
LTRP Note: The following out-of-house news story is posted for informational and research purposes. Lighthouse Trails has been concerned about John Ortberg’s contemplative/emergent propensities for many years. In this case, our concerns extend to the protection of children in the church. Lighthouse Trails has been a voice and an advocate for children since our inception in 2002. We have posted numerous articles to this effect and have published books and booklets pertaining to child sexual abuse and the cover-up that often takes place. Parents, if you have children who attend Sunday School, youth group, and other youth activities, please be vigilant in making sure your children are safe, and make sure your church is doing everything possible to protect the children in its care. Please see the links we have provided below this article for further information.
By Religious News Service (RNS)
Megachurch pastor John Ortberg kept a family member’s attraction to children secret. Then his son blew the whistle.
(RNS) — In the summer of 2018, a volunteer at Menlo Church came to the Rev. John Ortberg seeking help.
The congregation member, who volunteered with youth and children at the Bay area megachurch and in the community, had been experiencing “an unwanted thought pattern of attraction to minors” and needed the pastor’s support.
After hearing this admission, Ortberg asked if the volunteer had ever acted on that attraction.
The volunteer said no.
Once Ortberg was convinced the volunteer was telling the truth and was not a danger to others, he prayed for the person and offered a referral for counseling and then allowed the volunteer to continue working with children. Click here to continue reading.
Related Information and Resources:
LT Resources to Protect Children From Sexual Abuse – Many of these resources provide helpful information on how churches can protect the children in their care (especially Sergeant Patrick Crough’s book Seducers Among Our Children and Pastor Stacey Shifflet’s book Wolves Among Lambs).
2006 – “Ted Haggard Story Will Raise Serious Questions For All”
2012 – “Tom White, Abuse, VOM, and the Power of the Internet”
2013 – Recent Events Show America’s Children in Grave Increased Danger of Sexual Abuse
There is much more sexual immorality in the churches using the spiritual formation, according to my son, who is a missionary. It is very alarming to see this happening to our children and young people. The Emergents and Progressives are not taking care of our families.
Laverty is a male who trashed to female, and his wife a female stranded to male. Ironically, Laverty pointing his brother’s, aberrant behavior as worse than his own, since the world has accepted his behavior “acceptable.”. This is so sad in so many ways! It’s easy to say what should have been done, and much could have been done . As a parent, I can’t even wrap my head around it all. So much grief! It’s so insidious, so much to unravel, so sad!
“Daniel” is a female, pretending to be a male. I’m saddened by so many replies to the full article hailing HER as a hero…This is all messed up. Sin abounds…Praying for God’s Light of Truth to shine on this whole situation, and hearts to be rended before the throne of our Holy God.
I was not able to reply to my message below, so I’m posting this here: Oops, correction. Please excuse my inadvertent error. “Daniel” is not a brother. She is the other sister. Such denial and outright lies are plenty bad enough in the world — when they infect the Body of Christ, they are dangerous!
WOW. I had no idea this pastor’s family was so riddled with such severe issues. I feel so sorry for the pastor’s wife and daughter (who is said to be keeping her child(ren) away from the younger brother, Johnny). I don’t know, maybe the wife is okay with the sin in their family(?) if she has bought into the whole “emergent” thing.
“Emergent” is just a euphemism for “God-rejecting” (at least the one true God), “Bible-rejecting”, unGodly, unBiblical, open to all sorts of lies of the devil, corrupted by the enemy of all men’s souls.
According to God’s own Word (1 or 2 Timothy, maybe other scriptures), John Ortberg should not be a pastor! It is so sad and tragic that some churches (including the one he came from, Willow Creek) have such low unBiblical standards for their pastors/leaders. How the Body of Christ needs not just revival, but true life-changing conversion such as we see throughout the New Testament!