I, like so many others a tragic victim of corrupted Christianity. They were powerful, influentual, respected leaders. Hybels has been open regarding his professional career but does not share any information about his personal life. Its been drilled into our heads and many are convinced if the perp or deceiver is confronted (even years later) they will repent. Some people left, but our church has been transformed. My problem with all of this is that I am no fan of or apologist for mega churches or mega stars of any stripe. Ok, gotcha. He wanted to find out if she was still angry with him and what she would do about it if she was. Bill and Lynne Hybels draw on their own personal experience and a guiding faith to offer practical advice on how to enjoy a lifetime of togetherness -- from finding a suitable mate and dealing with the most common marital problems to avoiding the pitfalls that can sabotage a healthy relationship. Your boss? Love That Lasts book. I assume you mean well. Lets put all our conjecture up about the retracted affair as well. It has been posted several times. When we finally did start talking, everyone called us liars. Thanks for the link and summary, Barbara this sounds like noteworthy research on specific dynamics! Time will tell whether WC was following Christ or Hybels. That has got to be trans-species perversion right there. @ Dee Parsons: Either way, and knowing or assuming all this to be accurate, why would any man have his hands on women in ways that are open to suspicion if they are trying to stay out of trouble, either real or unjustly so accused? You would think that wannabe preacher boys would be warned off of that in seminary. Blank stares all around. Terrible, terrible thing. What I am remembering, and what troubled me then, is how these well-meaning people fell under the Willow Creek spell, and how their little, creaky, boring churches could not compete with the new mega entertainment center. Whether anyone associated with any of his accusers is a jerk or not, I fail to see the pointunless, of course, the point is to smear whoever accuses him so that people will think twice before bringing forth any more stories. It was a constant topic from a social psychological view. FOUR YEARS!! Thanks Dee. The church Elders allowed Bill to stay in an unsupervised counseling relationship with her, while neither her husband nor Bill's wife was made aware of the situation. The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. This is exactly what I had in mind!? 4 unwanted extended hugs (thats including Nancy Ortbergs latest revelation). This is VERY common. there was no hostile work environment attached. This was a joke which proved how few people at WCC understand sexual harassment. Ive been to Ephesus and it is just a tourist destination. I know its not popular here, but Im also thankful for their seeker sensitive approach. Im thankful they embraced egalitarianism and led the way with women in leadership. But thats over the course of 42 years of ministry! 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? He may or may not have been directly abusing his own wife, but he surely was abusing the women in his church who he targeted. 2 comments not allowed. Eventually she tried to make a move and placed her hand on my thigh. (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. In your view, discussing Hybels behavior is worse than his behavior. Yet Ive made my point. Barton co-authored with John Ortberg Ordinary Day With Jesus, which clearly instructs readers in mystical prayer practices. This writing clearly shows John Ortbergs sympathies to this New Age spirituality. Church Discipline Just wondering??? So were other women who were dealing with this privately. It is a sad day for others in a position of leadership at Willow Creek to have been slow to address this and take definitive steps against it early on! Well, yes, absolutely. These things seem like nitpicking until you have more information. As it says in the bible, Who are we to judge? I know. Only much later did I recall, for instance, my pastor condemning those gossip bloggers who were trying to tear down the church which is how I first found this blog. (Source: https://vondadyer.weebly.com/blog/vonda-dyers-statement-re-chicago-tribune-and-bill-hybels). When this discovery of improper behavior was taken to the senior pastor he aparrently refused to listen. Wild!!! Ok. That length is reserved for the husband/wife relationship, comforting someone, or greeting someone close whom you havent seen in a long time. Wow!!! My bad. The focus was wrong and a bit too emphatic for me. Bill Hybels has stepped down. This is exactly what you would expect from some Neo-pharisee trying to hide his sin from the world. I recognized something was wrong with that, but for various reasons, didnt quite make the connection. I dont want to think poorly of John Ortberg too. I cannot imagine the pain, the hurt. Maybe He is cleaning house. @ dee: Brad, not all of us read or study the scriptures with the same filter. When was the last time you led someone to Jesus? We have some good news to give to the world. Everyone who is still there from the elders to the lowliest either thinks like this or doesnt dare open their mouth. There is nothing wrong with this picture, this is the way it happens. But friends I hug more frequently, family, etc. A hint here, a casual comment there, Twenty Chess Moves in Advance. There are many similar type of things over the years I did not mention. I was contemplating a megachurch model the other day where teaching pastors had term limits or rotating speakers. He missed an important element in his effort at damage control: Preach it straight from the beginning. . This is Uncharted Territory for them. In Christian theology, the Devil prefers deception and manipulation and the Long Con, NOT the Direct Frontal Attack you hear these days from Spiritual and Cultural Warriors. The man who assaulted me regularly made passes at women in public. 