Pastor Accused of Running Out Democratic Congregants Steps Down Amid Controversy
A Baptist pastor named Chan Chandler in North Carolina ignited controversy and caused a massive chasm in the church he had been pastoring for the past three years when he threatened congregants that he would banish them from his church if they didn't "Vote Republican."
The story from the AP says that "tensions escalated last week, when several members said Chandler called a meeting of the church's board of deacons and declared his intention for East Waynesville to become a politically active church."
JESUS DEALT WITH THIS KIND OF THING TOO
Last week, I was reading an article by a man named James Dunn, who wrote a really good commentary on the Book of Romans. He noted an interesting historical phenomenon: right around the time of Christ, the vast majority of writings by Rabbis revolved around three main topics.
1. Circumcision
2. Dietary laws
3. Laws about keeping the Sabbath
Now this is strange, isn't it? I mean, my goodness, every good Rabbi knows that the real heart of Scripture, the real true path to find God and living in His way is not found in those obscure verses of Scripture about diets and circumcision and what not. The real heart of a Rabbi beats faster when he read Deuteronmy 6:5: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Or it's found in Leviticus 19:18: " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
So why did the vast majority of Rabbis devote the vast majority of their time focusing on these laws? Dunn turns to sociologist, saying that in every culture, there is a need for boundary markers. Ways to know who is in, and who is out. It's just something we humans do. The greatest feeling in the world is being accepted. And because it's such a great feeling, we kind of want to make sure that the group we're a part of doesn't just let anybody in, because then the cool pool is diluted. I mean, if he got in....
Dunn's point is that if a community does not experience genuine transformation and grace, their community will devolve into petty superficial religion concerned with boundary markers, most of which are external, easy to immediately recognize, and quite peripheral to what Christ taught.
Knowing this, think about how many times Jesus had to BLAST folks about doing work on the Sabbath. God had to give Peter a giant vision and dream about clean and unclean animals to drive home his point. Paul had to smack Peter upside the head because a major division had developed in the new church because Peter had refused to fellowship with the uncircumsized. Paul had massive run-ins with a group of devout Jews called the Judaizers who followed him around, contradicting his teachings on the Grace of Christ. It's astounding, going back through the New Testament how much effort was spent correcting people's thinking about these boundary markers.
And each time, Jesus - and His apostles - were like, "You don't understand. People who look NOTHING like religious folk, who don't have the right clothes or anything, are often far closer to the kingdom of God than people who are professional religious folk."
And they were.
And they continue to be.
This pastor drew a line in the sand, excluding all congregants who happen to believe differently than he on a few issues. Of course, it wouldn't have made a difference if he drew his line around Democrats and kicked out Republicans. His passion to motivate the church to be a force for good in the community might have been well-founded, just as the Judaizers in ancient times honestly believed that they were doing a good thing.
They were wrong. And so is Chandler.
Chandler's problem is that he forgot about some crucial teachings of the Bible along the way. He started making boundaries. Setting up absolutes. He focused on politics and made that - not the presence of a real, transformative relationship with Jesus - the mark of a real Christian.
I hope he changes his tune because the Bible says that teachers and leaders will be judged more harshly. When you purport to speak for God, you had BEST get it right.
Especially on the essentials, like what it means to be a Christian.
posted by David Tieche at 6:47 AM
3 Comments:
I am sick and tired of reading so-called intellectual liberals like you who align themselves with the "religious left." Your new-Age religion of tolerance which has nothing to do with the Bible or what Jesus taught.
You probably don't have a problem with the fact that our nation is gradually accepting homosexuality as a valid lifestyle. You probably don't even get angry any more when a woman, in the name of freedom, chooses to kill a fetus. You probably are so tamed by this modern false Gospel of tolerance that you don't even stand up for anything.
I've been reading your posts, and biting my tongue for weeks now. Any time a Christian wants to stand up for what is RIGHT in our nation, you bash him. Don't you see? You're the Judaizers. You're the one diluting the truth of the Gospel. You're so interested in making the Gospel make people comfortable, you forget that sometimes, people don't want to follow Christ because it's HARD.
