Tullian Tchividjian

[GenerationCedarchip]

Well, after having to resign from Coral Ridge (PCA) and supposedly be under the care of his presbytery, TT has already found himself a new job.

 

According to Willow Creek Church, he's now their Director of Ministry Development. His bio mentions nothing of recent events, but instead makes him sound like an evangelical superstar.

 

willowcreekchurch.org/our-staff

 

I guess some folks don't need as much time for repentance, reflection, and getting one's life on track. /sarcasm

 

In all seriousness, I do think it's possible for a pastor to falter and find their way back to productive ministry. My childhood pastor at my old church actually developed a serious painkiller problem, which he later admitted to. However, unlike some of the folks we snark on, he resigned and spent time in an inpatient treatment program (a REAL one). And when he came out, even though he did eventually make his way back into ministry circles in another state, he came back with baby steps and lots of transparency. There were plenty of crazy, uber-Reformed things that went down in my old fundie church (esp. under this guy's successor), but I have to say that I always did respect my childhood pastor for how he handled this part of his life. I think TT and others could learn from it.

[DomWackTroll]

Not surprising at all. He’s been unable to stay off social media, but that’s okay, ‘cause:

“What typically happens when a Christian leader falls is that they disappear and only reappear when they're strong and shiny again. No one ever sees them in their broken and weakened condition. When we do this, we send the message that Christianity is only for good and strong and clean people. But believe it or not, Christianity is not about good people getting better. It is, rather, good news for bad people coping with their failure to be good.â€

facebook.com/PastorTullian/posts/749237618520061

R.C Jr. will do the same thing, just watch. And he’ll be free to do so all day long, unburdened by a job.

[Grimalkin]

I know A LOT of people who go to Willow Creek. My husband and I call them Creekers. This should be interesting. WC is a massive church, and I have not been able to find any real scandals associated within the core of the church. There was a sex abuse situation in a daycare, they handled it swiftly and took it to authorities and supported the victim and family. I find it annoying how often they brag about being full of ex Catholics. :roll: Their biggest competitor is Harvest Bible Chapel. they are like dueling churches out to save the masses of people who are already Christians.....

One last antidote, my BFF in high school lived really close to WC and we used to make out with our boyfriends in the parking lot. :shock:

[GenerationCedarchip]

I'd wondered about that church. I knew it was a huge church, but that's all I really knew about it. Given that it's still in Fla., I'm guessing people there will know about what went on in the last church. Maybe they figure lots of folks on staff will make for more accountability for him.

[Gobberte]

Willow Creek Presbyterian is not associated with the other Willow Creek churches. It's named after a stream... in the area.

Willow Creek is associated with Liberate, which was founded by Tullian. Steve Brown is a member of Willow Creek and was a normal speaker at Liberate. The two pastors and other staff members of Willow Creek attended Liberate.

Liberate embraced antinomianism, an unbalance if law and grace.

We need to be in prayer for Tullian. Also the pastors at Willow Creek need to get in line with the Presbyterian Book of Church Order. It is designed to biblically assist fallen Christains, but not if it is circumvented. Willow Creek should know better to offer a staff position to Tullian. Just because it is not an ordained position makes no difference - ministry is ministry.

[salex]

From the Church's website

T

ullian Tchividjian

Director of Ministry Development

tullian_bioWe're so delighted to welcome Tullian Tchividjian to the staff of Willow Creek Church. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando (M.Div.), Tullian is a best-selling author, having written seven books on the gospel of Jesus Christ and its liberating implications. Most recently, Tullian served as the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and founded Liberate, a ministry devoted to connecting God's inexhaustible grace to an exhausted world. He loves the beach, loves to exercise, and when he has time, he loves to surf. He's also a huge fan of both the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Heat.

willowcreekchurch.org/our-staff

[Gimme a Free RV]

Willow Creek should know better to offer a staff position to Tullian. Just because it is not an ordained position makes no difference - ministry is ministry.

:clap:

[formerlegalist]

On 9/3/2015 at 8:57 AM, Gobberte said:

Willow Creek Presbyterian is not associated with the other Willow Creek churches. It's named after a stream... in the area.

 

Willow Creek is associated with Liberate, which was founded by Tullian. Steve Brown is a member of Willow Creek and was a normal speaker at Liberate. The two pastors and other staff members of Willow Creek attended Liberate.

 

Liberate embraced antinomianism, an unbalance if law and grace.

 

We need to be in prayer for Tullian. Also the pastors at Willow Creek need to get in line with the Presbyterian Book of Church Order. It is designed to biblically assist fallen Christains, but not if it is circumvented. Willow Creek should know better to offer a staff position to Tullian. Just because it is not an ordained position makes no difference - ministry is ministry.

