Small thread

Mark Driscoll
James MacDonald
Brian Loritts
Tom White
Josh Harris
Todd Wagner
C.J. Mahaney
Darrin Patrick
Vernon Lyons
Ravi Zacharias
Andy Savage
Bill Hybels
Gilbert Bilezekian
Paige Patterson
Mark Aderholt
Wes Feltner
Tullian Tchividjian
Jerry Falwell, Jr.

Anthony Moore
Perry Noble
Jack Hyles
David Hyles
Jack Schaap
Cameron Giovanelli
Charles Lyons

And those are the big fish. There are many more I could name.

What do they have in common?

(1) They were/are all major players in Big Evangelical

(2) Each either (a) aided and abetted spiritual or sexual abuse or (b) were active practitioners of spiritual or sexual abuse.

Every one of those names represents someone who identifies--or identified--as a Biblical conservative. They held to a high view of Scripture as well as a belief in core Christian doctrines. They had all the "right" boxes checked.

None of them--except maybe Zacharias, who opened a spa named after a Hindu god and promoted Eastern Religious medicine (Ayurveda)--would have identified with New Age thought or theological liberalism or Prosperity Theology.

And yet every one of them is or was either an abusive leader, or has unrepentantly covered for one or more abusive leaders.

That is just a few of the names. There are more.

For years, the evangelical world thought of the great evils as being outside the camp: liberal denominations, Prosperity peddlers, New Age wackos, secularists promoting a value-neutral sex ethic, the list goes on.

Books by Dave Hunt, Frank Peretti, Mike Warnke, Lauren Stratford (the latter two being confirmed frauds), all warned of those evils "out there".

The problem? THE BIGGEST THREAT WAS WITHIN THE CAMP.

When I was at SBTS, liberal theology was a problem. Up until 1993, both ethics professors at SBTS were pro-choice on abortion. If you were pro-life, held to conservative sexual ethics, opposed inclusive language for God, then SBTS was very hostile.

On one hand, for those reasons the conservative revolution was necessary.

But what would you say if I told you that the "conservatives" running the show at SBTS now are promoting a theology (ESS) that is every bit as problematic as feminist theology?

What would you say if I told you that the "conservatives" running the show in the SBC have passive-aggressively courted neoconfederates--theonomists--who would resurrect slavery if given the chance?

What would you say if I told you that the "conservatives" running the show at the SBC have promoted an un-biblical gender roles model using the pretext of their anti-Trinitarian heresy, thus using a warped theology to promote an anthropology?

What would you say if I told you that the "conservatives" who dominate Big Evangelical have covered for sexual abusers for their personal gain?

What would you say if I told you that this "conservative" cabal turned and looked the other way at the news that a cherished Christian apologist forced a 16-year-old girl to have an abortion in order to cover up a family scandal?

What would you say if I told you that that same cherished apologist took a sexual abuse victim--who was severely abused by her father--and used her vulnerabilities to groom her for his gratification? And then Big Evangelical attacked HER for being the messenger.

What would you say if I told you that that same cherished apologist sexually assaulted at least three massage therapists at the spa he owned?

And Big Evangelical covered for him until they couldn't.

What would you say if I told you that one of the engineers of the "conservative resurgence" in the SBC covered up sexual abuse at two seminaries where he served as President, and at least one church?

Do you call that pro-life?

Do you call that Biblical fidelity?

Do you believe that the Church can cover that kind of scandal and expect there to be no reckoning?

You can't blame the liberals for that. You can't blame the feminists. You can't blame the New Atheists.

Make no mistake: this is 100% on the conservatives.

It didn't START with them--scandal is not a new phenomenon--but it mushroomed on their watch and with their cover.

In the coming decades and centuries, historians will not be kind to the current crop of leaders in Big Evangelical.

As the U.S. careens down a Nihilistic superhighway toward the cliff of civil war, the Church is too weak to give an answer.

One day, Laodicaea will stand in judgement of the Church in the United States.

In Genesis, we see a contrast with Joseph and his bothers. Joseph was beaten within an inch of his life, sold into slavery, and ended up in prison.

But God was with him.

On the home front?

Reuben slept with his stepmother,

Levi and Simeon massacred an entire city,

Judah slept with his daughter-in-law while on a trip, thinking she was a prostitute.

The question: Who was really free?

Today, in the U.S., we have access to every Bible translation, all manner of theological information and Church history at our fingertips, all for free.

And yet, collectively we are breathtakingly stupid with respect to matters of importance.

The record bears witness to this.

Are we more like Joseph or more like his brothers?

Are we more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees, who were--in spite of their outward piety--invested in this world?