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    Coral Ridge Update:  The Booted Will Stay Away (for now)

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    According to the Sun Sentinal: Whichever side they take on the controversy at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church -- where a small group is trying to get its pastor fired -- some members clearly want it to end.

    "This whole situation is enough to make anyone nervous," says Jay Caulk III, a member of the Fort Lauderdale congregation for more than 35 years. "For most of the time I've attended, it's been a quiet conservative church. Now it's ablaze with controversy."

    The white, triple-steepled church has been rocked in recent weeks by divisions over its new leader, Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, who took over on Easter. A half-dozen members have accused Tchividjian of veering from the magisterial style of founding pastor D. James Kennedy and have used church rolls to mail petition forms for his ouster.

    The pastor and church elders have responded in two prongs. This week, they set up a five-man Judiciary Commission to deal with the six. They'd already banned the dissidents from church property, in letters that cited Bible verses to "obey your leaders" and on how God hates "a lying tongue."

    This week also saw the resignation of executive director Scott Spell, formerly of Tchividjian’s New City Church, which has merged with Coral Ridge. Church spokesman Bill Ashcraft said Spell was “implementing change faster than Tullian approved.”

    First step is for the Judiciary Commission to meet informally with the opponents to reconcile. If that doesn’t work, a formal hearing could result in successive levels of discipline: censure, banning from Holy Communion, excommunication.

    Jim Filosa, one of the six, said the group would grudgingly obey the order to stay away from Coral Ridge. He said that while they are awaiting the church’s next move, they’ve been holding weekly services with 35 to 45 sympathizers at a house in Boca Raton, complete with prayers, hymns and Bible readings.

    “We don’t agree with the ruling, but we don’t want to antagonize the situation,” Filosa said. “The ball is in their court.”

    You can read more here...



    Comments

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    1. Chopin on Mon, August 17, 2009

      You are nothing more than a GOSSIP COLUMNIST for repeating “news” that is none of your business!

    2. Peter Hamm on Mon, August 17, 2009

      Chopin,

      It’s public news, not gossip. There is a difference.


      from the article [ ...they’ve been holding weekly services with 35 to 45 sympathizers at a house in Boca Raton, complete with prayers, hymns and Bible readings.


      “We don’t agree with the ruling, but we don’t want to antagonize the situation,” Filosa said. “The ball is in their court.”]


      Uh, that IS antagonizing the situation, isn’t it?

       

    3. Jan on Mon, August 17, 2009

      Definitely in my opinion.

      Sad.

       

    4. Fred on Mon, August 17, 2009

      Yes, they should stay at that church and submit to that pastor. That’s the most important thing about being a Christian…being submitted to the leadership just like Martin Luther…wait a minute!...hmmmm


      Anyway, everyone needs to be submitted to their pastor. It doesn’t matter that the Bible doesn’t tell us about a pastor having that kind of authority.


      We can bad mouth Obama as much as we want, just don’t touch God’s annointed pastor!!!

    5. Ted on Tue, August 18, 2009

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    6. Pastor Matt on Tue, August 18, 2009

      This is so far from what Jesus intended his church to become its not funny.


      Where did the politics come from?  The turf war?  The acting like the world?

      Meanwhile the people in the streets around the church are losing hope and going to a lost eternity because of the time, money and effort that goes into this territorial skirmish rather than the mission of God - not to mention the effect of their witness.


      I’m sure Jesus is real proud.

       

    7. Richard on Tue, August 18, 2009

      I love this comment from the previous article:  ``Changes are inevitable in mergers,’’ Filosa continued. ``If [Tchividjian] had come in humbly, and done changes gradually, I think he would have been more accepted. Instead, it’s been an attitude more like, `Here I am—if you don’t like me, there’s the door.’ ‘’  Why does it play like that?  How about the dissidents {in the minority} accept the transition with a humble, teachable spirit?  Narcissism?

    8. bankruptcyrecords on Mon, December 21, 2009

      First step is for the Judiciary Commission to meet informally with the opponents to reconcile. If that doesn�t work, a formal hearing could result in successive levels of discipline: censure, banning from Holy Communion, excommunication. I strongly agree!

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