Gilbert Bilezikian (born June 26, 1927, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) is an American Christian writer, professor, and lecturer. Along with

Bill Hybels William Hybels (born December 12, 1951) is an American church figure and author. He is the founding and former senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the most attended churches in North America, with ...

, Bilezikian is a co-founder of

Willow Creek Community Church Willow Creek Community Church is an Evangelical non-denominational, multi-site megachurch. Its largest campus is located in the northwestern Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois. It was founded on October 12, 1975 by Dave Holmbo and Bill H ...

in South Barrington, Illinois, "one of America's most important churches". In 2000, ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' referred to Bilezikian as "the man behind the

megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...

". In 2020, Willow Creek announced that allegations of sexual abuse had been made against Bilezikian.

Early life and education

Bilezikian was reared in Paris, France, by parents who were

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

refugees. He was drafted in the French army where he served as a medic in North Africa during the Algerian liberation conflict. He first came to the United States in 1947. Bilezikian earned his BA from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, his

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his

Th.D. Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. He also pursued a seven-year post-doctoral program at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris under Professor

Oscar Cullmann Oscar Cullmann (25 February 1902, Strasbourg – 16 January 1999, Chamonix) was a French Lutheran theologian. He is best known for his work in the ecumenical movement and was partly responsible for the establishment of dialogue between the Luther ...

Career

Beginning in 1961, Bilezikian served for five years as pastor of Loudonville Community Church outside of

Albany, N.Y. Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

He returned to Paris for seven years, during which time he taught at the European Bible Institute and served as Minister of Christian Education at the American Church in Paris. For 20 years, Bilezikian was a professor at Wheaton College. He interrupted his tenure at Wheaton to assume for three years the presidency of

Haigazian University Haigazian University ( hy, Հայկազեան Համալսարան, pronounced ''Haygazyan Hamalsaran''; ar, جامعة هايكازيان) is a higher education institution founded in 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon as Haigazian College. For a brief pe ...

Beirut, Lebanon Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...

, and to teach two years at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in Deerfield, Illinois. In 1992, he became Professor of Biblical Studies Emeritus at Wheaton College. That title was rescinded on February 28, 2020, by Wheaton College, as announced in an e-mail to the community by its president, Philip Ryken. Bilezikian co-founded

with

in 1975 and was Hybels' mentor. In 2000, Hybels said, "There would be no Willow Creek without Gilbert Bilezikian." Bilezikian has been "credited with Willow Creek’s inclusion of women in its highest levels of leadership". He also helped to found

Christians for Biblical Equality Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) is an organization that promotes Christian egalitarianism also known as evangelical feminism and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. CBE's Mission Statement reads: "CBE exists to promote biblica ...

in 1988.

Sexual abuse allegations

In January 2020, Willow Creek Community Church announced that Bilezikian had "engaged in inappropriate behavior" after a longtime church member alleged he had sexually assaulted her a number of times between 1984 and 1988. Bilezikian denied the accusations and contended that the church had "violated the Bible's teaching on dealing with accusations against fellow Christians". Hybels had previously resigned from Willow Creek in April 2018 following allegations of misconduct. The Elder Board of Willow Creek stated that it had restricted Bilezikian from serving within the church when allegations were brought against him in 2010; in 2015, however, he was honored as a "living legend" of the church. In January 2020, the Elder Response Team asserted that Bilezikian had been restricted from serving in the church, but added that he had continued to teach and serve in various capacities because "the restriction was not adequately communicated". In May 2020, Bilezikian filed a defamation lawsuit against the church.

Publications

In addition to numerous articles, Bilezikian is the author of several books, including the following: *''Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says about a Woman's Place in Church and Family'' (1985 1st Edition & 2nd Editions; 2006 3rd Edition; Baker Academic) *''Christianity 101: Your Guide to Eight Basic Christian Beliefs'' (1993 Zondervan) *''Community 101'' (1993 Zondervan) *''Community 101: Reclaiming the Local Church as Community of Oneness'' * ''Comunidad Elemental: Reivindicando la iglesia locol como una comunidad unida'' (Spanish ed.) *''From Despair to Hope'' (2012) *''How I Changed My Mind about Women in Leadership'' (2010 Zondervan) *''The Liberated Gospel: A Comparison of the Gospel of Mark and Greek Tragedy'' (1977 Baker; reprinted 2010 Wipf and Stock)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilezikian, Gilbert 1927 births American male writers Boston University School of Theology alumni French Protestants Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni Academic staff of Haigazian University Living people Trinity International University faculty University of Paris alumni Wheaton College (Illinois) faculty French emigrants to the United States American people of Armenian descent French people of Armenian descent Sexual abuse scandals in Evangelicalism