"Most of us began our journey into faith with trusting hearts. Yet incidents of abuse, media accounts of perverted religion, personal disappointment, loss, betrayal, and even unrealistic expectations of God can cause us to develop a warped or damaged view of faith. Too often, what began as an authentic relationship with God deteriorates into a defective faith with an incomplete or poisoned view of God — one that allows the religion, not the relationship with God, to control our life." Stephen Arterburn
"Spiritual abuse occurs when someone in a position of spiritual authority, the purpose of which is to 'come underneath' and serve, build, equip and make God's people MORE free, misuses that authority placing themselves over God's people to control, coerce or manipulate them for seemingly Godly purposes which are really their own." Jeff VanVonderen
The pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended. They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts. Jeremy Taylor
"It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satisfied; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
C.S. Lewis, author/theologian
Yesterday, I had the privilege of listening, in church, to a panel made up of four scientists who happen to be Christians. They discussed their professions, how their faith impacts their science, and vice versa. All four proclaimed their sense of awe for God’s incredible creation and the complexity of the world He has made. Yet, all four of these Christians would be in serious trouble at my former church and in many others. All of them believed in an old earth and some form theistic evolution. Yet, as I listened to them, I could sense their passion for the Lord as well as their dedication to the Scriptures.
Dee and I can hardly believe it! It was exactly one year ago TODAY that we published our very FIRST post on The Wartburg Watch. Most of you weren’t around way back then, so we thought we’d republish it. Here it is:
We first published this post on December 8, 2009, hence the Santa reference. However, we could now call it, Tullian’s Bringing a Secret Easter Basket to CRPC. TT has close ties to Sovereign Grace Ministries, and we provide proof for our statement. We wonder if TT planned to use SGM’s hyper-authoritarian strategies from the beginning. This would certainly explain some of the tactics he has used since “taking over” Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.
For those of you who have become familiar with C.J. Mahaney in recent years, you know him as the friend and colleague of the New Calvinists, namely, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, and John Piper, among others. Adrian Warnock, who hails from London and blogs for Newfrontiers, acknowledges this change in Mahaney’s associations as follows:
“That is why the church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. It is so easy to think that the church has a lot of different objects – education, buildings, missions, holding services…the Church exists for no other purpose but to draw men to Christ. to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose”. C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis depicts laughter in Heaven when his characters attend the Great Reunion on the New Narnia: "And there was greeting and kissing and handshaking and old jokes revived (you've no idea how good an old joke sounds after you take it out again after a rest of five or six hundred years)."
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
This series is written in honor of Adam. Although he was abused by the monster, the king, his men and the investigators, Adam stood his ground and behaved more like the Son of the Heavenly King than the king of Wonderland. May you have His peace.
“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.” Lord of the Rings
Your blog queens are SO EXCITED to announce that we have recruited a guest blogger who will be sharing his insights on The Wartburg Watch from time to time. Actually, he has already done so. We fondly call him “Dr. Jon” because he is a medical doctor. He will be bringing a unique perspective to this forum. We hope you enjoy today’s post written by Dr. Jon.
We have some pretty compelling evidence that Mac Brunson lives quite well in his McMansion with a handsome salary, a wife and son under his employ, and what appears to be a recession proof gig at First Baptist in Jacksonville. However, Mac was apparently whining about how poorly he was being treated by the church. We have learned the hard way that some in church leadership have different definitions of words that often stray from the more common usage of these words. We belief this is done purposefully. One such word, “gossip”, has been used recently to terrorize elderly ladies and throw them out of churches. See last weeks post on the widow at Prays Mills Baptist Church.
About eight years ago my husband and I purchased a preconstruction condo in the Santa Rosa beach area of Florida’s panhandle. We had lived in Texas and spent many happy years vacationing in the Destin Beach area. We realized that the location of this condo was a sure winner. At its completion, units were sold out and the price skyrocketed to three times the purchase price. One year went by, and we began to notice that the market values were slipping. About six months after the slide began, we sold our unit for a little over twice what we paid for it, kicking ourselves for not selling when the market peaked. We were the fortunate ones, however. Within a few months, real estate in Florida took a nosedive! We have friends who bought beach front property for close to one million dollars, financed it because they planned to flip it, and were stunned when the market value plummeted to the $400,000 range. This all happened around the time that Mac Brunson came to FBC Jax.
