Ep. 116: Anglicans Deal With Sex Abuse, and Wisconsin AG Fights Clergy Sex Abuse
On today’s program, a prominent Anglican bishop is forced to take a leave of absence for his handling of a sexual abuse case in his diocese. And the Wisconsin Attorney General has declared war on clergy sex abuse.
We also have the story of McLean Bible Church in the Washington, D.C., area. McLean Bible Church is one of the largest and most influential churches in the nation. Because of its proximity to Washington, D.C., many government officials, Capitol Hill staffers, and thought leaders are members. Its pastor, David Platt, was the youngest megachurch pastor in the country, when he led the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, more than a decade ago. Today, he is a bestselling author and he came to McLean Bible Church from his role as president of Southern Baptist Convention’s International Missions Board. But all is not well there now.
Also on today’s program: Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, has about 8,000 members and is one of the largest congregations in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The conference said in a statement Monday that it was “acting out of love for the church and its mission,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The Mt. Bethel church also has the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy. According to the statement from the conference, the title to the congregation’s real, personal, tangible and intangible property was immediately transferred to the conference’s Board of Trustees, “who may hold or dispose of such property in its sole discretion.”
Also today: A reminder that “Faith-Based Fraud” is now available at Audible.com. And I want to thank all of you who made fiscal year end contributions to MinistryWatch. We had set an ambitious goal for the month and for the year, and – to be honest – I wasn’t sure we would get there. But, thanks to you, we did. So, thank you. As always, we want you to support your local church first, and your favorite and carefully researched ministries second, but if you have a bit extra that you can give MinistryWatch to help us help you and others become more effective and informed stewards, we would – of course – be grateful.
To make a gift to MinistryWatch any time, not just at year-end, go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate tab at the top of the page.
Finally, for any listeners in Colorado. I’ll be in Colorado on July 27 and 28 and I would love to have lunch with you. We’re doing a lunch in Colorado Springs on the 27th, and in Denver on the 28th. Check your daily email from MinistryWatch for an EventBrite link to sign up. And if you don’t live in Colorado, stay tuned. Now that COVID is lifted, I’ll be traveling a bit more, and I hope to do donor, reader, and listener lunches in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, and other cities in the near future.
The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Steve Gandy. We get database and other technical support from Cathy Goddard, Stephen DuBarry, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Steve Rabey, Emily McFarlan Miller, Anne Stych, Bob Smietana, Shannon Cuthrell, and Adelle Banks.
Thanks to Religion Unplugged for contributing material to this week’s program.
Until next time, may God bless you.
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