SHAME ON YOU CHRIS ROSEBROUGH / PHIL JOHNSON / JUSTIN PETERS RE JD HALL

(3) F4F | The Fall of JD Hall - YouTube

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5:11).

It is likely that a number of people in Sydney Montana are rejoicing and praising the Lord following the arrest of JD Hall on the 11th of May for DUI, and the later charges of domestic violence with a weapon and embezzlement. Hall is no longer listed as the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sydney, Montana, and he has been removed from the staff of Protestia (originally Pulpit & Pen).

It is difficult to comprehend the attitude of Chris Rosebrough, Phil Johnson and Justin Peters during the above "discussion" dated 7th of July. This video appeared to me to be a blatant attempt to block others from publicly evaluating Hall's "ministry". The seriousness of the accusations against Hall does not warrant the accusation of "gloating" or "gossiping" against those who have ventured to express their views publicly. Does Justin Peters claim to know the intentions of the heart? (Hebrews 4:12). Someone who sets themselves up as a pastor with a public profile should be tested biblically and should be held accountable and publicly exposed. (1 John 4:1). It is pertinent to point out that the discussion is not limited exclusively to Rosebrough and his cronies, and that others do actually have the right to discuss and question Hall's "ministry", particularly in light of recent events. Isn't this precisely what these three "watchmen" do in cases that do not involve their own particular clique? Was Paul gossiping about the problem at Corinth? (1 Corinthians 5:1). The church should operate in an atmosphere of complete integrity and openness, especially when things go wrong. 

Our three "watchmen" described how they had implored and admonished Hall on multiple occasions privately regarding his "pugnacious" attitude. Phil Johnson compared Hall to the infamous pastor, J Frank Norris, who shot and killed an unarmed man in his office in 1927. {1}  Rosebrough, Johnson and Peters obviously recognized how dangerous Hall was, both spiritually and physically, and yet they decided to limit their actions to private admonitions!

In such a dire situation it would have been appropriate to put some sort of plan into place. Although the JD Hall situation did not fit the guidelines in Matthew 18, it would have been wise to set up a meeting and remonstrate with Hall as a group. After that, it would have been appropriate to approach Hall's church elders. I believe that this step would have been futile at that time, but at least it would have demonstrated their concerns. According to Micah Hershberger, Hall fired the elders of Fellowship Bible Church in 2014 as a result of their attempts to hold him accountable following the suicide of Braxton Caner. {2} It appears that during 2014, Fellowship Independent Church quickly degenerated into a church with an unhealthy pattern of leadership. In other words, Hall allegedly appointed yes-men as elders, and FBC was effectually transformed into an autocracy. As such, any attempt to hold Hall accountable would have been futile prior to recent events. 

The last step would have been for our three "watchmen" to warn the body of Christ publicly about Hall on their platforms instead of turning a blind eye and essentially propping him up. Paul did not hesitate to publicly call out Peter, his fellow apostle, when he was in error and in danger of damaging the body of Christ. (Galatians 2:11-14). It appears that different criteria apply to many discernment ministries where their own camp is concerned. Given Hall's aberrant behaviour and his alleged arsenal of weapons, it is clear that the concerns of Phil Johnson that Hall posed a life-threatening hazard to others was no exaggeration. How then can we explain his reticence to sound the alarm? (Ezekiel 33:6).

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:16-17).

Justin Peters' dishonesty

   

Justin Peters: "For the last several years I have not publicly connected myself with Jordan, I have not promoted any of his teaching.." (23:00 mark) 

Justin Peters at Fellowship Bible Church Church 7th March 2021: Good morning. I hope everyone is doing well this morning. It is a joy to be with you, it truly is. I have been here once before and it's been a while, seven eight or so, nine years ago maybe, it's been quite a while, so it's a joy to be back. I appreciate so much Jordan's friendship and the kindness and support that he has shown me.." {3} 

To add to the reticence of these "watchmen" to publicly expose Hall as an extremely dangerous man, we are also faced with further difficulties regarding the dishonesty of Justin Peters. Peters' rightly exposes all kinds of dishonesty and lies amongst false teachers, but apparently the rules do not apply to him! We now have to try to make sense of his own dishonesty in falsely stating that he had not publicly connected with Hall for "several years". I have given Justin Peters the benefit of the doubt on previous occasions, particularly regarding the Doreen Virtue incident. It should have been clear to both Rosebrough and Peters that Doreen Virtue had no business seamlessly switching her New Age platform to a Christian "ministry", including detailed accounts of her dubious vision of Jesus, both online and in her book. {4} Rosebrough and Peters' managed to bring some correction to Doreen Virtue, but the whole mess could have been avoided if they had done their due diligence and acted wisely instead of making excuses for yet another Calvinist. 

