The church teachings were theologically conservative under its previous leadership, the legendary Lon Solomon. Lewis famously said, "Christianity, if . for less than $4.25/month. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Boyer said courts are often reluctant to get involved in church disputes. Attendance at the church was steady for most of the early period of the COVID pandemic; however, following the racism class and David Platts book on the voting, attendance began a precipitous decline. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. 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., Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 18, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. Lon Solomon was born and raised in a Jewish home in Portsmouth, Virginia.. Solomon earned a B.S. Also, there are close ties to the SBC since the NAMB . Under the "woke" new pastor who succeeded the legendary Lon Solomon, however, it may soon not even rank as the biggest church in McLean. 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. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The Capstone Report can reveal the photograph was only removed after repeated demands by members of the elder board. SBC Elites cite distinguished lawyer and Southern Baptist Matthew Martens; however, Martens has written persuasively, Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban women pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), New intel points to Covid origin in a lab leak, remember when this was a, NAMB PR VP Mike Ebert emerges as key witness in McRaney v. NAMB What will, David Platt explodes at McLean Bible Church, plays the race card, the man responsible for dividing McLean Bible Church by teaching Critical Race Theory, 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, Ed Litton Plagiarism Scandal: A Sermongate Timeline, Baptist professor strongly suspects former SBC President J.D. Platt also accused the dissident group of being racist. It does not store any personal data. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The largely conservative northern Virginia church across the Potomac from Washington had . We glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all nations beginning in greater. ROACH: You can pick out churches across the country where there has been this conflict between people that are sort of an old guard type of evangelical and then a younger type of evangelical that wants to reach a broader, more diverse audience with the Gospel. RELATED: David Platts dreams for McLean Bible Church sour as members file lawsuit over elder vote. Platt lied about the extent that Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement influences McLean Bible Church leadership. 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. We are zealous in the present not to prolong or replicate in any way racial injustice from the past. People came here this night that were recruited by this group to vote that night who had moved away to other states, Platt alleged. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit objected, saying anyone who joined the church after the June 2021 election should not be allowed to vote. INSKEEP: David Roach is pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Ala., and also writes for Christianity Today. That speaks volumes about the problems in the McLean leadership team and specifically David Platt. Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. However, the church continues to promote and use secular sociology books that promote CRT. David Platt, who has been aligning himself and his church closer and closer to the Revoice "gay Christianity" movement over the last year or so, has been making headlines as he continues to partner . A follow-up election held this past Sunday was held under new rules. While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. Platt is now the pastor of McLean Bible Church, a flagship evangelical church in the Washington D.C. area. June 27, 2022. This is a lie. I saw one email from one of the main leaders in this group using race to say that MBC is no longer McLean Bible Church that it is now Melanin Bible Church, Platt said. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. THE EARLY YEARS McLean Bible Church was founded in 1961 by five families in Northern Virginia. Church members were required to show identification, and ballots were labeled with members names. As Solomon transitioned from leadership following a 37-year pastorate, McLean made major budget changes, scaling back the percentage of income spent on personnel and incentivizing staff departures. 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. 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. The dispute at McLean centered around a failed June 30, 2021, election. 13-minute video summary, pastor Kelsey talking about "torching all white people" 51-minute detailed presentation, The sacred duty, and the money trail of . 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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.. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Steven Furtick is the lead pastor of Elevation Church, based near Charlotte, North Carolina. Of course, not. In May 2021 following the Social Justice push and Platts book on politics, McLean Bible Church reported average attendance of about 7,300. The level of suspicion around such leaders appears to have grown during the Trump administration and during the reckoning over racism following George Floyds death last year. The latest controversy revolves around who was eligible to participate in a June 30 vote on elders and has resulted in a lawsuit. Its first service was held on Easter Sunday at Chesterbook Elementary School in McLean with Pastor J. Albert Ford. It is no secret that David Platt promotes Social Justice causes. 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.. 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. One of the churchs pastors expressed outrage over it. In September 2017, Platt was confirmed into the role of teaching pastor of McLean Bible Church (MBC) by a 95 percent approval vote from the congregational members. Attendance began to decrease significantly after the first class as attendees realized the Woke content. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. 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?. Platt plans to hold a called special business meeting to affirm the elders on July 18 during morning worship services, he told the church. While the church building was locked down and most of its ministries ceased amid Covid-19 fears, David Platt turned a blind eye to his staff marching in a Black Lives Matter (BLM) event in Washington, DC. degree in Hebrew and Old Testament (1975, summa cum laude) from Capital Bible . Critics say the Virginia churchs leadership has become woke and has substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Viewarticle. This past spring, hoping to resolve the dispute, McLean leaders decided to discard the results of the July 2021 elder election. