I never met Jason Meyer but I know an oblong blur generality, when I read one. 3. https://julieroys.com/bethlehem-baptist-church-culture-fear-abuse Are there good reasons for why Pastors are leaving the church? 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. WebThe New Hope leadership and staff is comprised of men and women who love, care and pray for every single person in the church. January 31, 2021 Pastor : Jason Wallingsford, Pastor Paul Meyer. . "There's unethical behavior. Similarly, Lee at Bethlehems North Campus referred to the spiritual abuse accusations against Naselli as the result of concept creep, suggesting that conceptions of abuse and victimhood are being expanded too far. In the podcast Mr. Rigney basically said, show compassion but dont have empathy.. She referenced the six habits that shape BCS education: observing, understanding, evaluating, feeling, applying, and expressing. Ive always been mystified by claims that Doug Wilson is brilliant. Hurt feelings arent always a sign that someone has been sinned against. What shocks me is that these men have not bothered to look at the clear examples in the New testament, including of sympathy and empathy in Hebrews. 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. 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. 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. Rigney acknowledges that a criticism of empathy sounds provocative, and hes made efforts to explain and defend his position online. 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. 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.. However, three pastors/elders voted against dismissing chargesPickering, Meyer, and Ming-Jinn Tong, former pastor of neighborhood outreach who also recently resigned. This fall, the school will inaugurate its second president, 10 years after its first graduating class. 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. Both Meyer and Tong spoke out against racism, Pickering said, but added that the charges were not true. During a meeting in May, the downtown pastors faced further challenges from some of the council. "It's been more painful to me personally than corporately. Its a simple case of the seeds of the founder coming to fruition. 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. In an emailed statement to CBN News on Wednesday, Ken Currie, Bethlehem Baptist's pastor for strategic implementation, said Meyer's resignation would be effective Aug. 1. 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. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. The church formed an ethnic harmony task force in 2019 to review issues such as representation and diversity within the church and leadership. From our humble beginnings in 1975, Faith Assembly of God began as a church serving 95 people from a small steel building. It took a lot for him to leave the classroom behind. 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. If the church would take seriously the scriptural qualifications for elders, it would protect the sheep from these narcissistic leaders. 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. "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. Im not convinced that I sinned against you. 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. One motion concerned the Racial Harmony Task Force, a group formed in early 2019 to address the lack of minority representation on BBCs Elder Council. Jesus Word speaks as loud today as it did then. Then they got themselves in trouble (ultimately with God) when they opened their mouths and spoke words without knowledge in their attempt to fix Job. "This news is fresh to the leadership at Bethlehem, and we are still processing the reasons for the departure, as well as next steps," the statement continued. Those leaving and those staying recognize some of the issues that have divided Bethlehem, many of which are straining other conservative churches: racial justice and critical race theory (CRT); the #MeToo movement and the call to believe women; and the nature of trauma and abuse. Beneath this constellation of hot topics, though, theres also a deeper philosophical disagreement over how to approach the various conflicts themselves. Jason informed Bethlehem's Council of Elders of his resignation effective August 1, 2021," the statement read. This is another painful and confusing moment for us," Zuleger wrote. But what I noticed, underlying the meaningful time I worshiped at Bethlehem, was rigidity and control among leadership. 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. ++++++++++. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. While he was trying to work for resolution, she didnt know where to go with her own frustration and anxiety. The Roys Report reached out to Tomlinson for comment, but he did not respond. 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. WebJason Meyer | 2 Corinthians 11:16-21. I still believe we should have done the investigation, but I was able to get to the point where I regarded the March 16 process as incomplete, not immoral.. His worries center on what he sees as contemporary expectations that people join others who are hurting in their pain. You'll hear sermons, worship, life-changing help, and prayer. There is no one factor that has driven me away from this school. But it wasnt just the situation around Naselli. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. There's domineering. WebPastor Jason Meyer. In a letter that Pickering presented to Naselli in February, and the churchs Elder Council in March, Pickering accused Naselli of displaying a pattern of controlling and egregious sin against God and people., I do not think you are presently qualified for the office of elder, Pickering wrote, and urged Naselli to resign to spare the church, and the elder council, grief upon grief.. I have found abuse of power issues typical among conservative churches. The downtown campus was the most diverse of the three, with people of color making up 21 percent of attendees. 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. In terms of the leadership of the school, its the same guys. Ive blogged about that twice. 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. . There are things that professors would admit in classroom settings when I began that they wouldnt be willing to admit now.. Zuleger noted Meyer's resignation was painful to him personally due to their years-long friendship. laid out by The Gospel Coalitions Kevin DeYoung, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, I Was the Proverbial, Drug-Fueled Rock and Roller, Grace Community Church Rejected Elders Calls to Do Justice in Abuse Case, The Kings College Faces Threat of Closure, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. "I'm convinced that we live in a culture (Christian culture) that is constantly angry and shaking its fists because we've lost the place for and the healthy rhythm of grief-filled lament that the world is broken, sinful, and not as it should be. 