After fending off a legal battle from dissenting congregants who sought to block his installation, Riverside Church pastor Dr. Brad Braxton has decided to step down after all. His critics had objected to what they perceived as an extravagant $600,000 compensation package and worried that Braxton was moving the church away from its traditionally progressive agenda to a more conservative religious attitude. Braxton, a Baptist minister and former Rhodes scholar, had sought to style himself as "progressive evangelical," but in the end seemed unable to unite the congregation. In his resignation letter, obtained by the Times, he wrote that "the congregation has struggled publicly for decades about the kind of church that it should be and the kind of pastor who should be its voice. In recent months, these struggles have created a level of antagonism within the congregation that undermines the community’s efforts to embody harmony in the name of Jesus Christ. The consistent discord has made it virtually impossible to establish a fruitful covenant between the congregation and me." more ›

After a Manhattan Supreme Court judge refused to block the installation of Riverside Church's new pastor, the Reverend Brad Braxton ascended to the pulpit Saturday to defend his $600,000 compensation package. In a sermon entitled "Fear Not," Braxton told the congregation that his critics were "mistaking molehills for mountains," and that his priority would be "the sacred business of moving mountains." Also, according to Braxton, the Almighty approves: "God told me all week, 'I got you.'" (Paid?) Earlier this month, dissident parishioners at the historically liberal church took the unusual step of suing to block his appointment after learning of his pay package, which they say wasn't fully disclosed before they voted him in. But 63-year-old Naomi Griffin, a 25-year member of the church, told the Daily News on Sunday that "these dissidents don't seem to want to do things right." Also in attendance was Governor Paterson, who was married at Riverside 17 years ago; he voiced his support for Braxton, noting his "rare combination of skills." more ›