We have heard nothing further from our three "watchmen" regarding Hall since their attempt to close down the discussion on the 7th of July. Does this mean that they will follow the pattern of other hirelings who choose to ignore troublesome issues hoping that they will go away? The sin of partiality is very serious, particularly for those claiming to operate discernment ministries. (Proverbs 24:23). This is especially relevant considering their wholesale condemnation of Word-Faith NAR prosperity teachers and other heretics. (James 3:1). If we can’t take the plank out of our own eye, then we have no chance of addressing the errors of others. (Matthew 7:5). 

But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31).

1. Lessons from the Megachurch Pastor Who Killed a Man (thegospelcoalition.org)
2. (1) The Jordan Hall Story - Corruption, Cover-Up & Abuse - YouTube
3. SermonAudio - Media Player
4. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: DOREEN VIRTUE: BEYOND REPROOF (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)

J.D. Hall Removed from Church for ‘Failure to Demonstrate Repentance’ (julieroys.com)

CHRIS ROSEBROUGH # PHIL JOHNSON # JUSTIN PETERS: THE FALL OF CULT LEADER JD HALL

(25) F4F | The Fall of JD Hall - YouTube

Chris Rosebrough, Phil Johnson and Justin Peters' recent discussion regarding the fall of their friend JD Hall completely failed to hit the mark. No doubt many who have observed JD Hall's ungodly methods and abusive behaviour over the years are relieved that he has gone ~ but if we say anything about it apparently we are gloating. Really? Gloating has nothing to do with it! 

Chris Rosebrough began by praising the elders of JD Hall's church (Fellowship Baptist Church, Sidney, Montana) because they have exercised church discipline. Rosebrough noted that such an occurrence is unusual in our time and that elders rarely initiate church discipline. The general pattern I have observed is that when a church leader is caught out publicly, or when the evidence against him is overwhelming, then, and only then, is church discipline initiated. JD Hall was caught red-handed by the police in May on DUI and weapons charges. Otherwise, I am convinced that no action by the leadership would have been taken. The statement from the FBC leadership refers to an "incident" that took place on Sunday the 5th of June 2022, but they have neglected to apprise the public of any details regarding this. {1} It is alleged that this further "incident" involving Hall on the 5th of June was a physical attack against his wife and ten-year-old daughter. The offense has been described by the Sidney Police Department MT as "Assault With Weapon.. Forces used: Knife/Cutting instrument" and "Strangulation of Partner or Family Member". {2} It appears that the leaders of FBC have attempted to cover up this dreadful incident and that they are not supporting Mrs Hall and her family as they claim! Evidently, Hall is also under investigation for “Theft Exceeding $10,000 By Embezzlement”. {3} 

JD Hall has gone unchecked for a number of years, leaving a trail of devastation behind him. He should have gone a long time ago, but he was not held accountable. In effect, the leaders of FBC had little choice but to enforce church discipline following recent events and they have nothing to be proud of. I believe that the leaders of FBC are culpable for allowing Hall to continue in his position for so long. 

JD Hall was a cult leader and a bully 

The discussion between Rosebrough, Johnson and Peters was all about JD Hall, his problems, his addiction to Xanax and how to "restore" him.  Apart from a quick reference to one of his more recent misdemeanors, nothing was said about the people/families Hall has damaged over the years, not least the suicide of Braxton Caner in 2014. Hall was accused of cyber-bullying Braxton Caner, the teenage son of pastor and Brewton-Parker College President Ergun Caner weeks before the youth committed suicide. Although Hall expressed regret, his behavioral problems were clearly ongoing. 

Around the same time as the suicide of Braxton Caner, Hall admitted that his overzealous quest to expose corruption in the Baptist church had devolved into an adversarial approach to problem-solving that was downright sinful, and he claimed that he was already in the process of changing his ways weeks before Braxton's suicide.

