Frazer also believes church leaders disqualified people who they thought would vote the wrong way. Since the ballots included church member names, he said, leaders would know how church staff and other members voted, opening them up to retaliation. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (RNS) David Platt had a dream for the future of McLean Bible Church. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Platts teaching in his McLean Bible Church Course The Gospel, The Church, Justice and Race (GCJR) highlights a Hegelian-inspired dialectical synthesis between Christianity and Woke Social Justice. And there really were some wild conspiracy theories that came out of that. . Any church member on McLeans inactive list was given a provisional ballot. Lon Solomon the legendary pastor of McLean Bible Church has not set foot in McLean for a worship service since becoming pastor emeritus. Former President Trump even . The suit is pending despite the announced vote outcome. But he argued that Virginia law does require churches to follow rules outlined in their constitutions. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Critics say the Virginia churchs leadership has become woke and has substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Apparently, amid the controversy with Calvinism that Lon and the elders initially rejected, they added that position statement on Calvinism. The Bible speaks of individual responsibility and personal motivation and the Bible speaks to unjust systems and discrimination. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. ], Subscribe to CT All rights reserved. It's great to be with you. However, Solomon cannot state his opinions publicly because of a separation agreement he signed with the church. Church members are asked for their opinions on things like what color to paint the womens bathroom, he said; why not ask their opinion on more substantive matters such as CRT or joining the SBC? While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. This letter urged Platt and the current elders to reject the Woke path. But its pastor says a group . View article . CRN offers a lifeline to conservative people of faith. Platt went on to call the church to give up everything for the glory of God, echoing the message of his 2010 book, Radical, a bestseller that called Christians to give up the American dream in order to serve Jesus and transform the world. We urge you to sign upto receive our FREE need to read articles. (Reformation Charlotte) A sad sight to behold is the trajectory that David Platt has been on over the last several years as the Evangelical racial reconciliation movement a movement rooted in Marxist Critical Race Theory has consumed him in nearly every aspect of thought and decision. AD FREE! But a spokesman for the SBC, while saying "McLean Bible Church, like all Southern Baptist churches, is an independent and autonomous local church," confirmed that McLean is considered an SBC church. 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. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. SBC Elites cite distinguished lawyer and Southern Baptist Matthew Martens; however, Martens has written persuasively, Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban women pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), New intel points to Covid origin in a lab leak, remember when this was a, NAMB PR VP Mike Ebert emerges as key witness in McRaney v. NAMB What will, David Platt explodes at McLean Bible Church, plays the race card, the man responsible for dividing McLean Bible Church by teaching Critical Race Theory, 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, Ed Litton Plagiarism Scandal: A Sermongate Timeline, Baptist professor strongly suspects former SBC President J.D. We are zealous in the present not to prolong or replicate in any way racial injustice from the past. Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. In that election, the elders were approved, which led dissident members to file a suit. In September 2017, Platt was confirmed into the role of teaching pastor of McLean Bible Church (MBC) by a 95 percent approval vote from the congregational members. in our church) who have criticized him for acknowledging the hurt his decision caused, and who have even had the calloused audacity to malign those who are hurt, your brash insensitivity is the reason why so many minority and marginalized people struggle to be a part of Evangelical churches. Sarah Merkle, an attorney and professional parliamentarian, said the incident highlights the importance in any church of establishing and following sound voting procedures. Are the culture wars changing how Christian students choose colleges? The conservative voice and Christian content are being silenced more and more. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Nope. Almost all of the questions we have heard are less about Gods Word and more about what this blog or that Facebook post says, Platt said. Thats led to accusations that Platt and others have become woke and liberal. In May 2021 following the Social Justice push and Platts book on politics, McLean Bible Church reported average attendance of about 7,300. And it would appear that the vast majority of the church sided with Platt and the other leaders by their support of those elders. The stated purpose of the church is "that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ . We see throughout Scripture that individuals affect structures and structures affect individuals, so we emphasize both personal and corporate responsibility in matters of justice., And, We do grieve over the existence and effects of racism, and to the extent that we are part of a larger group of people guilty of racism, we appropriately confess corporate sins of racism and take appropriate steps of repentance, much as we do when the Holy Spirit convicts us of any corporate sin. One former McLean Bible Church member pointed out that Platts preaching is mostly informed by sociological approaches to race through works that Platt read and promoted like Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The Washington-area megachurch led by best-selling author David Platt has affirmed three new eldersbut only after a public tussle over politics, race, and alleged liberal drift, plus a lawsuit . Lon Solomon was born and raised in a Jewish home in Portsmouth, Virginia.. Solomon earned a B.S. