Ep. 421: Dr. Michael Brown, Bob Jones University, and PCUSA Decline Continues

On today’s program, author and teacher Dr Michael Brown of the radio program Line of Fire has agreed to a third-party investigation after being accused of sexual impropriety. We’ll have details. And, we remember two anniversaries this week—the release of a GRACE investigation into Bob Jones University and their handling of sexual abuse cases, and the fall of Mars Hill Church. We take time to reflect on both—lessons learned and where things stand now. Plus, overall membership in the Presbyterian Church USA continues to fall—except among people who identify as genderqueer. We’ll take a look. But first, after a year-long battle, an Ohio church is NOT being allowed to shelter the homeless this winter. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Marci Seither, Bob Smietana, David Fairchild, Jeffrey Walton, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Juicy Ecumenism for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:   FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. And we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, author and teacher Dr Michael Brown of the radio program Line of Fire has agreed to a third-party investigation after being accused of sexual impropriety. We’ll have details. And, we remember two anniversaries this week—the release of a GRACE investigation into Bob Jones University and their handling of sexual abuse cases, and the fall of Mars Hill Church. We take time to reflect on both—lessons learned and where things stand now. Plus, overall membership in the Presbyterian Church USA continues to fall—except among people who identify as genderqueer. We’ll take a look. Natasha: But first, after a year-long battle, an Ohio church is NOT being allowed to shelter the homeless this winter. Warren: An Ohio judge has issued a preliminary injunction against Dad’s Place and its pastor Chris Avell, preventing the church from using its first floor to shelter homeless people, even as temperatures are expected to plummet later this week. Dad’s Place and Avell have been involved in a dispute with Bryan, Ohio, since last year over whether it can open the first floor of the church in a business district to allow homeless persons to escape the cold. In January, a federal district court issued an order “forbidding [the city] from enforcing any alleged violations of the City’s zoning or fire codes without the court’s approval or the church’s agreement.” Natasha: What happened? Warren: The City of Bryan and the church, through its counsel at First Liberty Institute, tried to resolve their differences, but negotiations broke down in April. In July 2024, the federal court denied Dad’s Place request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the city from enforcing its fire regulations against the church. Then in September a three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the church’s appeal of the district court’s decision. Now, Ohio Judge J.T. Stelzer has issued an injunction preventing the church from offering its building for use by homeless persons in the city. Natasha: What happens next? Warren: Dad’s Place remains in violation of several fire safety code regulations, including failure to install a sprinkler system, said Stelzer. The decision also pointed to two other shelters near Dad’s Place that utilize their second floors as temporary residences to shelter the city’s needy and homeless residents while in “full compliance with the city’s fire code and zoning ordinances.”