Last week we discussed part 1 of our topic on the fracture taking place at McClean Bible Church just outside Washington DC where well-known Evangelical leader and author David Platt is the lead pastor.
The story has been covered in national media, including Christianity Today which stated:
“To some observers, McLean Bible Church’s 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.”
More succinctly, it appears that David Platt sees ethnic reconciliation and integration as a priority of the gospel while those in opposition see it as partiality and the road to compromise.
On July 4, Platt called out a “small group” of people in the church for hindering the election of three new elders. Earlier this year, a 17-page letter was sent to church leadership, detailing their concerns about the direction of the church and its focus on social and racial justice.
The goal of this program is to analyze how the issue of social justice is fracturing Evangelical churches, to understand where both sides are coming from, to compare their views against the final authority of Scripture, and to learn from both good and bad examples so our own churches can be more faithful to God.
We’ll strive to do just that this weekend on The Christian Worldview in part 2 of our topic: What to Discern from the Church Fracture Where David Platt Pastors. We hope you can join us!
Additional Resources:
Platt’s McLean Bible Church Hit With Attempted Takeover, Lawsuit from Opposition
