The infamous Acts 29 Network appears to be crumbling before our eyes. We’ve covered a lot of the ongoing controversies in at Matt Chandler’s Acts 29 church planting network over the years and this organization has been wrought with controversy since its inception. Notably, the well-publicized removal of Acts 29 co-founder, Mark Driscoll, due to allegations of plagiarism and abusive leadership.
After Driscoll’s departure, Steve Timmis, the then CEO, was also removed amidst accusations of bullying and authoritarian leadership. Additionally, the network faced criticism over financial transparency and the allocation of donations.
And the former Vice President, Darrin Patrick, was also dismissed for “historical patterns of sin,” only for him to be later reinstated. These controversies serve as more than mere blemishes, they demonstrate deeply rooted issues that demand a thorough investigation.
But over the last few years, we’ve seen a notable shift in its theological views as well. The organization, under Matt Chandler’s leadership, has moved toward softening its stance on homosexuality and other sexual ethics issues including transgenderism, as demonstrated in this clip with Acts 29 leaders Justin Anderson and Mike Sullivan.
And Matt Chandler himself has revealed himself to be consumed by the cultural zeitgeist of the day—the “woke” movement, which is rooted in cultural Marxism. By weaving in progressive social justice themes—especially on matters of race and gender—into his sermons and church policies, Chandler undermines the purity of the Gospel message.
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So it should come as no surprise that conservative churches are leaving in droves and that the network is in a crisis, demanding that remaining members not publicly criticize the network or its leaders. According to J. Chase Davis, a former Acts 29 pastor who left over these concerns, the renewal agreement for membership in the network asks its members to agree to these terms:
It should come as no surprise as the organization’s leader, Matt Chandler is about as compromised as they/them get. Matt Chandler is woke and has been given over completely to the social justice movement. Chandler has made headlines for saying that Black people who aren’t woke are just trying to win the “approval” of White men, pushing progressive “woke” politics, his church writing worship songs about microaggressions, comparing Black Lives Matter leaders to biblical prophets, denouncing America as racist and demonic, declaring that parts of Critical Race Theory are good (even though it’s demonic), having disdain for White people, speaking at various “woke church” social justice conferences, or sharing the stage with lesbians, racists, and charismatics all in the name of social justice.
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