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. Soon after he launched his academic As far as I can see, Pipers church and seminary are just carrying the torch. When the legitimate needs of the individual members of the family are expendable for the sake of the image of the family, this is a narcissistic family system. Take Back Your Life. 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. And though Naselli would later apologize for what he said, the Takatas said Naselli made disparaging statements about them in the months following to elders, BBC members, and staff at BCS. 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.. And I stand by what I wrote. For twelve BBC students to submit allegations against N is not insignificant. Last year, Pickering and Meyer resigned from their teaching roles at BCS, with Pickering citing egregious student complaints against a professor-elder among his top reasons. . 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. Are the Pastor(s) abusive? with Pastor Shedrick Clark. 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. 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. There are still a few spots open; which we hope will be filled. He kept saying dont get sucked in which is quite a different thing than having empathy. Thank you for this comment, Pastor Lamb. From afar it looks to me like Bethlehem Baptist has dodged a bullet of baloney. For some, these three pastors willingness to listen to and advocate for congregants, their teachings on race and abuse, and their leadership at the downtown campus were particular assets to Bethlehem. The Roys Report has also learned that Pastor for Care and Counseling Bryan Pickering, who also recently resigned, called for the resignation of a fellow elder, Andy Naselli, whos a professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary. That was a very heated conversation. ", "We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. "It's confusing and painful corporately because Jason took the mantle from Pastor John Piper and helped lead us to this point of campus-specific preaching. I fully believed that living for myself and chasing my desires of money, women, and partying would lead me to joy and happiness. Frankly, its because I graduated from our undergrad program that I have concerns. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. Even with the warning, there were moments where the tone and classroom demeanor intensified in contrast to others at BCS. As it should, he wrote. A Taiwanese American, Tong also wore traditional Chinese attire as he preached on the Sunday following the Atlanta massage parlor shootings. 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. But for others, the pastors focus on race and abuse issues reflected a differing philosophy of ministry. Image: Screengrab / Bethlehem Baptist Church. We should not be surprised then that this is the house that disregards the voices of the abused and protects the abuser. Steve and Janette Takata told The Roys Report they were shocked by Nasellis ultimatum. espaol, WebIn 2012, Jason Meyer became the senior pastor. Rev Bethany Douty. "Pray for your leaders as we pray for you. Wilson can easily be intellectually challenged, but he uses verbal and physical intimidation as a shield to avoid it. Its been a taxing year for everyone, and its been a taxing year for ministry. May they work it out together in a godly manner. During the difficult moments over the past few months, hes reminded himself of James 3:17 (ESV): But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. As the downtown campus grieves the loss of longtime leaders and friends, Stokes said he continues to answer questions, but he gets the sense that nearly all the remaining members are committed to stay. And I want to speak against her motion. After Christ Christian Center. Pastor Jason He wrote in an email to her that he believed the elders would be taking up the issue in the days ahead.. God is everywhereeven in the news. Why? Paul used this same verb in verse 19 (you gladly bear with fools), and now he repeats it once more in order to make plain some of the foolish stuff the Corinthians put up with. Last Sunday, Bethlehem campuses began to meet to discuss Meyers letter and the reasons for his resignation. When the image of the family is more important than the individual members of the family, this is a narcissistic family system. If you find over time that Johnathons perceptions are true, you will rightly seek out another place to study or work. Skip to main content. 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. 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. Five of our professors are elders; four of our trustees are elders, said Rigney. 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. and Ph. 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.. Meyer said, If you as a church dont like what I said today, you will have to get another pastor, because I believe this to the back of my teeth.. Disagreements in this area can feel like personal attacks or as doctrinal attacks, when they really are neither.. Up until this point, I thought he was a pretty cool guy and authoritative in his teaching.. Whew! 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. 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. It is on YouTube, Race and Culture (??? To unlock this article for your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. The school also hired its only female faculty professor, Betsy Howard, this year. 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 If yes leave the church. The church went on to revise its stance on divorce and start a ministry response team to care for victims. Brilliant people dont do that because they dont need to. Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. No one has leaned in to care for my soul more than him," he wrote. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. 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. Learn more about Urban Refuge Church 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.. By now, you have received notification of the resignation of Pastor Jason Meyer. ), Boyum said it was because of her training at Bethlehem that she felt like she should raise concerns. 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/. Tabb and fellow leaders at BCS conducted the investigation of the former students complaints, which concluded last August. Couldnt agree more, Rebecca. Now I wonder why he was so harsh.. 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. This prompted many members of the task force to leave the church, according to Janice Perez Evans, a task force co-leader. Jason Meyer has resigned from his position as the lead pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, amid allegations of toxic and abusive behavior among the church's leadership. But if you see what I see, and if you experience this community (leadership, faculty, and students) as loving, and supportive and fair, and if you share my excitement about the future with Joe Rigneys leadership and under Gods merciful providence, then I believe we will together walk in truth and love, and have a great impact for the glory of Christ.. 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