Megachurch Misconduct

This article analyzes the rhetoric of Pastor Matt Chandler and the elder board of The Village Church in Texas to introduce the concept of a rhetoric of presumed forgiveness, a strategy of transcendence in the rhetorical genre of apologia, as a vital form of public address. Critiquing the sermon where Chandler’s leave was announced demonstrates how The Village Church manipulates their congregation by evoking the spiritual concept of forgiveness and asserting that God’s forgiveness must lead to the community’s forgiveness of Chandler’s misconduct. Using the distorted apologia to escape judgment, the leadership sets the terms for forgiveness, asserts they have already been met, and thus maintains control of their community

Forgiveness · Rhetoric · Rhetorical criticism · Rhetorical question · Sermon · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Rhetoric and Communication Studies