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Harvest Bible Chapel: MacDonald Addresses The Elephant’s Debt
At the Saturday night service and the two Sunday services, MacDonald read a prepared statement after the message. Please click here for updates to The Elephant’s Debt regarding his comments.
Harvest Bible Chapel … The Debt … The Salary … The Power … The 5G Campaign … The Hope
Over the past few months, Ryan Mahoney and I have spent a great deal of time researching and writing on the subject of James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel. During that season, many of you have asked us why we write on this subject. Tonight, we are prepared to offer you part of our story. For some of you, this may be painful to read; and it may bring up feelings of anger, resentment, or even doubt. For others, our story may offer you a sense of release – a sense of finally being able to put a finger on the unease many of you have expressed. For us, we offer this with mixed emotions, many of which are too personal and complicated to fully explain. But it should not go without mentioning that in the lectionary reading of October 6th, we find two passages (Psalm 92:1-5 and 2 Samuel 1:1a, 17-19; 23-27) that bring us comfort even as they bring us a measure of sadness and lament. So without further comment, we offer you The Elephants Debt.
Harvest Bible Chapel: “These are NOT the Droids You’re Looking For”
The scene is almost as classic as the film in which it is found. Having just discovered the brutally burned remains of his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Luke Skywalker has agreed to travel off-planet with Obi-wan Kenobi on a desperate mission to deliver two droids that contain vital information to finally putting an end to Vader’s Empire. But upon arriving at the Mos Eisley Spaceport, they are confronted by imperial stormtroopers hunting for the droids. Just at this moment, when all seems lost, the mysterious Kenobi, in his first real display of power, simply waves his hand and says the iconic words: “These are not the droids you are looking for.” And just like that, the befuddled stormtroopers parrot his words and numbly allow the heroes to continue forward on their fateful journey.
Several weeks ago, Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) attempted his own “Jedi mind trick” of sorts, as he sought to convince his congregation that they need not listen to the external critics of his ministry, in spite of the evidence that was right before their eyes. Listen closely to what he says in this sermon based loosely upon John 2:13-22.[1] Read the rest of this entry »
Fourth Church “Departs” Harvest Bible Fellowship
Just over three months ago, James MacDonald, Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, made a decision. Against the timely and judicious counsel of certain “influential leaders” within The Gospel Coalition, he decided to proceed with the theological circus known as the Elephant Room 2. At the time, he apparently believed that the opportunity to engage Bishop T.D. Jakes in a public conversation was of such paramount importance that it was worth severing his official ties to The Gospel Coalition. To no one’s surprise, not everyone agreed with his assessment. Read the rest of this entry »
Does Pastor James MacDonald Possess too much Power?
So what does the leadership of a highly visible mega church do when it begins to feel the pressure mount in the aftermath of a questionable course of action?
A week and a half ago, Harvest Bible Chapel took its next step in trying to answer this question by inviting only the men of the church to a special Sunday night “prayer meeting.” According to multiple sources, when the men arrived at the church, it immediately became clear that this was going to be more than a typical “prayer meeting.” Amidst a heightened security presence, the attendees were advised to turn off all phones and/or recording devices, shortly before being advised to report anyone seen using such a device to the security. Read the rest of this entry »
The New Elephant in the Room: Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald and Authoritarian Rule in the Church – Part 1
Mars Hill Church. By all the “measurable” standards promoted by the Church Growth Movement, it stands as one of the towering monuments amongst the 1300 Protestant megachurches presently dotting the landscape of this nation. With a weekly attendance of over 12,000 people gathering on fourteen different campuses in four different states, it’s lead pastor, Mark Driscoll, has become something of a “rock star” amongst the evangelical faithful. His sermon podcasts generally exceed 100,000 downloads per week; he authors New York Times best-selling books on the subject of marital sex; and he does media tours and interviews on popular daytime shows such as The View. As I said: “rock star.” Read the rest of this entry »
A Third Church Leaves Harvest Bible Fellowship
The shadow cast off by the Elephant Room 2 is beginning to expand as Harvest Bible Chapel – New Lenox has just announced its decision to publicly become the third church to officially separate from the Harvest Bible Fellowship. As you may recall, back in January of 2012, Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church hosted a gathering of pastors that included the well-known and controversial Bishop T.D. Jakes. While some have applauded the efforts of the two hosts, others seem to be deeply concerned by their failure to fully and publicly address Bishop Jakes’ unconventional theology. To date the following churches have left the hosts’ respective church planting ministries:
Acts 29 Network:
Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield
Harvest Bible Fellowship:
Harvest Bible Church (formerly Harvest Bible Chapel – Detroit, MI)
Harvest Bible Chapel – Prescott, AZ
Harvest Bible Chapel – New Lenox, IL (soon to revert back to its intial name, Cornerstone Church)
So the question we must now begin to ask is this: are we looking at a few statistical outliers amongst the 70+ churches planted by Harvest Bible Fellowship, or are we witnessing a snowball near the top of a mountain as it is starting to pick up speed?
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Additional resources on James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel and the Elephant Room 2 can be found at:
The Descent: James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel and the Blurry Road to a Prosperity Gospel
How Steep the Decline: James MacDonald, Bryan Loritts, and Sycophantic Uncle Toms
James MacDonald, the Elephant Room and the “Spinning” of the Truth
Harvest Bible Fellowship Takes Second Hit
Harvest Bible Fellowship Takes Second Hit
As some have speculated online and elsewhere, it appears that the fallout from the “Elephant Room 2” continues to rain down on James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel and the evangelical world. Late yesterday, Harvest Bible Chapel of Prescott Arizona, one of the largest plants in the Harvest Fellowship, became the second church to publicly announce its withdrawal from the Harvest Bible Fellowship. According to the official statement issued by Pastor Skip Breyer and the Elder Board,
“[Over the last 11 months], we have repeatedly and privately expressed our concern with the leaders of Harvest Bible Fellowship. After many months of prayer and consideration, we have reached a point in time that we believe to continue our association with HBC Chicago would appear to be endorsing their decisions, which would cause confusion for the flock that is under our care. So it is with a heavy heart, out of what we see is our obedience to our responsibility to our Lord to care and shepherd His flock, that we must end our association with HBC Chicago.”
The question is: will others follow suit? Only time will tell.
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Additional resources on James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel and the Elephant Room 2 can be found at:
The Descent: James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel and the Blurry Road to a Prosperity Gospel
How Steep the Decline: James MacDonald, Bryan Loritts, and Sycophantic Uncle Toms
James MacDonald, the Elephant Room and the “Spinning” of the Truth
