According to the church constitution, elders must be approved by a three-quarters majority, but that day the vote failed, a first in McLean history, according to a church email. 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.. One of the churchs pastors expressed outrage over it. Platt, a bestselling author and speaker, recounted the churchs history in a sermon in the summer of 2019, about a year after he succeeded Solomon as pastor, in whichhe asked: What if our best days as a church are ahead of us, not behind us?. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Bob Smietana. Frank gives an insightful answer to this question and analyzes the recent controversy that started when members of a gym said a special workout in support of "Pride Week" was canceled by gym owners that led to an executive at CrossFit was fired for a tweet on his personal account. The suit is pending despite the announced vote outcome. The Local Church Wins Out in David Platt's Decision. A beloved Bible teacher and speaker, Platt inspired younger Christians to pursue missions work or other ministries. But a series of controversies and the countrys growing political polarization have turned Platts dream into a nightmare. The social justice controversy has erupted in church business meetings at McLean Bible Church and has gained national attention. INSKEEP: I was astonished by some of the conspiracy theories that you described that surfaced during that election campaign. Save McLean Bible Church. 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. During a sermon on July 4, David Platt very intentionally addressed some of those concerns. 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. The largely conservative northern Virginia church across the Potomac from Washington had grown from a group of five families in the 1960s to a congregation of more than 10,000 spread across several campuses, attracting politicians and business leaders to the churchs evangelical message and values. David Platt is a famous US author and preacher. (RNS) A yearlong legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington, D.C.-area church appears to be over for now. The July 18 vote has been surrounded by controversy, with some decrying what they saw as creeping liberalism within the church's . The dispute at McLean may now end up in court. No Celebrities Except Jesus: How Asbury Protected the Revival, After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, The Kings College Faces Threat of Closure, Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, left the presidency of the SBCs International Mission Board, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal. 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. 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. Three new elders were approved by about 80% of active member votes. Many of its members come from the top ranks of government, media, and business. 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. The suburban DC megachurchs recent scuffle over race and politics is symptomatic of a broader evangelical rift. And rather than try to adjudicate the provisional ballots, they decided the best thing to do would be just to have another vote. Why is that? In fact, Platt's sloppy moral reasoning was one point of controversy in a letter to leadership from five long-standing members of . He also warned against letting tensions swell. Former President Trump even attended a service there once. This year, the church had an election of three church elders, which would normally be a sleepy affair. Chuck Hannaford, a Memphis clinical psychologist who has helped churches mediate conflicts for 30 years, said McLeans troubles are the latest iteration of a broader conflict between younger Reformed Christians and older generations of white evangelicals. Similar to Naples, McLean Bible Church recently held a vote to confirm three elders the first vote failed. Solomon pastored the church from 1980 until becoming pastor emeritus in September 2017. That is not acceptable for the Body of Jesus Christ. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He became pastor-teacher at McLean Bible . 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.. Much of that growth had happened under former pastor Lon Solomon, a Jewish convert known for his Bible preaching, zeal for evangelism and passion for serving children with special needs. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. One former McLean Bible Church member pointed out that Platts preaching is mostly informed by sociological approaches to race through works that Platt read and promoted like Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. Why is David Platt undermining elections? ROACH: I don't think that that is directly the issue, but I think that issue has implications for what has gotten him in trouble. David Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C., and founder of Radical, a resource ministry that serves churches, preaches during the second session of the two-day 2019 Pastors' Conference held June 9-10 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Lon Solomon Ministries 8116 Arlington Blvd. 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. The best examples are the woke church movement, and the takeover of many seminaries by critical race theory. Financial needs: If you would like to request help with . NO VIDEOS! When longtime leaders and perhaps thousands of members are abandoning the church, what is the lesson David Platt draws? Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. THE EARLY YEARS McLean Bible Church was founded in 1961 by five families in Northern Virginia. DAVID ROACH: It is a megachurch in the Washington, D.C., area. For instance, that they would sell the Tysons location and use it to build a mosque. Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. No. Are the budget cuts and declining attendance a message that Platts Social Justice Theology is unpopular with churchgoers? Platt and other leaders, they say, have abused their. While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. Attendance is down about 40-percent year-over-year. McLean Bible Church, the multisite megachurch in McLean, Virginia near Washington, D.C. where David Platt pastors, confirmed three new elders Sunday in a revote where members labeled their ballots with their names. Further he made the absolute statement that nobody on MBC staff supports Black Lives Matter. Often times with disgraced megachurch pastors, there were several warning signs. His emphasis on incorrect definitions of justice caused widespread criticism among McLean members. It does not store any personal data. It took repeated requests from a few conservative Elders to take down Facebook photos of staff holding BLM signs. Sign up for our newsletter: 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. Accuracy and availability may vary. The podcast is two hours on the use of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality at the MLK50 Conference and the T4G Conference sermon by David Platt. Some of you may remember him as the guy Jerry Falwell Jr. told to "grow a pair." Platt is now in the middle of a controversy over "wokeness" at the church. Facebook; Twitter; visit the YouTube Channel. 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. 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. Frazer said the confusion over McLean's relationship with the SBC and the election controversy reflect a bigger problem with the church. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Platt, the author of Radical, is known for his passionate call to evangelism, missions, and Scripture. 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. Platt said the dissident group claimed it was using the elder vote as part of a constitutional process to retake control of the church. As if those sources of information are anywhere close to the authority of this Word.. Thats led to accusations that Platt and others have become woke and liberal. I don't think that it was about the specific elders so much as the direction of the church. 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. Last weekend a sermon by Evangelical pastor Francis Chan went viral, as in the sermon Chan shared about Communion and his discovery of the scriptural and historical basis for transubstantiation - that the bread and the wine become the literal Body and Blood of Christ. 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. This past spring, hoping to resolve the dispute, McLean leaders decided to discard the results of the July 2021 elder election. By. Platt asserts in the course that the Bible teaches both individual and corporate responsibility and that present systems are discriminatory. AD FREE! INSKEEP: Given that, what makes this story feel like it has a larger significance in your mind? Viewarticle. Originally, the church's . Barber pointed out that voting is usually donein a public way, by voice vote or raising hands, so theres no historic expectation of privacy, but using a ballot with a church members name on it, especially for a leadership role, would be unprecedented, in his experience.
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