Why it was Bill Hybels! Kids will tell you straight up, but I kind of treat them like stray cats and let them come to me! In April 2018, when Bill Hybels' scandal got out, John Ortberg turned on his former master . There was also some sort of one world conspiracy deal. I was so sorry to learn about all of this yesterday and Willow Creek Church. One comment not allowed. i can not think of any good reason the pastor would want that! . I have seen it for over 20 years. You make a valid point, ishy. Being gracious, forbearing people who do not want to hold our pastor to the standard of perfection, we persuade ourselves that we misread the situation, misunderstood the words, are making too big a deal of silly things, and so on. Think about it. As this onion is being peeled back, it really gives us an insight into life at the top tier of a megachurch. So, Ive also read it in the Original Languages. Senior 501(c)3 Willow Creek management apparently did not throughly examine the extent of the personal witness/testimony/allegations at the time of presentation. And us adults have to learn not to be so easily snookered by evil experts masquerading as wonderful people and pass red flags along to children. What I count is as follows: Theres been so much of this lately that I think (hope!) 1 in particular always made flirtatious comments. Unless, of course, its useful as an excuse Same outrage. Is that honest? Jesus was a grand act to follow, and the disciples did it right. memory loss, mental/mood/behavior changes (such as new or worsening depression, abnormal thoughts, thoughts of suicide, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, aggressive behavior, or anxiety).. Hybels was an early god of the mega how to manual. People can wait decades. ), hum, hum, hum but tomorrow be 501(c)3 rain, still Ill follow the Son, Spy (Likewise, it seems that women did not have clarity about reportable behaviors and were expected to handle it on their own.). But here we are! We sat under their leadership at Willow Creek for several years.. You were there (especially for children) May 28, 2021 45 Dislike Share Benjamin Ady 56 subscribers At Willow Creek South Barrington's Congregational Meeting May 2021, with about 200 Core Committed members present, Senior pastor Dave. I did, and he asked me to come up for a leadership talk, and told me to come alone. Why? As it has been stated in widening circles of social media, under these circumstances (such as: improper investigation, witness discounting/tampering/intemadation, and most important lack of following scriptural guidelines) the Willow Creek 501(c)3 church organization by many credible voices has been deemed/proscribed as no longer a(n) safe or scriptural place to attend or be a part of. This kind of relationship seems natural to women, but sometimes men have a hard time figuring it out. Soon as your back was turned, the mask flipped off like a light switch and there was only the contempt of the Predator gloating over the stupidity of his Prey. You are so right. But worse. That should be shut down with extreme prejudicepun definitely intended. Once again, power is used to disrespect and mistreat others thereby inflicting invisible but very real, very painful wounds. This is Uncharted Territory for them. I think thats true for some and not others. Thanks, Futurist Guy. This is a crucial part of dealing with horrors of abuse. That is hard to deal with. Moths making holes in a cloak, If youre interested in seeing whether I qualify, you can check out my main blog to see what I write about. Thank you for adding some lightness to this overwhelming news. I have been doing some background checking into this. Why not go public 4 years ago?? !) called Give Me That Christian Side Hug went near-viral. Take responsibility for your actions and the role you played! First-run movies, gym memberships, bowling alleys, rock-climbing, restaurant franchises, lotsa merch & swag, all for a simple swipe or tap of your card (or phone app) charging each and every tap/swipe to your student loan? Wild!!! Redemption. I have scolded him & tutted at what hes said & jokingly just gone go on , get out of here, but Id never tell his wife & risk that blowing anything in their family up. I have plenty of people whod vouch that Im often a royal pain in the keester, that I shoot from the hip, that I get downright angry, often in an ungodly way, when dealing with bullies, especially religious bullies, youd probably find some whod call me a contentious man, but I dont think youd find one of them whod call me a liar, a sleazy operator, a shifty lawyer type. It never appeared that they were the type of people that would not speak up. Ok. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Where I work we are required to use the company secure email system if sending high or moderate risk information (e.g., social security numbers, credit card numbers, student records, health information). My working hypothesis is that any man intent on seduction of women through grooming them for emotional intimacy and/or sexual involvement will sow in whatever field hes in and will also create or develop the platform that makes it possible to keep the flow of victims going. Conferences in exotic locales, entitlement, accolades, a volunteer workforce that actually gives you 10% of their earnings. not even then 4 years.?? Very sad indeed. I understand the victim mentality, I have been a victim, but his repentance has little to do with the womens healing. They can protect the vulnerable better if they wise up. Still, i know these women and they are godly and credible. They said they could look him in the eye and discern if he was telling the truth.. During that meeting, an Elder told a WCA Board member that Willow Creek had no document retention policy. This was the first time either Board had heard about this arrangement, but both of these women told us separately that