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Andy Savage may not be a household name (unless you are ‘Walkin’ and ‘Livin’ in Memphis, Tennessee), but recently a woman by the name of Jules Woodson claims that Savage sexually assaulted her back in 1998 when she was 17 years of age, and Savage was a college student and on staff of Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church in Texas. For better or worse this alleged scandal was swept under the rug and Savage was able to achieve work as a teaching Pastor at Highpoint Church in Memphis, TN.
While Savage owns up to his actions, he was not defrocked and blacklisted. We live in a cursed creation and all of us can and do fall into sin. While we need to repent of our sins, certain sins should disqualify people from serving in certain church offices in this life.
Reference
Church leader connected to sexual assault accusation against Andy Savage placed on leave
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A church leader connected to sexual assault accusations against Highpoint Church pastor Andy Savage has been suspended.
On Friday, a woman named Jules Woodson came forward with allegations against Savage. The accusations stemmed from an alleged sexual assault in 1998, when Savage was a college student on staff at Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church in Texas.
Andy Savage sexual assault case: Memphis Highpoint pastor gets ovation for apology
Members of a Memphis megachurch stood and applauded their pastor on Sunday when he admitted to and apologized for engaging in a “sexual incident” with a high school student 20 years ago.
Jules Woodson, who accused Highpoint Church Pastor Andy Savage of sexually assaulting her when she was 17, told The New York Times she watched the moment, streamed live on the church’s YouTube page, in disbelief.
Memphis pastor admits to sexual incident with teen, receives standing ovation
There is a growing national spotlight on a Memphis pastor after revelations he had sexual contact with a high school girl 20 years ago.
Church members and people from all over are taking to Facebook about Highpoint Church pastor Andy Savage, who addressed his congregation Sunday.
Highpoint Church leader admits past sexual misconduct with high school student
Andy Savage released an official statement on the incident that happened while he was a college student on staff at a Texas church.
Savage is now the Teaching Pastor at Highpoint and said he told church leaders about what happened before he was hired.
Jonathan Aigner who is best known for his blog Ponder Anew and was quiet for a few months on his blog, has been very passionate about this story and has posted three commentary pieces on his blog regarding this, and is not impressed of how Highpoint Church is handling the scandal, especially in the church’s worship.
The Andy Savage Story: Christian Culture MUST Hold Abusers Accountable
One of the tragic things about contemporary megachurch worship is that it often worships the personality that built it. Pastors are given license to say and preach about practically anything they wish. Often, instead of the gospel, they cross over into a purely self-help gospel, cloaked with light biblical content to make it jesusy enough for church.
As their popularity grows, these false experts are given an extended platform for influence from those seeking to capitalize on their popularity. Christian publishing is one of the chief culprits, publishing the pop-psychologizing of these celebrity pastors in written form.
Today at Highpoint Church: When a Worship Song Is Blasphemous
To summarize, Jules was taken in a car under false pretenses by her youth pastor, Andy Savage, and sexually assaulted in a remote location. When she alerted her pastors at Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church, now mini-megachurch StoneBridge, she was shamed and silenced. Andy was ceremoniously let go and sent home to Memphis. Since then, he has risen to a level of evangelical prominence, publishing books, releasing podcasts, and taking the role of Teaching Pastor at Highpoint Church in Memphis.
Along the way, he has been protected by a circle of good old boys, who knew, but have held this secret inside.
Highpoint Worship Leader Either Receives the Holy Spirit or Goes Crazy
This video is taken from Highpoint Church’s services on January 7, 2018. This particular Sunday will be forever chronicled on the internet and known as the Sunday Lowpoint…err…Highpoint publicly shamed a sexual assault victim while affirming their solidarity and support of her admitted attacker, Teaching Pastor Andy Savage.
I don’t know this person, so please don’t suggest I’m attacking her personally. But ladies and gentlemen, this is why you don’t give your worship leader a microphone.
I would hope that maybe we can all step back and exam our leaders, and how we should worship God in church and what is proper corporate worship. Maybe we can finally divorce the Nashville CCM machine and have a counter-cultural Christian Church that can show people that it is truly different than this world gone mad.
Aigner also highlights a video taken from Highpoint’s recent service in which their music set turned out to be (to quote a song title from the metal band Exodus) a “Fabulous Disaster.” Young Lady, your pastor is imperfect and you and your church need to truly focus on Jesus Christ right now, and raise your pastor up in prayer. Andy and your church building and body are only temporary things. You are passing up an opportunity to proclaim the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ here…but then again your role is to sing. Maybe we should apply Laura Ingraham’s “Shut Up and Sing” rule here as well. Meanwhile, Ainger calls the young girl’s bluff and presents a classic example of why historical church worship in which there is much logic in the matter as the better route.
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