JOIN US MAY 20-21 FOR RESTORE CONFERENCE

Mary
DeMuth

Scot
McKnight

Screenshot 2023-01-13 at 1.50.18 PM

Naghmeh
Panahi

Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

ICYMI: Julie Roys Discusses Journalism & James MacDonald on Doctrine & Devotion Podcast

By Julie Roys

Why would I write about serious sin in the church? Isn’t this just gossip, or dirty laundry that would be better to keep private? 

I answer these and other tough questions posed by Joe Thorn and Jimmy Fowler of Doctrine and Devotion—a somewhat edgy “podcast exploring Christian faith and practice from a Reformed Baptist perspective.” If you’ve wondered about some of these questions in light of my recent exposés on James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel (see World Magazine article and follow-up blog post)—or just want to hear a deeper exploration of this topic—I think you’ll really enjoy this episode. The podcast starts humorous and lighthearted, but turns thoughtful and serious in short order. 

This episode first aired on December 20, but I am reposting here with permission from Joe and Jimmy. Enjoy!

SHARE THIS:

GET EMAIL UPDATES!

Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox!

Don’t worry we won’t spam you.

More to explore
discussion

2 Responses

  1. Excellent episode, Julie. Three thoughts related to points that you made:

    1. Broadly speaking, what’s going on at HBC constitutes spiritual abuse. The culture of fear, secrecy, and control ungirded by misuse of scripture to shame people, defend an agenda, deflect criticism, squelch questions is an abuse of power that God will not let stand much longer.

    2. People might crave “me too” story to come out and end all of this in one fell swoop, but the abuses at HBC–both those committed by James Macdonald himself and by others–are deeply unsettling on their own merits. The financial sins alone are disqualifying. Evangelicals should avoid seeing sexual sin as the “trump card sin”.

    3. Remaining employed at a church–or in any job–out of fear is not a viable excuse for turning a blind eye to unrighteousness. Leave your job. Find another one. If money keeps you there–as Matt Stowell had the grace to admit was a motivator for him–the tradeoff is your spiritual and mental well-being.

    Keep up the good work.

  2. 29 million dollars pledged recently at HBC? Human gullibility and naivete knows no limits. 10 thousand square foot mansion with 24 car garage is approaching. You are loved James MacDonald and the rest of us can and should ask by whom…

Leave a Reply

The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Toward that end, the site requires that people register before they begin commenting. This means no anonymous comments will be allowed. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted.
 
MOST RECENT Articles
MOST popular articles
en_USEnglish

Donate

Hi. We see this is the third article this month you’ve found worth reading. Great! Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church?

Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “The Atlas Factor: Shifting Leadership Onto the Shoulders of Jesus” by Lance Ford.