Tag: Sovereign Grace Ministries

LEADERSHIP OF JOSH DUGGAR’S TREATMENT CENTER ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN SEX ABUSE COVERUP~A LONG LINE OF INTERCONNECTED SEX SCANDALS & FAILURE TO REPORT TO AUTHORITIES

BIBLE MIXED WITH PSYCHOHERESY?
JOSH DUGGAR AT “REFORMERS UNANIMOUS”
(NO, NOT ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 
12 STEPS, OR REFORM SCHOOL)
WILL HE BE REDEEMED AGAIN? AND BY WHOM?
IT SEEMS THE MORE “REFORMED” & “FUNDAMENTAL”, 
THE MORE APOSTATE 
PARALLELS SEX SCANDALS OF BOB JONES UNIVERSITY 
& SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES

SEE: http://northlove.org/ministries/local-reformers-unanimous/
SEE: http://rockfordru.org/
SEE: http://ruhomes.org/


LEADERSHIP OF JOSH DUGGAR’S TREATMENT CENTER ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED 
IN SEX ABUSE COVERUP
BY LIBBY ANNE
Earlier this week Josh Duggar checked into Reformers Unanimous (RU), a Christian residential addiction treatment program in Rockford, Illinois, run by North Love Baptist Church and co-founded by the church’s authoritarian Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) pastor, Paul Kingsbury. Over the past twenty-four-hours, I have spoken with a number of individuals involved with or affected by either North Love or Kingsbury. Of primary importance are allegations that Kingsbury is actively supporting an accused sex offender, Richard DeVall, who is serving as a missionary in Bolivia and is sponsored by North Love Baptist Church. If true, this would seem to disqualify Kingsbury from running a recovery program for individuals suffering from porn addiction and sex addiction*, but Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches seem to run by their own rules.
There are some striking similarities here. After Josh Duggar molested his younger sisters as a teenager, he was sent to one of Bill Gothard’s training centers to take part in a construction program while receiving Christian mentoring. A decade later, Bill Gothard resigned after several dozen women leveled accusations of sexual abuse against him. This time Josh has been sent to Reformers Unanimous, a program founded by a church that has a history of involvement in Gothard’s Institute for Basic Life Principles and which focuses on physical labor and Bible study. Paul Kingsbury, co-founder and chair of Reformers Unanimous, is alleged to be providing financial support through his church to an accused sex offender who has refused to return to the country to face charges. In other words, the Duggars appear to have sent Josh for round two of the same failed treatment.
In this article, I will lay out the case against Kingsbury in four sections. First I will examine Kingsbury’s relationship with Jack Schaap, who was convicted in 2013 of violating the Mann Act by transporting a minor across state lines for sex. Next I will look at Kingsbury’s alleged role in preventing accused sex offender Richard DeVall from coming to justice. Third, I will examine Kingsbury’s alleged history of failing to notify parishioners and others when a known sex offender is in their midst. Finally, I will look at the strict authoritarian manner in which Kingsbury allegedly runs North Love Baptist Church. I will finish by turning back to the Duggars and tying together some of the overarching themes running through this story.
Kingsbury’s Relationship with Convicted Abuser Jack Schaap
According to his bio on the North Love website, Kingsbury “surrendered to serve Christ with his life under the preaching ministry of Dr. Jack Hyles of Hammond, Indiana” and went on to graduate from Hyles-Anderson College. Jack Hyles spent the last decade of his life embroiled in controversy over a child sexual abuse coverup in his church. His son-in-law, Jack Schaap, who succeeded him as pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond after his death in 2001, is currently serving a twelve year prison sentence for violating the Mann Act in connection with a sexual relationship with 16- and 17-year-old parishioner. During the trial, it came to light that Schaap had groomed the minor during counseling sessions and had sex with her in his office. 
Kingsbury’s relationship with First Baptist Church of Hamnond and Hyles-Anderson is longstanding. Dan Parsons, who attended a Christian school run by North Love in the late 1970s and taught at the same school in the late 1980s, told me that students from the school were taken annually to youth conferences at Hyles-Anderson. Indeed, Kingsbury appears to maintain a relationship with First Baptist Church of Hammond and Hyles-Anderson to this day—he spoke at a Bible conference at First Baptist Church of Hammond only months after Schaap was sentenced.
Further, First Baptist Church of Hammond operates a chapter of Reformers Unanimous. This program was first brought to the church by now-imprisoned Jack Schaap. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that a sermon by Jack Schaap remains on a list of sermons Reformers Unanimous “recommends heartily” to RU students. According to Chicago magazine, Schaap was “part of what some call a deeply embedded culture of misogyny and sexual and physical abuse.” I was unable to find Kingsbury’s response to Schaap’s conviction, but I did findcomments by one of his parishioners condemning those who would condemn Schaap and invoking Kingsbury as her authority for doing so. Kingsbury’s relationship with Schaap—and Schaap’s relationship with Reformer’s Unanimous—raises concerning questions about the culture of Reformers Unanimous. 
Kingsbury’s Alleged Support for an Accused Sex Offender
Several years ago, Bob Jones University invited GRACE, an organization run by Billy Graham’s grandson and Liberty University professor Boz Tchividijian, to conduct an investigation of their handling of rape and sexual assault on campus. The final report released by GRACE detailed a situation in the early 1990s where BJU expelled and then readmitted a man accused of sexual assault. According to the GRACE report, “the alleged perpetrator minimized the extent of his crime, but he admitted to touching her inappropriately without her consent while he believed she was sleeping.” The perpetrator was readmitted to BJU after claiming that he had reconciled with his victim, but this was later revealed to be a lie.
This man, identified as Richard DeVall, is currently serving as a missionary in Bolivia. According to the GRACE report, his victim finally went to the authorities in 2012. Shortly after this she received a letter of apology from DeVall. Not satisfied, she contacted DuVall’s missionary agency, Baptist Pioneer Mission (BPM), asking them to remove him from the field “due to potential risks he could pose to others.” They refused, telling her that DeVall “had been repentant to the mission board by confessing his offense and writing a letter of apology.” When she asked whether BPM would encourage DeVall to return to the United States to face charges for his crime, the board responded that they would “use any legal means to protect” DeVall. In spite of claiming in his apology letter that he would “cooperate and work with all those who are involved in the issue,” DeVall insisted that the matter must be handled “in a Biblical way” and, according to GRACE, has refused to return to the United States to face criminal charges.
BMP’s listing of policies and procedures states that “To be eligible for appointment with BPM, the missionary applicant must be a member of and commissioned by his or her New Testament church.” According to my sources, North Love Baptist Church is DeVall’s sending church. Kingsbury, as pastor of North Love, promoted DeVall’s mission work on his blog in February 2012. The month before, in January 2012, DeVall gave a sermon at North Love. BJUGrace, a Facebook group dedicated to seeking “grace and truth, righteousness and peace in the abuse allegations at Bob Jones University,” recently posted regarding the connections between Kingsbury and DeVall as well. According to BPM’s website, “BPM will only serve individuals who are recognized and commissioned by their local church to engage in missionary work (church planting).” While BPM is DeVall’s sending agency, North Love plays a crucial role as his sending church, and as senior pastor, much of the responsibility for this falls on Kingsbury. 
One would think that accusations of sexual assault leveled against a missionary would lead a church to have second thoughts about sending them into the field, but it appears that this has not occurred in DeVall’s case in spite of the fact that both my sources and BJUGrace allege that Kingsbury was notified some time ago of the details of DeVall’s crime. Kingsbury may believe DeVall has repented of his past sin and reformed his ways. This would be in keeping with IFB theology and Gothard’s teachings, but it flies in the face of DeVall’s unwillingness to return to the U.S. where he faces the possibility of criminal charges. If it is true that North Love is continuing to sponsor DeVall even with Kingsbury’s knowledge of the allegations against him, and that they have sent him into the field and are keeping him there out of fear that he will face criminal charges if he returns to the U.S., these are serious charges indeed. What impact might such unwillingness to take sexual abuse seriously and such inattention to systems of accountability have on the culture and teachings of Reformers Unanimous? 
Kingsbury’s Alleged Failure To Warn Parishioners against Sex Offenders
Working alongside Kingsbury, Pastor Ray Borah served as the Academic Dean of North Love Baptist College, pastor at North Love Baptist Church, and counselor at Reformers Unanimous. Before coming to North Love, Borah was employed as a youth pastor at a church in Florida. While serving as youth pastor, Borah, who had been married for well over a decade, allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl and became sexually involved with two other teenagers in his youth group. It is not clear whether Kingsbury knew of these allegations when Borah joined North Love, though the recent GRACE investigation revealed that the allegations had been reported to Bob Jones University some time before Borah joined Kingsbury’s pastoral staff, but were not investigated. 
About three years ago, Borah committed another sexual offense, this one at North Love itself. What happened is unclear and has been subject to much rumor. While there is little definitive information, we do know that at this time Borah parted ways with North Love. According to sources I have spoken with, neither Kingsbury nor anyone else at North Love warned either parishioners or others who came in contact with Borah after he left North Love about Borah’s offense. This put additional individuals at risk. 
This is not the first time Kingsbury has been involved in a failure to notify parishioners or other relevant parties that they have a sex offender in their midst. According to Parsons, in the late 1970s, when Kingsbury was a youth pastor at North Love, the English teacher and basketball coach at the school attached to the church was “caught peeping into the girls’ locker room.” The man was forced to confess, but the confession was kept extremely vague—”I got away from the Lord”—and no one was notified what he had done. “That was all hush hush,” Parsons told me. “Nobody who knew was permitted to talk about it.” This man was let go from the school, but was not blacklisted in any fashion. As a result, he simply traveled to another state and found a job at a Christian school there.
While Kingsbury was not senior pastor during the situation involving the school’s English teacher and basketball coach, as youth pastor he presumably participated in keeping the matter quiet and learned by example how affairs of this sort should be handled. Indeed, Kingsbury, who became senior pastor in 1982, only a few years after this incident, describes the senior pastor at the time as his “mentor.” In allegedly failing to notify others when they have a sex offender in their midst, Kingsbury has put others at risk and has shown himself to be either unaware of or uncaring about best practices for handling sexual abuse. This does not bode well for the practices of Reformers Unanimous, which Kingsbury co-founded and which continues to operate under his direction as chairman. 
“The Authority To Do Whatever He Wanted”
In perhaps the most startling part of our conversation, Parsons described an alternative Halloween activity that Kingsbury put on during the late 1970s as an example of Kingsbury’s abusive and manipulative tactics. As Parsons explained, after the various activities at the alternative Halloween event had drawn to a close, the youth gathered in the gym, expecting to hear a short sermon. Instead, Kingsbury had the church deacons and other leaders enter the room and “stage a mass shooting with guns that shot blanks.” According to Parsons, the men “came in and scared everyone and shot into the crowd” in an effort to “scare all the kids into making a decision to accept Christ.” The experience clearly made a big impression on Parsons. “They’re very big on that fear, that kind of persuasion,” he told me.
Parsons also told me that Kingsbury rules North Love with an iron fist. Speaking of his experience at North Love in the 1970s and 1980s and his discussions with church members in the decades since, Parsons told me that Kingsbury teaches his congregation that the King James Version of the Bible is the only acceptable translation and relies heavily on “The Trail of Blood,” a 1931 pamphlet that purports to reveal that the Baptists are the true heirs of the early church. “That gave him the authority to do whatever he wanted,” Parsons said. “‘If you’re not listening to me, you’re not following the New Testament, period.’” Individual Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches frequently function as their own cults of personality, lacking an authority structure that provides accountability. The senior pastor at an IFB church—a position Kingsbury has held since 1982—often wields a great deal of authority over his parishioners, and in Kingsbury’s case, Parsons told me, that power extended to what church members wore and what Bible edition they used.
Parsons also described North Love as a Gothard church. During the 1970s and 1980s, he told me, teachers at North Love’s Christian school were required to attend Bill Gothard’s seminars annually. These conferences typically took place on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and were held in nearby Chicago. According to Parsons, the school would shut down on Friday so that the teachers could attend. After Gothard introduced his homeschool curriculum in the 1980s, some families took their children out of North Love’s Christian school to enroll them in Gothard’s program, with the support of the church. Kingsbury echoed Gothard’s teachings about women and gender, barring women from wearing pants (the school’s cheerleaders were required to sign a pledge that they wouldn’t wear pants even at home) and preaching against birth control. “Pastor Kingsbury preached from the pulpit that women were baby machines,” Parsons told me. Gothard resigned from his ministry last year as an increasing number of women accused him of sexually molesting them while they were working for him. While Parsons no longer has close friends at North Love, he told me that his friends who have retained the beliefs they were taught at North Love tend to defend Gothard. “They say that he didn’t do anything wrong,” Parsons noted.
Over the past few years, fundamentalist churches have suffered one sex abuse scandal after another. Fundamentalist colleges and missions agencies have taken a hit as well. Speaking in 2013, Boz Tchividjian shocked many when he stated that evangelicals are “worse” on sexual abuse than Catholics. Tchividjian argued that evangelicals’ individualism makes them wary of transparency and accountability, causing abuse to go unseen, ignored, or unreported. In addition, Tchividjian noted that evangelical pastors and missionaries who are ousted over abuse allegations often simply switch churches or missions agencies, leaving their sordid pasts behind them. Without an overarching hierarchy, a church may never be told of a new pastor or missionary’s past misdeeds. When churches promote strict modesty standards and portray women as temptresses, victim blaming becomes all too common, contributing to the collapse of any attempt at best practices. The cult of personality that frequently develops at IFB churches only exacerbates these problems. When one man holds all the power, that power is easy to abuse.
Conclusion
Kingsbury founded Reformers Unanimous as a ministry of North Love in 1996. Parsons described the early material used by RU as “pretty much just mindless filling in the blanks.” When I asked Parsons whether it would be accurate to say that RU seeks to cure sexual deviance in the church not by addressing the sexual ethics and power structures that so often contribute to it but rather by terming it an addiction and throwing the Bible at it, he laughed and agreed with my analysis. As others have reported already, Reformers Unanimous does not appear to have any licensed counselors on staff, and its residential program appears to be made up entirely of physical labor and Bible study. This is a path Josh Duggar has been down before, but it is the only path his parents seem able to envision. Questioning the beliefs and dynamics that lead to abuse is difficult; solving problems with a larger dose of Bible reading is the familiar default.
The Duggars have made a career out of bottling up their children’s sexual energies, keeping them set on zero until marriage and then unleashing them, but most of what they teach is common in fundamentalist churches. Women are expected to dress modestly so as not to give men the wrong idea, and sexual assault victims are asked what they did to lead their abuser on or cause their assault. When married men have affairs, their wives are blamed for not being sexually available enough to keep them at home. On top of all of this, wives are expected to submit to and obey their husbands (and children are expected to submit to and obey their parents). When taken together, these teachings can be a recipe for disaster. And there’s more, too. Once a man confesses and repents of his sexual offense, his victim must either forgive him or face charges of bitterness. A parent who is loathe to leave her children alone with a man who has molested children in the past may be accused of not believing in God’s capacity to change lives. None of this is conducive to a healthy sexual ethic, healing for abuse survivors, or safety for the community at large.
As of this week, Josh is at Reformers Unanimous, whose chairman and cofounder, Paul Kingsbury, had a longterm working relationship with convicted sexual predator Jack Schaap, is allegedly protecting an accused sex offender from justice, and allegedly has a habit of failing to notify people when a known sexual predator is in their midst. How an individual alleged to have such a troubled relationship with both legal accountability for sex offenses and established best practices for handling cases of sexual abuse can be expected to run an affective and above-board rehab program for individuals who come to him seeking help for addictions to porn or sex is perhaps question of the week.
* There is some disagreement over what porn addiction and sex addiction look like and whether they are properly labeled addictions. However, regardless of where one falls on the question, Reformers Unanimous is out of step with professional opinion in how it understands and approaches both conditions. This is transparently obvious in the simple fact that the RU website states that 50% of Christian men are addicted to pornography. RU appears to see “looks at pornography” as synonymous with “addicted to pornography,” which also calls into question the program’s ability to treat those individuals it admits.  
_______________________________________________________________
SEE ALSO:
A co-founder of Reformers Unanimous (RU), the Christian rehabilitation center in Rockford, Illinois, that Josh Duggar checked into following revelation that he had accounts with the adultery website Ashley Madison, is allegedly helping a sexual offender stay overseas on Christian mission to avoid prosecution in the United States.
According to a report by Patheos, Reformers Unanimous, co-founded in 1996 by North Love Baptist Church pastor Paul Kingsbury, as a ministry of the church, is sponsoring Richard DeVall, a missionary serving in Bolivia with the Baptist Pioneer Mission Agency. DeVall was accused of committing sexual assault on the campus of Bob Jones University (BJU) in the 1990s and was expelled from the university.
But DeVall was readmitted after he claimed he had sought forgiveness and reconciled with the victim.
GRACE, an organization run by Boz Tchividijian, professor at Liberty University and Billy Graham’s grandson, conducted an investigation of the handling of the case by BJU in 2013.
GRACE wrote, in a report released early in 2013, that “the alleged perpetrator [Richard Devall] minimized the extent of his crime, but he admitted to touching her [the victim] inappropriately without her consent while he believed she was sleeping.”
Kingsbury is allegedly providing financial support through his church to DeVall, who has refused to return to the U.S. to face charges of sexual assault after the victim reported to the authorities in 2012, and asked the Baptist Pioneer Mission (BPM) to allow DeVall return to the U.S. to face criminal charges.
BPM refused to grant the victim’s request, saying that DeVall had repented “to the mission board by confessing his offense and writing a letter of apology.”
BPM also refused to grant the request that DeVall be removed from his overseas post “due to potential risks he could pose to others.”
Although DeVall reportedly wrote a letter of apology to the victim asking for forgiveness, he has refused to return to the U.S. to face charges, saying that the matter should be handled by the church “in the Biblical way.”
When the victim asked whether BPM would support her effort to have DeVall return to the U.S. to face charges, the board allegedly responded that they “would use any legal means to protect” him.
According to Patheos, knowledgeable sources said that although Kingsbury has knowledge of the details of the allegations against DeVall, he has continued to provide support to his mission through his church. This, according to Patheos, leads to the reasonable conclusion that Kingsbury is helping to keep DeVall abroad so that he will not face criminal charges in the U.S.
Patheos also reports that Kingsbury had a relationship with Jack Schaap, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, currently serving a 12 year prison sentence after he was convicted of having sexual relations with an underage parishioner.
First Baptist Church also operates a chapter of Reformers Unanimous, introduced by Schaap.
According to the Chicago Magazine, Schaap was “part of what some call a deeply embedded culture of misogyny and sexual and physical abuse.”
“Kingsbury’s relationship with Schaap—and Schaap’s relationship with Reformer’s Unanimous—raises concerning questions about the culture of Reformers Unanimous,” Patheos adds.