Wow! We sure hit a nerve down in Jacksonville. The defenders are on the move and are quite blunt. No wonder people have bodyguards down there. They sure go for the jugular. We are believers and find what is happening at FBC Jax inexcusable. Imagine how the liberal press in going to view this.
Finances, family employees and cognitive dissonance
I grew up with this guy. He used to be the pastor at my Grandmother's church, and did roughly the same thing there. I suppose I owe him though, he's one of my earliest influences in becoming an atheist.” (Referring to Mac Brunson) See comment #5 by Sara at this link:
Before we launched The Wartburg Watch, we knew of the controversy surrounding an anonymous blogger who was a member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida (FBC Jax). However, our focus early on was aimed at what we considered to be more “important” matters within Christendom. As the situation at FBC Jax has played out over the last several months, the issues surrounding this case have become vitally important to us. We cannot stress strongly enough that anyone who believes in religious liberty, free speech, and Christian righteousness and honesty should be following this situation very closely. It's our intention to spend the rest of the week focusing on this most unusual case between "FBC Jax Watchdog" and First Baptist Church of Jacksonville.
Before presenting the facts of the case, we want to make a few things patently clear.
1. We have absolutely no ties to Florida. Furthermore, neither of us has ever lived there.
2. We do not personally know Mac Brunson, anyone on the Board of Trustees at FBC Jax, or Tom and Yvette Rich. In other words, we do not have a horse in this race.
3. We initiated contact with Tom Rich after reading about his situation and offered to tell his story on The Wartburg Watch. Since that time, we have talked with him on a few occasions.
4. We are deeply committed evangelical Christians who were members of Southern Baptist churches up until this year (2009) when we began to take notice of the shenanigans happening within the denomination. If you have been reading our blog, you already know several of the issues in the SBC that are troubling us.
5. We are attempting to obtain statements from Mac Brunson, Mr. Hinson, and the Florida State Attorney General’s Office.
This story is exhaustively discussed in Tom Rich's blog, which can be found at the following link:
It is our intention to categorize the issues outlined at Tom Rich's web site in order to help our readers understand the incredible breadth of the controversy. Perhaps our comprehensive look will be of benefit to those who are confused about what is truly going on here.
When we researched and wrote our series about Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, we thought we had heard it all. Get ready… What has taken place at FBC Jax is even more mind-boggling. As long time Christians, we are both shocked and disgusted. Furthermore, we are appalled and taken aback by what has occurred. We are grateful that we have been Christians for a long time because this situation would shake the faith of any compassionate person.
What follows is addressed specifically to Mac Brunson, trustees of FBC Jax, church leaders, and church members.
We do not live in your state and have no known personal experience with any of you. This series will be written from the viewpoint of two Christians on the outside looking into your church. What do we see? From our vantage point, what we see is incredulous! We can well imagine how this story will play when the national media latches onto it, and we have no doubt that it will make headlines across the globe. The scandalous things that have happened will make a fascinating read for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Our sincere prayer is that you will consider what we are sharing with an open heart and rectify an obvious injustice before a watching world.
Here is a brief overview of what has occurred. Mac Brunson was called to pastor FBC Jacksonville in 2006. Within three weeks of his arrival, he was reportedly given a land gift estimated at $250,000 by a member of FBC Jax. Pastor Brunson built a large home on the lot which is purportedly worth around $900,000. We will outline other expenditures in our next post. A member of FBC Jax, Tom Rich, became troubled by what he was seeing in his church. After realizing that some members were being asked to leave the church, Tom wrote an anonymous letter to Pastor Brunson outlining his concerns. However, Pastor Brunson wanted the anonymous letter writer to identify himself, and Tom declined because he did not wish to be “thrown" out of the church.
Tom hoped that much needed changes at FBC Jax would be made. In August 2007 he began blogging anonymously as "FBC Jax Watchdog" about the issues he had with his pastor and his church. In December 2007 the "Watchdog" criticized the by-law changes that were made at First Baptist Jacksonville. This seems to be a trend within Southern Baptist churches, so if it hasn't yet happened at your church you might want to do a little research into why they are being altered. Here's a clue: the changes to the by-laws appear to be giving pastors all the control. Then in May and June of 2008 Tom addressed Mac Brunson's erroneous comments about Sheri Klouda. Remember that Brunson and Patterson are very close friends. Tom published Klouda's response on his blog.
