Juliana Zobrist Sued Husband, MLB Star Ben Zobrist, for Taking Time Off From Baseball to Try to Save Their Marriage

Star Formation in the Gemini Constellation-NASA

Adultery is the ultimate deal-breaker for me. I would rather be alone than in a relationship that doesn’t honor me. Garcelle Beauvais


I returned from my trip last evening. I am so grateful to Todd for carrying this blog. Many areas that I visited did not have great internet coverage or we were so late in returning to our hotel that I fell asleep exhausted but happy. I will mention some things I learned on my trip that you might find interesting over the next few weeks. I shall start with this. My daughter and I discovered we like cheap chocolate as opposed to expensive chocolate. Also, I was voted by my traveling group as a skilled raclette server which is something I learned in the town of Gruyere. The following is a post I wrote before I left. I will catch up on the latest news in the next few days.


What a mess. Let me try to sum this up in advance if you don’t feel like reading through the sordid details which are outlined in the subsequent news reports. All of the following are merely allegations. There is one thing about this that really gets me mad, as you will see.

  • Ben and Juliana began attending Community Bible Church in Nashville in 2005 just prior to their marriage. The pastor was Bryon Yawn.
  • They sought premarital counseling and continued to occasionally receive marital counseling from him.
  • in 2018 (approximately) Yawn started pursuing Juliana for an intimate relationship which was allegedly consummated by 2019.
  • Robin Yawn discovered a burner phone used by her husband to contact Juliana. She insisted that Juliana tell her husband or she would.
  • Ben gave up returning to baseball in order to try to save their marriage. He forfeited $4 million and never returned to baseball.
  • Both have sued for divorce.
  • Ben also sued Bryon Yawn for alleging defrauding his charity but that has been put on hold. (I think it will be resurrected.)

Now for the reason for this post.

Ben sensed his marriage was falling apart. He allegedly did not know the role Yawn was paying in this matter. He took time off from baseball, losing $4 Million in salary to pursue counseling with his wife with Bryon Yawn. Juliana is suing Ben for “an additional $4 million for the “amount of money” her husband “failed to preserve by abruptly and intentionally failing to satisfy his baseball contract.”

Seriously, Juliana? How sick is that? It sounds as if Ben is far better off without her. I am so sorry for his kids.

I believe that Ben Zobrist should continue to sue Bryon Yawn. Yawn was a pastor and abused his clerical duties by having a sexual relationship with his parishioner. I do not know when Yawn was fired left his position at the church but he had no business in pursuing Juliana. On top of that, it appears he received some benefits by being allied with ben. What a way to abuse a generous friend.

My thoughts and prayers are with Ben and his children.

The proof of what I said is in the following articles.


Fox 17 reports in Sex, lies & baseball: Former MLB star says Nashville pastor slept with wife

According to the lawsuit filed in a Nashville court, Zobrist and his wife entered into pre-marital counseling in 2005 and “regularly sought the advice and counsel” of Yawn, including involving the pastor in Zobrist’s charity Patriot Forward. The couple turned to the pastor throughout the years, seeking Yawn’s advice for strengthening the relationship.

Things allegedly took a turn in 2018 when the suit states Yawn “began secretly pursuing an intimate relationship with Mr. Zobrist’s wife.” The suit claims things escalated in 2019 when Yawn began to meet Mrs. Zobrist for sex, the two “secretly” maintaining a sexual relationship from the spring of 2019 into spring of 2020 while hiding the affair from Zobrist.

The suit states although Zobrist was set to return to playing baseball in the summer of 2019, things were put on hold so he could focus on repairing his marriage, giving up four months of the season and the loss of $8 million in income.

The US Sun wrote Who is Byron Yawn?

Yawn is a former pastor at the Community Bible Church in Nashville.

The lawsuit states that Zobrist donated a large amount of money to Community Bible Church.

According to the newspaper, Zobrist also gave Yawn’s family up to $15,000 for a pastoral trip.

Per the Journal Star, the lawsuit states that Yawn “often capitalized on the Plaintiff’s celebrity, asking him to sign autographs for his mother-in-law; requesting tickets to baseball games; hosting ‘Guys Night Out’ for the church at Mr. Zobrist’s home; (requesting) that Mr. Zobrist send personal videos to parishioners who were being baptized; and nominating Mr. Zobrist as a deacon of Community Bible Church in hopes that his celebrity would attract new parishioners and keep current parishioners.”

It is Mrs. Zobrist, by having an extramarital affair and confessing same to her husband, and not disclosing the true extent of her affair, that caused him such extreme mental distress and difficulty that resulted in an inability to finish his long and very successful career in the way that he had hoped for and planned for,” Rogers continued.

Julianna is currently going after Ben for $4 million.

New York Post reports Ex-MLB star Ben Zobrist’s fraudulent pastor slept with his wife: lawsuit

Zobrist, who retired from a 14-season MLB career in March 2020, learned that his wife was having an affair with their pastor, according to court documents that surfaced last week. The same minister is also accused of defrauding Zobrist’s charity, where he was employed.

The 40-year-old ex-infielder seeks $6 million in damages from Byron Yawn, the CEO of Forrest Crain & Co., a Nashville-area business-consulting firm. Yawn is a former pastor and an elder at Community Bible Church in Nashville, where he met Zobrist and his wife, Julianna.