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Six people are part of the lawsuit, including both members and former members. It's little outside of Washington, D.C., in Virginia. So, in May 2020 just before Platts hard social justice push, McLean Bible Church reported attendance averaged 12,154. (The Roys Report) 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. Platt and other leaders, they say, have abused their. Critics say the Virginia church's leadership has . 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. Financial needs: If you would like to request help with . So those are some of the manifestations that show this is a larger discussion among evangelicals. Christians must reclaim Jesus from his church. This letter urged Platt and the current elders to reject the Woke path. in our church) who have criticized him for acknowledging the hurt his decision caused, and who have even had the calloused audacity to malign those who are hurt, your brash insensitivity is the reason why so many minority and marginalized people struggle to be a part of Evangelical churches. He became pastor in 2018 after resigning from the IMB, where his tenure had been disappointing and included the loss of almost 1,000 missionaries to resignations and early retirement. 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. (RNS) A yearlong legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington, D.C.-area church appears to be over for now. Things began to change. All rights reserved. Some church members who had been attending online, rather than in person, claimed their ballots had been disqualified. Platt has angered other members for maintaining the churchs reputed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention. Solomon pastored the church from 1980 until becoming pastor emeritus in September 2017. 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. The heart of the complaint really comes down to truth, transparency, and a free, open, and uncoerced process, said plaintiffs attorney Rick Boyer. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Rick Boyer, attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said his clients plan to appeal. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit echo Frazers concerns, saying that the ballots used by the church violated McLeans constitution. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. The key problem here is a lack of transparency. If you *really* care about gospel unity, racial reconciliation, and the least of these, do better.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Less than 25 percent of members were part of the vote Wednesday night, Platt said. Some older evangelicals see it as sort of a coup.. It was then that David Platt was named Teaching Pastor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Lon Solomon Ministries 8116 Arlington Blvd. Frazer said the confusion over McLean's relationship with the SBC and the election controversy reflect a bigger problem with the church. The Evangelical Church Is Breaking Apart. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. (UPDATED) Unusual decision draws scrutiny at one of largest Southern Baptist schools. There are other internal documents providing similar extensive theological arguments. Meanwhile, leaders like Platt see the pushback as its own sort of coup and remain concerned about the influence of opposition fueled on social media and watchdog blogs. 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. Platt was forced to defend himself in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump showed up on a Sunday morning at McLean Bible with little notice and asked Platt to pray for him. His emphasis on incorrect definitions of justice caused widespread criticism among McLean members. A dispute over critical race theory which describes how systemic racism affects society was one of the major topics of discussion at the recent SBC annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. That language has no place whatsoever here. 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. The conflict at McLean Bible Church is significant not only because of the congregations size and influencewith several thousand attendees and a prominent place in the DC church landscapebut also because the incident marks the latest salvo in an ongoing clash within American evangelicalism. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But then you have some of the younger evangelicals who say, look. . 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. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Net Worth in 2023: $2 million. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. Further he made the absolute statement that nobody on MBC staff supports Black Lives Matter. Many Christians look at the Bible and then look at the picture of American Christianity around them and think, This doesnt add up. Platt asserts in the course that the Bible teaches both individual and corporate responsibility and that present systems are discriminatory. McLean Bible Church is one of the largest and most influential churches in the nation. with Max McLean: C.S. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. He told Religion News Service that the church believes it will prevail if there is an appeal. When longtime leaders and perhaps thousands of members are abandoning the church, what is the lesson David Platt draws? A drop of 39%. This fact was pointed out to the current McLean Elders in a document that warned against the syncretism currently shaping Platts approach to social justice. No current McLean elders signed the document. (RNS) A yearlong legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington, D.C.-area church appears to be over for now. T he election of the elders of an evangelical church is usually an uncontroversial, even unifying event . The truth is that in June Mike Kelsey, his newly appointed Lead Pastor for Preaching and Culture, posted a picture on Facebook of himself at a BLM rally in DC, holding a BLM sign. Once the first vote for the elders failed, Frazer believes that Platt and leaders should have stopped and listened to the congregations concerns. And the candidate backed by the Conservative Baptist Network at the most recent SBC annual meeting got 48% percent of the vote. 'At the end . In response, Platt accused his critics in a sermon of spreading disinformation and stuffing the ballot box with votes from former members and inactive church members. And the church has not regularly tracked individual attendance for years, he added. NO POPUPS. Something is wrong here,' he told Religion News Service in a 2013 interview. When Platt began preaching at McLean, the church was identified as an SBC church in press accounts. Dr. James White dissected David Platts errors in a podcast examining that T4G sermon. All six elders on the ballot received at least 86% approval. What happened? Many former elders have left McLean Bible Church since David Platts takeover of the church. Solomon would forfeit his retirement package if he spoke out about the problems.