Hall was the voice of the Pulpit&Pen (later renamed Protestia). Last year, Hall was sued for libel after a story was published in the Montana Gazette about Adrian Jawort, a Native American activist. In that article, Hall referred to Jawort as a “transvestite Goth” and accused him of threatening a state senator.

As part of a settlement, Hall admitted that the story was fabricated and apologized, according to the Great Falls Tribune. (1 Corinthians 6:10). The libel suit was dismissed with the agreement Jawort will be able to make a claim of $250,000 against Hall, who is currently in bankruptcy.

Hall: “I apologize to Adrian Jawort.. The information I published about Adrian was false. Adrian did not threaten or harass Senator Butch Gillespie. I regret the error and sincerely apologize to Adrian for publishing it.” {4}

Hall's gutter press tactics against Servus Christi (Joshua Chavez) and his accusations of "human trafficking" were insupportable. {5} Hall renamed Chavez "Servus Diablos". He also referred to Chavez as "Servetus" which was a reference to Michael Servetus, the man who was murdered by John Calvin. {6} I viewed this as a veiled threat against Chavez. Chavez himself voiced concerns that there was a potential threat from Hall in January 2019. (1:14:00 mark) (26) Pulpit & Pen Founder Finally Critiques John MacArthur? - YouTube 

Hall reportedly bullied his own congregation to the degree that those who came into conflict with him even feared for their physical safety!

Garrett Mullett: "Never before JD Hall had I encountered attendees, members, or leaders of a church – past or present – afraid for their physical safety or that of their family after conflict with a pastor. Yet I have heard such concerns more than once with regards to Jordan and his church." {7}  

These are not the actions of a born-again Christian, much less a pastor! ..not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:3).

Hall has stated that unless a person is in "covenant membership" with a local church then they are not a Christian! Our covenant is with Jesus Christ, it is not with bullies, liars and revilers masquerading as leaders. (1 John 2:4). Is it any wonder that true believers are leaving the churches en masse, even those churches claiming to have "sound doctrine"?

After so much damage and so many red flags, most of us would have learned a lesson, but Hall did not. He was left unchecked until his arrest in May. 

When the fruit of the spirit is so glaringly absent from the life of an individual, then we need to question whether he/she is in fact a saved believer. (Galatians 5:16-24). To refer to Hall as a "Christian" on the basis of doctrine alone is questionable. In my view, the term "Christian" cannot be applied to someone who claims to have faith but has no works. (James 2:14).  

Does JD Hall have sound doctrine?  

The Reformed (Calvinist) limitation of salvation (limited atonement) to the chosen few is a perverted doctrine. Jesus came to offer salvation to the whole world. (John 3:16; Matthew 11:28). Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are essential biblical requirements for believers and Hall has failed to demonstrate either of these. (Philippians 4:9). The Protestant tyrant John Calvin ran Geneva like a gulag from 1541 to 1564. Hall became Calvin's disciple indeed, but he has certainly not exhibited any evidence of being a disciple of Jesus Christ! He has made a mockery of the noble calling of a pastor. (1 Timothy 3:1-3).

For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:7-9).

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. (1 Timothy 3:1-3).

They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed. (Titus 1:16).

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.. (Titus 3:10).

I like Chris Rosebrough and Justin Peters and I have learned a lot from some of their teachings. Having said that, I have major problems with Calvinism and also with some aspects of Lutheranism. The elephant in the room is their staunch support for false teacher John MacArthur who appears to be their "pope". 

Further Links

(29) The Jordan Hall Story - Corruption, Cover-Up & Abuse - YouTube
(Update #2) J.D. Hall Is Accused of Domestic Violence with a Weapon as well as Embezzlement. He Also Has Had A Lot of Guns. What Did the Church Know? | The Wartburg Watch 2022

1. Statement on the Disqualification of JD Hall - Protestia
2. Protestia Founder Jordan Hall Attacks Wife & Daughter | Servus Christi
3. Protestia Founder Jordan Hall Investigated For Embezzlement | Servus Christi
4. J.D. Hall, pastor and founder of Pulpit&Pen, admits fabricating story about trans activist (religionnews.com)
5. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: PULPIT AND PEN'S BIG SCOOP ON SERVUS CHRISTI: GUTTER PRESS TACTICS (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
6. Servus Christi's Life of Sin to Be Exposed on Monday (pulpitandpen.org)
7. Empowering JD Hall Hurts Good People and Worthy Causes (onthe.rocks)