"Narrow is the way" Jesus said. You're trying to make it wide because it's more palatable.
I have never heard of Chan Chandler, but I am familiar with church conflict. I do know that sometimes, when people stand up for Truth, and try to lead people to stand up for what is RIGHT, certeain people get uncomfortable. They're silly people-pleasers addicted to people's approval instead of looking to please God. They are willing to trade truth for false unity. Jesus said that His people will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set them free.
You should read your Bible more. Maybe you would read Exodus 21:22-25, "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
There are millions of innocent children murdered every year in our so-called "civilized" world. In the United States alone 1.5 million abortions are performed every year. That means that in America about 4000 babies are killed every hour! By the time you get done reading this, three other babies are destroyed in their mother's womb.
And you're busy writing a blog about how a Pastor, who says, "Anyone who doesn't get bothered by this is not a Christian."
I agree. Anyone who isn't bothered by this is not a Christian. I'll go further: anyone who isn't bothered by this an enemy of God. Anyone who doesn't get upset with this slaughter of innocence doesn't know God, because God is not only a God of love, but a God of wrath, because when you really love something, you get furious when it is abused and hurt.
God's judgment will come on this nation. No doubt. He will not sit by idly. And he is calling His followers to DO SOMETHING about it.
Of course, it's just easier for some so-called Christians to sit by and write blogs criticizing real Christians who are actually trying to do what God wants.
Chandler had it right: if you want to take the side of God-haters and liberal anti-religious politicians who are in favor of legislating sin and making THAT the moral framework of our nation, go ahead.
But don't pretend that Jesus would be on YOUR side.
9:58 AM
I take issue with you Anonymous. You use a veil of privacy to publicly admonish another Christian. How dare you attempt to tare down this mans credibility with such broad strokes of half truths and false assumptions. In doing so you have completely ignored the relevance and truth of what Dave said. Homosexuality and Abortion were not even mention in Dave Blog and these are the two main points you take issue with. This is confusing to me.
Plus how is your walk with God. It’s impossible for me to know with any degree of confidence but in this posting of your, you are obviously not following Jesus teaching on how to correctly approach another believer if he is not right in his actions. Look at how Jesus would have told you approach this: Jesus said in Mat. 18:15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother”
Plus are you really so narrow minded that you honestly don’t believe there is any God loving Christians who are democrats? Its actions like the one you have just taken that polarize the non believers of this world. How can we present them the truth of the Gospel like John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Your half truths and anger corrupt our faith. You come across so wrapped up on two issues that you sound total disconnected with the majority of what the Bible says. When people, especially non-believers hear such hatred from the “Christian Right” it turns them away from God. You make insinuations that what God wants is for Christian to rise up like an angry ARMY and fight the sins and injustice of the world with an Eye for an Eye attitude.
Look at The Great Commission Matthew 28 18 – 20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." I imagine you may take refuge in the last vs. “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” But Anonymous you are not right. Even here this is placed last. Jesus is saying to teach the nations of his ways after baptism, or I would assume Salvation would also be a good starting point.
Don’t you see Anonymous, Jesus said Follow me first. Look how he approaches sin in the life of a non believer John 8 “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts; where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 1Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." This is how I imagine I should go to someone who is not a Christian and treat them.
Your approach appalls me. Don’t get me wrong the issues you mention are real and are causing horrible problems, and I too find myself upset with the state of our nation and world for some of the very same reason. But your remarks today are in excusable and unfair. I know Dave Tieche. Your accusations offend me and should embarrass yourself!
3:27 PM
I was gradually exposed to Christians and Jesus through the Zimans (whom we have all read about here, and who truly Live Christianity, in my opinion).
May I ask who the Zimans are? Just curious -- always interested in groups/movements who live the faith in radical ways.
7:16 PM
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