MEAWW.com wrote Who is Byron Yawn’s wife? Robin Yawn found burner phone pastor used in Julianna Zobrist affair

In his lawsuit, Ben has claimed that Yawn, “while acting in his capacity as pastoral counselor to” the Zobrists, “usurped this ministerial-counselor role, violated and betrayed the confidence entrusted to him by the Plaintiff, breached his fiduciary duty” owed to Ben, and “deceitfully used his access as counselor to engage in aninappropriate sexual relationship” with Julianna.

…Yawn and his wife arrived at Community Bible Church in early 2001, the bio noted, adding that during their years there, “they have seen the church flourish under a continuing commitment to expository preaching.”

…Julianna and Yawn allegedly used “burner phones” to help hide the relationship. The lawsuit claimed that in May 2019, Yawn’s wife Robin “discovered that he had a burner phone. Mrs. Yawn told her husband that” if Julianna did not tell Ben about this, “she would do so,” adding that Robin “did confide to Mr. Zobrist the following day that she believed her husband and his wife were having an emotional relationship, but nothing physical.”

Journal Star writes: Julianna Zobrist responds to Ben Zobrist’s ‘ugly’ divorce claims about affair with pastor

It gets interesting here. Yawn’s attorney had this to say.

“At the end of the day, a woman has the right to choose who she wants to be with,” Bellamy said. “We’re in the middle of litigation, so I can’t really comment further at this point, but that’s what it boils down to.”

In Julianna Zobrist’s countercomplaint for legal separation in March 2020, she “admits that she is guilty of inappropriate marital conduct” but said Ben “is also guilty of inappropriate marital conduct.”

Ben Zobrist denied any marital misconduct in his response.

The Christian Post reports in MLB star Ben Zobrist drops $6M lawsuit against pastor who had affair with his wife

The once-celebrated Christian couple separately filed for divorce in 2019. Ben Zobrist filed the lawsuit against Yawn on May 6. In the complaint, Zobrist claimed that Yawn fraudulently collected a $3,500-per-month salary after being dismissed as head of Zobrist’s charity foundation Patriot Forward.

Zobrist had sought $6 million in punitive and compensatory damages through a jury trial.

However, the suit has been dropped…for now.

While his marriage was falling apart, Zobrist took a leave of absence from baseball and later retired after the 2019 season. During that time, he sought marital counseling from Yawn in an attempt to restore the marriage.

Julianna Zobrist is suing her husband, alleging that he failed to protect the family assets by taking time off from his job as a player for the Chicago Cubs to try to fix the marriage.

Court documents also revealed that Julianna Zobrist, who recently took to social media to say she would not disclose things publicly, is seeking to split the marital assets evenly along with an additional $4 million for the “amount of money” her husband “failed to preserve by abruptly and intentionally failing to satisfy his baseball contract.”

Zobrist’s attorney, Helen S. Rogers, called Julianna Zobrist’s request for $4 million that her husband forfeited in an attempt to save the marriage “utterly absurd.” She was quoted as telling Judge Michael W. Binkley that she believes the singer is trying to shift blame from the extramarital affair.

…“Rather than accepting blame for having torn her husband’s heart out by having an affair with their pastor, she expected him to be able to totally focus in an elite athletic job that required (100%) of his physical and mental energy,” Rogers wrote in a court filing, according to The Chicago Tribune.

“It is Mrs. Zobrist, by having the extramarital affair and confessing same to her husband, and not disclosing the true extent of her affair, that caused him such extreme mental distress and difficulty that resulted in an inability to finish his long and very successful career in the way that he had hoped for and planned for.”

The Christian Post reported Christian MLB star Ben Zobrist alleges wife spent $30K on party for pastor amid affair

The 2016 World Series MVP claimed that Julianna Zobrist spent almost $30,000 on the party without his knowledge.

The court filing stated that “Mrs. Zobrist paid for the party out of the ‘farm account’ that her husband typically did not review, apparently to keep the cost of the party unknown to him. … Mrs. Zobrist and Pastor Yawn both became intoxicated and are dancing ‘on’ each other in a provocative way that was very embarrassing to Ben Zobrist, especially in front of their close church friends.”

“Wife took umbrage at her husband’s rebuking her privately after the party for acting in this manner in public. However, unknown to husband, wife was already ‘in love’ with Pastor Yawn,” the document continued.

I’m curious. Does anyone think that she should have sued her husband?

Comments

Juliana Zobrist Sued Husband, MLB Star Ben Zobrist, for Taking Time Off From Baseball to Try to Save Their Marriage — 104 Comments

  1. “Also, I was voted by my traveling group as a skilled raclette server which is something I learned in the town of Gruyere.”
    ++++++++++++++++++

    oh my word…. raclette in a town called ‘Gruyere’…. it’s just too much.

    #cheese!

  2. “My daughter and I discovered we like cheap chocolate as opposed to expensive chocolate.”

    When traveling in Europe, I found European chocolates highly overrated. It’s tough to beat a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Hershey’s chocolate bar!

    Welcome back to the wild wild west of bad-boy ministers and ministries. I’m sure they all missed you. 🙂

  3. “I will mention some things I learned on my trip that you might find interesting over the next few weeks.”
    ++++++++++++++

    i want to hear it all! (vicarious traveller, here)

  4. A few quick thoughts:

    Mrs. Zobrist … in it for the money from day one.

    Mr. Yawn … another bad-boy New Calvinist “pastor” who drifted into antinomianism.

