Comments on: Brad Braxton

By: chae s. sone

chae s. sone — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:26:17 +0000

Riverside Church, New York 9/19/2009

I and my wife are occasional worshipers at the church for many years. It is very heartwarming and inspirational church, especially. whenever I read the inscription that the Rockefeller family dedicated the church in the memory of their beloved Mother.

It strongly reminded me that someday our family too could have a blessing to rebuild the church that our grand father of my mother’s side once built in a farming village in the North Korea, in early days of the first generation missionaries came to Korea.

Some years ago our first daughter had a beautiful wedding at the Riverside church. it was the memorable occasion for our family.

Now this lovely, honored Riverside church officers seem to have disputes on the operation and went to the court for an advice. The honorable judge wisely advised them to resolve the matter within the congregation which was most proper, according to information. The growth rate of it appears to be not so significant at the age. If the staff members of this size of the historic congregation is lacked such wisdom, it is surely a problematic in faith. Once the news reported that there were also irregularities for the financial management in the church, which appeared to be another lack.

The loosing ethnic balance is not without distress with an ability to pay the highest salary to the pastor in the world.

Following the activists’ era, even the White House color is changed. More significantly it is not occupied by the posterity of a slave family but a fatherless son of the first generation temporary immigrant – a remarkable achievement of American dream with a diligent work.

But the church should be able to maintain its balance along the changing social mood. Sadly she seems to have lost once her highly vociferous inspiring free speeches today. Let her voice to be heard again in a timely manner.

Now, it is the time for the Riversiders to be retrospective. it needs to rethink Jesus and family, revisit the soft words of each one’s loving mother’s voice as the Rockefeller remembered theirs for a guidance. For the church is based upon the family values. I believe even the Sunday school children would have better ideas for the church’s progress too. Their vision may be in more advanced than their elderly.

She has enough members and money, may be blind money. But the vision seems to be very foggy for the leadership under the rich rays of Dollar signs.

Remember each of the Jesus’ disciples had the different personal characteristics from a moderate to the radical ones. However, their harmonious work for the highest goal led the posterity to inherit the faith in Christ to date, even to those who in the Riverside Church.

Let us pray God’s grace would help the leaders
find a harmony for better days in good grace for the congregation.

Chae s. Sone

By: Mimsey

Mimsey — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:21:00 +0000

What in the world??? Riverside was so amazingly blessed to have such a preacher and it squabbles like kindergartners? I have listened online from North Carolina and on Pride Sunday, I thought I had heard the best sermon of my life and I live in Will Willamon country! People, come together! Don’t do this to yourselves. Read the Scriptures, “follow the bandit Jesus.” I would be over the moon if I could attend a church with a pastor like Braxton.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:20:29 +0000

As an African Amercan member of Riverside, I believe the resistance to Dr. Braxton that was expressed throughout this video clip is not based on his theology or on the fact that he is “straying away from Riverside’s mission”. For example, when people are making such claims it he video, they do not give examples. Ms. Glover, for example, does not name any action of Dr. Braxton which works against diversity. The fear that has been expressed is that he will, indeed bring about more diversity in worship and preaching that is the real issue. The “diversity” that most “anti-Braxton” people are against is the integration of other cultural worship expressions than European-American, which is now the case. Perhaps some of the resistance is headed by Ms. Glover (on the tape), and others who are trained in the European classical tradition of music, and who want that tradition to dominate all others (African American, Hispanis, Asian, American white folk/Christian, American youth, Caribbean, Afican). That is selfish and unfair, and not worth going to the courts and the press over.
Regarding his salary of $250,000 plus various packages, it was announced the same salary was enjoyed by Braxton’s white predecessor Dr. Stiers, and no protest was raised. Dr. Forbes, the black pastor who preceeded Stiers, did not make that type salary, it was announced. Where was the protest over the increase for Stiers? It may be that the real opposition to Braxton has to do with internalized racism and racism, based on the old “curse of Ham” theology that says Black people and culture) should stay in their places. If that is true, the “anti-Braxton” coalition that is in and out of court for this purpose really is the real fundamentalist/conservative wing of Riverside, who may be subconsciously promoting the sentiments of the pro-slavery beliefs plantation theology of the old South.

By: MEL

MEL — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:34:47 +0000

Three articles on one congregation in one city on the entire planet. Lots attention given to one preacher. How about giving this much attention to how the church fights the pandemic of AIDS through its missionary medical efforts? No, that would mean having to deal with the failure of condoms and the shocking reality of abstinence programs being embraced with gratitude and relief by African and Asian communities. Liberal theology and the media have a nice love affair, but the reality of human suffering is not solved by the “preaching” of the American media.

