Amy Butler

[Chris]

I read that Amy Butler has ended her tenure at Riverside Church (NYC). Anyone know howcum?

[William Thornton]

[Tim Bonney]

In recent years Riverside has not been able to keep a pastor for very long.

[Dave Roberts]

I had heard something about two years ago about the Riverside system. The five-year renewable contract is certainly different from what most of us have experienced, but I can't help wondering if it helps or hurts the congregation. I don't always agree with Amy, but I have always been impressed with her. I had the privilege of hearing her in person while she was at Calvary in DC.

[Tim Bonney]

[Dave Roberts]

[Stephen Fox]

Influential with CBF at Wilshire in Dallas had a great take on his facebook wall when this happened but I can no longer find it. If you see it somewhere, please post cause nobody in my hearing had a better take.

This could be an interesting conversation Sept 15

https://www.wilshirebc.org/about-wilshi ... niversary/

[William Thornton]

https://nypost.com/2019/07/11/pastor-ou ... cusations/

NYT has the story but I can't get to it. If accurate, bit of a letdown for butler fans.

[Haruo]

Funny, in a sad way.

[Haruo]

I read the NYT version, which contains most of the Daily News material and also material pointing the other direction. I really don't know what to make of the sex-toy shopping expedition. I hope a cogent history of her tenure at Riverside is published before I'm too old to read it.

[Tim Bonney]

[William Thornton]

Not that Al Mohler is quotable to my mod/lib friends here, but...

Well, it says something about the trajectory of theological liberalism in the US that the Riverside Church in NYC gets from Harry Emerson Fosdick to this within a century:

From Fosdick to protester Sloan Coffin to sex toys. The story is appalling.

[Tim Bonney]

[William Thornton]

Buying sex toys is no crime and the cases of sex abuse are criminal. No comparison between the two.

Riverside Church is the pinnacle of liberal theological thought and practice. The manner in which the relationship was ended was shocking, even if sex toys is no big deal. But look for celebrity clergy to be profitable even if not anchored to any congregation.

[Dave Roberts]

Today, it was announced that two other clergy staff members from Riverside have resigned. Don't know more than that except that they resigned in support of Butler.

[Stephen Fox]

https://baptistnews.com/article/down-by ... SziLnkQV9A

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

Probably what is most annoying about Al's statement is that anytime something goes wrong in a church more progressive than the SBC he seems to find that as a way to take a dig at progressive theology and progressive churches in general rather than what is usually true, individual churches and pastors of all theological stripes screw up sometimes.

[William Thornton]

The narrative keeps evolving. I actually enjoyed reading some of her stuff but this was a personal disaster. Lots of pastors get forced out but few with a severance of a half million.

[Tim Bonney]

[William Thornton]

I think it's in one of the ny post stories. Insiders went to the NYT and post to. A year's salary and housing. Pretty sweet deal but they can afford it.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

For clergy pay you have to add salary and housing. So $350k plus benefits. I don't care what a church pays their minister. I know of a couple of SBC churches that agreed to a year's severance.

[Haruo]

Life in the Big Apple is steep, even if Victoria's Secret is having a Prime Days sale in memory of Jeffrey Epstein. A 405K$ severance package will only last a few weeks there. Hope she has another gig lined up.

I must say I think it's appalling that a pastor, brick-and-mortar or virtual, would demand such an income. Even in NYC. Now I feel like I need to read a few of her sermons.

[KeithE]