    Mr. Zobrist … betrayed by his wife and his pastor, it doesn’t get much worse than that.

  5. Mrs. Muff says she loves all those sordid details, the juicier the better, Just like Days of Our Lives on TV.

  6. Byron Yawn is a product of The Master’s Seminary (John MacArthur):

    https://web.archive.org/web/20121015005123/http://thetrajectory.org/about

    “Byron (a.k.a. ‘Boo’) was raised in the deep south — Mississippi to be exact. Through the faithful witness of his newly converted parents, he came to Christ as a teenager.”

    “Byron was mentored and discipled by some faithful men who endowed him with…a commitment to a reformed faith…Byron pursued training for the ministry and graduated from the Master’s Seminary in 1996. From there he took an associate pastor position at a Bible Church in Texas [Countryside Bible Church, on Phil Johnson’s short list of approved churches, see post below]….one of Byron’s main responsibilities was Men’s Ministry…His aim is to multiply himself in other men like the church depends upon it…arrived at Community Bible Church [Nashville] in early 2001”

    John Macarthur wrote the foreword to Byron Yawn’s manhood book.
    Reviewed by Tim Challies:

    https://www.challies.com/book-reviews/what-every-man-wishes-his-father-had-told-him/

    Challies: “Byron Yawn…the first person to ever invite me to be a keynote speaker at a conference. That was a long time ago, and it seems like an even longer time, but he and I have stayed in touch since then and I was excited to hear of his work on a book titled What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him…”

  7. Byron Yawn and his church promoted on Phil Johnson’s approved church list (look for it right below Mark Dever’s Capitol Hill Baptist Church listing):

    http://www.romans45.org/bookmark/churches.htm

    Byron Yawn speaking at SBTS’s Boyce College (page has recently been scrubbed from the school’s website, but was saved at the Internet Archive):

    https://web.archive.org/web/20150507144619/http://www.boycecollege.com/2015/03/02/the-temptation-of-christ-byron-yawn/

  8. Byron Yawn as featured on TMM ‘The Majesty’s Men’ website several years ago:

    https://themajestysmen.com/podcast/ministry-minded-episode-12-byron-yawn/

    “Byron is the senior pastor of Community Bible Church in Nashville, TN, where he lives and serves with his wife and family. He’s also the host of ‘Theocast’, a podcast…He’s the author of a few books, an ardent apologist for Reformed thought”

    https://themajestysmen.com/about/

    “Our mission is to encourage and equip Christian men…We aim for TMM to be the primary trusted and respected platform for reformed, patriarchal Christian men…Some call it ‘hard complementarian’…but we prefer the plain biblical language of ‘patriarchy’ and its included clarity of a man on a mission that doesn’t revolve around a woman.”

  9. Jerome: John Macarthur wrote the foreword to Byron Yawn’s manhood book.
    Reviewed by Tim Challies:

    https://www.challies.com/book-reviews/what-every-man-wishes-his-father-had-told-him/

    Challies: “Byron Yawn….his work on a book titled What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him…”

    Without reading anything about the book other than its’ title, does anyone else see the irony of a “pastor” who allegedly committed adultery writing a book titled What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him (assuming the book is Christian, rather than “christian”).

  10. Jerome: “Our mission is to encourage and equip Christian men…We aim for TMM to be the primary trusted and respected platform for reformed, patriarchal Christian men…Some call it ‘hard complementarian’…but we prefer the plain biblical language of ‘patriarchy’ and its included clarity of a man on a mission that doesn’t revolve around a woman.”

    Clearly!! Women are to be used and discarded as he has so amply demonstrated with his life to date. Disturbingly disgusting.

  11. Dee,

    Welcome back. Hope you had a refreshing vacation. Can’t wait to hear about your travels.

  12. 2016 The Gospel Coalition feature story on Ben Zobrist:

    https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/ben-zobrist-major-league-believer/

    “Ben is famously attached to his family — he and Julianna try not to be separated for more than six days, even when they’re both on the road. Julianna, who sings Christian pop music, has released two EPs. Her first full album, Shatterproof, released in July. Julianna schedules her tour dates around Ben’s baseball calendar, and the two homeschool their children. ‘We know that at the end of the day, if we look back at our lives and we’ve accomplished all of these things in our careers but our family has fallen apart, none of it would be worth it’, Julianna told the Chicago Tribune.”

    “‘Jules is super gifted and super bright’, [Pastor Byron] Yawn says. ‘She also has a deep faith commitment and lives it every single day. She has also struggled with the spotlight, with achieving success and where her value comes from. Shatterproof came from that’.”

    “‘The idea of being ‘shatterproof’ basically is not allowing the approval or disapproval of other women to control your life and your story’, she told Forbes. It’s a concept that changed her life, and she’s in the process of writing a book about it.”

  13. Jerome: “Our mission is to encourage and equip Christian men” (Byron Yawn)

    “I preach to men” (Matt Chandler) … who refers to female members of TVC as “our girls.”

    New Calvinist women, are you listening yet?

  14. “Julianna and Yawn allegedly used “burner phones” to help hide the relationship”

    Oh, what a tangled web we weave … when first we practice to deceive.

    Reckon how many church leaders have a supply of burner phones tucked away somewhere?