What is wrong with the local Presbytery in that area? Willow Creek has just given him a huge loophole to essentially keep doing what he's been doing (sound familiar - Bill Gothard/IBLP?).  I have read some of Tullian's books, as well as Steve Brown's books and really appreciated the perspective and grace-filled writing, despite that I do think they can run dangerously close to antinomianism. However, Tullian's return to ministry came across as very unrepentant, arrogant, almost defiant -- no attitude fitting for a pastor/ministry leader.  I couldn't find the exact quote now but I remember reading that he said something about his beliefs not allowing him to stay down long.  That is not a humble reliance on God's grace; that is flaunting sin and calling it liberty. 

As far as the Willow Creek PCA church is concerned, I don't have first-hand knowledge but this sure looks like a case of "hero worship" - even if he's down, grab one of the Reformed heroes and put him in the closest thing to a pastorate position possible, because grace and all - he's still fit for the job. Very messed up situation and it sounds like this particular Presbytery has some very unhealthy dynamics going on.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I'll admit that while I had issues with Tullian Tchividjian getting hired on at another church so soon after his scandal broke, I did hope that he was getting real support,learning from what he had done, and turning his life around.  However, it appears that there are more problems brewing.  Willow Creek announced that today was his last day on staff. Apparently, the Liberate network he founded is also closing up shop.  Sad. For his children's sake, I hope he really does turn a corner.

 

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/2016/03/16/tullian-tchividjian-out-at-willow-creek-presbyterian-majority-of-liberate-network-board-members-quit/

[meda]

It seems that's there may have been another affair. I find it interesting that the bulk  of his former parishioners were more upset that he wasn't attacking the evil gays than they were about his extramarital activities

This is old, but I find some of the controversy interesting

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/billy.grahams.grandson.tullian.tchividjian.resigns.as.pastor.after.admitting.affair/56838.htm

[DomWackTroll]

13 hours ago, meda said:

It seems that's there may have been another affair. I find it interesting that the bulk  of his former parishioners were more upset that he wasn't attacking the evil gays than they were about his extramarital activities

This is old, but I find some of the controversy interesting

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/billy.grahams.grandson.tullian.tchividjian.resigns.as.pastor.after.admitting.affair/56838.htm

Whether they admit it or not, there's almost a perverse admiration that fundies have for those who are caught in heterosexual affairs. When Doug Phillips' abuse of Lourdes was revealed, idiots like Kelly Crawford and Stacy McDonald practically came flat out and said, "Oh, he's not gay? Whew!" 

[GenerationCedarchip]

I've heard things like that in real life, too.  

With Tullian, the article from yesterday makes it sound like there was not only an earlier affair but also some kind of ongoing accusation of him taking money from the husband of the woman he was involved with. What a mess!  I've known many good pastors, so seeing stuff like this is just frustrating.

[paganbaby]

15 hours ago, meda said:

It seems that's there may have been another affair. I find it interesting that the bulk  of his former parishioners were more upset that he wasn't attacking the evil gays than they were about his extramarital activities

This is old, but I find some of the controversy interesting

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/billy.grahams.grandson.tullian.tchividjian.resigns.as.pastor.after.admitting.affair/56838.htm

If he can't keep it zipped, he needs to find a job where that isn't a big deal, instead of tossing the blame onto his wife. Whatever she did, there's not an ounce of class in that. But I get the impression he's loving the drama, and if he were working in an office somewhere most people wouldn't give a damn about what bed he slept in the night before.

[Othello]

Wow. All the drama. Honestly if both he and his wife were having affairs separately and on a continuing basis, they're probably better off letting each other go, since clearly this isn't working. Sadly public image (and probably a lucrative religious practice) is more important than caring for themselves or their partner. And now there's a third (known) affair, less than a year later? What a mess for the PCA and the family's reputation. 

It's also disgusting how he essentially blames his own affair on his wife's. Nope, that's not how it works. Take ownership, and let her take ownership of her own actions.

[QuiverDance]

These guys are just unbelieveable.

[Jezzable]

What a mess!

Quote

 

At least two elders at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida allegedly had knowledge that their former pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, grandson to evangelical icon Billy Graham, had engaged in an adulterous affair with a married member of his flock and advised him to keep it secret from his wife.

"At the time, he was not advised to step down as lead pastor, but instead was advised not to immediately inform his wife about the matter — she only learned about this last week. To make matters worse, the two elders never informed the rest of the session about this situation. One can only wonder whether the second situation could have been averted if the first situation had not been covered up," the source continued.

"As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself," he wrote in a statement to The Washington Post last June.

His latest revelation, however, significantly disrupts that narrative and created a lot of problems for those who have been trying to help him but were kept in the dark.

"The disclosures that he made involved the fact that he had a previously unconfessed inappropriate relationship with another woman. He didn't share specifics with us. He said the person, that's worth saying … there were no specifics," Willow Creek's Senior Pastor Kevin Labby told CP Thursday.

All the new details, said Labby on Friday, was news to him even though Pastor Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries, who is alleged to have known about the affair, is a regular attendee of his church and a person with whom he also has frequent conversations.

"When this was disclosed it was the very first time I had heard of it from anybody," Labby said.