“Reformers Unanimous does not appear to have any licensed counselors on staff…”

Patheos notes that the latest move by Duggar follows a previous pattern. After Duggar was accused of molesting five girls — including his sisters — as a teenager, he was sent to the Institute for Basic Life Principles, a Christian rehab run by the Christian minister Bill Gothard. The rehab relied exclusively on a combination of Bible study and physical labor for religious mentoring and rehabilitation.
But Gothard was finally forced to resign after several women accused him of sexual abuse.
Duggar has been sent to a Christian rehabilitation program that has a history of close association with Gothard’s “institute,” and a history of protecting people accused of sexual misconduct.
As Patheos concludes, “This is a path Josh Duggar has been down before, but it is the only path his parents seem able to envision. Questioning the beliefs and dynamics that lead to abuse is difficult; solving problems with a larger dose of Bible reading is the familiar default.”
________________________________________________________________

Josh Duggar’s Reported Christian Rehab Center: ‘We Love the Duggar Family’



PAUL KINGSBURY 

SEE: http://paulkingsbury.com/about-2;
EXCERPT: 

Dr. Paul Kingsbury – Pastor of North Love Baptist Church and Co-Founder/Chairman Reformers Unanimous

Dr. Paul Kingsbury was raised in a Christian home and came to know the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior at five years of age. At sixteen he surrendered to serve Christ with his life under the preaching ministry of Dr. Jack Hyles of Hammond, Indiana. He began preaching in jails, nursing homes and rescue missions. He attended Maranatha Baptist Bible College and graduated from Hyles-Anderson College in 1976.

Dr. Kingsbury Testimony of RU The Beginning

_______________________________________________________________

SEE RELEVANT ARTICLES:
WAY OF LIFE HAS 42 ARTICLES RELATED TO SCHAAP:
_________________________________________________________________________
LINDA HYLES MURPHREY, DAUGHTER OF PASTOR HYLES; 
EX HYLES/SCHAAP CHURCH CULT MEMBER

Official Statement from FBC Hammond on the Firing of Dr. Jack Schaap For
“Improper Relationship With a Minor”

RICHARD DEVALL, MISSIONARY IN BOLIVIA
SEE: http://www.bpmission.org/z_devall.html








SOVEREIGN GRACE PASTOR FOUND GUILTY OF SOLICITATION OF PROSTITUTION

ANOTHER SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH SCANDAL
“SIGNIFICANT LAPSE IN JUDGEMENT” 
THE GNOSTIC WAY OF CIRCUMVENTING ACTUALLY CALLING IT SIN
“Last month, Gene was found guilty in Chesterfield County Court of soliciting a prostitute. To this day, he continues to maintain that he is innocent of any illicit activity, though he has humbly acknowledged a significant lapse in judgement regarding his conduct throughout the situation.”
https://twitter.com/GeneEmerson
GENE EMERSON, DISGRACED SENIOR PASTOR WON’T ADMIT SIN
“very much in need of an extended sabbatical from 
the normal work of pastoral ministry.”
“We don’t hide stuff.” 
Kings Way Community Churchwww.KingsWay.cc
14111 Sovereign Grace Drive
Midlothian, VA 23114
(804) 379-2551
BY BRENT DETWILER
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:



Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 9:06AM





Gene Emerson, former regional leader in SGM and senior pastor of KingsWay Community Church in Midlothian, VA, was arrested on May 29 for the solicitation of prostitution in Chesterfield County, VA.    He was arraigned on June 9.  He was found guilty and sentenced on July 9.  He is a close friend of C.J. Mahaney’s and known for carrying out vengeful assignments given him by Mahaney. 



