Extended Interview: Michael Lynch

The Real David Platt: Extended Interview reveals yet another devastating chapter in the unraveling of McLean Bible Church under David Platt’s leadership. This episode spotlights the longtime leaders of Discovering the Word, a beloved Bible-teaching community group, who were targeted, discredited, and removed for refusing to conform to a growing culture of authoritarian control and indoctrination into the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Despite faithfully teaching Scripture for years, these leaders were pressured by Campus Pastor Nate Reed and church leadership to abandon critical thinking and to avoid praying about or reflecting on the corruption taking place at MBC. When they resisted, they were ambushed in a staged meeting, falsely accused of spreading “misinformation,” and immediately dismissed from leadership—as exposed by a pre-written email sent just 15 minutes after the meeting. Leaders like Elder Wayne Fito lied about recording the meeting, manipulated the narrative, and fueled a smear campaign to cover up the abuse of power. Some members accepted the lies. Others witnessed firsthand the spiritual abuse, dishonesty, and consolidation of control that betrayed the church’s founding values. This extended interview is a sobering look into the inner workings of a church takeover, where biblical integrity was replaced by political control, dissent was crushed, and truth became a threat.