Bill Hybels (Willow Creek) Accused of Sexual Misconduct

[livinginthelight]

We're inching closer to the truth. "Inching" being the operative word, but at least it's the right direction. The elder board and both teaching pastors have released statements apologizing for not listening. Heather Larsen apologized for holding the initial family meetings. All say they believe the women. The elders say Bill "entered areas of sin."

They initially said the women were lying, and they apologize for that, but they notably do NOT say "We see that Bill lied."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2018/06/30/elders-acknowledge-bill-hybels-sin-heather-larson-apologizes/#disqus_thread

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180629/teaching-pastor-at-willow-creek-apologizes-for-response-to-allegations-against-hybels

Their statements appear to have been prompted by an excellent article by Scot McKnight earlier this week. https://www.christianpost.com/news/bill-hybels-willow-creek-have-undone-40-years-of-trust-scot-mcknight-on-sexual-misconduct-225527/

ETA: The more I think about it, the angrier I get about Heather's statement. She was angry at HOW it came out in the media.  which distracted her from WHY the women "were forced to take that path". Heather!!! HELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!! Where's the part where you're angry about the abuse in the first place? Where's the part where you're angry at the pastor for doing this????

WTF????? How much did you know beforehand, that you're focusing on why and how it came out???? And why aren't you willing to put the spotlight on BILL?

I'll just say it. Did he do it to you too, Heather?

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, livinginthelight said:

ETA: The more I think about it, the angrier I get about Heather's statement. She was angry at HOW it came out in the media.  which distracted her from WHY the women "were forced to take that path". Heather!!! HELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!! Where's the part where you're angry about the abuse in the first place? Where's the part where you're angry at the pastor for doing this????

I agree.  There was far too much passive voice in that statement, a real back stabbing snipe about the women going to the media, and not enough outrage about the abuse.

However, statements like that have usually been gone over with a fine toothcomb by attorneys.  I expect they took out any wording that would leave Willow Creek vulnerable to litigation for negligence.  If it was in there in the first place, that is.

[Briefly]

8 hours ago, livinginthelight said:

We're inching closer to the truth. "Inching" being the operative word, but at least it's the right direction. The elder board and both teaching pastors have released statements apologizing for not listening. Heather Larsen apologized for holding the initial family meetings. All say they believe the women. The elders say Bill "entered areas of sin."

They initially said the women were lying, and they apologize for that, but they notably do NOT say "We see that Bill lied."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2018/06/30/elders-acknowledge-bill-hybels-sin-heather-larson-apologizes/#disqus_thread

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180629/teaching-pastor-at-willow-creek-apologizes-for-response-to-allegations-against-hybels

Their statements appear to have been prompted by an excellent article by Scot McKnight earlier this week. https://www.christianpost.com/news/bill-hybels-willow-creek-have-undone-40-years-of-trust-scot-mcknight-on-sexual-misconduct-225527/

ETA: The more I think about it, the angrier I get about Heather's statement. She was angry at HOW it came out in the media.  which distracted her from WHY the women "were forced to take that path". Heather!!! HELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!! Where's the part where you're angry about the abuse in the first place? Where's the part where you're angry at the pastor for doing this????

WTF????? How much did you know beforehand, that you're focusing on why and how it came out???? And why aren't you willing to put the spotlight on BILL?

I'll just say it. Did he do it to you too, Heather?

Gotta love those apologies that aren't!  There is still a lot of victim blaming going on.

[livinginthelight]

Someone else came forward, with much more serious charges.

Steve Carter, one of the two pastors, has done the right thing and resigned immediately over differences with the elder board on how they have handled things.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/us/bill-hybels-willow-creek-pat-baranowski.html?action=click&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=Article&region=Footer&contentCollection=U.S.

Here is Steve's letter.https://www.steveryancarter.com/blog-1/a-diverging-path

I have known about some of this behind the scenes, and I know that Steve believed the women early on. I respect his decision.

[apple1]

Wow.

With this most recent "story" - How in the world could anyone (not just Hybels, but also Hybels' wife, church associate pastors or church board members, church members themselves, etc.) have thought the living arrangement was OK?

At this point, I fully expect many more "stories" to come out.

[jjmennonite]

6 hours ago, apple1 said:

Wow.

With this most recent "story" - How in the world could anyone (not just Hybels, but also Hybels' wife, church associate pastors or church board members, church members themselves, etc.) have thought the living arrangement was OK?