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Which enabled a small group, just to put it in perspective, less than seven percent of our current membership on Wednesday night, including some people who we know are not actually members, less than seven percent kept elders from being overwhelmingly affirmed by our church family for the first time in our history.. Its first service was held on Easter Sunday at Chesterbook Elementary School in McLean with Pastor J. Albert Ford. It took repeated requests from a few conservative Elders to take down Facebook photos of staff holding BLM signs. And the church has not regularly tracked individual attendance for years, he added. The July 18 vote has been surrounded by controversy, with some decrying what they saw as creeping liberalism within the church's leadership. Accuracy and availability may vary. Lon Solomon Ministries 8116 Arlington Blvd. However, this is a lie. Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. INSKEEP: I was astonished by some of the conspiracy theories that you described that surfaced during that election campaign. Allegations that leaders were seeking to join the SBC in violation of the churchs constitution led McLean to suspend all contributions to SBC causes this month. INSKEEP: This, according to your reporting, seems to have surfaced as a conflict in a way that wasn't directly about the pastor but a kind of church election. INSKEEP: Is that part of what seemed to get him in trouble with at least a portion of the congregation? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. Dr. James White dissected David Platts errors in a podcast examining that T4G sermon. We have walked through tumultuous days over the last year in the world, surfacing many challenges in our lives, families, our country, the world, and the church, Platt told CT. We all need Gods grace to love one another well and to live for the spread of his love in a world that desperately needs what only he can give. According to former members and staff, these former elders have left MBC for what reasons, no one will say: Jim Battle, Mark Gotlieb, Craig Proulx, Jimmy Mitchell, John Baber, and Lon Solomon. And then there was some question as to who is eligible to vote as a McLean member and who is not. It must be an unprecedented group of divisive liars and racists! As if those sources of information are anywhere close to the authority of this Word.. When longtime leaders and perhaps thousands of members are abandoning the church, what is the lesson David Platt draws? This internal document was a response to Platts promotion of The Gospel, the Church, Justice and Racism whitepaper. McLean Bible, seen as a conservative evangelical congregation that once had more than 16,000 attendees, has long been an important church in the Washington, D.C., area. Viewarticle. Platt said the dissident group claimed it was using the elder vote as part of a constitutional process to retake control of the church. Controversy at McLean Bible Church boils over as members file lawsuit over elder vote. It was an exercise in eisegesis (p. 121). These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The weeks between the two votes were tumultuous. I don't think that it was about the specific elders so much as the direction of the church. No matter what you've been through or where you've come from, you are welcome here. In June 2019, then-President Donald Trump showed up at a worship service and Platt prayed for him from the stage, an action that drew criticism from some in the church. We believe the same thing would happen on appeal in this matter, as our church has now voted and revoted in ways that are crystal clear. According to sources close to McLean Bible Church, Platt was told about this many times and seemed unconcerned about it, but finally complied with the demand to remove the divisive political photograph. Thanks so much. for less than $4.25/month. Platt begged church members who support the Woke regime to adjust vacation plans to be at the special meeting. Meanwhile, leaders like Platt see the pushback as its own sort of coup and remain concerned about the influence of opposition fueled on social media and watchdog blogs. I want you to listen closely to the words I am about to say, he said in his sermon the following Sunday. We're glad to hear from you. Three new elders were approved by about 80% of active member votes. That is not acceptable for the Body of Jesus Christ. Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 11, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. 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.. The bullseye of the controversy is pastor and best-selling author David Platt, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. Bob Smietana. Some of you may remember him as the guy Jerry Falwell Jr. told to "grow a pair." Platt is now in the middle of a controversy over "wokeness" at the church. Until a chance encounter with my moms old Bible opened my eyes. Longtime member Bill Frazer, 69, believes Sundays election violated the churchs constitution, which states that any member who misses services eight weeks in a row can be designated as inactive. At a June 30 meeting, nominees Chuck Hollingsworth, Jim Burris, and Ken Tucker had failed to receive a clear 75 percent majority, the margin required for elder election. Something is wrong here,' he told Religion News Service in a 2013 interview. So wherever possible, we want to work together to move forward together on mission even with our different perspectives.. He became a teaching pastor in 2017 and left the presidency of the SBCs International Mission Board to dedicate his ministry to McLean the following year. Platts silent embrace of the radical Black Lives Matter movement and the promotion of Kelsey along with Social Justice Bible studies including Platts own book legitimizing Christians who vote for Pro-Abortion Democrats, conservatives are leaving the church for new homes. The largely conservative northern Virginia church across the Potomac from Washington had grown from a group of five families in the 1960s to a congregation of more than 10,000 spread across several campuses, attracting politicians and business leaders to the churchs evangelical message and values. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. COVID-19, Frazer said, has made that rule unenforceable. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It is unclear whether McLean Bible Church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention or an independent congregation. Sal Cordova (church member &. Putting it off is only going to make it worse. According to the letter sent to Platt in February, t the congregational meeting on 12/9/20, in response to a question, David strongly disavowed Black Lives Matter. This is pretty shocking, even if you have been reading our warnings (here, here, and here - to start) about the apparent in-coming embrace of LGBTQ+ among Southern Baptist Elites.Eric Saunders, Pastor of McLean Bible Church of Arlington, MD, has released a video in which he claims Jesus experienced a kind of body dysphoria like that experienced by transgender claimants. There are other internal documents providing similar extensive theological arguments. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. COVID-19 also played a role. 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 . degree in chemistry (1971) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Th.M. According to course documents provided to the Capstone Report, Injustice like we see in Scripture is evident in and around us today. However, Platts course provides no proof of this assertion but launches into the typical CRT-inspired list of supposed American wrongs including things like discrimination, persecution, prejudicial creation and execution of laws, crises of excessive crime and incarceration, corruption in leaders, suppression of the marginalized, and oppression of the poor.. Platt was presented with multiple documents from many respected past and present McLean Bible Church members over the last two years that connected concerns about racial identity politics with proper biblical application. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". As Solomon transitioned from leadership following a 37-year pastorate, McLean made major budget changes, scaling back the percentage of income spent on personnel and incentivizing staff departures. ROACH: Yes, that's exactly right. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Solomon would forfeit his retirement package if he spoke out about the problems. A small group of people, inside and outside this church, coordinated a divisive effort to use disinformation in order to persuade others to vote these men down as part of a broader effort to take control of this church., Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 18, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. And the candidate backed by the Conservative Baptist Network at the most recent SBC annual meeting got 48% percent of the vote. College Park Church in Indianapolis was accused in a blog post this spring of caving to ever-increasing social justice infiltration. Dallas pastor Matt Chandler and former SBC president J. D. Greear both have been accused of being woke, and the SBCs emerging Conservative Baptist Network (CBN) has charged some convention leaders with advocating critical race theory and downplaying the Bibles sufficiency. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. Evangelical Seminary Explains Why It Enrolled First Muslim Student, I Was the Proverbial, Drug-Fueled Rock and Roller, Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Beautiful Mystery of Gods Silence. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Similar to Naples, McLean Bible Church recently held a vote to confirm three elders the first vote failed. The total was either just above or just below 75 percent, depending on whether provisional ballots were counted, so a second vote was held July 18, at which all three nominees received at least 78 percent of the vote. Chuck Hannaford, a Memphis clinical psychologist who has helped churches mediate conflicts for 30 years, said McLeans troubles are the latest iteration of a broader conflict between younger Reformed Christians and older generations of white evangelicals. Why is David Platt undermining elections? It is a mega church in the DC area with 5 locations and claims an attendance of 13,000 each weekend. This year, the church had an election of three church elders, which would normally be a sleepy affair. And he said that there was a group that was trying to take over the church. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Lon Solomon made one statement in opposition to the Social Justice heresy. Platt took a shot at blogs and social media. He also wrote an article equating support for President Trump and support for BLM as equally acceptable for a Christian.. The churchs constitution describes it as an independent church that shall not, and cannot, be affiliated with any denomination. But in 2016, under Solomon, the church began to give money to SBC church planting programs and it has donated about $100,000 a year as a cooperating church. And the elder vote was the occasion to speak that. While Platt raised concerns that the opposing group deceived members at the Tysons location into voting against the new elders, a lawsuit filed July 15 alleges that church leaders at McLean illegally barred some of their opponents from voting in the follow-up elder election. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". So those are some of the manifestations that show this is a larger discussion among evangelicals. Wait. This is a lie. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Net Worth in 2023: $2 million. He told Religion News Service that the church believes it will prevail if there is an appeal. From 2014 to 2017, Platt was president of the International Mission Board. Who knew two nonverbal rocks had so much to say? He was senior pastor at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, from 2006 to 2014. Thousands have fled the church since it was taken over by David Platt. Last weekend a sermon by Evangelical pastor Francis Chan went viral, as in the sermon Chan shared about Communion and his discovery of the scriptural and historical basis for transubstantiation - that the bread and the wine become the literal Body and Blood of Christ. In fact, Platt's sloppy moral reasoning was one point of controversy in a letter to leadership from five long-standing members of . Once the first vote for the elders failed, Frazer believes that Platt and leaders should have stopped and listened to the congregations concerns. Platt, the author of Radical, is known for his passionate call to evangelism, missions, and Scripture. The budget has been cut to $4 million less than in 2019. Solomon signed the Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel. 