From the time of his arrest to the present, Emerson has sought to deceive everyone around him, including his dear wife and family, with a myriad of lies.  That is not surprising.  He has a history of deceit well known to former and current Sovereign Grace leaders like Mahaney, Dave Harvey, Bob Kauflin and Mickey Connolly who have actively covered up for him since 2007.  These men and others share responsibility for Emerson’s further apostasy because they were not willing to deal with his abusive and corrupt character in the past.  This is a simple case of sowing and reaping for Emerson and leaders in SGM.   



Now everything is crashing down around Emerson because the evidence is coming out.  For 3½ months he has sought to deceive people by claiming he stumbled upon a prostitute in his pursuit of a massage because he was under stress from work.  That is nothing but a wretched excuse and cover.  He has also insisted he is innocent of all legal wrong doing and blamed the police for setting him up and making an unlawful arrest.  



Emerson was intent on having sex with a prostitute and there is reason to believe this was not the first time he sought out a prostitute.  The evidence suggests he was familiar with how to set up an appointment and follow through with his intentions in my opinion.  More will come out in the days to come. 



Over the past two weeks, I have been in contact with the Chesterfield County Police Department.  If Gene comes to repentance, he will return to them and ask forgiveness for maligning their methods, which were entirely in keeping with the law.  The undercover operation was carried out with skilled professionalism. 



I planned to finish a thorough post on this whole matter for the weekend.  That won’t be possible now.  Things have come up.  I will resume my work next week.  In the meantime, however, I’ve included remarks I posted over the past week. 



Brent Detwiler says:
August 17, 2015 at 12:58 pm



Gene Emerson’s claim that he is innocent is a lie.  That should not surprise anyone.  I hope to post this weekend.  Please remember Jenny in your prayers.  Thanks! 



Brent Detwiler says:
August 20, 2015 at 6:09 pm 



Over the past week and a half, I have interacted with Detective N. Necolettos and his supervising officer over Vice and Narcotics, Lieutenant J. Profita, regarding Gene Emerson’s deceitful misrepresentation to Kingsway Community Church that he was purportedly entrapped by the vice squad for the solicitation of prostitution.  Nothing could be further from the truth as is clear from this arrest report and other evidence including a video of his words and actions.  Emerson was intent on having sex with a prostitute that was an undercover police woman.  The operation was carried out with the highest legal integrity.  The Chesterfield County Police Department is not a hole in the wall operation.  It employs over 600 men and women.  It is a first rate force.



Emerson has now fabricated a story that he stumbled onto this operation in pursuit of a simple massage.  He attempted to use this lie with Detective Necolettos and he is doing the same with the people of Kingsway Community Church. 



Last Sunday, Matthew Williams, interim sr. pastor, told the church, “And in light of his claim of innocence, we support his [Gene’s] right to consider taking further legal action.”  I can assure you, the Chesterfield County Police Department does not fear a lawsuit from Mr. Emerson.  Gene is not innocent and he will not be taking any further legal action.  In my opinion, this is all part of his attempt to deceive and cover up.  It is an empty boast. 



On Monday, I posted here: “Gene Emerson’s claim that he is innocent is a lie.  That should not surprise anyone.”  It should not surprise anyone because there is a history of deceit and treachery by Gene clearly laid in my documents [e.g. in The Untold Story] and other writings.  Matthew Williams claims Gene is a man of integrity but he knows better.  I have provided him all the evidence in the past. 



The people of Kingsway Community Church have been misled for many years.  Sovereign Grace Ministries is verifiably corrupt now.  I hope my old friends in the church will finally take action, demand all evidence from Gene and his lawyer, talk to the police, have the church attorney file a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] for the video and/or audio, publicly rebuke Gene (1 Tim 5:20) for his continuing and audacious deceit, deal with Gene’s sins against others in the past, find new pastors, and leave Sovereign Grace Ministries.  In other words, put Jesus Christ first and return to him as you first love before he entirely shuts down the church in righteous judgement.  This is a merciful appeal. 



Brent Detwiler says:
August 21, 2015 at 8:33 am 



Five months ago, I posted “Hush Fund Set Up by Top SGM Leaders to Meet the Demands of a SGM Pastor Whose Son Was Sexually Abused.”




Here is the introduction. 



“Two years ago a “hush fund” masquerading as a benevolence fund was deceptively set up by Mark Prater (Executive Director for SGM), Paul Buckley (Chairman of the SGM Board), and Tommy Hill (Director of Finance & Administration for SGM) in order to surreptitiously meet the demands of a SGM pastor whose son was sexually abused by the son of another SGM pastor in the same church. 



“The fund came about because the father of the victim was thinking about joining the sex abuse lawsuit against SGM if SGM did not agree to reforms and if he did not receive restitution monies from SGM for harms done. Insurance lawyers told SGM leaders they would lose their liability coverage if payouts were made thereby arguably admitting fault. Instead, SGM lawyer Chip Grange suggested a plan whereby monies be raised for the victim’s family as “a collection and private gift to help him avoid eviction.” This plan was approved by C.J. Mahaney and the SGM Board of Directors and implemented by Mark Prater. 



“As a result many SGM pastors who knew the pastor and father of the victim were contacted and asked to give benevolence to the family. Prater, Buckley, Hill and the Board deceived these pastors into giving personal and church monies to a benevolence fund that effectively functioned as a hush fund. The pastors had no idea what was really going on behind the scenes. They were intentionally deceived in the matter. 



“People inside and outside of SGM must come to grips with the corruption that characterizes the leadership of SGM starting with C.J. Mahaney. He was the President of SGM when this hush fund was set up. No one should be supporting or following any of these men. As I’ve demonstrated countless times, you cannot believe anything they tell you. 



“What follows is a presentation of hard evidence starting with the initial letter from the pastor who was the father of the victim (henceforth referred to as Pastor-Father of Victim) to Tommy Hill requesting reform and asking for $35,000 in restitution from SGM.” 



Please read the entire post and send it to anyone you know in SGM or Kingsway Community Church.  It serves as yet another poignant example of the systemic corruption that exists among former and current top SGM leaders (i.e. C.J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, Mickey Connolly, Mark Prater, Paul Buckley, Tommy Hill).



By the way, I’ve always sent my posts to former and current pastors in SGM since July 2011 when I sent them the original documents.  That includes this one about the hush fund.  Matthew Williams knows SGM is corrupt and yet he has chosen to remain and be a staunch defender.  He cannot claim ignorance when it comes to all the abuse, hypocrisy, lying, and deceit that exists in the denomination.  Like all remaining pastors, he has intentionally set aside thousands of pages of evidence.  Kingsway should have left SGM long ago.  Instead, they have promoted it.



And let’ not forget the victims of sexual abuse.  Keep in mind top leaders at Covenant Life Church and SGM conspired to cover up the abuse of children.  The Nathaniel Morales trial in May 2014 provided definitive proof.  It doesn’t get any worse.  But further, these same leaders (e.g. Mark Mitchell and Mark Prater) told CLC and SGM respectively that all the victims and some family members were liars.  That absolutely nothing they said about the conspiracy to cover up crimes was true and much that they said about being sexual abused was made up.  I will cover this in the months to come.



This has become standard operating procedure.  Slander those who call SGM to account (including law enforcement), cover up the evidence and refuse to allow for a truly independent investigation.  It is like Gene Emerson blaming the Chesterfield County police for his sex crime.



The day Gene Emerson was arrested for solicitation, Mickey Connolly (Regional Leader over Kingsway and Board of Director for SGM) and Matthew Williams should have required he step down and take a leave of absence until they and others could thoroughly investigate.  That means telling the church and setting up a meeting with the police as soon as possible especially since Gene claimed he was innocent and the police were guilty of wrong doing.  That is so basic!  You don’t accept as true the version of events put forward by someone who has just been arrested!



Furthermore, Mickey and Matthew should have required Gene to hand over all evidence and documentation that came into the possession of his lawyer at the time it came into possession.  That is so basic!  If he refused, they should have gone to the courthouse and obtained a copy of the arrest report.  That is so basic.  Then they should have filed a FOIA request via the church lawyer for the video/audio of his arrest.  That is so basic.



Instead, Matthew put the police in a bad light and Gene in a good light before the entire church.  And keep in mind, Mickey Connolly was managing everything that was said and done from the time he became aware of Gene’s arrest.  Matthew was not acting independently.  He was following Mickey’s lead and direction.  As a result, Matthew (and Mickey) put Gene forward as a man of humility and integrity who was now suffering affliction like Christ and needed to be comforted and accepted, not judged.



Last Sunday [Aug 16], Matthew also highly commended Gene for not leaving the church.  I thought to myself, when the truth comes out Matthew will be forced to confront Gene in no uncertain terms.  That means holding Gene accountable to come before the entire church and confess not only his intent to solicit but also all the associated lies he has been telling the past three months.  I doubt that will happen but maybe he will be the first.  I hope so.



Since the landmark confrontation of C.J. Mahaney in August 2004 (see Response Regarding Friendship & Doctrine), no one has been holding SGM leaders accountable.  The last 11 years they have been free to sin with impunity.  No one has obeyed 1 Timothy 5:19-21.  No one has been held to the qualifications of 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.  Not C.J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, Mark Prater, Paul Buckley, Mickey Connolly or Gene Emerson to mention a few.  All of these men would have been removed from ministry if they were submitted to the authority of Scripture.  In SGM, you are free to lie, be a hypocrite, abuse others, cover-up your sin and remain in ministry.  This apostasy from Christ and his Word is ever so great!



Of course, the Lord is not indifferent to this kind of corruption and pride.  His opposition continues.  The exposing of Gene Emerson is just one more example of his sovereign power.



Brent Detwiler says:
August 21, 2015 at 12:34 pm 



The video [of Gene’s solicitation of the undercover police woman] is far worse than the [partial summary] report [by the police]. 



Brent Detwiler says:
August 21, 2015 at 12:47 pm 



There is a Lieutenant from the VA State Patrol who is an usher and member in Kingsway Community Church.   He has been encouraged by other law enforcement personnel to file a FOIA request for the video. 