  15. Jerome: https://themajestysmen.com/about/

    “Our mission is to encourage and equip Christian men…We aim for TMM to be the primary trusted and respected platform for reformed, patriarchal Christian men…Some call it ‘hard complementarian’…but we prefer the plain biblical language of ‘patriarchy’ and its included clarity of a man on a mission that doesn’t revolve around a woman.”

    my goodness, the clarity of the misogyny expressed in this pitiful statement leaves no room for doubt as to the hatred and contempt expressed, that ‘men’ feel they can only be what they were intended to be by disregarding the full dignity and personhood of women as also the children of God. . . . these guyz might be happier in the fundamentalist Islamic patriarchal system where they can ‘dispose’ of wives as well as conduct ‘honor killings’ of their teen daughters who displease them

    so much hate, so much contempt . . . . it’s all put ‘out there’ for anyone to read

  16. I can hear New Calvinists all over the country hearing the news about Mr. Yawn and saying “Yeah, but he sure could preach!”

  17. Max:
    A few quick thoughts:

    Mrs. Zobrist … in it for the money from day one.

    Mr. Yawn … another bad-boy New Calvinist “pastor” who drifted into antinomianism.

    Mr. Zobrist … betrayed by his wife and his pastor, it doesn’t get much worse than that.

    It actually can for Ben. Because he will be divorced at some point, even though he does not appear to be at fault in any manner (barring something coming out that we don’t know at this point), he will lose many speaking engagements in some religious circles which do not allow a divorced person to speak, no matter the circumstances.

  18. Jerome: “‘He’s a man without guile’, said Byron Yawn, pastor of Community Bible Church

    “Which makes him conveniently easy to manipulate for men who do have guile. What a sap … rich sap!” Pastor Yawn added.

    How hard must it be to try to make it as a fire-and-brimstone Reformed preacher with a name like Yawn.

  19. “Mrs. Zobrist and Pastor Yawn both became intoxicated and are dancing ‘on’ each other in a provocative way that was very embarrassing to Ben Zobrist, especially in front of their close church friends.”

    So this is how “Christian” antinomians fellowship? Sounds like quite a church party!

    IMO, New Calvinism if left unchecked will lead to antinomianism among many of its adherents. There is a cheap grace flowing beneath the surface in many NeoCal churches which releases them from the obligation of observing the moral law. Tullian was a poster child for grace gone amiss, but such belief may be more widespread than we want to believe.

  20. Cynthia W.: How hard must it be to try to make it as a fire-and-brimstone Reformed preacher with a name like Yawn.

    Whew! Doesn’t sound like anyone would want to go to sleep in his church!! They might miss something nasty!

  21. Max,

    Sometimes I think I should watch some of these famous men’s sermons to see if I would be impressed by them.

  22. Cynthia W.: Sometimes I think I should watch some of these famous men’s sermons to see if I would be impressed by them.

    Apparently, some corners of the American church are more impressed by a touch of charisma, a gift of gab and a bag of gimmicks in the pulpit than anointing and holiness. It really doesn’t take much to be famous in mega-mania … combine the above with a working knowledge of the Bible and you have a fantastic preacher (according to the gullible pew).

  23. I didn’t ever anticipate linking baseball items on this site:

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/05/ben-zobrist-remains-on-leave-from-cubs-indefinitely.html

    “Veteran utilityman Ben Zobrist has been away from the Cubs since May 8th owing to a previously undisclosed personal matter. It emerged today that the indefinite absence relates to marital troubles that have resulted in divorce proceedings, as ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports.

    “Details of the matter are really not of interest from a baseball perspective, but Zobrist’s absence does have an obvious impact on the Cubs’ roster situation. It is not known whether he is receiving his salary — $12MM this season, his final under contract in Chicago — during his absence. By placing Zobrist on the restricted list, the Cubs have been able to avoid playing a man down.

    “Manager Joe Maddon says there’s still “no indication” as to when Zobrist will return to the club. The Cubs informed the 14-year veteran, who’ll soon turn 38 years of age, that he’s free to take as much time away as he needs.”

    Yeah, the merits of the claim against him for the $4 million in missed salary don’t exactly appear robust to me.

  24. Max: IMO, New Calvinism if left unchecked will lead to antinomianism among many of its adherents. There is a cheap grace flowing beneath the surface in many NeoCal churches which releases them from the obligation of observing the moral law. Tullian was a poster child for grace gone amiss, but such belief may be more widespread than we want to believe.

    Thomas Schreiner teaches it to the seminarians at Southern Seminary. Of course many of the NeoCal pastors graduate having been indoctrinated into Scheiner’s views. John Folmar is a disciple of Scheiners and believes the same.

    “When discussing Passover, I noted that believers are not required to observe feasts, festivals, and special days of the Old Testament calendar. This includes the Sabbath, even though the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). Such a judgment surprises some, but it must be recognized that the entirety of the Old Testament law is abrogated in Christ. Paul clearly teaches that Christians are free in regard to the observance of days. No day, in principle, holds pride of place above another (Rom. 14:5). Clearly, the Sabbath is included here; since it was observed weekly, it was the day that would naturally come to mind for readers. Colossians 2:16-17 makes this even clearer. The Sabbath belongs to the shadows of the old covenant and is a matter of indifference now that Christ has come.”

    40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law by Thomas R. Schreiner, page 91

    John Piper is also an antinomian.