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. When I first came to faith in Christ in 1971, as a Jewish college student, I never imagined that the Lord would lead me to pastor a church. During a sermon on July 4, David Platt very intentionally addressed some of those concerns. A group of five former leaders at McLean including a former elder, former staff member and lay leadership warned David Platt in a letter dated February 3, 2021, about numerous moves by Platt and his elders to divide the church along racial lines. Current McLean leaders have denied that the church is a member of the SBC and posted a letter from the SBCs Executive Committee to support that claim. McLean Bible Church was once the biggest in Virginia. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In recent years, Platt, like other high-profile evangelical pastors, including former SBC President J.D. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Pastor David Platt, left, prays for President Donald Trump at McLean Bible Church, in Vienna, Virginia, on June 2, 2019. The church teachings were theologically conservative under its previous leadership, the legendary Lon Solomon. In fact, in a sermon around the time of the November 2020 Presidential Election, Platt dared conservatives to leave the church over his welcoming of those supporting pro-abortion candidates, i.e. A group of critics that runs a Facebook group called Save McLean Bible Church claimed that church leaders had substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. He earlier served as the senior priest at the Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and got the recognition of being the youngest pastor of any megachurch in the US. There were some who expressed the thought that David Platt and the other leaders were soft on issues like abortion and sexuality. There were not enough provisional ballots to change the outcome, according to an email from church leaders. Platt taught the course to about 1,000 church members. David Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C., and founder of Radical, a resource ministry that serves churches, preaches during the second session of the two-day 2019 Pastors' Conference held June 9-10 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Attendance at the church was steady for most of the early period of the COVID pandemic; however, following the racism class and David Platts book on the voting, attendance began a precipitous decline. Financial needs: If you would like to request help with . David Platt's very strong on the issues that evangelicals traditionally have cared about. 'At the end . RELATED: David Platt interview: A summons to lose your life. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. McLean stated in a Q&A on its website that Kelseys son held a poster that read, Black Lives Matter to God.. Specifically, Platts course reveals his assumption that disparity is proof of racist systems. It's little outside of Washington, D.C., in Virginia. Platt also accused the dissident group of being racist. Copyright 2021 NPR. Platt came to McLean in 2017, while he was still president of the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board. Because of its proximity to Washington, D.C., many government officials, Capitol Hill staffers, and thought leaders are members. The group has also reportedly filed other complaints . The election came amid simmering unrest at the church, where political polarization in the wider culture seeped into the congregation the larger woke war in the evangelical world. When you dont follow the rules and it has an effect on a consequential vote, you have now created a huge distraction from your mission, Merkle said. The best examples are the woke church movement, and the takeover of many seminaries by critical race theory. Yes, the typical political ploy used by Democrats in every election cycle has now entered Evangelical megachurches. RELATED: David Platts dreams for McLean Bible Church sour as members file lawsuit over elder vote. Video screen grab via MBC. McClean Bible Church Pastor David Platt addresses his congregation on July 4, 2021. RELATED: At Founders event, Southern Baptists urged to choose the Bible over CRT. (RNS) David Platt had a dream for the future of McLean Bible Church. In a sobering, emotional and occasionally shocking address from the pulpit on July 4, Platt alleged a conspiratorial attempt on behalf of a "small group" of church members to sow misinformation among the congregation with the goal of taking control of the church. Some may wonder what Lon Solomon thinks about the heretical social justice teachings. But a series of controversies and the countrys growing political polarization have turned Platts dream into a nightmare. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The dispute at McLean may now end up in court. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. He - I've heard him preach on abortion and religious liberty and traditional marriage. 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, the senior pastor of McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia, is now caught in the middle of a scandal that is reminiscent of events that took place in 2019 at a large Southern Baptist Church in Naples, FL. But threatening McLean now is a group that has spread all kinds of rumors, Platt said. In response, Platt accused his critics in a sermon of spreading disinformation and stuffing the ballot box with votes from former members and inactive church members. Just like the Democrats blame racists, so too David Platt. Some say it is now a running joke that McLean refugees are showing up in other area churches looking for the truth and the Gospel instead of racial identity politics. Following the first failed election, a second election was held in early July 2021, this one where members had to sign their ballots which critics said violated the church practice of using secret ballots. June 27, 2022. Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church said many of those within his congregation were 'hurt' with his decision to pray for President Donald Trump on stage during Sunday's service.
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