At this point, I fully expect many more "stories" to come out.

I’m sorry I cannot respond to this articulately, I’m having a visceral emotional reaction. I’m frequently amazed by things that were deemed ok in my fundy childhood*

Patriarchy and rape culture exist inside and outside of churches. Using Jesus or any religion to justify this is extra heinous. Except, as an unbeliever, I should not still be invested in the idea that Christians are better than your average folk. 

Hugs to all who have been harmed by religion and patriarchy and rape culture. It’s not a male issue, it’s a societal issue. There are plenty of men and women who are good people and even some Christians who are good people. My cynicism is showing here, sorry to all the loving beings who follow Christ. If you’re a peaceful and loving and compassionate person and you serve Jesus or Bhudda or Allah (the Arabic word for God, not an evil concept), you’re my kind of person. I just have a special struggle with Christians because of my past and present abuse and oppression. 

*OT, but it was OK for the man who was about to marry my sister to say that it would be best if I went with him to their newlywed rented apartment to get showered and ready because the showers would be too busy wherever else people were getting ready. In typical predator fashion (I was 12) he threw this out as a practical solution and nobody questioned it. I was a properly shamed female child. 

[Howl]

On 5/30/2018 at 12:27 PM, livinginthelight said:

the elder responsibilities were restructured in a manner that stripped them of more power.

Mark Driscoll 101, as well as others.  They do this to accrue more power with less (or zero) oversight/accountability.  This action should always be Red Flag 101. 

16 minutes ago, jjmennonite said:

*OT, but it was OK for the man who was about to marry my sister to say that it would be best if I went with him to their newlywed rented apartment to get showered and ready because the showers would be too busy wherever else people were getting ready. In typical predator fashion (I was 12) he threw this out as a practical solution and nobody questioned it. I was a properly shamed female child. 

I'm so sorry to hear of this.  Sending you a gentle, comforting hug across the ethernets. 

[Briefly]

2 hours ago, jjmennonite said:

I’m sorry I cannot respond to this articulately, I’m having a visceral emotional reaction. I’m frequently amazed by things that were deemed ok in my fundy childhood*

Patriarchy and rape culture exist inside and outside of churches. Using Jesus or any religion to justify this is extra heinous. Except, as an unbeliever, I should not still be invested in the idea that Christians are better than your average folk. 

Hugs to all who have been harmed by religion and patriarchy and rape culture. It’s not a male issue, it’s a societal issue. There are plenty of men and women who are good people and even some Christians who are good people. My cynicism is showing here, sorry to all the loving beings who follow Christ. If you’re a peaceful and loving and compassionate person and you serve Jesus or Bhudda or Allah (the Arabic word for God, not an evil concept), you’re my kind of person. I just have a special struggle with Christians because of my past and present abuse and oppression. 

*OT, but it was OK for the man who was about to marry my sister to say that it would be best if I went with him to their newlywed rented apartment to get showered and ready because the showers would be too busy wherever else people were getting ready. In typical predator fashion (I was 12) he threw this out as a practical solution and nobody questioned it. I was a properly shamed female child. 

I am sending you as many hugs as I can, I am so sorry you had to go through this.  I know how hard it is to talk about it, but you are among friends here and even if we are not agreeing on a subject - there is so much support here!

9 hours ago, apple1 said:

Wow.

With this most recent "story" - How in the world could anyone (not just Hybels, but also Hybels' wife, church associate pastors or church board members, church members themselves, etc.) have thought the living arrangement was OK?

At this point, I fully expect many more "stories" to come out.

I'm sure there are, I am not at all surprised at this.  It's awful.

[jegfile]

My pastor (an avid follower of Bill Hybels and other megachurch pastors) was just a bully. I think I'm glad that I got out when I did even though it was hugely painful.

I've been to Willow Creek. They hold conferences for leaders - I went as a youth leader. Never could get used to the fact that a big church was a sign of God's blessing. For an introvert such as myself, I considered it a nightmare. Every time I was forced to interact with people I didn't know I knew I would pay the price with huge anxiety attacks.

[molecule]

Willow's entire board is resigning. https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2018/08/08/will-willow-creek-elders-resign-tonight/

 

 

[luv2laugh]

Heather is also resigning as pastor.

[livinginthelight]

40 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

Heather is also resigning as pastor.

Holy smokes and hallelujah.

The elders also.

Now they need to bring back Steve Carter.