    “We should not be surprised, therefore, that at the heart of Christian Hedonism is a profound antinomianism, which has the following characteristics that become plain as we evaluate Piper’s teaching – a neglect of the holiness of God; a disregard for obedience to God’s holy law; an indifference to the fear of God; an irreverent style of worship; a superficial view of duty; and a low view of Scripture. These form a connecting chain, each naturally reinforcing the other. An antinomian approach means that a vital dimension of the Christian life is missing – reflection on the holy character of God as revealed in His soul-searching moral law.

    Here we should note the strange inconsistency in Piper’s teaching. While he insists that Christians must obey his “delight commandment”, he does not believe that Christians are under God’s Ten Commandments.”

    Christian Hedonism? A Biblical Examination of John Piper’s Teaching, by ES Williams, page 22.

    I will leave you with one verse from the Scriptures that, when I asked Folmar how he explains it in light of his view that the Ten Commandments had been abrogated by Christ, he had no answer for:

    “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18 NIV

  25. Serious question here. Julianna Zobrist claims Ben was abusive. Do we believe her? The current prevailing wisdom seems to be that you always, always believe the woman if she says she was abused. But she sure sounds like the scumbag, so… what do you do?

  26. R: But she sure sounds like the scumbag, so… what do you do?

    Actually, (not a Pastor) Yawn sounds the bigger scumbag to me. Pastor sleeping with wife of couple he is counseling . . . she is not off the hook, but (not a Pastor) Yawn probably knows how to manipulate a troubled woman.

  27. Jerome: “we prefer the plain biblical language of ‘patriarchy’ and its included clarity of a man on a mission that doesn’t revolve around a woman.”

    So Boaz and Joseph of Nazareth were… what, exactly, according to no-longer-Pastor Yawn?

  28. I suspect we cannot know the full truth in regards to the divorce proceedings nor do we necessarily have any right to know barring criminal activity (hence Yawn’s actions are a different matter since he obviously misused his position as a counselor). Both sides (or all three if you include Yawn) have a strong incentive to make their side look good and the other side bad to the general public and not irritate the judge. In a non-amicable divorce like this there will be fights about money and child custody. Best to hope the judge can find the most just solution and one that will most benefit the children.

    More seriously, Hershey’s as good chocolate? Heresy! Admittedly one of my ancestors has a claim to being the first person to market a chocolate bar (probably not a very good one) though I’m not completely convinced that is true. Chocolate was also original drunk unsweetened and spiced and the Native Americans had special utensils for making it (and also apparently used it in religious rituals). Such utensils and other traces of chocolate drinking have been found as far north as New Mexico (Chaco Canyon) and Utah though cacao itself was cultivated in southern Mexico and places south (so some fairly extensive trade).

  29. Todd Wilhelm: John Piper is also an antinomian.

    And then creates an entire system of NT patriarchy at his pleasure and among the brohood.

    As already noted, spiritual hierarchy among humans is a sin equally practiced among Evangelicals, Catholics, and the Taliban.

    In Christ, however, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek.

  30. Erp: Both sides (or all three if you include Yawn)

    Ah, yes, the “both sides” approach.

    No one outside relationships really knows the intimacies but only the blind don’t see enormous screaming red flags of facts and acts. Indicators, in any case. LE and the DOJ function on these.

  31. Erp: Chocolate was also original drunk unsweetened and spiced and the Native Americans had special utensils for making it (and also apparently used it in religious rituals).

    Once sugar was added, these religious rituals showed up all over America. Why, I participated just the other day, in the supermarket. 😉

  32. Todd Wilhelm,

    Thanks for this perspective, Todd. Sheds more light on theological reasons underlying the misbehaving of church leaders in the New Calvinist movement (and elsewhere). There’s a lot of preaching about grace-this and grace-that without ever touching true Grace. It’s the cheap grace Bonhoeffer warned about: “grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

  33. Erp: Hershey’s as good chocolate? Heresy!

    I suppose. As someone once said “Overemphasis of a long-neglected truth is heresy.” I confess that I have overemphasized Hershey bars for years. 🙂

  34. Max,

    I am great misspellings, as those that read what I write can attest..
    I like the Hershey/heresy switch 🙂
    My favorite though, is “Mis-spellers of the world, untie” HUG should like this…

  35. Bridget: Yawn sounds the bigger scumbag to me

    Well, one thing is for sure … baseball fans across America wish “Pastor” had kept his pants on.

  36. Juliana is suing Ben for “an additional $4 million for the “amount of money” her husband “failed to preserve by abruptly and intentionally failing to satisfy his baseball contract.”

    Two words: GOLD DIGGER.

  37. Max: It’s tough to beat a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Hershey’s chocolate bar!

    As long as it’s DARK chocolate.

  38. Muff Potter:
    Mrs. Muff says she loves all those sordid details, the juicier the better, Just like Days of Our Lives on TV.

    Proving that TWW readers never need to watch soap opera.

  39. Max: There’s a lot of preaching about grace-this and grace-that without ever touching true Grace.

    Like the Westboro Baptist Phelps-bot who answered the question “What DO you believe?” by (literally) spitting out “WE BELIEVE IN THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE!”

  40. Ava Aaronson: Todd Wilhelm: John Piper is also an antinomian.

    And then creates an entire system of NT patriarchy at his pleasure and among the brohood.

    A real kicker coming from a short skinny guy who acts like a type example of “Effeminate Drama Queen”. But then that may be why The Pious Piper has to always talk about how Manly he is — it’s the Poser variant of the mind game “Tough Guy”.

