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. Tong preaches to the downtown campus in March. Stokes said that even without charges of heresy or a false gospel, just differences in approach, the discussion can feel very personal. He currently lives in Crystal with his wife Ann, two children, and a dog. I had a growing concern that compassion that lacks discernment would ultimately and subtly undermine sound doctrine. WebView Jason Meyers profile on LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional community. The issue of abuse also has particular resonance at Bethlehem. I believe aspects of BCS culture are inconsistent with the mission and vision I came to love, she said. She said the meeting did not go well, and Tomlinson told her that he supported Rigneys view. 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. Man Rampant? And are people on either side pitting truth and grace against each other and distorting the way of Jesus? Subscribers receive full access to the archives. 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.. . 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While Meyer was on sabbatical in May, Pickering and Tong were removed from the Sunday prayer and preaching schedule. This moment is hard. 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. 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 Its one of the things that meant I never took John Piper seriously, or trusted his exposition of Scripture. Until a chance encounter with my moms old Bible opened my eyes. 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. ]. Rev Ernie Dorrell. Thats actually kind of incredible. Elders and ministers at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota have resigned over what Pipers successor, Jason Meyer, calls an embrace of neo-fundamentalism and a unity culture that breeds fear and seeks to protect the institution. Interview with Jason Mayer | North County Campus Pastor by Dave Franco | August 15, 2014 How did you become a Christian? 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. 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.. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. On July 26, 2020, the congregation 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. 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. . But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. In September 2018, the church moved into its current South Campus facility in Lakeville. ", "We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. If youve seen much of Doug Wilson or his church/school/publishing empire in Moscow, ID, and you have some understanding of narcissism, youll immediately recognize the warning flags. These tensions came to a head at a contentious BBC congregational meeting on January 31 in which two members, Steve and Janette Takata, submitted motions for the church to consider. "There's unethical behavior. Not Jesus. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. espaol, WebOur Legacy. The trip cost is $500, $250 is due with initial registration. What a thorough article. Janette Takata pointed out that Rigney was identified as being from Bethlehem in the video and that a BCS professor and Bethlehem elder posted a five-star review of the episode. We cant even think about whats next, said Debby Pickering, whose family left when her husband, Bryan, resigned his position as pastor. Jason Delgado served as lead pastor of Vibrant Church in Columbus, Mississippi, until he resigned in April 2021. The stakes continue to be raised, said Josh Panos, a BCS alumnus. If not leave that church. 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. 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. 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. He feels overjoyed in his calling to love and lead the flock at Urban Refuge in the strength that God supplies. 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. Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. To my knowledge, and I have researched it, that is the only time Piper got even close to creating distance. Help is Here a new sermon series; Upcoming Events. A better way to describe this is rigid and controlling. Frankly, its because I graduated from our undergrad program that I have concerns. ,and cultural, damaging behavior that's being done, and has been done, for a long time.". Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! WebWhile details of what's actually going on at Bethlehem Baptist are sparse, the resignation of the church's head pastor and several is arguably newsworthy, so we're going to allow discussion on the topic.. A couple of reminders to everybody: John Piper hasn't been the pastor at BBC since 2012, and thus far there is zero indication that he's in any way 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.. The implications were clear: He would not be sugarcoating in this class. 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. 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. 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. D. degrees. Some of the resignations were due to normal factors, like families moving out of the area. 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. 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. 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. Rigneys sin of empathy interview in Wilsons series, called Man Rampant, released in October 2019 as the debut episode. 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? 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. 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. You'll hear sermons, worship, life-changing help, and prayer. He may have a point about detached wisdom in making hard decisions. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? ), Bryan Pickering also expressed concern about the Man Rampant episode to Takata. Approximately 75% of attending members voted AGAINST it. Why anyone would align themselves with Doug Wilsonwhose latest in a string of anti-Christian behaviors is authoring an erotic novel about a sex robotis beyond me. 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. 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. 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. Ive worked with victims for 26 years in the Christian Reformed Church. Web1-31-2021 Worship Service Pastor Meyers retirement. Hi. It would have been easier, he said, to move from understanding abuse within institutions and systems, as can be the case with spiritual abuse and racism, to the ways abuse manifests in marriage relationships. 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. Skip to main content. In the podcast Mr. Rigney basically said, show compassion but dont have empathy.. I say all of that to let you know that it's okay to feel sad and confused," Zuleger continued. Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church Transform Minnesota brings workshops, connection points and teaching across the state of Minnesota. Our academic dean is an elder at the church. After Christ Christian Center. So far this year, about 200 peoplenearly 10% of the megachurchs total membershiphave resigned as members from Bethlehems Downtown campus, according to statistics provided to The Roys Report by former BBC members. At Bethlehem, Rigney said, we want to un-coddle the American mind, or at least the Christian mind. 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. 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