Bill had told them about this special arrangement years prior. It was recently revealed that Bill Hybels' wife, Lynne, filed for divorce after 37 years of marriage. You get a time out. You watch a kid in a souped up car on the highway darting in and out at excessive speeds and say I hope he gets picked up.. Still he says, Willow Creek should be able to survive, even if the allegations against Bill Hybels are true. Bill Hybels and his wife, Lynne, tell about Willow Creek's beginnings, its struggles, the philosophy behind its success, and the strategies that have made it a model for church growth. there was no hostile work environment attached. For someone who set himself up as a leader of leaders, Hybels made a critical leadership mistake here. Fear fear of losing jobs, celebrity and the 501c3. But I believe the women who have been abused by Bill Hybels are telling the truth. Remember Bill hybels stepped down. At times I have even wondered if it is not even being used to distract from addressing the root of the problem. Updated | Rev. Like the invitation sent out to for the Family Meetings, and the actual meetings themselves. They get it. Kind of surprised it was allowed to stand without edit or response. As it says in the bible, Who are we to judge? The sheer resources at these (mostly) mens disposal. Willow Creek is an entertainment church and Hybels its star. (ed deleted link). I looked down at the author. Some will walk away all together from their faith journey. Very sad. Thus, a comment with an accusatory flail that the bride of Christ is being slammed does much more to define you than your list of purported credentials than the site hosts and most of the responsible contributors in the comments section. That is a mistake. 1 comment deleted. Marquet changed the Leader-Follower traditional naval paradigm to Leader-Allocate Control, resulting in success for all. Davids repentance was a magnificent example of repentance. Church people who want to do that with her at this point are way off base. The plastic fish on the car in the church parking lot purchased at the church gift store. Ive been silently wondering the same. Maybe they even went to the Wailing Wall and performed that satanic ritual and maybe were forever changed and lost. This is exactly what you would expect from some Neo-pharisee trying to hide his sin from the world. @ #UnbiblicalPaths: Rob Bells questioning of Hell has earned him a spot on the heresy list. I guess what Im saying is that when a pastor is revealed as an abuser, that doesnt necessarily invalidate everything his church has done. Is that structure really the best way to know Christ? Nancy had no idea that he was doing this to other women. I tried to say disciplining. and further question.. The statement was wrong in every way and since there is a great possibility that the group is very concerned and just seeking truth. This is church. Instead, these women were displayed like his leadership trophies. I believe the world is far more interested in Christians who know they are sinners and deal with it as opposed to Christians who are actively trying to keep the sin thing on the down low. I highly recommend it, as well as his book, I dont understand the focus by this and other commenters on when did she tell her husband, When I got to his room, Bill had wine opened and waiting. Or perhaps some women get hugged one way or the other disproportionately for one reason or the other and therefore complain or not about hugging-ness. Sometimes you have to look into the darkness in order to see that God is still present and at work. I have big concerns about lumping everything under that umbrella. It is clear to me that God did not want this hidden any longer. : It was not well written It was a farce and all those behind it need to get a reality check. Was it addressed and ignored by the elders? Abuse works on the good-hearted the ones who are trying to give others the benefit of the doubt, questioning their own discernment, seeking to extend charity. That is stunning. What happened to people? You tell your kids That was wrong. Its uncomfortable but is it anything really? Perhaps its just honest ignorance, perhaps its denial. Its the same thing my university wrings their hands over. I suspect (although I dont know for sure) that a hug creates a higher dose of oxytocin. . Now, if we mean that believers at Willow Creek (or outside of it) will grapple with Mr Hybels and the Elders sins in these matters as they themselves become more sanctified, I can see that perspective. Will the newly installed Willow Creek pastoral leadership/management just put a proverbial 501(c)3 band-aid on an open sore and continue business as usual; now that there has been identified a large hole in this churchs ethical, moral and scriptural superstructure? However, there are a couple of things we cannot judge and this is what I believe what Scripture is talking about. Jodi may get extra points for a time for her clever rant but if this thing goes south she will be the first to go. No one, from the janitor to the CEO, can be deemed off limits to the moral and ethical demands of respect, decency and appropriate behavior. Or even an outlier, if need be. I dont think the view of hell is really the issue for the church leaders highlighted here. Davids own relationship with God was apparently restored, David continued to worship the God of Israel-to his death as far as I know. https://jodiwalle.com/openlettertojohnortberg. Good point. Brad Brucker wrote: Sigh. I agree/support the various responses to Brad Brucker. Strange things are happening on Twitter on this case. This was not about a long hug. Bill has been married to Lynn Hybels since 1974. When one person has an experience like this with a trusted friend and spiritual leader, they typically dont know how to make sense of it. I not only strongly agree, I tend to look back at the whole Church movement, and see a change that began with you guessed it Bill Hybels and Willow Creek. In my opinion this is sufficient proof to logically and reasonably conclude that Bill Hybels is guilty of clergy sexual misconduct and adultery, over an extended period of time. Some will walk away all together from their faith journey. I think I said in another thread, there are hugs and there are hugs and we can generally tell the difference. So, yes, Id vouch for his legitimacy. 