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 . 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415 Rev Greg Doss. Thats actually kind of incredible. and Ph. In our next article on events at Bethlehem Baptist Church, well explore the allegations against Naselli, as well as the response by BCS administration and BBC elders. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. One of the few evangelical colleges in New York City is in sudden financial crisis, and students are planning for a possible shutdown. All three had conflicted at times with Bethlehems 40-plus-member elder council, and they eventually saw their own ministries and the focus of the church going in different directions. 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.. Amid these accusations, I recommend trying G.R.A.C.E to investigate the matters facing Bethlehem. 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. We put a high premium on education in serious joy, and therefore we think the emotions are important, he said. . Four students recalled intense debates in their 2019 undergrad course in Christian ethics and apologetics. Five of our professors are elders; four of our trustees are elders, said Rigney. I had a growing concern that compassion that lacks discernment would ultimately and subtly undermine sound doctrine. The sensitivity over Black Lives Matter and differing approaches to contemporary racial issues hits particularly hard in the Bethlehem community. I observed leadership patterns that sought to help hurting people but left those same people even more frustrated and disappointed.. 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. Students saw the effects too, where professors were becoming less willing to find merit in concepts that have become associated with CRT, such as institutional bias. The Takatas concerns quickly became about more than the motion, and they filed grievances challenging Nasellis qualifications as an elder. In 1980, after only 5 years of ministry, the congregation took a huge step of faith and built a facility to hold 450 people. 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) On March 16, the elders dismissed the grievances against Naselli. He also did not respond to The Roys Reports repeated requests for an interview. The issue of abuse also has particular resonance at Bethlehem. 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. 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 Roys Report was not able to obtain statistics for member resignations at Bethlehems two other campusesNorth and South.). Take Back Your Life. 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. 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. From our humble beginnings in 1975, Faith Assembly of God began as a church serving 95 people from a small steel building. Jason Meyer, the successor to pastor and Desiring God founder John Piper, has resigned from his role as pastor for preaching & vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church In a climate of suspicion, compassion can look like coddling, Meyer wrote. This is authoritarian house that says women shouldnt teach in seminary. In other words, you lose contact with truth.. https://julieroys.com/bethlehem-baptist-church-culture-fear-abuse But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. He also expressed misgivings around the treatment of women, which he claimed was the result of attitudes that went beyond complementarian convictions, as well as around Rigneys ties to Wilson. Now I wonder why he was so harsh.. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. A few Bethlehem elders responded positively to her letter, Mekala said. 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. I never met Jason Meyer but I know an oblong blur generality, when I read one. 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. God commands us to be compassionate. He wrote in an email to her that he believed the elders would be taking up the issue in the days ahead.. Those allegations were dismissed by BCS last August. There are still a few spots open; which we hope will be filled. Bethlehem College and Seminary grew out of the church-run training center that dates back decades. Notifications include: New company roles Change in active status Location updates New To register contact Jason Meyer at wljm01@gmail.com. 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. Tabb and fellow leaders at BCS conducted the investigation of the former students complaints, which concluded last August. She called what happened double abuse.. 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. Among his concerns, the former assistant professor of theology and philosophy wrote that leaders used Scripture or Christian vocabulary to dismiss employee and student complaints, and that he felt pressured to tiptoe around addressing racial progress. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. While he was trying to work for resolution, she didnt know where to go with her own frustration and anxiety. Rather, I believe our leadership culture has taken a turn in an unhealthy direction as we try to navigate conflict and division.. 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. Bethlehem Baptist Church, Pastor Jason Meyer, Domestic Violence, Emotional Abuse, Spiritual Abuse Almost 1-1/2 years ago, I wrote an article about John Piper's former church, Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) regarding domestic violence, Encouraging Shift from Bethlehem Baptist Church Regarding Domestic Abuse and Care Not Jesus. We cant even think about whats next, said Debby Pickering, whose family left when her husband, Bryan, resigned his position as pastor. WebRev David Dodge. 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. 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. At the meeting, Steve Takata moved that the task forces unedited reports be released to Bethlehem members. Stokes said that even without charges of heresy or a false gospel, just differences in approach, the discussion can feel very personal. 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. Pastor, you have introduced the last three sermons that way. 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. . Many brought up the untethered empathy concept as a factor that they believe shaped leaders responses when confronted with claims of bullying, institutional protection, and spiritual abuse. 3. Then, its findings werent released to the church as a whole until a year and a half after issuing a report to elders. What was described in this article is one of the clearest examples of a local church functioning as a narcissistic family system. In terms of the leadership of the school, its the same guys. Mekala, her husband, and another BBC elder met with Tomlinson in December 2019, Mekala said. It is indeed worth noting the problematic environment of the school where Naselli chose to incubate himself. I found it very helpful. | Screenshot/YouTube/Fellowship Church Church of the Highlands and ARC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit when contacted by The Christian Post on Tuesday. 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. 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. I fully believed that living for myself and chasing my desires of money, women, and partying would lead me to joy and happiness. Worship Service 1/24/2021 Pastor Jason Wallingsford, Pastor William Knippa, June 20, 2021 Most Recent Blog Post. Such sensitivities, he fears, can threaten Christians relationship with the truth. Couldnt agree more, Rebecca. 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. From there he went on to study at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky where he earned M. Div. Im stumped over this direction. Please contact Pastor Jason if you are in need of financial suppor t or He writes for The Gospel Coalition and has served as D. A. Carsons longtime research assistant. 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. However, three pastors/elders voted against dismissing chargesPickering, Meyer, and Ming-Jinn Tong, former pastor of neighborhood outreach who also recently resigned. It has been multiple factors in concert over time, he wrote in a resignation letter last year. In the podcast Mr. Rigney basically said, show compassion but dont have empathy.. Are there good reasons for why Pastors are leaving the church? Both Meyer and Tong spoke out against racism, Pickering said, but added that the charges were not true. 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. This fall, the school will inaugurate its second president, 10 years after its first graduating class. But he also saw the debate as a proxy for the other issues stirring around Bethlehem. The resignations and fractures in leadership at Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) extend to the congregation and have been simmering for years. Are we not caring enough about our responsibilities to weep with those who weep? The other, and far more contentious, motion concerned an October 1, 2019, episode of Man Rampant, a podcast on Christianity, leadership, and masculinity hosted by Doug Wilson. 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. 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. This is the hyper complementarian house that says a woman cant divorce even an abusive, philandering husband. Rev Patricia Downes. 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. ]. It may be worth noting that Naselli graduated from Bob Jones University. The others who have resigned include Bryan Pickering, former And in such a case, the school will rightly wither and die. WebJason Meyer Lead Pastor, Urban Refuge Church Winfred Neely Vice President & Dean, Moody Theological Seminary Laurie Norris Dean of Faculty & Professor of Bible, Moody Bible Institute Douglas O'Donnell Co-Author, The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition Neal Presa Associate Professor of Preaching & Worship, New Brunswick Theological WebThrough biblical truth and personal stories, author, pastor, and theologian Jason Meyer encourages the weary and anxious believer by shining light on the nature of reality, the nature of God, and the intersection of the two in our daily, rubber-meets-the-road lives. While a former leader hopes for change, women who sought refuge in biblical counseling at John MacArthurs church say they feared discipline for seeking safety from their abusive marriages. 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