2,395 Followers, 144 Following, 415 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from @lynnehybels Status? ..I know my sheep and they know me .. He came to die for His sheep and he knew us before we were born. However, there is HUGH group think/peer pressure to go with the flow and do not rock the boat, by questioning things. Kind of surprised it was allowed to stand without edit or response. Same church where Hybels daughter worked (PR for Bell) and met her husband who was Minister of Music, now in charge of music for Willow Creek. I guess you are not aware of the president for whom Hybels was a spiritual advisor. Read Acts 4 and 5. Christianity Lite, theyve taken the salt out of salt. Is there love afte. @ Davis and Natasha: This is being dealt with by the appropriate people and I will follow up when I learn more. Paint her as crazy, vindictive, or loose. Willow wont even list Mars Hill on Steve Carters website bio. 1 comment deleted. Some years ago on a dictionary of internet slang, Christian Side Hug was a term for non-genital sex intended to preserve technical virginity. If at the end of this tragedy, Willow Creek gets that they will flow like a river rather than a creek. 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. Testimony of victims and witnesses is not gossip. In the process, one creates division, hatred and war, both within and without the so-called Church. The elder board and staff who enabled him are equally bad. From the website, its all sunshine and lollipops but the mask is really starting to slip. This is largely Christianese. You know, Bill Hybels for two decades or more promoted himself as the one with a system that would revolutionize the church and make it relevant. Nothing more. Perhaps God is looking for a different type of leadership in His Church. Theres much interesting reading on the Donald MacLeod thread, including this 1988 quote posted Thursday by Malcolm, from Mr James Fraser: his response failed to allay my fears that there was some truth in the allegations. The statement was wrong in every way and since there is a great possibility that the group is very concerned and just seeking truth. There s more news coming out. is lynne hybels still married to bill. I know that unwanted full frontal hugs was a part of abusive pastors manipulations of women in a small rural church. We still need to get together on that religious research thingie. No idea the the Bible says, Do the work of an evangelist! Activism. It was through him that I first heard the Gospel as a nonChristian teen in a nonChristian family in Salem MA. Forgiveness after repentance is one thing (and a rare thing if someone never actually admits to anything beyond a mistakes in judgment were made public spin). But then . I dont fault them for that, but its what happens. And ironically, asking that question is why. The Spirit works, sometimes over decades, with friends and acquaintances. On the surface, an extended hug may seem harmless, even though deep down it creeps you out a little. Sovereign Grace Ministries Ever thought of switching to WordPress? Its not a numbers game, its not like worldly sales with rainmakers and marketing and big hits. * Scripture does not discuss it that way. I mean, it makes for good gossip too. The creep factor never ceases to amaze me. The video is on YouTube: is lynne hybels still married to bill. Im a pastor and a survivor of emotional/verbal abuse (in a relationship, not in a church), and I can tell you that one of the biggest reasons I stayed as long as I did was because I was convinced that I didnt deserve better, I made my own bed and had to sleep in it, and that what I got was as good as I could ever hope for. Was it addressed and ignored by the elders? This leads those who might otherwise speak up about inappropriate behavior to not cast the first stone. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. The news of the divorce came as a shock to many, as the couple had always seemed to have a strong and healthy relationship. predatory, calculated and manipulative all with a facade of kindness and mentoring. While WW can be messy, I think most poster here just want honesty, transparacy, and protection/respect of the weaker ones. BTW, when I confronted him publicly, his response wasnt, I didnt do it, but You wanted me to. A married man twice my age, I might add, who nobody liked. Its a good time to focus on Jesus, not on any leader, which is misguided faith in the first place. Of course, you have move people beyond that into a mature relationship with the Lord and some megas neglect this. Just a followup to my above comment. Thats what she thinks is comparable? 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