 

[Palimpsest]

16 hours ago, molecule said:

Willow's entire board is resigning. https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2018/08/08/will-willow-creek-elders-resign-tonight/

So they are.  And the lead pastor.  Lots of apologies, remorse, and claims of being broken people on their knees.

Now I don't know any of these people personally, and some of it may be genuine remorse, but I am getting a mental picture of a bunch of rats leaping off a sinking ship as fast as they can.  This lot were still lying as recently as Sunday.  If they knew Steve Carter had resigned on Sunday why did they claim he was sick?   Per the NYT article above:

Quote

Mr. Carter did not appear as scheduled at Sunday services at the church’s main campus, and the congregation at the second service was told that he was so sick that he was vomiting backstage.

Mr. Carter may have resigned in protest on Sunday, but even he seemed to have hung on far too long in support of the rat team of Elders for me to trust him with much.  Sorry, he may be a lovely person, but I think the rubber should have hit the road earlier even with him.

Also, if I were in this congregation, I'd like far more details about the intermediate governance, which evangelical leaders they are calling on for advice, who is going to conduct the new investigation, and how much input I would have in forming new protocols and choosing the next governance team of elders.

This also sets my teeth on edge.  They didn't cancel or even reconfigure the (so-called) Global Leadership Summit.  No, the Global Leadership Summit is not directly Willow Creek Church - it is the Association's baby - but it too is intrinsically linked with Hybels.

Willow Creek Church is right up Shit Creek having just lost its entire leadership team, and a helleva lot of humility and self-examination would be in order.  Instead we get a positively flatulent speech at the Summit from President and CEO of the Willow Creek Association, one Tom De Vries.

This article by Warren Throckmorton rather sums up my feelings, as well as giving a link to De Vries's speech. 

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2018/08/09/willow-creek-association-addresses-bill-hybels-controversy-at-opening-of-global-leadership-summit-video/

Excerpt (my bolding): 

Quote

He seemed sorry for something and then said the Global Leadership Summit would continue doing good work as in the past. Many would disagree with De Vries self-justification. He said there will be three commitments. One is to promote an independent investigation of allegations against Hybels. A second commitment is to explore power dynamics between men and women in the workplace at the summit and then a commitment to extend the topic after the summit.

He also addressed why the WCA didn’t cancel the GLS this year. Essentially, he said leaders have to step out and do something (as if pausing isn’t doing something). Then he said they are doing it for the women attending and used numbers of host sites that don’t match his own website’s numbers. In other words, the world can’t go on without the GLS.

It is this attitude (the world needs us) that turns me off and strikes me as presumptuous. I am open to reasons why the show must go on. Maybe somebody’s livelihood is dependent on it. I get that. But don’t tell me that the sun won’t come up or that women around the world would be lost without you.

I think this is what gets evangelical pastors — like Bill Hybels maybe?– into trouble. I think Mr. De Vries expressed some of that too. The GLS must go on  because we need it to. No, actually we don’t. Find some other reason.

Well, my best wishes to the good people of the Willow Creek Church Congregation.  It's an awful mess there at the moment and I hope the decent people in the congregation, especially the women, prevail.

It should be possible to dig out and make Willow Creek a much better place for all to worship, and a place where all women can feel safe from sexual harassment and abuse.

[feministxtian]

Willow Creek is paying out some big bucks

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/illinois-megachurch-paid-dollar325m-to-settle-lawsuits-over-child-sex-abuse-by-church-volunteer/ar-BBLT3hY?ocid=spartandhp

[apple1]

9 minutes ago, feministxtian said:

Willow Creek is paying out some big bucks

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/illinois-megachurch-paid-dollar325m-to-settle-lawsuits-over-child-sex-abuse-by-church-volunteer/ar-BBLT3hY?ocid=spartandhp

Awful. (the abuse, not their having to pay out)

[livinginthelight]

The report on Willow Creek from the independent committee is in. I read the entire thing and found it to be fair. In short, they say the accusations against Bill Hybels are credible, they talk about some of the factors that went wrong, and they give suggestions for moving forward.

I found it interesting that male staff also reported him to be demeaning and controlling. The committee noted that a common phrase used was that Bill would "power up" when disagreed with. He must have been a very intimidating person.

Hybels continues to deny the charges. And of course some continue to defend him. But those are in the minority.

https://www.willowcreek.org/-/media/images/7-0-about/elders2019/iagreport-022819.pdf?la=en