In addition, I was told by law enforcement that the lawyer for the church should be asked by the church, who has a vested interest, to file a FOIA. 



The video will have to be edited from what I understand in order to protect the identity of the undercover officer.  Most, if not all of the audio, should be available. 



Brent Detwiler says:
August 21, 2015 at 1:44 pm 



I have not seen it [the video of Gene’s arrest] but have knowledge of it [from the police].  I can’t verify all the details above.  I hope it becomes public soon.  I hope those that view it will comment.  Of course, this is exactly what Mickey Connolly and Matthew Williams should do.  Get the video.  Report on the video.  But since they can’t be trusted – members must do it for them or demand it of them.  Mickey and Matthew should also press Gene for the truth.  But again, they can’t be trusted to be open, honest and transparent if Gene is open, honest and transparent with them.  That’s why the video/audio is important. It doesn’t lie.  Neither does the arrest report we already possess. 



Matthew should tell the church this Sunday that he is going to get the video and show the video to any member who is interested.  Those who don’t want to see it (which I understand) can be provided a report that contains details.  This will vindicate the police who have been maligned and serve as a witness against Gene’s sins.  Most importantly, this reverences the holiness of God and the righteousness of Christ which we are to seek first (Matt 6:33). 



I hope Gene is restored but his repeated “Lord almighty please forgive me” and “Jesus please forgive me” mentioned in the arrest record are not expressions of godly sorrow.  They reflect worldly sorrow in religious speech (2 Cor 7:8-11).  If Gene was truly repentant, he would not have sought to cover up his crime at the time of his arrest nor his sin for the last three months. 



Gene was once a dear friend.  Foremost, I hope he is restored to Christ.  That is his fundamental problem.  Then to Liz, his children, Kingsway, all the churches he oversaw in SGM like Living Faith Church, and those he abused, mistreated and slandered over the years.  That can’t happen unless he humbles himself.  Gene’s primary problem, like C.J.’s, has been the love of reputation.  That has been taken away.  Now, I hope he is left with Jesus.  He can still enjoy the rest of his days serving the Lord with family and friend though never in ministry as a pastor. 



_____________________________________________________________



KingsWay Pastor Convicted 



of Solicitation of Prostitution



SEE: http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/2015/08/12/kingsway-pastor-convicted-of-solicitation-of-prostitution/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:





Awhile back, it was announced that Gene Emerson, senior pastor at KingsWay Community Church in Midlothian, Virginia, would be taking a sabbatical due to burnout. More recently, Matthew Williams explained that Mr. Emerson would actually be stepping down due to the fact that he had been convicted of soliciting a prostitute. Mr. Williams made the following remarks about the situation:





Last month, Gene was found guilty in Chesterfield County Court of soliciting a prostitute. To this day, he continues to maintain that he is innocent of any illicit activity, though he has humbly acknowledged a significant lapse in judgement regarding his conduct throughout the situation. While we respect the courts as an authority established by God, we know they are not perfect. And in light of his claim of innocence, we support his right to consider taking further legal action.



______________________________________________________________



 Gene's Resignation



(If Troubled, Have Coffee With Another Pastor To "Process" All This)








SEE: http://www.kingsway.cc/genes-resignation; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:



This morning we made the difficult announcement that Gene Emerson has chosen to resign his position as senior pastor of Kingsway Community Church. The following contains a portion of what Matthew Williams shared today by way of explanation. An audio recording of Matthew's entire message is available here. 






Gene has faithfully shepherded our church for over 26 years. I grew up under his pastoral leadership and for the last 8 years have had the privilege of laboring alongside him as a member of our pastoral team. During that time, I have known him to be a trustworthy man who loves God, loves people, and walks with integrity in his public and private life. He is one of my closest friends and what I’m about to share has not changed my affection and gratitude for him in the slightest bit.







Last month, Gene was found guilty in Chesterfield County Court of soliciting a prostitute. To this day, he continues to maintain that he is innocent of any illicit activity, though he has humbly acknowledged a significant lapse in judgement regarding his conduct throughout the situation. While we respect the courts as an authority established by God, we know they are not perfect. And in light of his claim of innocence, we support his right to consider taking further legal action.



However, God’s Word is clear in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 that the elders of local church must be “above reproach” and “well thought of by outsiders.” Regardless of whether he should or should not have been be found guilty, the court’s current decision has damaged his public reputation to the point where he is no longer qualified to serve as a pastor. For the good of the church, he has agreed to resign.



Our entire eldership, including Gene, is convinced that this is the right thing to do. And as we have talked with other leaders both inside and outside our church, they too have confirmed that this is the right thing to do. Upholding the glory of God by protecting the reputation of the gospel and the reputation of our church is simply too important to do otherwise.



My heart is grieving for my friend. I never dreamed that I would have walk through a situation like this with Gene. I love this man. He has been a father in the faith to me as I know he has for many of you. So let me make two things very clear. First, as a church, we are not going to stop loving this man. We don’t love one another because we’re perfect. We love one another because we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. Second, we are not going to shame him or avoid him even as his public role changes. He remains a member in good standing and both Gene and his wife Liz have communicated that there is nowhere they would rather be than at Kingsway.



Situations like this are among the most difficult a church can ever face. It’s difficult to hear news like this without having your trust shaken. All I ask is that you give us an opportunity to prove ourselves trustworthy in the way we handle this process, especially if you’re new to Kingsway.



Every church, if you stay long enough, goes through hard times. What matters is not whether hard times come, but whether a church walks through them with integrity, humility, and a tenacious trust in the Lord that never abandons our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel. That’s what Gene has faithfully done here for the last 26 years of his ministry and that's exactly what Josh, Chris, and I are going to continue to do.



I also want to invite you, whether you're a member, a regular attender, or a first-time visitor to sign up for what we’re calling “Coffee With A Pastor.” We’ve set aside several evenings over the next few weeks where you can join a group of no more than 10 other people to ask questions, express concerns, and understand how we’re processing the situation. We don’t have answers to every question, but we’ll tell you as much as we know. We are committed to leading with humility and transparency. 



In light of Gene’s resignation, I have agreed to serve as an interim lead pastor. We don't want to rush the process of identifying Gene's replacement and are going to take the next 6 months to prayerfully determine who should assume his position. I never wanted to step into his role under these circumstances, but I know that God has called me and empowered me for such a time as this. I love you and because I love you I am not going to stop leading you. There is no where else I would rather be than here, as painful as it is. You’re my family.



And when times get tough, a family pulls together. If you’re a dad, if you’re a pastor, if you’re a leader, you don’t run. You don’t take the easy road. You link arms, you look to Jesus, and you keep on loving people. That’s what I’m going to do. And for the glory of God and the good of this church, I challenge every one of you to do that with me. 



God isn't done with us, Kingsway. Our Father is merciful, our hope is certain, and our mission is clear. He’s going to comfort us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.



Posted by Matthew (interim senior pastor)



____________________________________________________________



Another Day, Another SGM Sex Scandal – KingsWay Pastor Resigns Due to ‘Lapse in Judgment’




EXCERPT: 



Below you will find two screen shots of the court document for Gene Emerson's case.  As you can see, the charge was Solicitation of Prostitution, and the final disposition was Guilty.  The offense date and the arrest date was May 29, 2015, with Emerson being arraigned on June 9, 2015.  He was found guilty one month later and received a sixty days suspended sentence, along with a fine and court costs.  There is some question as to whether the complaintant is male or female.



pdf file - Chesterfield Coounty



Pdf file - Chesterfield County



The KingsWay congregation appears to have been kept totally in the dark until the shocking announcement last Sunday. 



Matthew (interim senior pastor) emphasized that when it comes to Gene Emerson, he will NOT:





– Avoid him



– Judge or shame him





This clearly shows the double standard that exists in churches affiliated with Sovereign Grace Ministries.  How many horror stories have we heard where SGMers have been both shamed and shunned?  

_______________________________________________________







SEE: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/gene-emersons-summons-sentence-court-order-for-hiv-testing.html; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:





Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 3:44PM





The Virginia Uniform Summons given to Gene Emerson at the time of his arrest for soliciting a prostitute can be found here.  The Judge’s order to be tested for HIV and hepatitis C can be found here.  These documents are available to the public as a matter of record.  I have blacked out Emerson’s social security number. 



Below are some additional links and explanations. 



Detective N. Necolettos of the Chesterfield County Police Department arrested Emerson on May 29, advised him of his Miranda rights, and gave him a summons to appear in court for a hearing on June 9.  



Necolettos is also referred to as the Complainant in the online case information.  He is male.  He was not the undercover agent (i.e. decoy) propositioned by Emerson.   



Emerson’s online case information can be found here.  Enter Chesterfield General District Court under Court.  Enter Eugene D. Emerson under Traffic/Criminal and Name Search. 



The arrest occurred at 3 pm on Friday, May 29 in Room 505 of the La Quinta Motel on 1301 Huguenot Road in Midlothian, VA. 



He was arraigned on June 9 but his trial was “continued” (postponed) until July 9.  On that day, he appeared before Judge Keith Nelson Hurley with his prostitution-solicitation attorney, Debra D. Corcoran.  Her website is here and says in part:   



“It is not uncommon for law enforcement to use undercover officers to pose as prostitutes in order to catch potential solicitors, or “johns.”  There is much controversy surrounding these practices as they may be considered entrapment based on circumstances.  With a seasoned Richmond solicitation attorney from our firm, you can stand up for yourself in court with decisive evidence and a strong case representing your rights.” 



In the left hand column of the summons, you will notice the Judge marked “guilty” under “the accused pleaded.”  You will also notice that Detective Necolettos added a note, “Alford.”  That stands for an Alford plea.  See here.  It means Emerson did not admit guilt but he did admit the court had enough evidence to find him guilty for the solicitation of prostitution.  



Emerson did not come clean before Judge Hurley.  He lied.  He also used this legal tactic so he could tell Kingsway Community Church on August 8 that he was innocent of all criminal wrong doing while accusing the police of wrong doing.      



Matthew Williams, interim lead pastor, reinforced Emerson’s deception.  He put out this written statement on August 9.  He added the word “illegal” in his verbal announcement to the church on the same day.    



“Last month, Gene was found guilty in Chesterfield County Court of soliciting a prostitute.  To this day, he continues to maintain that he is innocent of any [illegal or] illicit activity, though he has humbly acknowledged a significant lapse in judgement regarding his conduct throughout the situation.  While we respect the courts as an authority established by God, we know they are not perfect.  And in light of his claim of innocence, we support his right to consider taking further legal action.” 



The “Alford plea” meant nothing to the Judge because the evidence was overwhelming.  He found Emerson “guilty as charged” and then imposed the following sentence.  Emerson could have been fined $2,500 and jailed for 12 months if given the maximum sentence.



1.  A fine of $150.00 



2.  A “jail sentence of 60 days with 60 days suspended conditioned upon being of good behavior and keeping the peace.”  That means if Emerson is rearrested and found guilty for solicitation or other crimes while on probation, the suspended 60 days in jail can be imposed upon him retroactively.  Additional sentences would also follow.  



