WebOur Legacy. She asked how the message, with Rigney and Wilson discussing examples of women using emotional manipulation or falsely claiming abuse, would square with the churchs own ministry to care for victims. Tong preaches to the downtown campus in March. 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. On July 26, 2020, the congregation This organization investigates any level or kind of abuse within the church, and founded by Boz Tchividijian, (an attorney) and his team has done excellent work to help churches navigate through this kind of thing. The three departing pastors from Bethlehem were based just a few miles from where George Floyd died in 2020. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective. If the church would take seriously the scriptural qualifications for elders, it would protect the sheep from these narcissistic leaders. He added that Wilsons church has received a great deal of scrutiny about its poor handling of abuse cases in the past, so I cringed when I heard (Wilson) bring up . The Roys Report noted Meyer, the successor to founder John Piper, is the fourth pastor to resign from the megachurch in the past four months. 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. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. When the image of the family is more important than the individual members of the family, this is a narcissistic family system. She described how hard it was to leave a church theyd helped plant, even as disagreements about race and gender emerged. 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. The stakes continue to be raised, said Josh Panos, a BCS alumnus. The Takatas, like the group of Nasellis former students, felt like they too had gone through a convoluted process of praying, reporting, documenting, scheduling, meeting, and working for resolution only to have the process end without feeling like their concerns were fully understood and that nothing would change as a result. Meyer wrote in his letter, It is hard to avoid seeing (the charges) as retribution., The Roys Report reached out to several elders for comment. No one should be surprised by these revelations of spiritual abuse -especially against women- in the Bethlehem ecosystem. "We talked weekly on the phone when I was called to my first pastoral role after seminary, he came and visited me and took me to lunch when times were hard in that pastoral post, and now I've had the privilege of serving alongside him these past three years. Rev Patricia Downes. He writes for The Gospel Coalition and has served as D. A. Carsons longtime research assistant. "It's been more painful to me personally than corporately. I feel terribly that I hurt you, and I own that and I regret it, and Im so sorry, he said. Is there a way to do any rebuke or admonishment when someone is hurting?, he asked. Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church Transform Minnesota brings workshops, connection points and teaching across the state of Minnesota. Today was the first time Ive ever heard of the controversy re: the concept of empathy as discussed by Doug Wilson and Joe Rigney, and also now the idea the some biblical counselors are also thinking similarly. Like in many evangelical churches that are majority white, some members of the congregation believed the church was putting too little an effort into addressing ethnic harmony and justice, while others felt like it became too much of a focus. One need only look at the life of John Calvin, father of Reformed theology (deformed is more like it) and how his followers minimize his past (as Piper himself does; this is referenced in Dave Hunts book What Love is This? What was described in this article is one of the clearest examples of a local church functioning as a narcissistic family system. 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. Interview with Jason Mayer | North County Campus Pastor by Dave Franco | August 15, 2014 How did you become a Christian? Learn more about Urban Refuge Church Feb. 06-Feb. 06. As another biblical example, Im reminded of Jobs 3 friends. I observed leadership patterns that sought to help hurting people but left those same people even more frustrated and disappointed.. 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. The Bethlehem pastors reveal their own corruption by their alliance with Wilson, and church members are right to flee. When Pastors leave a church due to a fear culture there is a massive problem with that church. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. It transitioned to a formal degree program that eventually became accredited in 2015. By now, you 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. 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. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation in May; and Bryan Pickering, pastor for care and counseling, in June. Hurt feelings arent always a sign that someone has been sinned against. Until a chance encounter with my moms old Bible opened my eyes. 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. Pipers successor, Jason Meyer, is the fourth pastor to resign from Bethlehem in the past four months. Several current leaders at Bethlehem as well as BCSs new president, Joe Rigney, pointed to a similar taxonomy laid out by The Gospel Coalitions Kevin DeYoung. Piper quite dysfunctionaly spoke in regard to Wilsons repentance over his hurtful and honestly unsupportable writing, I believe in regards to Southern Slavery As It Was. And are people on either side pitting truth and grace against each other and distorting the way of Jesus? Whew! To donate, click here. 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? Four students recalled intense debates in their 2019 undergrad course in Christian ethics and apologetics. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. Thanks Megan. In his resignation letter, Meyer added, Ming-Jinn, Bryan, and I were called shame terms like coddlers, and Ming-Jinn was called Absalom.. The departures most directly affect the downtown campus, where Stokes, Bethlehems pastor of church planting, has assumed some of Meyers duties in the short term. To my knowledge, and I have researched it, that is the only time Piper got even close to creating distance. 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.. Its been a taxing year for everyone, and its been a taxing year for ministry. In September 2018, the church moved into its current South Campus facility in Lakeville. 