Tullian Tchividjian

Early life and education William Graham Tullian Tchividjian, whose third given name is shortened from his namesake, the theologian of antiquity, Tertullian, was born on July 13, 1972, Tchividjian's older brother, Basyle "Boz" Tchividjian, is a former Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the founder and former CEO of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE). Tchividjian attended the Westminster Academy, an educational ministry of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a time, but is described as having "dropped out during a period of rebellion - sinking into South Florida's 'pleasure-saturated culture' ... then [coming] to a personal faith in Jesus at the age of 21 and return[ing] to a Christian lifestyle." Tchividjian subsequently earned an M.Div. degree at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando in 2001, ==Career==

New City Presbyterian (Coconut Creek) and earlier Before founding New City Presbyterian Church in Coconut Creek, Florida, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation, Tchividjian spent "a short two-year stint at a Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee". ca. 2003. Tchividjian brought with him a less formal worship style from New City, for instance, conducting services in a suit and tie rather than the vestments Kennedy had worn. Challenge At one time drawing 7,000 worshipers, Kennedy's Coral Ridge "had been in decline" since the death of its famous first preacher in 2007; Tchividjian's presented vision, his relative youth (aged 36 at time of installation), and his association with the famous Graham family and were seen by the church elders as a way to "revive... the aging congregation." However, the response of the church to the difference in pastoral styles, and "Tchividjian's rejection of culture war politics" led to "chaos" in the church, and Tchividjian's recall was sought by a group led by Kennedy's daughter, Jennifer, within 6 months of his installation. Tchividjian was retained by a majority of the congregation in September 2009. and the individuals bringing the removal action were described as being banned from the church. On August 11, the South Florida Presbytery of the PCA ruled him "unfit for Christian ministry" and deposed him from his call as teaching elder. Willow Creek (Winter Springs) On September 2, 2015 it was announced that Tchvidjian was hired to a non-leadership, non-pastoral staff position, Tchvidjian was fired from the position at Willow Creek on March 16, 2016, following the disclosure of a second extramarital affair, one predating his earlier admitted affair, one that had also occurred during his previous position in pastoral leadership at Coral Ridge. The Sanctuary (Jupiter) In 2019, Tullian Tchividjian announced the formation of The Sanctuary, an independent church, meeting in Jupiter, Florida. ==Other ministries led==

Tchividjian was among those who founded LIBERATE, LIBERATE was closed indefinitely after Tchividjian's resignation from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. A related organisation, Liberate Network, was initiated by Tchividjian after his hiring by Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, but was disbanded within months of its launch, following his departure from that second church after the revelation of other affairs. ==Writings==

Articles Tchividjian has written for Christianity Today and other print outlets. In addition, Tchividjian was a contributor to ''Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day, published by the Reformed network called The Gospel Coalition (TGC) in 2011, and was a contributing editor of Christianity Today Leadership Journal''. In 2014, a dispute regarding differing theologies of sanctification was described by TGC founders Tim Keller and Don Carson as "becoming increasingly sharp and divisive rather than moving toward greater unity," leading the TGC Council to decide to remove Tchividjian's blog from the network's website. Part of the division stemmed from Tchividjian's teaching, which many within the Reformed community criticized as endorsing antinomianism, a claim which Tchividjian denies. Christianity Today described Tchividjian's final blog post on the network as "complain[ing] that he had been abruptly ordered off the Reformed network," As of December 2016, Tchividjian has also written a few blog posts for a variety of other publications, including the Huffington Post, and the religious ecumenical website OnFaith. Books Tchividjian has written several books. Some of the works are as follows. • • • • • • • • Reception and controversy Jesus + Nothing = Everything (2011) was the co-awardee of Christianity Today Book Award in the category Christian Living in 2012, and was a finalist in the non-fiction category for the 2012 Christian Book Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). In 2013, Mark Jones, a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America, published a book on antinomianism that explicitly labeled Tchividjian's book as "one lengthy antinomian diatribe." Crossway, publisher of Tchividjian's Jesus + ..., Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free (2012) was also a finalist in the non-fiction category for the 2013 Christian Book Awards from the ECPA. As of December 2016, the Christian publisher David C. Cook remained committed to publishing Tchividjian's next book. In 2018, the Christian Post reported on Tchividjian blogging that indicated that Jesus + ... would be republished by Fortress Press. Social media Tchividjian has maintained a presence on social media throughout his ministry, and has "remained active on social media" since resigning his ministry positions in 2015, stating to Christianity Today that "leaving the public eye would undermine the message of grace" that he had advocated. ==Public appearances==

Tchividjian has appeared on Fox News, Morning Joe, Sean Hannity, and The 700 Club. ==Personal life==

In a story done at the time of the announcement of the merger of his New City church plant and Coral Ridge, Tchividjian is described as enjoying "weightlifting while playing the likes of Coldplay or John Mayer on his iPod… surfing when time permits, as well as spending time with wife Kim and their children." He is step-father to her two sons. ==Further reading==