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Platt and other church leaders declined to respond to specific questions about the lawsuit and disputed church election. July 20, 2021. The church teachings were theologically conservative under its previous leadership, the legendary Lon Solomon. 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. We're glad to hear from you. They cited Platts use of Woke resources as further proofPlatt required for his course on Race books likeDivided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. After new elder nominees failed to be elected for the first time in the churchs history, Platt told the congregation in a sermon in early July that 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.. For instance, that they would sell the Tysons location and use it to build a mosque. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Explanation Videos. 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, Professor Joeckel on why his contract, teachings on racial justice are under review, Hamline University retracts Islamophobia charge as instructor sues, Vineyard USA founders widow, board members sue breakaway Anaheim pastors, alleging fraud. 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. 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. Life of Christ dramatization The Thorn comes to big screens March 67, New book outlines importance of every Christian knowing theology, Southcrest Baptist in Bessemer hosting Holy Destiny on March 3, Start a new subscription at the group rate. Many Christians look at the Bible and then look at the picture of American Christianity around them and think, This doesnt add up. RELATED: Southern Baptist mission board to cut 800 positions, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Platt said during the prayer, quoting the biblical Book of Proverbs with his arm around Trumps back. NO VIDEOS! 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. 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. 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. Critics say the Virginia churchs leadership has become woke and has substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. Why does church leadership refuse to answer question. And even though people who take the Bible seriously and as the inherent word of God should think certain things about certain issues, then they might prioritize those differently when they go into the voting booth. So, in May 2020 just before Platts hard social justice push, McLean Bible Church reported attendance averaged 12,154. INSKEEP: David Roach is pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Ala., and also writes for Christianity Today. He also wrote an article equating support for President Trump and support for BLM as equally acceptable for a Christian.. 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. Platt made further allegations that people came from places as far away as Florida and Maine to vote. Things began to change. Critics say the churchs leadership has become woke and has substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. View article . 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? Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. We want to move forward in unity and we do not believe any appellate court would restrict us from doing that., RELATED: Woke war: How social justice and CRT became heresy for evangelicals, Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 18, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. They organized a new election for elders in mid-June 2022, using secret ballots. He - I've heard him preach on abortion and religious liberty and traditional marriage. The Capstone Report can reveal the photograph was only removed after repeated demands by members of the elder board. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. It was then that David Platt was named Teaching Pastor. March 18th, 2018. The document says that Platt says one thing about Critical Race Theory but clearly does another. According to Dr. Baucham in his book Fault Lines, David Platt, then head of the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board, delivered a message from Amos 5, then repented in tears for his white privilege, silence, and inaction. Platt lied about the extent that Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement influences McLean Bible Church leadership. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Attendance is also suffering under the Platt regime with many longtime church leaders and members leaving, according to numerous letters and e-mails received complaining about the Woke teaching at McLean Bible Church. To some observers, McLeans conflict seems like a replay of other recent episodes from American evangelicalism, where leaders who appeal to Scripture to address social issues are accused of theological liberalism or secular influence even if they continue to hold traditional Christian views. 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. All active members were allowed to vote. Those dissident members argued that church leaders, including senior pastor David Platt, a best-selling author, had violated the churchs constitution. Lewis famously said, "Christianity, if . But he argued that Virginia law does require churches to follow rules outlined in their constitutions. Platt also accused the dissident group of being racist. . But a series of controversies and the countrys growing political polarization have turned Platts dream into a nightmare. We're teaching everything that the Bible teaches. Plaintiffs hope that a court will declare Sundays election void and require the church to hold a new election. 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. 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. The budget has been cut to $4 million less than in 2019. He is pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Ala., and he also writes for Christianity Today, which is how he came to report on McLean Bible Church. David Platt is an academic prodigy. for less than $4.25/month. It's little outside of Washington, D.C., in Virginia. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. ROACH: Thank you, Steve. The July 18 vote has been surrounded by controversy, with some decrying what they saw as creeping liberalism within the church's leadership. If youre the church of Jesus Christ, thats really problematic.. The church in question is a prominent one, McLean Bible Church, where many Washington Republicans worship. Platts 2020 book Before You Vote also drew criticism from some church members as being soft on traditional evangelical issues like abortion and sexuality. But threatening McLean now is a group that has spread all kinds of rumors, Platt said. Solomon pastored the church from 1980 until becoming pastor emeritus in September 2017. He presently works as a pastor-teacher at McLean Bible Church. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. with Max McLean: C.S. Attendance began to decrease significantly after the first class as attendees realized the Woke content. Last Updated: February 2023. Of course, not. Facebook; Twitter; visit the YouTube Channel. Apparently, amid the controversy with Calvinism that Lon and the elders initially rejected, they added that position statement on Calvinism. RELATED: At Founders event, Southern Baptists urged to choose the Bible over CRT. At the congregational meeting on 12/9/20, David strongly disavowed Critical Race Theory. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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 . 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. We praise God for our church familys affirmation of new elders, and we would deeply appreciate your prayers for all of McLean Bible Church as we move forward in our mission.. Many former elders have left McLean Bible Church since David Platts takeover of the church. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. I know that many churches across America have faced and are facing similar challenges during these days, and it is vitally important that we move past division and live out John 13:35, demonstrating love for one another and love for a world in need of Jesus, Platt said in a statement Monday. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". AD FREE! 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. McLean Bible Church, originally nondenominational, is a recent member of the Southern Baptist Convention. We're glad you're here! COVID-19 also played a role. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). I hesitated to share it because I know it is so ugly and painful to hear but I want to point out the approach being used by people giving leadership to this group in these meetings.. 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 . The heart of the complaint really comes down to truth, transparency, and a free, open, and uncoerced process, plaintiffs attorney Rick Boyer told RNS. 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. Bart Barber, a Texas Baptist pastor who is writing a book on congregational forms of church governance, said that church voting is aimed at finding consensus about what God wants the congregation to do. 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. While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. 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. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. However, that is not the only vote of no confidence in David Platts Social Justice Gospel. The church has now grown to a weekly attendance over 27,000 (as of 2019). Are the culture wars changing how Christian students choose colleges? And then even within the Southern Baptist Convention more broadly, there is a group called the Conservative Baptist Network that has charged some convention leaders with advocating critical race theory and downplaying the Bible's sufficiency. The key problem here is a lack of transparency. Who knew two nonverbal rocks had so much to say? 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. While the church is slashing spending on a variety of things including missions, discipleship, outreach, and church plants, one area of increased spending in 2021 is in the Senior Management salaries. But its pastor says a group . These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". And as we walk faithfully with God during these days, keeping our eyes fixed on him, I trust that he will work all these things together for our good and ultimately his glory.. 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. We heard about people driving in from Florida to Maine. So here I am, piecing together a years-long scandal for you. In fact, this book was required reading for Platts course. Rumors had begun to circulate around the church that Platt and other leaders planned to sell a church building to a local Muslim congregation for a mosque. McLean Bible Church faces a lawsuit over a recent vote for elders from members unhappy with pastor David Platt, who succeeded long-time former pastor Lon Solomon. Early life. Wade Burnett, a pastor on McLeans leadership team, said the congregation decided to move forward together in a difficult time. But conspiracy theories and arguments over wokeness divided the congregation. Why is David Platt undermining elections? Assume this is true for a moment, wouldnt that make someone pause and ask what is going on here? [Picture was posted on Facebook, but was removed after a couple months]. We glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all nations beginning in greater. Lon Solomon the legendary pastor of McLean Bible Church has not set foot in McLean for a worship service since becoming pastor emeritus.