If you thought the Matt Chandler situation couldn’t get more peculiar, guess again. Chandler’s Aug. 28 announcement that he would take an indefinite leave of absence from preaching and teaching at The Village Church north of Dallas has generated endless…
What transactional sexuality could teach us about Matt Chandler’s odd leave of absence and confession
Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church north of Dallas, has recently taken an indefinite leave of absence after exchanging direct messages on Instagram with a woman who is not his wife. Although he states that the messages were not…
The problem of fandom in churches
In a media-saturated world filled with choices, some people have turned to what is known as “fandom” to find identity, meaning and purpose for life. In churches, some have substituted being a fan for being a follower of Jesus. Fandom…
Matt Chandler takes indefinite leave of absence after exchanging ‘unwise’ online messages with a woman
One of the most prominent voices for Reformed theology and church planting among Southern Baptists announced Aug. 28 he is taking an indefinite leave of absence from preaching and teaching due to what he called inappropriate online chats with a…
Disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll is back on the speaking circuit, and he’s sharing a virtual platform with Matt Chandler
Disgraced and combative pastor Mark Driscoll is back on the speaking circuit, and he’s about to share a stage with the high-profile Baptist pastor who presumably has been cleaning up the reputation of the Acts 29 Network Driscoll helped found…
Acts 29 ups the ante by offering church planters $50,000 apiece
In yet another sign of how church networks are replacing denominational identity, the Acts 29 network announced Jan. 11 that it will provide up to $50,000 apiece for new churches started through its sponsorship. Leaders of Acts 29 insist it…
SBC president blacklists former leader accused of enabling abuse
Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear says that local church autonomy does not excuse Southern Baptists from holding one another accountable in a mild rebuke of churches giving platform to Paige Patterson, a disgraced former leader accused of enabling sexual abusers.
Ahead of conference on sexual abuse, SBC promotes author whose church is being sued over its handling of a minister’s alleged molestation of an 11-year-old girl
Two weeks ahead of a national conference on caring well for the abused, the Southern Baptist Convention promoted a book by a high-profile pastor accused of mishandling abuse, to the consternation of survivor advocates.
Breaking up is hard to do? Notable absences at next year’s Together for the Gospel
A lineup of speakers for the 2020 Together for the Gospel conference announced Sept. 3 excludes a number of familiar faces from past gatherings, suggesting possible rifts in the Neo-Calvinist preaching club sometimes called the young, restless and Reformed.