"He's (Brown) a member of the Central Florida Presbytery. He does attend Willow Creek but he doesn't serve in any form of leadership there. And is not involved in any day-to-day decision making at the church. He's a longstanding attendee of the church," Labby told CP. "He and I talk all the time."

Brown, through his assistant at Key Life Ministries, said he had nothing to say when contacted for comment Friday.

 

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/coral-ridge-elders-knew-of-tullian-tchividjians-affair-with-married-woman-advised-him-to-keep-secret-source-alleges-159519/#H8qL8PIx3h30A8Re.99

All eyes are on Steve Brown now. What a loser.

[clueliss]

So upon learning the wife had an affair he essentially had an affair.  Sin.  Then 2 elders advise him to keep his mouth shut.  Translatiin, lie of omission. Sin.  And 1 sin each for the elders who also lied by omission.  And we all just keep.lying and sinning in cover up until it falls apart and is exposed.  

 

When, golly, last I checked God knew the whole thing before you ever did it.  So who, other than himself and the congregation was he fooling?

[Jezzable]

Actually, I read it as he had an affair first.  Elders found out and told him to keep shut.  Then she had an affair.  Then he had a fit about her affair while he went on to have another affair. Then he got caught somehow for the 2nd affair and blamed his wife for his 2nd affair.

[clueliss]

He's still a lying cheating liar cheater who lies and cheats

[Gimme a Free RV]

What I find so disturbing in this and many other ministries in which pastors got caught with their pants down or swindling church money is that they end up going back into ministry. (Haggard, Swaggart, Tilton, Tullian, et al.)  I think this is likely due to these factors:

Ministry is all they've been successful at.

They lack training in other areas.

They miss the limelight too much.

The thought of following instead of leading doesn't fly with them.

[Cleopatra7]

10 minutes ago, Gimme a Free RV said:

What I find so disturbing in this and many other ministries in which pastors got caught with their pants down or swindling church money is that they end up going back into ministry. (Haggard, Swaggart, Tilton, Tullian, et al.)  I think this is likely due to these factors:

Ministry is all they've been successful at.

They lack training in other areas.

They miss the limelight too much.

The thought of following instead of leading doesn't fly with them.

I think when it comes to "ministry," there's nothing that can keep you out of the limelight permanently. Ted Haggard, who was caught using meth and consorting with male prostitutes, has a new church, which means that homosexuality isn't the nuclear bomb one would think it is. If a minister goes to prison for whatever reason, he can just start a prison ministry.

[Mothership]

This church is full of all kinds of hypocrisy.  

I'm wondering what the parishioners who did not consider Tillian conservative enough wanted.  Coral Ridge is a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), which is the most conservative presbyterian denomination.  They split with the majority of Presbyterians about 50 years ago over the ordination of women (and though they would never admit to it, in some cases likely the integration of the church as well).

They are the fundie (I wouldn't even say fundie-lite) brand of Presbyterians.  Women cannot serve in any capacity other than supporting secretarial staff and some music staff.  They can only teach sunday school to children under the age of 5.

[Cleopatra7]

16 minutes ago, Mothership said:

This church is full of all kinds of hypocrisy.  

I'm wondering what the parishioners who did not consider Tillian conservative enough wanted.  Coral Ridge is a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), which is the most conservative presbyterian denomination.  They split with the majority of Presbyterians about 50 years ago over the ordination of women (and though they would never admit to it, in some cases likely the integration of the church as well).

They are the fundie (I wouldn't even say fundie-lite) brand of Presbyterians.  Women cannot serve in any capacity other than supporting secretarial staff and some music staff.  They can only teach sunday school to children under the age of 5.

Believe it or not, there are Presbyterian denominations that are even more conservative than PCA, like the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Presbyterian_Church). It's much smaller than PCA, but apparently, it's been very influential in American conservatism.

 

[Evangeline]

37 minutes ago, Mothership said:

This church is full of all kinds of hypocrisy.  

I'm wondering what the parishioners who did not consider Tillian conservative enough wanted.  Coral Ridge is a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), which is the most conservative presbyterian denomination.  They split with the majority of Presbyterians about 50 years ago over the ordination of women (and though they would never admit to it, in some cases likely the integration of the church as well).

They are the fundie (I wouldn't even say fundie-lite) brand of Presbyterians.  Women cannot serve in any capacity other than supporting secretarial staff and some music staff.  They can only teach sunday school to children under the age of 5.

They wanted Kennedy to rise from the dead. I'm disheartened that Tullian sucks so much. I liked the direction he was taking the church, away from politics. Too bad he couldn't keep it in his pants.

[Mothership]

32 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Believe it or not, there are Presbyterian denominations that are even more conservative than PCA, like the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Presbyterian_Church). It's much smaller than PCA, but apparently, it's been very influential in American conservatism.

 

Interesting--I consider myself a pretty good Presbyterian (PCUSA) and I'd never heard of Orthodox Presbyterian.  Thanks for the link.