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. Lon Solomon is American evangelical Christian pastor and the founder of Lon Solomon Ministries, a non-profit ministry.. 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! The Saturday evening service fills one of the smaller sanctuaries at McLean Bible Church's new $90 million complex, which officially opens this weekend on 52 acres near Tysons Corner.At a Sunday . According to the McLean Bible Church budget for 2021, $291,719 more is slated for Senior Managementmaking that line item in the budget total $1,121,967. with Max McLean: C.S. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. God give him wisdom.. He presently works as a pastor-teacher at McLean Bible Church. That language has no place whatsoever here. Video screengrab via MBC. It's great to be with you. (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. In a rant against causing division in the church, David Plattthe man responsible for dividing McLean Bible Church by teaching Critical Race Theoryclaimed a group of dissident conservatives were using disinformation to divide McLean Bible Church. 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. McLean Bible which is seen as a conservative evangelical congregation and once had more than 16,000 attendees has long been an important church in Washington with four locations near the . All active members were allowed to vote. Who knew two nonverbal rocks had so much to say? The Local Church Wins Out in David Platt's Decision. The document says that Platt says one thing about Critical Race Theory but clearly does another. The letter warned, "Thabiti Anyabwile, despite promoting progressive talking points at the . Originally, the church's . 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. Instead of defending President Trumps visit, Platt seemed to apologize for publicly praying with Donald Trump. July 20, 2021. A series of controversies and the country's growing political polarization have caused a rift at McLean Bible Church, where former International Mission Board president and author David Platt is pastor. #302 Falls Church, VA 22042 866-788-7770 He also warned against letting tensions swell. Some older evangelicals see it as sort of a coup.. McLean Bible Church is one of the most influential churches in the United States. 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. That follows the 2020 budget being about $1.5 million below the 2019 budget, according to a member of McLean Bible Church. ''differentattitude.' ''''Now,'friends,'that's'true'of'you'and'me'as'well.''Itdoesn'thave'to' ''be'this'way'for'us.' But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. After my seminary and doctoral work, I fully . It sits in what can only be described as one of America's Elite areas. But its pastor says a group . David Roach is a reporter and pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama. Platt plans to hold a called special business meeting to affirm the elders on July 18 during morning worship services, he told the church. This internal document was a response to Platts promotion of The Gospel, the Church, Justice and Racism whitepaper. 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. Welcome to McLean Bible Church in the final rundown to Sunday's surprisingly contentious vote on new elders. Platt has angered other members for maintaining the churchs reputed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention. espaol. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. The suit is pending despite the announced vote outcome. 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. A follow-up election held this past Sunday was held under new rules. There were some who expressed the thought that David Platt and the other leaders were soft on issues like abortion and sexuality. Is it to be humble? These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Members of David Platt's McLean Bible Church have filed a lawsuit against the church, claiming that leadership violated the church's constitution and used church dollars for controversial financial purchases. And depending on how the provisional ballots were adjudicated, those elder nominees got either just below or just above the 75% threshold. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. . Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. At that time, the vote was too close to confirm the new elders because the Church's constitution states it must have at least a 75-percent . James MacDonald founded Harvest Bible Chapel in 1988. And he said that there was a group that was trying to take over the church. The budget has been cut to $4 million less than in 2019. 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. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 11, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. And so the church had never before failed to elect elder nominees that were recommended. Three new elders were approved by about 80% of active member votes. 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. Church members were required to show identification, and ballots were labeled with members names. McClean Bible Church Pastor David Platt addresses his congregation on July 4, 2021. Doing that in a large church is difficult, Barber said, as McLean is discovering. David Platt is an academic prodigy. It was an exercise in eisegesis (p. 121). 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. RELATED: David Platt interview: A summons to lose your life. The church in question is a prominent one, McLean Bible Church, where many Washington Republicans worship. 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. His emphasis on incorrect definitions of justice caused widespread criticism among McLean members. Also, Sadly, within evangelicalism, and the MBC pulpit, we see the following principle at work: the presence of preaching/teaching based on the wrong assumptions, resulting in wrong conclusions, thereby leading to the wrong solutions. Frazer said the confusion over McLeans relationship with the SBC and the election controversy reflect a bigger problem with the church. Lewis famously said, "Christianity, if . It does not store any personal data. During a sermon on July 4, David Platt very intentionally addressed some of those concerns. The churchs constitution requires that new elders receive 75% approval and for the first time in McLeans history, a new group of elders failed to reach that margin. We just want to give believers freedom to disagree on things that aren't essentials. 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. Wade Burnett, a pastor on McLeans leadership team, said the congregation decided to move forward together in a difficult time. We will not apologize for our increasing diversity or our commitment to humbly address racial issues from Gods Word as we unite together on a glorious mission to proclaim this good Word and our great God in a city where five million-plus men, women, boys, and girls are on a road that leads to an eternal hell and need the good news of Gods love for them, he said. McClean Bible Church is or . Platt and his family are members of the Washington, D.C., area church, where Platt also serves as elder. [ This article is also available in
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. McLean Bible Church (MBC) was started in the Metro Washington, DC area in 1961 as a non-denominational church. McLean Bible Church is one of the most influential churches in the United States. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 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. 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. 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. Its first service was held on Easter Sunday at Chesterbook Elementary School in McLean with Pastor J. Albert Ford. Boyer said courts are often reluctant to get involved in church disputes. 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. With many active members participating in services online, especially those, like Frazer, who are not vaccinated, there is no way to tell who is attending. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Platt mishandled the aftermath of the prayer. In a complaint filed Thursday (July 15), five McLean members allege that Platt and other leaders illegally barred them from voting at a recent congregational meeting to approve new church leaders. (He recently preached one funeral in the building.) The GCJR will be the focus going forward and all staff will be required to fall inline. ROACH: On June the 30, McLean Bible Church was to have an election to elect three new elders. On Friday, a Fairfax County . Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Mormonisms slow shift away from demonizing working mothers, Faith leaders urge Biden to sign executive order for reparations study by Juneteenth, For many congregations, wiping out medical debt has become a popular calling, Woke Wars infiltrate Christian colleges, prof under fire for racial justice unit, Southern Baptists oust Rick Warrens Saddleback Church for naming a female pastor, Professor Joeckel on why his contract, teachings on racial justice are under review, Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. (RNS) A yearlong legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington, D.C.-area church appears to be over for now. David Platt is so desperate to cling to powerthat he will portray a diverse group of conservative McLean Bible Church members as racists. 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. David Platt is a famous US author and preacher. 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. This is a breach of contract action seeking to remedy Defendants illegal actions to deny Plaintiffs their rights to cast a free and fair vote, to have those votes lawfully counted, and to enjoy their right to a secret ballot, according to the complaint. Viewarticle. 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. 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. NO POPUPS. NO VIDEOS! David Platt asked the remaining Elders to approve the GCJR course curriculum as the main theological underpinning of all other teaching and worship activities at McLean Bible Church. Platt knows many McLean members including former church leaders opposed his teachings that appeared to be causing racial divisions by the promotion of Critical Race Theory. In fact, this book was required reading for Platts course. 13-minute video summary, pastor Kelsey talking about "torching all white people" 51-minute detailed presentation, The sacred duty, and the money trail of .