Whitworth University will present Joseph Wittwer, senior pastor at Spokane’s Life Center Foursquare Church, with the Whitworth University Distinguished Ministry Leadership Award later this month.
Wittwer will be honored for his decades of excellence in ministry to the Spokane community in an event on March 29, at 7 p.m. in Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre.
The ceremony will take place in conjunction with the annual Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology Lecture, presented this year by the current chair, Adam Neder. There, Neder will offer a theological reflection on the art of teaching Christian theology.
The event is open to the public, and admission is free.
Wittwer earned his M.A. in theology at Whitworth, and he has joined the university’s theology department in teaching for the Whitworth Academy of Christian Discipleship. For many years, he and Whitworth Professor of Theology Jerry Sittser have co-led a reading group for young church planters in Spokane, according to a press release.
Wittwer joined Life Center Foursquare in 1978 as lead pastor and primary speaker. At the time of his arrival, Life Center had a membership of 100 people. The church currently welcomes more than 5,000 congregants each weekend. Over the past decade, Life Center has planted 16 churches, including some of the largest in Spokane, such as Summit Ridge and Life Center North.
The man who wrote this: http://www.lifecenter.net/sermon-transcript/gay-marriage/ is no master of theology. In this “sermon” Wittwer uses one bible passage to prove his warped interpretation on “biblical marriage” while simultaneously taking other single bible verses out of context in order to try and prove his main point. This is the worst kind of proof texting, and I’m sorry to see Whitwoth hold this up as scholarly. Bad decision, Whitworth.
You hold to a different view of the teaching of the Bible on the subject of homosexuality, but does that impugn his compete theological knowledge? I’ve met with Joe one on one about this whole issue. He’s taken a lot of effort to meet with people and talk about the views.
Eric, did you read the article I linked? And please don’t make more of my comment than was meant. I did not impugn his “compete”(?competent?) theological knowledge; I said that in the article I linked, Wittwer proof texted quite a bit and used verses out of context. I called his interp warped, because i believe it is when it is based on proof texts and verses taken out of context. I have since learned that this article was written during his Masters work, and that possibly, his opinion on so-called biblical marriage has changed. If you haveo ther articles of his that you would like to link here, I will gladly read them, but until I see different, I still question his scholarship.
As for his receiving this award, Wittwer IS a leader in ministry in Spokane, and as such deserves recognition.
Congratulations to Pastor Joe! I am indebted to him and his church for the many ways they have helped me and our church through financial investments, friendship and support. The kingdom of God has multiplied in this city and region through numerous church plants, ministries and church members spread through out the NW.