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. Such sensitivities, he fears, can threaten Christians relationship with the truth. 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). Even if the motions dont pass, at least the option is there to address major concerns with the entire church. Pray for me, and I'll be praying for you. 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. January 31, 2021 Pastor : Jason Wallingsford, Pastor Paul Meyer. He seems to be warning that a large amount of empathy will muddy the waters. 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. And I stand by what I wrote. But what I noticed, underlying the meaningful time I worshiped at Bethlehem, was rigidity and control among leadership. I have found abuse of power issues typical among conservative churches. Meyers most recent title was pastor for preaching & vision at Bethlehems downtown campus. In his resignation letter, Meyer referenced the fracturing of evangelicalism described in a recent Mere Orthodoxy article, which details how certain groups will experience significant philosophy of ministry differences in how to contextualize the gospel in this cultural moment. While accusations swirled of liberal drift under his leadership, Meyer instead saw the congregation moving in the other direction and suggested a pastor in the neo-fundamentalist category would be a better fit. We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! 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. While he was trying to work for resolution, she didnt know where to go with her own frustration and anxiety. You'll hear sermons, worship, life-changing help, and prayer. Pastor Brian Dow. But in contexts where believers already agree on the capital-T Truth, theres even more weight and fallout when they fail to see eye to eye on the lowercase-t truth of a situation. 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. Meyer told his congregation to expect that race would continue to be addressed from the pulpit. I thought others agreed with me as we talked about taking that approach. WebIn 2012, Jason Meyer became the senior pastor. But the vote said the opposite. Approximately 75% of attending members voted AGAINST it. The sensitivity over Black Lives Matter and differing approaches to contemporary racial issues hits particularly hard in the Bethlehem community. Take Back Your Life. 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 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. Now, obviously Im a pastor at a separate church, but that church has the same doctrinal commitment as Bethlehem does., Rigney and Wilson discuss the sin of empathy.. ), Boyum said it was because of her training at Bethlehem that she felt like she should raise concerns. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. At the same time, worries around secular thinking overriding biblical approaches to race have spiked, particularly over critical race theory. 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/. Theyre drawn to Reformed theology and Pipers Christian hedonism, which is reflected in the schools motto: Education in Serious Joy., In a classroom full of men who would give their lives for the gospel, to have somebody whos supposedly training you for ministry doubt your commitment to that gospel because youre not convinced hes right about everything is really hard to deal with, said Karl Grant, who studied under Naselli in the seminary, as the sole Lutheran in the program. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. The church formed an ethnic harmony task force in 2019 to review issues such as representation and diversity within the church and leadership. Id like to see his surgically precise definition of neo-fundamentalism or even fundamentalism for that matter. . 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. Ann Mekala and her husband, who was on the ethnic harmony task force, left the church a couple years ago. During a meeting in May, the downtown pastors faced further challenges from some of the council. (Image credit: Bethlehem Baptist Church/Facebook), Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. Thank you for this comment, Pastor Lamb. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. We cant even think about whats next, said Debby Pickering, whose family left when her husband, Bryan, resigned his position as pastor. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. 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. 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415 According to Pickering, Naselli had been the focus of an internal investigation at BCS due to allegations of bullying and spiritual abuse brought by about 12 former and current BCS students. 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. 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On April 20, the elders met again for what Pickering and Meyer likened to a tribunal. Pickering said that in that meeting, the elders accused Meyer and Tong of subordinating the gospel and embracing Marxism and Critical Race Theorya controversial approach to understanding systemic racism. with Pastor Shedrick Clark. Rigney has a degree from New Saint Andrews College, founded by Wilsons Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and has maintained ties with him. There's domineering. WebRev David Dodge. A Taiwanese American, Tong also wore traditional Chinese attire as he preached on the Sunday following the Atlanta massage parlor shootings. Piper has hosted and defended pastor and author Doug Wilson over the years, even as hes become an increasingly contentious figure in evangelicalism for his teachings on slavery, women, and other issues. "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. From afar it looks to me like Bethlehem Baptist has dodged a bullet of baloney. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? 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. 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. Are the Pastor(s) abusive? 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 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.. However, three pastors/elders voted against dismissing chargesPickering, Meyer, and Ming-Jinn Tong, former pastor of neighborhood outreach who also recently resigned. From our humble beginnings in 1975, Faith Assembly of God began as a church serving 95 people from a small steel building. Another four faculty and staff left the college and seminary in the past year. To register contact Jason Meyer at wljm01@gmail.com. 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