3.  Probation for 3 years.  The online case information says there is no probation but that information is incorrect according to a Clerk of the Court.  This summons, signed by the Judge Hurley, is the official document of record.  Emerson does not have a probation officer.  He was released on his own recognizance. 



4.  HIV and hepatitis C testing for obvious reasons.   



Emerson was also fingerprinted and paid $121.57 in court fees.  



You will also noticed a reference to “Appeal Bond $” of “500- P/R” on the bottom center of the page.  If Emerson had appealed his sentence, which he did not, and then failed to show up for the appeal since he was released on his own recognizance, he would have been charged $500.  P/R stands for personal recognizance.  































			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
SOVEREIGN GRACE SEX ABUSER SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS IN PRISON
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						
FROM BRENT DETWILER AT http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/sex-abuser-nathaniel-morales-sentenced-to-40-years-in-prison.html; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes
















Nathaniel Morales abused a great number of boys in the New Testament Church, Montgomery County Covenant Academy and Covenant Life Church in Maryland from 1980 until 1992.  



He was investigated starting in October 2009, arrested in October 2012, tried and found guilty on seven of eight counts of sexual abuse and offense against four boys in May 2014, and sentenced today to 40 years in prison. 



C.J. Mahaney, John Loftness, Gary Ricucci, Grant Layman and other pastors at Covenant Life Church knew about these crimes but conspired to cover them up.  They agreed not to report a known sexual predator to law enforcement officials.  As a result of their criminal dereliction, Morales went on to abuse an even greater number of boys in multiple cities in different parts of the United States over the next 20 years.   



Morales left Covenant Life Church in 1992 and married Marcia Jo Griffeth in 1994.  She had no idea he was predatory sex abuser.  Marcia had five boys from a previous marriage.   Morales sexually abused two of them.  She only discovered the extent of his crimes after he was arrested.  She divorced him in December 2013. None of the pastors from CLC have ever contacted her to ask forgiveness or make restitution.



Nathaniel Morales received justice today.  He is 56 years old and will never see the light of day which was the goal of prosecutors.  The conspirators who protected Morales have not yet received justice for their crimes. 



The victims of Morales heinous crimes are glad to see this day but the harms against them can never be forgotten.  Morales is typical of sex abusers in church settings.  The Church and its pastors needs to be educated by experts in the field.  All suspected child abuse must be immediately reported to police.



Thank you Jeremy Cook, Sam Bates., Brian Wolohan and David Tapia for courageously testifying against your abuser.  Thank you Marcia Jo Griffeth for being willing to testify against your former husband.  Thanks to everyone else who supplied supporting testimony and to the other victims who were willing to testify, namely Daniel Bates and James Roberts.  Nate will never harm another child because of your efforts.  



Layman resigned from pastoral ministry at Covenant Life Church after 23 years in April 2014.  Sovereign Grace Ministries continues to highly commend Mahaney, Loftness and Ricucci and taken no action against them. 



The same is true of well-known evangelical leaders like Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan from Together for the Gospel and D.A. Carson, Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor from The Gospel Coalition.  Both groups posted letters on their respective websites in May 2013 defending Mahaney against all charges found in the civil lawsuit against him.  They have never retracted those statements. 



Much more needs to be said about the cover up of sex crimes in Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries.  I plan to say it a few weeks from now.

			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
CHURCH GOES BAD, REALLY BAD: BRENT DETWILER’S OPEN LETTER TO SOVEREIGN GRACE & SUMMARY OF EVENTS
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						















BRENT DETWILER FORMER BOARD MEMBER 



OF SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES




republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:




Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:01 PM PDT



To the Leaders & Pastors of SGM, 



Over the last three years, God the Holy Spirit has been convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgment.  But like the Sanhedrin “covered their ears” at the preaching of Stephen, so you have covered the ears of your heart to Jesus Christ.  This hardness of heart has choked the seed of God’s word that was intended to bring forth repentance.   Alas, no fruit emerged.  The tree is barren.  



The Lord’s word through Jeremiah is true for you.   “In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction” (Jer. 2:30).   The Sovereign Lord has been punishing and correcting you for “lying, deception, hypocrisy, abuse, etc.” but you deny such sins have been committed by any of your leaders.  



In August 2013, you excommunicated me for bringing charges against you.  Here’s what you said.    



“As the Sovereign Grace Council of Elders, representing the elderships that govern local churches, we believe that Brent Detwiler has repeatedly and grievously slandered our churches and our leaders.  … This belief is based on the numerous public statements Brent has made accusing leaders of Sovereign Grace churches of lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc. without due process nor sufficient information and at times blatantly contrary to the facts.” (Council of Elders Statement, August 5, 2013) 



Without due process?  I pleaded for due process a thousand times.  You were always the ones who rejected it!  Nor sufficient information?  Three thousand pages of carefully documented evidence was not enough for you!  And at times blatantly contrary to the facts?  Like my claim that C.J. was asked to resign as President of Sovereign Grace Ministries!  You love to label as slander that which is true when corrected and confronted.  



I responded to these obscene charges in two blog posts.  You should read them in entirety.  Here are a few excerpts. 




The charge of slander is the only weapon in SGM’s arsenal.  They have never allowed me to present charges and they have never been willing to defend themselves.  Their only defense has been to label me a slanderer, tell people I am motivated by vengeance, and threatened people with church discipline if they read my material. (see for example, Ten Common Cult-Like Characteristics Evident in Mickey Connolly’s Leadership) …



They are welcome to accuse me of slander but they must prove it.  In over 3,000 pages of hard evidence, I have documented my charges of “lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc.”  I say to the Council of Elders, “Set up an open hearing!  I am glad for you to show me where I have presented insufficient information or information contrary the facts.”  That has always been my position and posture of heart. …



The Council of Elders claims I’ve accused their leaders without due process.  This is the most deceitful and disturbing comment of all.  It is pure spin and contrary to all the facts.  These leaders know I’ve repeatedly asked C.J. Mahaney and those accused to defend themselves. 



SGM has not been denied due process.  The truth be told, they have fled, loathed, and despised due process.  Due process means they have to provide answers to hard questions.  Due process means they have to be open and honest.  Due process means they have to refute evidence.  Due process means objective judges are present to adjudicate.  SGM fears due process more than anything in this world! 



In this act of great hypocrisy, the Council of Elders condemns me for slander without presenting evidence or allowing any defense.  This is a brazen denial of due process and an egregious violation of the polity they proudly espouse, but don’t follow, in their Book of Church Order. See Rules of Discipline, pp. 55-74. …



Council of Elders put forth your evidence to show where I have slandered, failed to put forward sufficient information, and blatantly put forward charges contrary to the facts.  This is not a dare.  I have invited such examinations for over three years.  I am serious about this offer.   



And then allow for reciprocity!  Let the facts speak and let me demonstrate that I am the one who has been denied due process and by malicious means.  You have never allowed me to make my case by presenting evidence, calling witnesses, or cross examining false witnesses though all this was promised me.  Instead, you have shielded the accused and let them off the hook when they have grievously transgressed God’s holy law (see for example, Get Out of Jail Free Card for C.J. – No Adjudication Hearing). …



When the Council of Elders met for the first time in May, they had no idea it might be a good time to humble themselves in light of God’s opposition!  There was no willingness to examine the past or present.  There was no self-suspicion or self-examination. 



Instead they took the occasion to exalt themselves by putting forth a statement that denies lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, and abuse by it leaders and especially by C.J. Mahaney.  In my opinion, and let me quote them, “Such harmful speech is ruinous to the church of God.”



Tragically the 50 representative elders have failed to be trained by discipline over the last two years.  They continue to lead SGM down the path of pride that has brought about its demise.  They have taking lightly the discipline of God and “run away from this process.” …



It doesn’t matter what the Council of Elders says about me.  I will continue to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s people by presenting the truth about Sovereign Grace Ministry as fairly and accurately as I can.  I have no choice in the matter.  My life is not my own.    



In his providence, God has ordained every circumstance surrounding SGM for the good of his Church at large.  Once greatly exalted, Sovereign Grace Ministries has been brought low.  This is not due to slander or owing to the devil.  It is an expression of God’s opposition in the face of unrepentant pride. 



Sovereign Grace Ministries is in grave trouble.  This edict is a desperate attempt to salvage the vestiges of what little remains.  Please pray for C.J. that he will sincerely repent (see C.J.’s Foxhole Conversion).  Pray for the Council of Elders that they will pursue truth and justice.  Pray for national leaders who enable C.J. and refuse to examine the evidence.   



Pray also for law enforcement.  Widespread crimes have been committed and a great effort is being made to conceal them.  Last of all, pray for the victims of physical and sexual abuse in SGM.  There are 11 Plaintiffs in the lawsuit but many more victims.  The massive conspiracy to commit and cover up these horrors must be exposed by the power of God. 



It’ Been a Good Week!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Brent Detwiler



This week, I’ve been reflecting on the events of last week.  Last week, C.J. Mahaney was canonized and I was demonized.  I thank God for this development.  It’s been a good week!  



In case you’re not following, the national Council of Elders for Sovereign Grace Ministries put out a statement last week in which they highly commended C.J. and royally condemn me.  It was an answer to prayer!  



In fact, the statement not only justified C.J., it justified every leader in SGM against whom I have brought formal charges.  I am genuinely grateful to God for the clarity found in their unequivocal pronouncement.  We now know the position taken by the new governing body of SGM.  No accused leader in SGM is guilty of lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, or abuse. 



According to the Council of Elders, my 3,000 pages of documented charges are baseless and the 46 page class action lawsuit is bogus.  There is no conspiracy to commit or cover up sex crimes by C.J. Mahaney, John Loftness, Gary Ricucci or anyone else!  The alleged conspiracy is pure fiction per the Council of Elders and its Executive Committee.  In their view, not one shred of evidence exists in support of a conspiracy!  They agree with the former [interim] Board of Directors. … 



All of this is lost upon the Council of Elders.  That’s why their statement from last Monday is extremely helpful.  It sets forth in no uncertain terms their present view.  Anyone who reads it is up to date on what they believe about C.J. Mahaney and themselves.  Simply put, it is “all good” in SGM!  No sins.  No crimes.  No conspiracy.  All good!!!  



But this exalted view has only produced greater concerns for SGM in the hearts and minds of those inside and outside the organization.  People around the nation, and even the world, are shocked by the pride and heavy handedness evident in their statement. … 



This latest action by the Council of Elders was self-defeating.  From my perspective, the Lord sent a spirit of confusion into their “camp” like he did with the Egyptians (Exodus 14:24), the Amorites (Joshua 10:10) and the Philistines (1 Sam 14:20) of old.  The Council of Elders conceived a plan for victory but they were handed a defeat by the Lord.  Their commendation of C.J. and condemnation of me only heightened people’s concern for SGM. … 



I am grateful for this statement by the Council of Elders because it brings closure to the question, “Has SGM changed like they confidently claim?”  The answer is a resounding “no.”  Nothing is different except for external changes in polity.  There is no change of heart.  No ethical reform.  They have indicted themselves yet again in this statement.  Until they deal with the “lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc.” the Lord will continue to oppose them.    



