The Roys Report reached out to Tomlinson for comment, but he did not respond. Join now Sign in Jason Meyer Jason Meyer Executive Pastor at Sierra Vista Church. After more than 30 years as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, the fiery preacher of hardline biblical values is retooling his priorities. 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. I used to wonder if I was too soft. One of them, Ann Mekala, wrote in a 2019 letter to several elders, There is an air of disdain and distrust towards women woven throughout the episode. She noted that Wilson and Rigney gave examples of women falsely accusing men in the podcast and encouraged listeners to be skeptical toward those who report abuse. Jason informed Bethlehem's Council of Elders of his resignation effective August 1, 2021," the statement read. And according to audio obtained by The Roys Report, Naselli responded to the motion by stating publicly: I am the pastor that Mrs. Takata just quoted. Steve and Janette Takata told The Roys Report they were shocked by Nasellis ultimatum. As far as I can see, Pipers church and seminary are just carrying the torch. Doug Wilsons carnality is so blatant that a sincerely devoted follower of Christ would be unable to be around him for long, and certainly would not repeatedly seek him out. 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/. For twelve BBC students to submit allegations against N is not insignificant. Thank the Good Lord that Jesus Chris didnt consider empathy a sin. According to Pickering, Tong called the elders process and decision to dismiss the allegations against Naselli unethical., In Meyers resignation letter, Meyer writes:(I)t seemed that a committee of non-staff elders from each campus would be the best group to be able to take the allegations and sift them. If yes leave the church. 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415 WebFor more information about enrolling in services, please contact Mary Ali at agencyintakes@esarc.org or 260.456.4534 ext. Last Sunday, Bethlehem campuses began to meet to discuss Meyers letter and the reasons for his resignation. But what I noticed, underlying the meaningful time I worshiped at Bethlehem, was rigidity and control among leadership. [ This article is also available in However, this past spring, several church members also brought allegations of sin and misconduct against Naselli. WebSince that time, his life has never been the same and the reach of his ministry has only grown. Unlike other high-profile evangelical scandals and shakeups in the headlines, the story at Bethlehem is not so clear-cut. This dysfunctional mess is the logical outcome of John Piper and his theology and its methods. 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. . 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. Part of what I want to say is theres actually an answer to that question.. Now, obviously Im a pastor at a separate church, but that church has the same doctrinal commitment as Bethlehem does., Rigney and Wilson discuss the sin of empathy.. A year later, Rigney, who had taught theology and literature at BCS since 2007, was named the schools second president in an announcement by Piper as chancellor. If not leave that church. There's domineering. Naselli often started the semester with an explanation of Malcolm Gladwells terminology of direct speech vs. mitigated speechdirect being the commands you give when a plane is crashing, and mitigated, the niceties you use as a matter of courtesy. There is no one factor that has driven me away from this school. Halls was one of two official grievances filed against Naselli last year. It feels jarring.". Some current seminary students say they were satisfied with the outcome and have seen repentance from their professor following the investigation. Naselli, associate professor of theology and New Testament at BCS, spoke up to identify himself as the five-star reviewer and said that if the motion passed, hed quit. He says the accusations against him were (1) that I have subordinated the gospel, (2) that I empowered victims (coddler), and (3) that I allowed compassion for others to steer and dictate my leadership direction.. I had a growing concern that compassion that lacks discernment would ultimately and subtly undermine sound doctrine. Though the process was done with the approval of Bethlehem pastors and the elder chair, some wanted the church to do its own review of Naselli last year. (BBC has about 40 elders, but the congregation is considered the final authority and meets quarterly to vote on church matters.). 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. In the following weeks, as the church attempted to make peace between them and Naselli, the couple felt maligned in the process, as the professor went on to characterize their motion as divisive and disrespectful. The church formed an ethnic harmony task force in 2019 to review issues such as representation and diversity within the church and leadership. It took a lot for him to leave the classroom behind. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation The leader of the narcissistic family system is always, always ALWAYS a narcissist themselves, and they are adept at manipulation and emotional coercion to maintain the status quo and silence any naysayers (Nasellis ultimatum in public, no less is a classic example). Disagreements in this area can feel like personal attacks or as doctrinal attacks, when they really are neither.. WebUrban Refuge Lead Pastor, Jason Meyer, has a deep and abiding passion to make much of Christ in all that he does. He commands us to show sympathy, but people demand empathy, and they regard it as a kind of betrayal if you refuse to join them in their pain, in their grievance, he says in the series with Wilson. Commentators have tried to parse the fault lines, and evangelicals themselvesincluding CTs president and editor in chief Tim Dalrymplehave generated their own categories for how people of common faith can find themselves at odds. Not Jesus. 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. We also have troubles that have played out at Bethlehem over the past year. . 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. Meyers most recent title was pastor for preaching & vision at Bethlehems downtown campus. In the years after Piper stepped down in 2013, Bethlehem had its own reckoning on domestic abuse in complementarian marriages. WebNOW!!! Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. The church where John Piper pastored for 33 years is arguably facing one of its greatest crises in 150 years. Wilson tells you very plainly what his show is about: his own male self aggrandizement. Feel the freedom to lament," he wrote. I think hes unnecessarily connected the two. Man Rampant? . . Pastor Ralph Donohue. Several current leaders at Bethlehem as well as BCSs new president, Joe Rigney, pointed to a similar taxonomy laid out by The Gospel Coalitions Kevin DeYoung. . There are still a few spots open; which we hope will be filled. He is well respected for his scholarship and rigor, earning two PhDs (from Bob Jones and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) before he turned 30. ), Bryan Pickering also expressed concern about the Man Rampant episode to Takata. As the debating and name-calling escalated, Jeffrey Hall joined the group of students defending the Augustinian position of evil as privation, or evil as the absence of good. Feb. 06-Feb. 06. If you find over time that Johnathons perceptions are true, you will rightly seek out another place to study or work. 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. This is another painful and confusing moment for us," Zuleger wrote. This prompted many members of the task force to leave the church, according to Janice Perez Evans, a task force co-leader. He had the power to just wreck me. Those allegations were dismissed by BCS last August. Patrick, I believe Doug Wilson and Joe Rigney are NOT associated with CCEF, so hopefully that helps. 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. God is everywhereeven in the news. Hi. "Jason Meyer's resignation is not due to impropriety or moral failure, and we thank God for Jason's ministry among us for the past nine years, first as Pastor for Preaching & Vision for Bethlehem's three campuses, and then since last summer as Pastor for Preaching & Vision at the Downtown Campus," the statement concluded. Please contact Pastor Jason if you are in need of financial suppor t or Tong preaches to the downtown campus in March. No one should be surprised by these revelations of spiritual abuse -especially against women- in the Bethlehem ecosystem. "It's been more painful to me personally than corporately. Zuleger also asked church members to pray for their leaders. An outside investigation TEAM is objective, trained, experienced, know what they are looking for, knows how to speak to the church about what they see, and love Jesus Christ. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. Tong led the churchs efforts to help the community in the unrest and grief in the aftermath of Floyds death, including setting up pop-up grocery stores. Until a chance encounter with my moms old Bible opened my eyes. He has previously served congregations in Lake Benton and Blaine, both in Minnesota. "At Bethlehem . Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. And let us pray for Gods rescue and healing of those victimized by these wicked hired-men posing as undershepherds. What a dysfunctional mess. To my knowledge, and I have researched it, that is the only time Piper got even close to creating distance. But empathy that is true does not result in that. 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.. 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. At its heart are questions over whether, when, and how Christians might challenge those who say they are hurtingand how they balance calls to show compassion, seek out truth, and repent of sin in such situations. It's been a taxing year for everyone, and it's been a taxing year for ministry. 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. I doubt CCEF itself is changing direction on that. Im not convinced that I sinned against you. 4. 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. Bethlehem College and Seminary grew out of the church-run training center that dates back decades. D. degrees. That was a very heated conversation. We will continue to entrust ourselves to him in every circumstance., Churches and evangelical institutions across the country are trying to navigate their own divisions, but the process can be painful. a unity culture that breeds fear and seeks to protect the institution Jason Meyer 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. But his take has also resonated. At Bethlehem, Rigney said, we want to un-coddle the American mind, or at least the Christian mind. I observed leadership patterns that sought to help hurting people but left those same people even more frustrated and disappointed.. Mekala, her husband, and another BBC elder met with Tomlinson in December 2019, Mekala said. WebJason Meyer | 2 Corinthians 11:16-21. Many at BCS, including Bowers himself, were influenced by Pipers 2011 book Bloodlines, his confession of his own racism, and his desire for diversity. Jason has been a dear friend and mentor since we met in his tiny closet of an office during my first year of seminary back in 2010. . 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. 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. His worries center on what he sees as contemporary expectations that people join others who are hurting in their pain. 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. Take Back Your Life. Leaders in the Bethlehem community, though, said they worry that the new sensitivities are hurting their ability to pastor and shepherd those in their care. 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. Four students recalled intense debates in their 2019 undergrad course in Christian ethics and apologetics. 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. It transitioned to a formal degree program that eventually became accredited in 2015. I enjoyed your article. 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. ***Please sign up forCBN Newslettersand download theCBN News appto ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective. "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. ***, The pastor also reminded the South Campus members his letter was "just to state the reality of things and to give you space to lament.". I was living a life apart from God. In the summer of 2019, the task force presented an 85-page report to the elders, which essentially died in committee. Five of our professors are elders; four of our trustees are elders, said Rigney. 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