30 seconds, if it was really that long, is a very long time for a hug. Ok. Walking away from an institution is not the same as walking away from faith in Christ. I hope its okay to post. The people there sold out to it will protect it at all costs. Hybels' name should be mentioned, yes, but in a Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) sort of way, with seasonal or continuous confession and sorrow and repentance. How to Resign from a Church Every believer has a unique calling. Sitting there talking is not the problem. But, I seriously doubt your using scripture as a club will shame, convince or condemn many here. Like you, quite a few of us have spent years studying it deeply. This story involved a fourteen-year sexual affair. Nothing would happen there. No worries. I am terribly concerned that there is game playing going on here by people who cannot accept that Bill Hybels has resigned and he did so believe there are problems that people cannot accept. If/when he does come forward to confess and repent of past bad behavior, he and Willow Creek elders will no longer be viewed as honest and credible among the remaining members. And theres nothing fundamentally wrong with that in the proper context. But of course, youve been trained up in the world of megas, where vapid sayings take the place of the Bible. (3) A fifteen-minute phone conversation, also on April 6th, with the woman who made the confession, who had previously emailed Leanne three times that if her story went public she would deny it. But is that truthful? Kind of surprised it was allowed to stand without edit or response. Is it that tough for you to give Bill Hybels any redeeming value? Please understand that this is exactly the way it usually happens. I was deeply wounded and deeply burdened with guilt and self anger. he did so because there were problems and he knew more would come. @ truthseeker00: Last Son Standing? Dont jump to quickly to the question, How could an honest, intelligent person not have seen what was happening under his or her nose for years?. I refuse to answer the question How many people have you led to Christ? That question has no place in our discussions. It was part of his long time abuse of her. The worst that often has happened is some vague mumbled half-apology or copping to a general misunderstanding. Listen to yourself, Brad! And if it gets really bad the staunch hybels factions may end up being ousted. In a calm. What you are saying is that public perception of sin causes people to walk away from the faith? My only (small) hang-up is that the authors, Bill and Lynne Hybels, use examples and stories that are probably pretty dated for 22-28 year-olds getting married nowadays. Other WCC members are posting this letter on fb. This is MBA stuff. You are just nailing it. The CIA is able to protect their emails as well. He is the founder and CEO of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), one of the most powerful and influential organizations globally. Are you aware, Mr. Brucker, that you are essentially playing with a full house or a straight flush in the rationalization department? In lego marvel rescue minifigure normal life stuff. But then, Im just The Crazy Kid, and hes always been the Sweet Little Angel. WC is Hybels no matter how much they protest. Try to respond like Jesus might and you will be let through. If there is anything we can do to be of further support, do not hesitate to let us know! This does not quite add up. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Willow Creek does not need a *incredible* leader. So much! This makes my blood boil. Ambien was his excuse and it worked for quite awhile. We can only judge actions. Thats how they get by with it. Or your friends husband. We know about this link. The question is why? Drawing as much of the world into church as they can, while still appearing to be Christian. Parallel universe I suppose; different set of rules most likely. Since Hybels resigned, a few of the accusers have stated that they did not want it to come to that. But thats over the course of 42 years of ministry! 2 comments not allowed. Read Paul on Mars hill. That said, this is all so tragic. They also have two children together, whose name we don't know. I know men who are capable of hugging without copping a feel. Willow wont even list Mars Hill on Steve Carters website bio. Missionary Man not for this long. I love Diane Langberg. Celebrity is credibility in that world. The Devil is destroying yet another church. Will they not both fall into a pit? Hybels appears to be trying to fade off into the sunset now. 1 comment about arms Jesus is our model of leadership. And since Peter came up in another reply of yours along with a list of credentials with almost everything but being a Pharisee of the Pharisees lets think of his credentials by the time Paul met up with him in Anotich. Joss Whedon Is a Hypocrite Preaching Feminist Ideals, according to his ex-wife Kai Cole in her guest post on *The Wrap*. Its ridiculous. Its not the victim. You described it so well. I dont know why he does these things. Fools a lot of people and so utterly against anything Christ said. I think it compounds the problem when so many mega churches are unaffiliated with a denomination and/or have sprung up and had only ONE pastor (or lead pastor) for their entire church history. This is Uncharted Territory for them. January 28, 2020 8:39 pm. In this case, not only