Moreover, you exulted over C.J. though he is the prime example of these very sins.  You said,



“Furthermore, in contradiction to Brent Detwiler’s ongoing statements, we vigorously reiterate our support of C.J. Mahaney as a qualified minister of the gospel. … We also publicly declare our gratefulness for C.J.’s many years of service and commend his ongoing ministry of the gospel.” (Council of Elders Statement, August 5, 2013) 



You should have removed C.J. and Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville from SGM and asked him to step down from pastoral ministry for being unrepentant like the Acts 29 Board just asked Mark Driscoll do today.  Instead, you coddle and cuddle C.J. like a little child.  No one has the courage to speak out against him like men did against Driscoll in the Acts 29 network of churches.  You should read my blog post “The Twin Brothers Driscoll & Mahaney” from April 4, 2012.



I often think of Revelation 21:8.  “But the cowardly…and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”  You can’t be a Christian and a coward.    You can’t be a Christian and corrupt.  And you certainly can’t be a Christian leader if you are both cowardly and corrupt!  When will anyone take a stand and boldly speak out in public!  C.J. should not be in ministry.



As leaders and pastors in SGM, you continue to tolerate the sins of lying, deceit, hypocrisy and abuse like the church in Thyatira tolerated the woman Jezebel.  No, even more!  You exalt and promote men characterized by these sins.  You put them on your Executive Committee and Leadership Team and make them your Regional Leaders. 



Once again, the Lord has exposed your deceitful scheming with newly released evidence.  Will you ever learn the Almighty God is not mocked?  In June 2012, members on the Board of Directors did not want C.J. to continue as President.  In September 2012, members on the Board of Directors and other major leaders wanted C.J. removed as President.  This was all covered up with lies and lording.  The proof is definite. 



My work has always been about telling the truth.  Someday I hope it leads many of you to repentance.  “Grieve, mourn and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” (James 4:9) 



Here are the links to my recent blog posts about the cowardice and corruption surrounding C.J. continuing and remaining the President of SGM.  I’ve provided brief summaries below but you must read the posts in entirety and face the facts.  Then maybe, just maybe, someone will have the guts to do what no one has done.  Come clean and tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about attempts to remove C.J. as President and the cover up that ensued by C.J., John Loftness, Mickey Connolly and others.    



And even as I’ve been writing this post, I received additional evidence regarding the manner in which the Executive Committee pushed through my excommunication.  It would never have happened if further discussions were permitted as requested by Aron Osborne, Jim Britt and others.  These evidentiary emails between Phil Sasser (your Director of Church Governance) and Aron and Jim reveal more corruption and heavy handedness.        




Luke 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.



This newest illustration is in the “much” category.  The entire Board of Directors in conjunction with C.J. Mahaney, repeatedly deceived the SGM pastors, SGM members, and Body of Christ.  They purposely concealed the truth and actively put forth lies. In fact, top level leaders did not want Mahaney to continue as President and when he did, they worked to remove him.  All this was covered up by the Board, however, as they worked out a deal for Mahaney to transition under the pretense he was not the “best fit.




My last blog post was entitled, “Paul Buckley, Chairman of SGM & Other Top Level Leaders, Secretly Plotted C.J. Mahaney’s Removal as President.”  This post is a follow up based upon two emails from Jim Britt to Al Pino and Aron Osborne after the October 2012 Board of Directors retreat when Mahaney’s resignation as President was debated and discussed.



I first reported that Mahaney was asked to resign in March 2013. I was immediately condemned by the SGM Board of Directors for making such an outrageous claim.  SGM has always denied there was any debate, division, or disagreement about Mahaney’s role as President; let alone an earnest request for his resignation.  It is one more lie that has been exposed.  The truth has now come out.



I’d also recommend you read the following blog posts from July.



SGM Uses “Strategic Global Projects” to Fraudulently Raise Money
Brent Detwiler
Friday, July 4, 2014 at 7:28 PM



It is a marketing ploy to refer to these international involvements as “Strategic Global Projects.”  If they were strategic global projects, Sovereign Grace Ministries would be investing strategic global money! 



Instead, Cuba, the Philippines, South Korea, Zambia and Mexico are being used to raise “global money” to fund SGM in the United States.  These five nations will receive next to nothing in aid or assistance.



Supermajority of Florida Churches Leave Sovereign Grace Ministries 
Brent Detwiler
Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 9:53 AM



Over the past two years, 38 churches left Sovereign Grace Ministries, one church plant decided not to join, and two churches were closed.  Now a supermajority of churches in Florida have pulled out during the short span of two years.  Mark Prater does not want this information getting out.  It is disastrous news. 




SGM Pastors College on Life Support – Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Terminates Special Agreement
Brent Detwiler
Friday, July 18, 2014 at 5:57 PM



The Pastors College is on life support. Millions in debt.  No ties to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  An average enrollment of nine in recent years.  Hosted by a church with corrupt pastors.  Led by Jeff Purswell who thinks the victims in the civil suit are liars and the sworn testimony of Grant Layman at the Morales trial was fallacious.  And a senior pastor who is under criminal investigation. … Bad things lie ahead for C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries.  If they don’t close the Pastors College in Louisville they are just postponing the inevitable. 







			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCHES IN SHAMBLES~DISASSOCIATE FROM DENOMINATION~SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TERMINATES SPECIAL AGREEMENT~PASTORS COLLEGE OPERATING AT A LOSS WITH 9 GRADUATES~
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						








EXCERPTS: (Balance of article at the above website):



“The Pastors College has been the pride and joy of Sovereign Grace Ministries but it is on life support and someone needs to pull the plug!     



Let me illustrate from the most recent Audited Financial Statements.  Operating expenses for the school year 2012-2013 were $743,000.  Revenues were $137,000.  That resulted in a $606,000 deficit for a ten month program.  Incredible.  But here’s the real kicker.  Only nine students graduated from the Pastors College in 2013.  And the same is true in 2014 – just nine graduates.  



This kind of spending makes the Federal Government look frugal and efficient by comparison.  And please don’t think 2012-2013 was an aberration.  Over the last four years, the Pastors College has amassed a deficit of 1.9 million.  That is incomprehensible.  If only for financial reasons, the Pastors College should be shut down.     



Of course, Jeff Purswell and Gary Ricucci are not going to be laid off even though they are the main operating expense for the Pastors College.  Compensation and benefits for 2012-2013 totaled $482,000.  I’d love to know how much Purswell was paid to part time teach nine students for ten months.  And I’d like to know how much Ricucci was paid to care for nine PC families.  His group was smaller in size than most Care Groups or Home Groups in Sovereign Grace churches.  



These are the kind of questions SGM never answers and don’t reveal in their budget or financial statements.  This kind of arrangement is only possible in a good ole boy network.  Purswell is on the SGM Leadership Team, Ricucci is Mahaney’s brother-in-law, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  What a life of ease! 



If you go to the SGM website for the Pastors College you’ll see this picture.  It is the graduating class of 2011-2012.  Dave Harvey pointed out it was “the largest ever for us” when he was looking for some good news to share about SGM in July 2011.  You will also read on the website that “usually 15-25” students attend the college every year.  That is a falsehood.  The PC has never had more than the 23 students like it did in 2011-2012.  That was a banner year.   







At the time of this photo, the Pastors College was housed in the Covenant Life Church building in Gaithersbrug, MD.  It had a top notch lecture hall, offices, library, and Starbucks like kitchenette and lounge area for students.  All this was paid for by SGM donors.  SGM also owned five townhouses free and clear for student housing.  



All of this was lost when C.J. Mahaney angrily left Covenant Life Church and impulsively moved SGM to Louisville, Kentucky in August 2012.  The real reason for moving was covered up by one of the most deceptive statements put out by SGM over the past 3 years.  It was written by Chairman of the Board and alleged sexual sadist under criminal investigation, John Loftness.  I am still astounded by the shameless dishonesty contained in his Relocation Announcement.  



As everyone now knows the move to Louisville has proven to be a disaster.  As an aside, SGM was forced to sell the five townhouses for 1.4 million and land in its possession for $627,000.  But even with the 2.0 million in proceeds from those sales, SGM ran a budget deficit of 1.2 million in 2012 and 1.6 million in 2013.  SGM is now using deceptive means to raise money.  It only figures.  That’s what corrupt organizations do.  See SGM Uses “Strategic Global Projects” to Fraudulently Raise Money. 



But there is more bad news for the Pastors College.  SERIOUS bad news!  In May, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) severed its “special agreement” with Sovereign Grace Ministries over “suspicions cast upon Sovereign Grace by the ongoing civil suit, and again by the recent Morales trial.”  The civil suit catalogues unimaginable sex crimes and the criminal conspiracy to cover them up in SGM. 



The “Morales trial” is a reference to Nathaniel Morales who was a member of Covenant Life Church while C.J. Mahaney was the senior pastor.  Morales abused numerous boys in the church from 1983-1991.  This was known to Mahaney and he conspired to cover up the crimes with his pastoral staff.  Grant Layman, his brother-in-law and fellow pastor, testified to this effect in two separate trials.  Morales was found guilty on eight counts of child sexual abuse and offense with a maximum sentence of 120 years.  Immediately after these trials concluded in May, SBTS ended its “articulation agreement” with the Pastors College.  This was confirmed by Bob Allen of ABPnews. 



Thereafter, this letter from Jeff Purswell was sent to the nine students in the Pastors College. 



Dear Brothers, 



I’m writing with some disappointing news.  Southern Seminary has informed me that it is discontinuing the formal relationship between Southern and Sovereign Grace.  This is a rather complex situation, and I’m unable to share all of the internal factors influencing their decision.  Suspicions cast upon Sovereign Grace by the ongoing civil suit, and again by the recent Morales case, have unfortunately produced pressures upon various friends and partners of Sovereign Grace.  Such factors appear to have played a role in this suspension. 



My conversations with Southern representatives were nonetheless encouraging—they are grateful for Sovereign Grace’s influence and for the pastors who are studying at SBTS, and they hope this continues.  This change involves only the formal degree-completion agreement between our organizations. 



