Riverbend Accountability

 In an email dated Wednesday, August 24, 2025, Jason Karr wrote to Riverbend Academy parents and said, “Our statement of faith holds to what is called a complementarian view. This is the view I have held and taught for decades. Looking back and evaluating my words in a Question and Answer podcast earlier this summer, I see now that some issues which are matters of conscience, I presented in a way that came across as biblical mandates […] I, and Riverbend, support women voting.”

In the now infamous YouTube video that Riverbend posted this summer (and later removed, presumably because it hurt their public image), Josh Brown stated that “he and the elders” espoused the views expressed in this Q&A series. In the video, Brown and Karr pontificated on not only women’s right to vote as a government attempt to undermine the family unit, but actually went so far as to teach that women voting is the reason for moral and social decline in our nation.

To be clear: this is not an expression of singular outrage regarding the issue that Riverbend doesn’t believe women should have ever been allowed to vote. It’s 2025. We regret to inform you that women will be continuing to vote. This address today is because these articulated beliefs about women are incredibly disparaging and belittling, yet you felt that you could confidently utter those words publicly in 2025 and have no repercussions.

Jason Karr, Josh Brown, and the church body at Riverbend- if you have reconsidered your stance, you need to transparently, whole heartedly, and publicly retract your position. If you have not, then at least stand on your position with a backbone, not delete your past words in hopes that the public will move along.

All videos and sermons about gender have been removed from Riverbend's channel, including an extra-biblical sermon on feminism - but you have not explained why. The community needs and demands transparency. Church members, former members who still care about the church, and Riverbend Academy parents have the right to know what elders actually believe because these teachings percolate into the church and school.

If these videos no longer align with the elders' beliefs, tell us, and tell the public right now. Because of the public nature of this video series and the wide-spread effects of this toxic ideology, it is incumbent upon the Riverbend elders to explicitly and publicly explain any shift away from this teaching.

A private email to Academy parents is inadequate. Indeed, it is a cop out. This view has caused a gut-checking pain and shock to many. The theology Riverbend has explicitly communicated regarding a woman’s place in the church, family, and society has created an environment where abusive situations are silenced and dismissed.

Riverbend must be honest and held accountable. Although Riverbend’s statement of faith may claim adherence to complementarianism, we don’t believe that for a second. This recent teaching series and video Q&A squarely aligns with patriarchal theology, popularized by men like Doug Wilson, who in a recent viral CNN interview, stated that, “women are people that people come out of.” If Riverbend is to be believed that they promote a complementarian understanding of gender, nothing short of a full-throated denouncement of patriarchal teaching will do.

Let’s not forget why this matters:

First, many women and young girls have already been shamed, silenced, and blamed for sexual, spiritual and emotional abuse—all under your theological framework.

Second, it’s gaslighting at its finest. You cannot publicly teach that women voting is disastrous, or imply that sending daughters to college is suspect, or elevate a theology that fosters silencing, fear, and alienation —and then quietly change the subject when people push back.

The bottom line, Mr. Karr and Mr. Brown, is that you spoke as men who have authority over the church and school. Your words matter. Your actions matter more. These teachings have consequences. Own up to it, or step down from spiritual leadership immediately.

This moment calls for more than damage control to your public image. It calls for honesty and repentance. The women, families, and students in our churches deserve nothing less.