When Pastor Brunson began to solicit large sums of money from his congregation to benefit the church infrastructure, Tom expressed his deep concerns on his blog. Apparently, the pastor requested that the congregation "give a million in two weeks". Can you imagine the pressure that must have been applied to motivate congregants to give over and above their regular contributions? At the same time, Florida was experiencing a precipitous decline in property values. The real estate bubble was beginning to burst during this time.
On September 28, 2008, during the Chest of Joash Service (aka commitment Sunday), commitment cards for 2009 were collected, and the total pledges were only half of the church's budget. Furthermore, the "give a million in two weeks" campaign was terribly unsuccessful. Not that much money went into the church coffers. Haven't we discussed something similar on The Wartburg Watch recently? We hope you are reminded of Martin Luther who caused great trouble for the indulgence preachers.
Pastor Brunson and the church trustees must have believed that the "Watchdog" alone was to blame for the tremendous shortfall, not the failing economy. The very next day, September 29, 2008, John Blount, FBC Jax church administrator, called the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to report "an Internet incident with possible criminal overtones." At that point the church leaders sought to discover the Watchdog's real name. Tom Rich didn't even find out about this investigation until recently.
Robbie Hinson, a sheriff's detective attending FBC Jax, reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the Watchdog's identity by obtaining subpoenas from the State of Florida Attorney General's office. By the way, Detective Hinson has served as Mac Brunson's personal bodyguard. Since when do pastors (besides Mark Driscoll) need body guards? These subpoenas forced Google and Comcast to reveal Tom Rich's name. The case was closed on November 13, 2008, with a report that simply stated: "Investigation closed, no crime found". Incredibly, there was no record of any investigations or interviews done by Detective Hinson in the file.
Tom, and his wife, Yvette, were visited by two church leaders on November 28, 2008, and given a letter outlining Tom’s 16 (!) sins, along with letters prohibiting Tom and his wife from “trespassing” on church property. He was accused of "church misconduct". Ladies, please read the following very carefully… Yvette, Tom's wife, was accused of associating with a church member who was guilty of church misconduct. Here's a warning for wives at FBC: Be careful, if your husband loses his temper, you are also in sin for associating with him! EGADS!!!
On February 10, 2009, Tom was contacted by John Blount (church administrator) who informed him that they were taking the matter before the board of deacons. Tom requested fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to defend himself against the allegations. Blount responded by saying that Tom could only discuss two things: whether he is the owner of the blog and whether the blog is sinful. Nothing else, period! If you haven't watched the movie Luther, please be sure to do so. Again, the similarities are uncanny. Luther couldn't discuss his concerns about heretical Catholic teachings with Cardinal Cajetan or address them before the Diet of Worms — he would only be allowed to recant. Martin Luther's refusal to cower before the Pope and his henchmen changed Christendom forever. Since Tom would not be given the opportunity to defend himself fully before the deacons, he told John Blount he would not attend.
Tom was reportedly told that he could not come back to FBC Jax unless he met with the trustees. There was a bit of a problem. Tom had left the church and joined another fellowship by this time. However, he graciously agreed to do so if he could bring legal representation and/or make a recording. According to Tom, they informed him he COULD NOT. Such a staunch position begs the question — Why not? What were the trustees afraid of since they were following Biblical principles closely… Didn’t Jesus allow for witnesses?
Tom and his wife had to join their current church by statement of faith since FBC Jax reportedly would not give them a letter of transfer. (Yawn…been there, had that happen, too).
Here's an important question and its surprising answer which contains a little known piece of information you may be reading here first…. Did anyone at FBC Jax reveal to the congregation that they were trying to discover the names of two other anonymous bloggers?
Reportedly, Detective/Bodyguard Hinson also got a subpoena to obtain the identity of a blogger connected with Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee. This megachurch near Memphis has also been criticized by an anonymous blogger. What's that all about? We have provided links to two blogs dealing with the issues at Bellevue Baptist Church (which we will discuss soon).