Here are the main implications of this development:  


    

  • The key point is this: Future students from Sovereign Grace no longer qualify for automatic credit transfer or for an SBTS scholarship under the degree-completion program.
    • 

  • Fortunately, students who have already had their Pastors College credits transferred to SBTS retain those hours.
    • 

  • Students from Sovereign Grace continue to be welcome to apply to SBTS and may submit transcripts and request to have credits transferred from the Pastors College (or any other institution).  These will be treated on a case-by-case basis, just like any other student.  The status of the Pastors College as an academic institution from which SBTS will consider transfer credit has not changed.
    • 

  • Students from Sovereign Grace may apply for financial aid from SBTS.  These will also be treated on a case-by-case basis, like any other student.
    • 

  • In sum, there is no longer a special agreement between SBTS and Sovereign Grace.  Pastors College graduates may pursue degrees, credit-transfers, and financial aid like any other student, just not under the auspices of any agreement with SBTS. 
    • 




Officials at SBTS communicated that they want to do all they can to keep from penalizing current students who transferred credits from the Pastors College.  They also desire to give students as much information as possible so that they can anticipate tuition costs.  Moreover, they hope that Sovereign Grace students will continue to consider SBTS as they plan their academic futures. 



This is obviously a disappointing development.  However, we as pastors should not be deterred from continuing to grow in our biblical and doctrinal understanding, whether that be informally or formally, through SBTS or another institution.  We continue to appreciate SBTS and are grateful for the relationship we have enjoyed over the past couple of years, and it is possible that that relationship could be reestablished in the future.  Even more so, I am grateful for the blessing of the Pastors College and its unique mission to equip men for pastoral ministry within our family of churches.  In God’s mercy, the college was built without reliance upon any single institution, and it will continue to be so.



 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or anyone on the Pastors College staff.”



 Yours in Christ,



Jeff



JEFF PURSWELL

SOVEREIGN GRACE PASTORS COLLEGE | SovGraceMin.org

(502) 855-7704



The hope of a “degree completion program” with SBTS was a prominent reason for relocating SGM and the PC to Louisville.  



__________________________________________________________________
















SEE: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/list-of-sgm-churches-that-left-closed-or-didnt-join-between.html









Former Churches of Sovereign Grace Ministries


    

  1. Abundant Grace Community Church – Phil Courson – Gainesville, FL
    2. 

  2. Brandywine Grace Church – Kenny Lynch – Downingtown, PA
    3. 

  3. Christ Church – Toby Kurth – San Francisco, CA
    4. 

  4. Christchurch – Pete Greasley – Newport, Wales
    5. 

  5. City Church (closed) – Zac Martin – Brooklyn, NY
    6. 

  6. Comunidad Cristiana de Otay – Mario Jacobo – Tijuana, Mexico
    7. 

  7. Covenant Life Church – Joshua Harris – Gaithersburg, MD
    8. 

  8. Covenant Life Community Church – Norm Dufrin – East Lansing, MI
    9. 

  9. Crossway Church – Pat Sczebel – Surrey, BC, Canada
    10. 

  10. CrossWay Fellowship Church – Paul Cooke – Athens, GA
    11. 

  11. Grace Christian Fellowship – Bill Farley – Spokane, WA
    12. 

  12. Grace Church – Mark Lauterbach – San Diego, CA
    13. 

  13. Grace Church of East County (didn’t join) – Tab Trainor – San Diego, CA
    14. 

  14. Grace Community Church – Jim Britt – Melbourne, FL
    15. 

  15. Grace Community Church – Luan Nguyen – Sarasota, FL
    16. 

  16. Grace Community Church – Don Sharpe – Kingsville, MD
    17. 

  17. Grace Community Church – Allen Snapp – Corning, NY
    18. 

  18. Gulf Coast Community Church – Jerry Cisar – St. Petersburg, FL
    19. 

  19. Nagongera Gospel Centre – John Ofumbi – Uganda
    20. 

  20. Palm Vista Community Church – Al Pino – Miami Lakes, FL
    21. 

  21. Philippines – Fernando Impang – Bohol, Philippines
    22. 

  22. Providence Church of Pittsburgh – Mike Pierson – Pittsburgh, PA
    23. 

  23. Redeemer Church of Arlington – Eric Simmons – Arlington, VA
    24. 

  24. Redeemer Church of Charlottesville – Keith Breault – Charlottesville, VA
    25. 

  25. Riverside Christian Fellowship – Brian Brookins – Fort Lauderdale, FL
    26. 

  26. Redemption Hill Church – Tony Walsh – Surrey/Langley, BC
    27. 

  27. Sovereign Grace Church – Tim Merwin – Titusville, FL
    28. 

  28. Sovereign Grace Church – Jesse Jarvis – Daytona Beach, FL
    29. 

  29. Sovereign Grace Church – Josh Fenska – Oswego, IL
    30. 

  30. Sovereign Grace Church – Darren Lander – Cleveland, OH
    31. 

  31. Sovereign Grace Church – Mark Altrogge – Indiana, PA
    32. 

  32. Sovereign Grace Church – Matt Rawlings – Greenville, SC
    33. 

  33. Sovereign Grace Church – Eric Hughes – Chesapeake, VA
    34. 

  34. Sovereign Grace Church – Mark Mullery – Fairfax, VA
    35. 

  35. Sovereign Grace Church (closed) – Christopher Patton – Middletown, DE
    36. 

  36. Sovereign Grace Church of Central PA – Tom Kurtz – Altoona, PA
    37. 

  37. Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick – Chris Silard – Frederick, MD
    38. 

  38. Sovereign Grace Church Merthyr – Gareth Lloyd – Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
    39. 

  39. Sovereign Grace Church of Miami – Jose Prado – Miami, FL
    40. 

  40. Sri Lanka – Not available – Sri Lanka
    41. 

  41. Wellspring Church – Sam Shin – Pleasanton, CA
    42. 












			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
SEX ABUSE AT SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH UPDATES~JANET MEFFERD INTERVIEW WITH PLAINTIFFS’ ATTORNEY SUSAN BURKE
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						







RIVETING INTERVIEW WITH LEAD ATTORNEY SUSAN BURKE ON CIVIL SUIT APPEAL & SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES CONSPIRACY




Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:



Janet Mefferd interviewed Susan Burke on her show today.  Ms. Burke is the lead attorney for the Victims-Plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit against C.J. Mahaney, Covenant Life Church, Sovereign Grace Ministries, and others. 



Anyone interested in the truth will take this interview to heart. There is no question of a conspiracy to cover up sexual abuse.



Please pray for the Maryland Court of Special Appeals who hears the appeal on Monday. Let’s hope they overturn the decision of the lower court that dismissed the case in May 2013 based upon the statute of limitations.



Regardless of their decision, however, Mahaney, CLC and SGM are guilty of an evil conspiracy per the evidence. They did not report Nathaniel Morales (and others) who was a known serial predator. He went on to abuse for 20 years.  



Two weeks ago in his first trial, Morales was found guilty on all five counts with a maximum sentence of 85 years. The follwoing week in his second trial, Morales was found guilty on two counts for another 25 years. 



The evangelical and Reformed Church must act. This is no time for silence. Leaders everywhere should speak out and demand an accounting of Mahaney, et al. regardless of the criminal or civil proceedings.  



The same is true for the SGM Leadership Team which is led by Executive Director, Mark Prater.  These men have covered up for Mahaney.  They must finally come clean and call him to account for past actions and his role in the conspiracy. 



The Church does not have the power to incarcerate but it does have the authority to discipline. Will the pastors of Sovereign Grace Ministries exercise church discipline or refuse to follow their own polity? Will Mickey Connolly, the Regional Leader over Mahaney’s church in Louisville and close friend, continue to shield Mahaney?    



The same is true for the pastoral staff at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.  Will Bob Kauflin, Jeff Purswell, Brian Chesemore (son-in-law) and Gary Ricucci (alleged co-conspirator) continue to enable Mahaney and refuse to discipline him?



Or will noted evangelical leaders in The Gospel Coalition and Together for the Gospel continue to defend Mahaney?  



God forbid all these things!



This is a very serious matter.  We must work together to make sure pastors throughout America report the suspicion of sexual abuse.



This did not happen as a rule in Sovereign Grace Ministries for 30 years.  As a result, there are scores of victims and there has been an extensive attempt to cover this up.  Those are the facts.



Please listen to this 13 minute interview during minutes 7:08-19:42 on audio recording.



_______________________________________________________







Janet Mefferd Interviews Tullian Tchividjian:







Published on May 21, 2014





Tullian Tchividjian talks with Janet Mefferd about his departure from The Gospel Coalition and his thoughts on the Sovereign Grace Ministries child sex-abuse scandal.








Janet Mefferd Discusses Joshua Harris’ Response 



to Nathaniel Morales Verdict:



On Sunday, May 18, Covenant Life Church Pastor Joshua Harris spoke to his congregation about the recent criminal conviction of Nathaniel Morales, a former CLC youth leader found guilty of sexually abusing three boys. Harris also spoke about offering to take an administrative leave and even said he was willing to resign entirely so the church could deal with the fallout from the scandal amid the looming Sovereign Grace Ministries sexual-abuse class-action lawsuit, set for an appeals hearing on June 9, 2014. Janet offers her thoughts on Harris’ remarks and the latest developments in what she calls American Evangelicalism’s biggest sex scandal to date.



YOUTUBE VIDEO (AUDIO ONLY)













			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
NATHANIEL MORALES OF SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH FOUND GUILTY ON FIVE COUNTS SO FAR
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH



SEX ABUSE



NATHANIEL MORALES FOUND GUILTY 



ON FIVE COUNTS SO FAR


SEE: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/nathaniel-morales-found-guilty-on-all-counts-of-sex-abuse-of.html; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:




Posted: 15 May 2014 09:48 PM PDT



The Jury has returned it’s verdict. Nathaniel Morales was found guilty on all five counts of sex abuse and sex offense.


There are two more trials scheduled for next week against Morales for the sexual abuse of other boys. I don’t know if he will plead guilty, work a plea deal, or make a defense now that he has been found guilty. I hope it goes to trial because more evidence exposing the conspiracy at Covenant Life Church will come out.


Morales showed no emotion when the verdict was read. His first known victim for which he has yet to be tried was in 1979. He has known guilt for 35 years.


Sentencing is scheduled for August 14 at 9:30 AM. Morales is facing a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison.

WJLA ABC News 7 in Washington D.C. has been providing excellent coverage.  Here is a video and article, “Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church Convicted of Abusing Young Boys.”

______________________________________________________________



Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church 



convicted of sexually abusing young boys:











Nathaniel Morales trial: Victim Jeremy Cook testifies:













			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
BRENT DETWILER REPORTS ON THE SEX ABUSE TRIAL OF SOVEREIGN GRACE’S NATHANIEL MORALES
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

NATHANIEL MORALES













SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH UPDATE 



ON SEX ABUSE TRIAL













SEE: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/the-criminal-trial-of-nathaniel-morales-report-on-day-1-2-2.html




“Eight counts of sex abuse and sex offense by Nathaniel “Nate” Morales were scheduled to be tried this week in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland with Judge Terrence J. McGann presiding.”  




REPORTED BY BRENT DETWILER, MAY 13, 2014; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:









I’m attending the entire trial this week.  Here’s a brief report from Monday and Tuesday.  