By: Reverend Kenneth Wheeler

Reverend Kenneth Wheeler — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:22:57 +0000

As an African-American pastor in a predominantly white church body I watched this special with interest. What was encouraging was to see an African-American leader at the helm of a large multi-racial congregation but the sadness was reflected in the division that is now evident because in part I think it is difficult for some whites to accept such leadership especially when it is strong, powerful and prophetic. I was struck by the comment of a member who said that people were afraid that Dr, Braxton was going to turn the church black. That comment alone would indicate that here is a church or at least some people within the church who have a problem with identity. I am currently serving in a culturally contextual congregation very similar to Riverside though considerably smaller. I am the first African-American pastor in the 140 year history of this congregation and I have heard very similar comments. My Counsel to Reverend Braxton,
continue to love the people, preach prophetically and lead with a pastor’s heart.
The Reverend Kenneth Wheeler

By: Ally

Ally — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:31:48 +0000

I find it very interesting that a Christian congregation would have a problem with a pastor who put emphasis on Jesus and on scripture. Since when is stressing a personal relationship with Christ fundamentalism? These folks have a faulty idea of what fundamentalism is. Evangelicalism and fundamentalism are not the same thing. The terms are not interchangeable. An evangelical can be politically liberal and still focus on the Atonement. He or she can even take a less that literal view of scripture. A fundamentalist believes that the Bible is both infallible and inerrant. There is no room for debate. One can believe that knowing Jesus as Savior and uphold the tenets of Scripture without believing it’s entirely inerrant. That person can still be fervantly evangelical. But biblical inerrancy is essential to fundamentalism. If some members of Riverside are going to throw the word fundamentalism around, they should be sure they even know what the meaning of the word. It appears they do not.

By: Eugene Pistorese

Eugene Pistorese — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:34:08 +0000

Interestingly enough, he could actually be a fundamentalist and not know it. Fundamentalism, not to be confused with the modern-day politicized version, is about belief in seven tenets of the Christian faith, the atoning work of Christ on the cross as the most important, in my view. The idea that one has to be opposed to the state allowing gays to marry is not a tenet of Fundamentalism–only of crackpot-ism.

By: Fr Gary Daniels

Fr Gary Daniels — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:24:50 +0000

One finds it hard to find where Riverside Church was “a more open and inclusive inter-denominational congregation.” And what theology is preached? It certainly strays from orthodoxy. Tragically, when one preaches as liberal or conservative, we end up with a lack of spiritual growth and an absence of a biblically-based foundation for our Christian walk. Aside from the claims of racism, it is very easy to see how it has become a divided congregation. The theology is divided. Where is the expository preaching and the historical biblical truths – articulated in the rich creeds and confessions?

A sense of social justice derives from theology and not theology from social justice. Where is the church leadership? St. Paul always spoke in terms of doing things decently in orderly. With all of the brilliance in the credentials of man in the pulpit, we still lack the power of the gospel. That’s what is sad.

Let us go back to the cross and put the death, burial and resurrection of Christ back into the equation.

In The Service of Christ I Remain

By: Deacon Ernest Norman

Deacon Ernest Norman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:48:53 +0000

It’s to bad people don’t want to hear the truth! The only way to God is to accept His son Jesus as our personal savior. I know anything about this church but it seems to me they need to let this pastor do what he was called to do (preach and teach God’s holy word). If it takes preaching at the membership, then so be it. I know this pastor will tell you he is not perfect, but the members act as though they are perfect, and can’t be addressed in any manner than what they are use to. They need to get to know who God is, and develope a relationship for themselves with Him.

By: Nia

Nia — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:58:50 +0000

I caught this segment midstream, but it took all of about that time for me to see strong parallels to the same thing happening in my own church. The challenge to a comment that Elijah has said is for a church NOT to feel that “since they’ve made their bed, they have to lie in it.” I do realize that the depth of the concerns at Riverside could not be properly presented in such a short time; that one shouldn’t take the extended interview (where were the questions that prompted the “answers”- it was more of an essay) for face value, either. My church is not as large as Riverside, nor is it as racially diverse (I do realize that as I direct concerned members to this site to watch the video, they will also read the comments, see my name and put it together), but I am seeing long time members leave, whole families dissolved to the point that one to two representatives of these clans exist; I’m hearing frustration. No one -be it individual or within a congregation- should develop and accept a self-defeatist morale; watching a church begin to implode (especially when requests for spiritual help from higher conference levels seem to go ignored)is beyond frustration.