Surprised? Why would those affiliated with a Southern Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida want to obtain the identity of an anonymous blogger engaged in publicly criticizing a Southern Baptist church in Tennessee? And why was this blogger so upset? In a nutshell, a Bellevue pastor had been molesting his own child for years. By the way, don't leaders in the SBC claim that Southern Baptist churches act independently of one another?
How about another zinger? An anonymous blogger who had been reporting on Darrell Gilyard was also investigated by Detective Hinson. Gilyard is now serving a three-year prison term for lewd molestation of a minor, among other things. In case you missed it, here's a link to the Jacksonville news report:
Need we remind you that Darrell Gilyard was the darling of some of the Conservative Resurgence crowd, including Paige Patterson, a former SBC President and close friend of Mac Brunson, and Jerry Vines, a former SBC President and Brunson's predecessor at FBC Jax? Remember our coverage of Darrell Gilyard, whom some leaders in the SBC labeled as "the next Billy Graham"? Please refer to our blog post on this deviant pastor who has wrecked many lives during his long career. Here's the link.
There was reportedly a subpoena of some kind issued to discover either the intent or the identity of the blogger reporting on Darrell Gilyard. That blogger's name is Tiffany Croft. Why in the world would FBC Jax need a subpoena to obtain Tiffany Croft's name? Her identity was discovered prior to Gilyard confession and plea bargain deal. In the aftermath of this fiasco, Gilyard is in prison, Tiffany Croft is a hero, and those who promoted Darrell Gilyard (Patterson and Viines) appear extremely foolish. We believe Tiffany Croft is due a number of apologies as well as accolades for her courage in identifying a wolf in sheep's clothing through her anonymous blog. If you'd like to visit her web site, here's the link:
Justice has now been served with regard to Darrell Gilyard (although he should have gotten more time in the slammer), and those connected with FBC Jax made a terrible mistake by investigating Tiffany Croft!
If the above subpoenas actually did occur, then there is something very strange going on…. How is FBC Jax tied to Bellevue Baptist Church and Tiffany Croft? Do the circumstances surrounding the investigation of these other two bloggers need to be investigated by any federal agencies since it crossed state lines into Tennessee? Is this the beginning of a nationally coordinated intimidation of those who question SBC churches and pastors? We are deeply troubled.
What follows is a list of concerns that we intend to look at over the next few days. We would like to save FBC Jax and Detective Robbie Hinson some undercover work. They may contact us directly at the following address:
We will be more than happy to answer any questions. If those connected with FBC Jax would like to share any details or thoughts with us, feel free to use that e-mail address and we will be glad to include pertinent information in an upcoming post. We personally guarantee confidentiality and promise (cross our hearts!) that we will not hire detectives to hunt you down!!!
Here are a few of the questions we will be addressing:
1. Is it ethical for a pastor to accept lucrative gifts from church members? Does "living large" help or harm a pastor’s witness?
2. Why did FBC Jax believe it was entitled to know the identity of anonymous bloggers when the church leaders did not follow all of the Biblical mandates in dealing with controversy?
3. Why was “potential criminal behavior” cited as the reason for the subpoenas when there was no concrete evidence of the criminal behavior described?
4. Why did “Mac Brunson's "bodyguard" become the investigative officer involved in obtaining the subpoenas and submitting the charges? Is there a conflict of interest here?
5. If FBC Jax professes to preach the whole Gospel, why is it afraid to be a light on the hill so that the whole world will see Jesus and praise Him? If FBC is truly following God, they should be delighted that Tom Rich is talking about the senior pastor and his lifestyle because Mac Brunson is the shepherd of FBC Jax and, as such, is an example of godly behavior.
6. Is there a program in place at FBC Jax that would allow the less affluent church members to receive gifts of lots in gated communities from fellow members, as their pastor did?
Finally, our hearts go out to Tom and Yvette Rich. I (Dee) have had the opportunity to speak with them at length. They are delightful people who answered my questions candidly. There is no doubt in my mind that they are a brother and sister in Christ. Too bad no one in the "so-called" leadership of FBC Jax ever met with Tom over a cup of coffee to hear his concerns and hash this out. Too busy filling out subpoenas, we suppose….
