in New York City is in sudden financial crisis, and students are planning for a possible shutdown. By now, you Overall, her professors and pastors modeled a way to engage the world not from fear and suspicion, but with openness and critical thinking., Theres much I love about Bethlehem. . Skip to main content. Approximately 75% of attending members voted AGAINST it. As far as I can see, Pipers church and seminary are just carrying the torch. The leader of the narcissistic family system is always, always ALWAYS a narcissist themselves, and they are adept at manipulation and emotional coercion to maintain the status quo and silence any naysayers (Nasellis ultimatum in public, no less is a classic example). 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