Billy Graham’s Grandson Tullian Tchividjian Resigns as Coral Ridge Presbyterian Pastor After Admitting Affair
Stoyan Zaimov
Preface by Julio Severo: The
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of D. James Kenney, had
active participation in the 1980s and 1990s in the conservative movement,
fighting wicked agendas, including abortion and homosexuality. After his death,
Tullian Tchividjian, a Billy Graham’s grandson, took over the leadership,
withdrawing Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church from the cultural wars. According
to Gleanings:
Tchividjian’s tenure at Coral Ridge
had been troubled from the start. In the spring of 2009, the church named the
then-36-year-old as its senior pastor. Founded by famed preacher D. James
Kennedy, Coral Ridge had once drawn as many as 7,000 worshipers. But it had
been in decline following Kennedy’s death in 2006. Church elders hoped that
Tchividjian’s youth, vision, and name could revive the fortunes of the aging
congregation. Instead they got chaos. Within six months, a group of church
members led by Kennedy’s daughter, Jennifer, called for Tchividjian’s ouster.
Those dissidents were banned by the church. At issue were a change in worship
style and Tchividjian’s rejection of culture war politics.
Tchividjian’s decision to ban conservative
members, including a Kennedy’s daughter, because they wanted to continue Coral
Ridge’s tradition of involvement in cultural wars was an unfortunate decision. His
attitude of shunning from cultural wars has nothing to do with the Graham
family. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham and president of the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, has
been very active in the cultural wars.
 |
| Tullian Tchividjian |
Yet, his decision of resigning was appropriate.
May he keep this decision and shun the behavior of some who later repent of
their resignation and want desperately the pulpit spotlight back.
As to the secular media, they are
not attacking him and his family. This is no surprise: Because he shunned
cultural wars, the media is giving him a bonus. If he were involved in cultural
wars, the national and international headline would explode, “Prominent
Anti-Gay and Anti-Abortion Minister Gets Involved in Sexual Scandals!” followed
by a text riddled with acid diatribe.
 |
| Tchividjian family |
Here is the full report by the
Christian Post:
Tullian
Tchividjian, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian church in Florida, has
resigned from his position after admitting to an affair. Billy Graham's
grandson said that he has been experiencing ongoing marital issues.
"I
resigned from my position at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church today due to
ongoing marital issues. As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few
months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and
devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to
focus exclusively on my marriage and family," Tchividjian revealed in a
statement to The Washington Post.
"As
her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently
sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself.
Last week I was approached by our church leaders and they asked me about my own
affair. I admitted to it and it was decided that the best course of action
would be for me to resign."
The
pastor adds that both he and his wife, Kim, are "heartbroken" over
their actions, and are asking God to give them "the grace we need to
weather this heart wrenching storm."
Kim
Tchividjian said in a follow-up message to WP, however, that "the
statement reflected my husband's opinions but not my own."
"Please
respect the privacy of my family at this time, thank you. I do thank everyone
for the outpouring of love for my family as well during this difficult time and
we appreciate all the prayers and support we are receiving," she added.
Coral
Ridge Presbyterian Church, which was officially chartered in 1960,
installed Tchividjian as senior pastor in 2009.
"Several
days ago, pastor Tullian admitted to moral failure, acknowledging his actions
disqualify him from continuing to serve as senior pastor or preach from the
pulpit, and resigned — effective immediately," revealed Rob Pacienza, executive
pastor of Coral Ridge.
"We
are saddened by this news, but are working with and assisting pastor Tullian
and his family to help them through this difficult time, and asking people to
join us in praying that God will bring restoration through this process and
healing to all involved."
Tchividjian,
who has three children with Kim, has also written columns that've been
published in The Christian Post. He has
spoken out on a number of issues over the years, and back in December claimed
that evangelicals' involvement in the conservative political
movement has damaged Christianity.
"Over the course of the last
20 or 30 years, evangelicalism, specifically their association with the
religious right and conservative politics, has done more damage to the brand of
Christianity than just about anything else," the pastor said in an
interview.
"That's
not to say that Christian people don't have opinions on social issues and we
shouldn't speak those opinions, but Sunday morning from behind the pulpit is
not the place," he added.
Portuguese
version of this article: Neto
de Billy Graham renuncia ao pastorado de igreja presbiteriana depois de
confessar adultério
Source: ChristianPost,
via Last Days Watchman
Recommended Reading:
I used to be a CRPC member before moving from Ft. Lauderdale, and recall how often Dr. Kennedy preached that Christians were to be both salt and light. Since Pastor T was so hesitant to address sinful things in the culture (and spoke so enthusiastically about his wild years), it made me wonder if he didn't in order to make himself feel more comfortable. That he threw his wife under the bus in his resigning strikes me as extremely curious (what husband, seeking reconciliation, would do so?).
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