  41. Max: Thanks for this perspective, Todd. Sheds more light on theological reasons underlying the misbehaving of church leaders in the New Calvinist movement (and elsewhere).

    Though I do object to the use of Theotechnical terms like “Antinomianism”. Many syllables ending in “-ism” have the vibe of Inner Ring buzzwords, a Mystery Language instead of a Technical Language. Is there a way more simple and clear to describe what’s going on? If so, let’s use it.

  42. Bridget: Clearly!! Women are to be used and discarded as he has so amply demonstrated with his life to date.

    Isn’t that called “Biblical Manhood(TM)”?
    Or “PUA with a lot of Bible Verses”?

  43. Jerome: Byron Yawn was sought out to give his seal of approval to Southern Baptist publisher Lifeway’s Christian wedding book:

    It’s called a “CELEBRITY Endorsement”.

  44. Headless Unicorn Guy: Isn’t that called “Biblical Manhood(TM)”?

    Where both “biblical” and “manhood” are used in the same way that “people’s” and “democratic” are used in country names.

  45. Headless Unicorn Guy: Theotechnical terms like “Antinomianism”

    My problem with some of the Theotechnical terms is constantly having to (re)look them up….sometimes I remember the terms, sometimes the context they’re used in helps.

  46. Ken F (aka Tweed): Headless Unicorn Guy: Isn’t that called “Biblical Manhood(TM)”?

    Where both “biblical” and “manhood” are used in the same way that “people’s” and “democratic” are used in country names.

    🙂

  47. Jerome: page has recently been scrubbed from the school’s website, but was saved at the Internet Archive):

    I’ve tried without success to discover what his former church did to or for (not a Pastor) Yawn. Church discipline? Restoration plan? Retired and threw a party? God called him to missionary work? They must have announced Something to the pewsitters unless he just became an unperson who never existed. But I can’t figure out how to use Internet Archive to see what they’ve scrubbed.

  48. Headless Unicorn Guy: “Antinomianism” … Is there a way more simple and clear to describe what’s going on?

    I guess “lawlessness” would be a good synonym. This theological doctrine provides “Christians” a release under grace from all laws, including moral standards of the culture. Antinomians essentially believe they have been released through faith by grace to darn near do whatever they want to, with no moral restraints. Example: Tullian Tchividjian had multiple affairs as a “pastor” but evidently didn’t think it was a big deal since he was covered by “grace.” And, of course, there are many more examples that have been posted on TWW where “pastors” just couldn’t keep their pants on while still preaching as if there was nothing wrong with their behavior. I put antinomianism in the stinkin’ thinkin’ category.

  49. Oh, my! If someone were to write a twisted parody of the twisted church culture, they could not do any better (or worse) than this story. Could there be “Christian” soap operas?

  50. As a Brit I have to disagree with all the Hershey lovers here. Dark Belgian or British chocolate are the best in the world. Less sugar by far and much more taste. We go to the British Emporium here in Dallas for our chocolate and our Yorkshire tea. Without those necessities we get testy and restless!

  51. Max,

    Naw… that is just some of the lies put out by the medical/industrial complex, which some sources say is run by Dr. Fauci himself!!

  52. Grainne Mcdonald: Yorkshire tea

    Since the thread has drifted off course anyway, do you have a particular Yorkshire tea variety that you recommend? My son-in-law is a black tea lover (I’m a coffee man myself) … I’ll get him some Yorkshire to try.

  53. For inexpensive, but very good chocolate, may I recommend going to Aldi’s and look for Choceur. I tend to get the smaller packages of 5 each, in the rich, dark style. (Their dark is 50% cocoa)

    Warning, it melts at a fairly low temperature, like mouth temperature and easily turns into sauce at hot car temperatures.

  54. I know that swiss chocolate is highly thought of but here in Ireland we have our own prestigious brands like Butlers and Lily O’Brien but one I love is Aine. Their dark chocolate with lime is divine.
    Have never tried Yorkshire Tea but do like their ads so might give it a go

  55. christiane: Jerome: https://themajestysmen.com/about/

    “…we prefer the plain biblical language of ‘patriarchy’ and its included clarity of a man on a mission that doesn’t revolve around a woman.”

    my goodness, the clarity of the misogyny expressed in this pitiful statement leaves no room for doubt as to the hatred and contempt expressed, that ‘men’ feel they can only be what they were intended to be by disregarding the full dignity and personhood of women as also the children of God. . .

    Sorry to switch back to the original topic. Chocolate is preferable in many ways.

    Could people in that pool say this about a woman, that her mission doesn’t revolve around a man? As Christians, shouldn’t our missions revolve around Christ? To me, this is what doesn’t “smell” right about many evangelical initiatives direct solely to men.

  56. Well for long churchy words one always has antidisestablishmentarianism which actually shows up in English newspapers from time to time. The US of course mostly accepted disestablishmentarianism some time ago.

    I note Trader Joes has dark chocolate peanut butter cups though I’ve not tried them (I’m not allergic to peanut butter but I don’t like it [except in something like an Indonesian peanut sauce]). Chocolate lovers should also try Oaxacan mole negro with chicken tamales or enchiladas.

  57. Todd Wilhelm: An antinomian approach means that a vital dimension of the Christian life is missing – reflection on the holy character of God as revealed in His soul-searching moral law.