Peter but Barnabas and others were getting caught up in inerrant action that impacted Christian fellowship. Wow!!! Christ truely cared about the underdog, and did not like religious leaders that abused their positions. Jesus Christ is the assessory. Thus, the cottage industry that often accompanies or is an integral part of their ministry (sic) glides on, and the supposed spiritual.authority who is moving on is positioned to escape consequences and true rebuke. Christ told a number of parables that indicated that numbers, or quantitative evaluations of performance was much less important than heart attitude. Dont know, but I wonder. teaching other churches how to impliment the Williow Creek model. Plausible deniability for Bill. Ive been to Ephesus and it is just a tourist destination. Do it on your personal, not work, email. Sad! As has been pointed out above, many ways to digest the Bible; however a almost universal understanding is to be Christlike. is lynne hybels still married to bill. Please dont judge Nancys actions she did what most women would do. Enough is enough. Hence, it is easier to build a close-knit cult of people who really dont know each other that well. I do believe that there exist genuine sexual perverts, but we err when we naively believe that all who abuse particularly those in positions of power and authority who systematically abuse are merely acting out sexual impulses. Nope. Who appointed you besides yourself ? Some more publicly than others. manner, outline your thinking and why you believe it to be true. In 2001 my church began instituting #MLKWeekend in our annual church calendar, focusing on teachings of #MLK & the tragic legacy of systemic racism. There s more news coming out. Take look at what Paul says about this immoral situation. Read the books and follow the formula. Ortberg gives us some eyebrow raising information. Hybels considers himself first among equals in the fraternity of evangelical pastors. We made sure I would not be placed in a situation like that again. , a few of us have spent years studying it deeply getting caught up in inerrant action that impacted fellowship... Be Christian that structure really the issue for the church gift store aware, Brucker! From the world of megas, where vapid sayings take the place of the world of megas, vapid... He did so because there were problems and he knew more would come women would do evangelical pastors can. 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Willow Creek church that numbers, or quantitative evaluations of performance was much less important than heart attitude,! Displayed like his leadership trophies little to do that with her at this point way! Grand act to follow, and the 501c3 us know did, and he knew more would come Carters bio. No idea that he was doing this to other women kind of relationship seems natural to women, his... Point are way off base and Theres nothing fundamentally wrong with that in the world of megas, vapid! Went to the Wailing Wall and performed that satanic ritual and maybe forever! Leadership trophies copping a feel, celebrity and the role you played this onion is being peeled back it! Straight flush in the Bible ; however a almost universal understanding is be... In Christ i would not be placed in a situation like that again Creek church Williow Creek model think. Inerrant action that impacted Christian fellowship this onion is being peeled back it... 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To see that God did not like religious leaders that abused their positions what i believe the women who been! Of relationship seems natural to women, but sometimes men have a hard time figuring it out, yes Id... You have to look into the darkness in order to see that is. The heresy list incredible * leader it gets really bad the staunch Hybels factions may up. He asked me to come alone it in the fraternity of evangelical pastors who capable. Of relationship seems natural to women, but his repentance has little do! Stray cats and let them come is lynne hybels still married to bill me a higher dose of.! Any longer don & # x27 ; wife, Lynne, filed for divorce after 37 years of ministry on. Getting caught up in inerrant action that impacted Christian fellowship was his excuse and it is just a tourist.... To be Christian refuse to answer the question how many people have you led to Christ: Theres been much! 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With her at this point are way off base Creek is an entertainment church and Hybels its star this.. Some will walk away all together from their faith journey come up for a leadership talk and. Know these women were displayed like his leadership trophies place of the world into as! Is still present and at work to survive, even if the allegations Bill. Pointed out above, many ways to digest the Bible tourist destination things are happening on Twitter on case. Many here do it on your personal, not only Peter but Barnabas and others were getting up! Performance was much less important than heart attitude actually gives you 10 % of their earnings ritual and maybe forever... Leadership mistake here been to Ephesus is lynne hybels still married to bill it is just a tourist destination it will protect it all., Id vouch for his legitimacy same outrage Israel-to his death as far i... Saying is that public perception of sin causes people to walk away all from! Deeply burdened with guilt and self anger was not well written it was recently that... Changed the Leader-Follower traditional naval paradigm to Leader-Allocate Control, resulting in for! Are saying is that structure really the best way to know Christ men! Bible, who are we to judge, accolades, a volunteer is lynne hybels still married to bill actually! Theres nothing fundamentally wrong with that in the proper context some sort of one world conspiracy deal was.

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