    I find this point interesting in the clear hypocrisy of it all. These folks are very much against liberal theology and mainly for the reason of the lack of moral absolutes. Yet they also step into the ring and make claims that other moral absolutes are not moral nor are they absolute.

    The problem I have with both these people and the liberals are those very points. Both groups throw out things that God is clearly against throwing out in both the Old and New Testaments. The fact that these two groups point fingers at each other and call each other by terrible names just points to their inability to admit to what they are doing. They condemn others for what they are clearly doing themselves. They both redefine God into something that gives them a blanket excuse to do things that are immoral.

  58. I’m partial to Toblerone, though Trader Joe’s does have great dark chocolate toffee chips. Anything with toffee and chocolate gets my vote.

  59. SMull: Could people in that pool say this about a woman, that her mission doesn’t revolve around a man? As Christians, shouldn’t our missions revolve around Christ? To me, this is what doesn’t “smell” right about many evangelical initiatives direct solely to men.

    They say a woman’s mission revolves around a man all the time. “A wife’s primary ministry is to her husband.” I can accept this with a bunch of caveats, like it not being the wife’s ONLY ministry, and that the HUSBAND’S primary ministry is to his wife.

    But the two contexts I’ve heard this in are either (a) getting a wife out of something she doesn’t want to do for the church [because simply saying “Nah, just not my thing” isn’t Biblical] or (b) encouraging a wife to support her husband’s desires/ministries at the expense of her own, so that the husband doesn’t have to sacrifice anything, solely the wife.

    So, yeah, I’m with you. A Christian’s primary ministry should revolve around Christ, regardless of gender.

  60. SMull,

    ‘the human person’ is made in the imago Dei, and as such has dignity that cannot be made greater or lesser for any other distinction,

    as for a male needing to put down the importance of any woman, does that not reveal a rather sad lack of worth on HIS part,
    as building oneself up by putting someone else down never works in the real world, no matter how much bullying and abuse is involved

    if people want a model of the perfect ‘human person’ to emulate, let them look to Christ

    the ‘male’ idolatry thing is prideful self-worship, rather pitiful when cloaked in ‘patriarchy’

  61. When a woman stands before Christ, she won’t be hiding behind anyone. When I worked at an SBC organization, the lone female director, receiving flack from her male counterparts, said (in essence), “When I meet Christ, I’ll be answering for my actions, not yours.” She didn’t last there.

  62. In thinking about Antinomianism, which I see equally as present in both liberal and conservative theological wings, the term “the sons of disobedience” comes to mind. You can find these terms in two places. In Ephesians and Colossians. The Ephesian church was called out in The Revelation of Jesus Christ for having left their love of God behind. Speaking of consequences, it was a conservative church that went astray and God threatened to remove their candlestick. But what does that mean in the real world? The town along with all the others given the same threat were eventually destroyed in wars and were never rebuilt.

    The Ephesians warning, that was not taken seriously was this: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partners with them.”

    The Colossians one is very similar: “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways. But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices,”

  63. Max, we enjoy Yorkshire Gold. It is available on Amazon if your son is happy with ordering through them. Always enjoy your posts . We have been able to find a church here which is egalitarian, Arminian and evangelical. It was a difficult task with all the Calvinist and Baptist Faith and Message 2000 types all over the place.

  64. R:
    Serious question here. Julianna Zobrist claims Ben was abusive. Do we believe her? The current prevailing wisdom seems to be that you always, always believe the woman if she says she was abused. But she sure sounds like the scumbag, so… what do you do?

    The answer should always be: prove your case. Especially if you are going to avail yourself of the court system.

  65. R: Serious question here. Julianna Zobrist claims Ben was abusive. Do we believe her? The current prevailing wisdom seems to be that you always, always believe the woman if she says she was abused. But she sure sounds like the scumbag, so… what do you do?

    In a church with these beliefs, men are taught to “rule” over women. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is abusive, too, because that’s how men are taught to relate to women in that culture. And women are “not allowed” to seek divorce where it may be heavily warranted.

    So I am okay with believing her, but her actions tell me she is definitely abusive. I don’t believe both being abusive negates anything. Throwing Yawn into that situation, who I am guessing is also abusive, was probably a dumpster fire in the making.

  66. Grainne Mcdonald: We have been able to find a church here which is egalitarian, Arminian and evangelical.

    Good deal. The New Testament church was also egalitarian, Arminian and evangelical in belief and practice … despite what the NeoCals say.

  67. Max: Antinomians essentially believe they have been released through faith by grace to darn near do whatever they want to, with no moral restraints.

    Kinda like “ANYTHING GOES!”?
    Or “OPEN SEASON!”?

  68. Jacob: Could there be “Christian” soap operas?

    “Just like Fill-in-the-Blank, Except CHRISTIAN(TM)!” is NEVER a good sign.

  69. Ken F (aka Tweed): Where both “biblical” and “manhood” are used in the same way that “people’s” and “democratic” are used in country names.

    “The more adjectives about Democracy in a country’s official name, the nastier a Dictatorship it is.”
    — TV Tropes, “People’s Republic of Tyranny”

  70. SMull: direct solely to men

    And not to a cross section of men either. They consider anyone balanced and thinking – and believing – to be “not a man” (or woman). I self-describe as “agnostic” because I have re-redefined belief on a basis unrecognisable to them.

  71. To me there is something fishy about this “christian pop idol” lark from everybody’s point of view. And Mr Z’s milieu of “endorsing” and “being endorsed” is hazardous. You don’t get brownie points from the real Jesus from your money, nor for deliberately under-educating yourself. Then it only needs religious ideology to get piled on regarding his marriage attachments. At least Mrs Z is honest about her atheism and her blasphemy against Holy Spirit. Did the Rev “Yawn” change his name from something more exciting so as to lull us?

  72. Grainne Mcdonald: It was a difficult task with all the Calvinist and Baptist Faith and Message 2000 types all over the place.

    They are everywhere … They are everywhere. Close your eyes, throw a rock, and you’ll hit one! New Calvinism is the new deal which will become an old deal when the fascination wears off. Yes, New Calvinism will also enter the ranks of obscure aberrant faith which was here for a season and then vaporized.

  73. Max: They are everywhere … They are everywhere.Close your eyes, throw a rock, and you’ll hit one!New Calvinism is the new deal which will become an old deal when the fascination wears off.Yes, New Calvinism will also enter the ranks of obscure aberrant faith which was here for a season and then vaporized.

    Max: They are everywhere … They are everywhere.Close your eyes, throw a rock, and you’ll hit one!New Calvinism is the new deal which will become an old deal when the fascination wears off.Yes, New Calvinism will also enter the ranks of obscure aberrant faith which was here for a season and then vaporized.
    Max,
    The Baptist church we are now attending sticks to the 1963 BFandM. The church has left the SBC but us still affiliated with the Texas Baptist Convention. As a British Baptist I have found it amazing to study all the shenanigans of Baptist history here. As a conservative/libertarian it is astounding for me to see the authoritarian power grab being made by the neoclassical. They should read A Short Declaration of the Mistery of Iniquity by Thomas Helwys 1612 in which he makes the impassioned case for religious liberty. He also stood for the priesthood of every believer, for congregational organization of the local church, the priesthood of each believer, women included!! His appeal for freedom of religion led to his imprisonment and death in prison in 1616. What has happened to baptists today?

  74. Grainne Mcdonald: The Baptist church we are now attending sticks to the 1963 BFandM.

    Church leaders there were smart to realize that the 2000 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message trended toward Calvinism. There are still BFM1963 churches affiliated with SBC, but their number is dwindling as SBC becomes firmly Calvinized in all of its entities (seminaries, mission agencies, publishing house). Beware of LifeWay Sunday School literature … their materials are now a subtle indoctrination to reformed theology. Sadly, you can’t trust giving to the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon Offering, or Annie Armstrong Offering … the mission is no longer the Great Commission … it is all about planting reformed theology in North America and throughout the world.

  75. Grainne Mcdonald: Thomas Helwys 1612 in which he makes the impassioned case for religious liberty. He also stood for the priesthood of every believer, for congregational organization of the local church, the priesthood of each believer, women included!! His appeal for freedom of religion led to his imprisonment and death in prison in 1616. What has happened to baptists today?

    They are no longer willing to die for their faith. They are easy targets for aberrant belief and practice … “they are tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). Thus, New Calvinism has had little resistance as it sweeps through SBC life.

  76. Max: They are no longer willing to die for their faith.

    They have never suffered genuine persecution… although they might have given all the right grandstanding answers in the “what-if” discussion.

  77. Headless Unicorn Guy: “Just like Fill-in-the-Blank, Except CHRISTIAN(TM)!” is NEVER a good sign.

    As for “Christian soap operas”, Pat Robertson actually produced one between 1980-84 on CBN called “Another Life”.

  78. R,

    The Cubs have actually come down pretty hard on players accused of abusing their wives, as is most of MLB. That Ben Zobrist was never accused of this until after divorce proceedings began, that no one ever got a whiff of such a thing happening, I tend to believe she wanted to throw this in to gain sympathy when she realized she wasn’t getting much. And I was an abused wife, so tend to sympathize with the woman. Ben Zobrist, however, was considered by his teammates to be the spiritual leader of the team. Loved and admired. I saw a Youtube video of his wife being interviewed by Megyn Kelly when Juliana had a book out, and Mrs. Zobrist did not sound like a kind or giving or forgiving woman. She spoke bitterly about being at baseball games late with a baby. My thought: Lady, you married into the life, suck it up with grace.

    Just for the record, I am not A Cubs fan so am not defending Ben Zobrist on their behalf.

  79. Max: Did you hear someone immediately scream “What the Johnny Calvin was that?!!”

    The one that yelps the loudest is the one who got hit.

  80. Mike: As for “Christian soap operas”, Pat Robertson actually produced one between 1980-84 on CBN called “Another Life”.

    I’m almost afraid to ask:
    1) What made it so CHRISTIAN(TM)?
    2) How obvious a knockoff was it?

  81. An internet court-records search revealed Ben Zobrist filed for divorce in May 2019 in Williamson County, Tennessee, where he and his wife reside. Julianna Zobrist filed a counter-complaint in March 2020. Those cases are pending.

  82. This story is “local” for me, because Ben Zobrist was born in Eureka, Illinois (I live closer to Peoria) and his father, Tom, is senior pastor of Liberty Bible Church there. Peoria Journal Star covers this story because of Ben’s local connection. The sensationalism is a turnoff…

    I have no idea who to believe, but I suspect that both can accept blame for the failure of their marriage. Call me old fashioned (I’m only 47) but per the Gospel Coalition link above, their separate careers kept them apart for days at a time. That’s a choice, and it likely causes them to drift apart.