Eight counts of sex abuse and sex offense by Nathaniel “Nate” Morales were scheduled to be tried this week in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland with Judge Terrence J. McGann presiding.   Three of those counts were postponed because Daniel Bates, one of the victims, had a recent “serious medical procedure” according to the Judge and could not participate.  Assistant States Attorney Jessica Hall indicated the State would retry Morales on those counts at a later date.



Most of Monday dealt with the selection of 12 jurors with 2 alternates.  Around 2:00 PM Assistant State’s Attorney Hall and Defense Attorney Drew made their opening arguments. 



Hall argued that Morales was a respected leader in Covenant Life Church who held a position of trust and authority with access to children that he could groom to be victims.  She noted that Morales was outgoing, gregarious, esteemed and trusted.  Also that he was in the worship group and functioned as the unofficial youth director. 



She also outlined the crimes committed against Samuel Bates, Jeremy Cook and Brian Wolohan by Morales.  Each time she ended her individual summaries by saying the victims or parents went to the CLC pastors and the pastors “covered up” and “ignored the heinous crimes that had been done” to these boys.



Defense Attorney Drew concerned himself with dates and times and the fact that no one reported any of these crimes to the police until Samuel Bates contacted Detective Sally Magee in October 2009.  He did not seek to disprove, challenge or undermined any of the allegations against Morales. 



The first witness called to stand was Samuel’s and Daniel’s mother, Grace Charlene Bates.  Of greatest importance, she testified they went to Grant Layman in 1992 and told him about the sexual abuse of Samuel.  This fact was not disputed by the Defense.  Grant was a pastor at Covenant Life Church.    



Samuel Bates was called to the stand next.  He described the terrible abuses he suffered at the hands of Morales for the jury.  He explained he didn’t initially tell others because of shock, shame, confusion and embarrassment.  He tried to pretend it never happen.  He tried to forget it ever happen.  He also fought off Morales on occasions even punching him in the face. 



In 1992 he told his parents, Scott and Charlene Bates about then abuse.  Afterward, they went to Grant Layman and told him about the abuse.  None of this was contested by the Defense Attorney Drew under cross examination.  Upon completion, the court was adjoined on Monday.



Court resumed on Tuesday at 9:30 AM. 



Victim Brian Wolohan was the first one called to the stand.  He too described for the jury the horrors he suffered at the hand of Morales.  He too stopped Morales on occasions by yelling at him, pushing him away, telling him to leave, or stating he did not want this.  He told of Morales coercing him to comply with the abuse by saying he (Morales) would otherwise have to go the men’s room at the local Mall, have random sex and then die of AIDS. 



Brian told an older adult, Bob Rosencrantz about Morales’ abuse in late 1991 or early 1992.  Bob then told his parents, Dick and Marsha Wolohan.  Dick went to one of the pastors at Covenant Life Church to tell them about the alleged abuse.  He could not remember which pastor specifically. This led to a meeting with Morales in a park behind the Wolohan house with Dick and Grant Layman or Robin Boisvert.  Dick couldn’t remember which one.  Morales denied the sexual abuse of Brian at this time. 



Dick Wolohan took the stand next.  Morales went to Teen Challenge in 1992 for alcohol abuse and homosexuality.  Teen Challenge was not told about his sexual abuse of children.  Dick, Brian and Kevin Wolohan went to visit Morales in the summer of 1992.  During this time, Morales confessed to Dick that he had sexually abused Brian Wolohan.  Defense Attorney Drew did not dispute this confession.  



Pamela Plaisted was next.  She was engaged to Morales for a short time while the sexual abuse of these boys was transpiring.  She testified that people were “drawn to Nate like a magnet” because of his charismatic personality.  She also thought it odd that Morales wanted to do sleep overs with boys while they were engaged. 



Grant Layman was sworn in next.  Under oath he told the jury he did not report the crimes told him by Scott and Charlene Bates 1992 that were committed by Morales against their son, Samuel Bates.  He also stated that within one year, he learned of the sexual abuse of Brian Wolohan and did not report it to the police either. They knew Morales was a serial and predatory sex abuser.



Under cross examination by the Defense Attorney Drew (which was surprising), he was asked “Did you have a responsibility to report to police” the crimes committed against Samuel Bates and Brian Wolohan.  To this Layman said, “I believe so.”  Drew responded, “Did you report to police?”  Layman answered, “I didn’t do it.”   



It should also be added that Scott Bates, the father of Samuel and Daniel Bates, contacted the Covenant Life pastoral team again in 2007 when he learned that Morales was a pastor in Las Vegas, NV.  The entire pastoral team talked about how to handle the situation with Morales.  Layman was given the assignment to contact Morales.  Layman talk to Morales by phone.  During this conversation Morales admitted to the sexual abuse of boys but claimed he couldn’t remember the details.  None of the pastors at Covenant Life Church reported this confession of sex abuse to the police. 



Rachael Bates-Paci took the stand next.  She is a sister to Daniel and Samuel Bates.  She was the one who discovered Morales was in full time ministry.  This alarmed her.  She told her father, Scott, who went to the CLC pastors.   



The third victim, Jeremy Cook took the stand toward the end of the day.  He described the terrifying and demeaning experience of being sexually abused by Morales.  He was afraid he would be ostracized by the pastors and all his friends in Covenant Life Church if they ever found out what happened.  He also feared being expelled from the Christian School where Morales was a teacher and Vice Principal.  Morales was in a position of power and well respected.  He had no hope anyone would believe his story.  



In 1993, Jeremy Cook finally told Samuel Bates and his parents about the abuse.  Samuel talked to Grant Layman about the abuse of Jeremy.  Layman assured Samuel that “They [the pastors] would take care of it.”  Yet under oath, Jeremy said Layman “never talked” to him about the abuse.  Under cross examination, Defense Attorney Drew asked Jeremy, “To the best of your knowledge did they [the pastors] take care of it” [i.e. report it to the police, etc.].  Jeremy responded with a firm, “No.” 



The last person to take the stand was the lead investigator, Detective Sally Magee.  She verified all the basic facts and described the times and place of her meetings with the victims and other parties. 



Tomorrow morning, Nate Morales’ former wife, Marcia Jo Griffeth, will be taking the stand to testify against him.  She learned of his crimes in October 2012 when he was arrested.  She divorced him in December 2013.  She is a wonderful woman.  Tomorrow she will present evidence of his guilt. 



After she finishes, either Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Hall or Amanda Michalski will make closing arguments.  They have been working together throughout the hearing.  So will the Defense Attorney for Morales.      



A few observations to close.  At no time over the past two days, did Morales’ lawyer ever challenge the veracity of any of the crimes alleged by the victims.  Nor did he challenge the testimony provided by Grant Layman and Dick Wolohan that Morales confessed to them that he was a sex abuser.  Maybe Defense Attorney Drew will contest the testimony of all ten material witness tomorrow but thus far he has not done so. 



I’ve been writing about the conspiracy to cover up sex abuse in Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries by C.J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris, Grant Layman and many other leaders.  There is now NO QUESTION this has occurred.  These men knew about Samuel Bates, Brian Wolohan, and Jeremy Cook.  Never once did they report these crimes to the police.  In each case, they covered up the heinous crimes in the words of Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Hall. 



I assume that’s why none of the pastors have attended the trial thus far.  Nor has any leader or pastor from Sovereign Grace Ministries including the Executive Director, Mark Prater.  I find that utterly reprehensible.  The entire pastoral staff of Covenant Life Church should have attended the trial to hear the evidence against Morales and against them.  Furthermore, they should have been here to support the victims and hear their anguished testimony.  Tomorrow, they should be present to beg everyone’s forgiveness and begin the process of public confession, calling C.J. Mahaney to account, and making restitution to the victims. 



Tomorrow afternoon the jury will begin deliberations.  I will write again once the proceedings are concluded. 









			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
SEX ABUSE LAWSUIT: SOVEREIGN GRACE LETTER ANALYZED BY BRENT DETWILER
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						









Posted: 25 Apr 2014 11:40 AM PDT



Mark Mitchell, the executive pastor for Covenant Life Church, sent a letter to all the members on Tuesday providing an update on the civil lawsuit and the upcoming criminal trial of Nathaniel Morales.  In this post, I provide a running commentary on that letter.  

I’ve interspersed my comments throughout the correspondence.  The letter and the lawsuit timeline provided are in bold letters to distinguish them from my commentary.    

## 

From: Mark Mitchell – Covenant Life Church
Date: April 22, 2014 6:59:48 PM EDT
To: Church Members
Subject: Lawsuit Update

Dear Church, 

We are writing to report on the status of the civil lawsuit against the church.  As with many legal matters, the suit continues to play out very slowly. (At the end of this letter we have included a timeline to orient you to the history to date.)

The lawsuit is also against Sovereign Grace Ministries, Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax, and ten individual Defendants including C.J. Mahaney, Gary Ricucci, John Loftness and Grant Layman.  The lawsuit “continues to play out very slowly” – so do the criminal investigations.

We are about 18 months into the process so far.  Although the Montgomery County Circuit Court dismissed the claims against all Defendants in May of 2013, the case was then appealed.  The hearing of the Appeal is scheduled for early June in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals; the ruling could come weeks or months or even a year later.

The Original Complaint (lawsuit) was filed on October 17, 21012.  “The Montgomery County Court” is a reference to one judge, Sharon V. Burrell, not a Grand Jury or some other group of individuals.   

Burrell “dismissed the claims” but not because they lacked merit.  Even SGM made note of this fact in their “Update on the Amended Civil Lawsuit” on May 20, 2103.  “Please note that this ruling does not specifically address the substance of the plaintiffs’ allegations.” 

Burrell dismissed the lawsuit because 9 victims waited too long to file the lawsuit per the statute of limitations in Maryland and because 2 victims were from Virginia.  None of the specific claims or factual allegations were dismissed because they lacked merit. 

There are good reasons for the Appeal.  Here are a few.  One, there should be no statute of limitations pertaining to sexual abuse.  It is a bad law.  It can take a long time before a victim is ready to come forward.  Some are so traumatized they never come forward.  Such statutes have been removed in other states.  The Appeal hopes to get this law overturned in Maryland. 

Two, getting rid of the statute of limitations will let the Maryland victims proceed to trial where they can make their case against C.J. Mahaney, John Loftness, Gary Ricucci, Grant Layman, Charlie Llewellyn, Stephen Griney, Mark Hoffman, Dave Mayo, David Adams, et al.  All these men proclaim their innocence.  Let them prove it before a jury as victims, witnesses, and evidence testify against them.  These alleged abusers and conspirators need to stand trial where they are cross examined under oath.

Three, the conspiracy to cover up sex abuse was not discovered until August 2011.  The abuses occurred over 30 years but the evidence did not materialize until recently.  Therefore, the statute of limitations should not apply.  The conspiracy also continues.  See for example, Factual Allegation 179.   

Fourth, the alleged conspiracy was interstate but centered in Maryland which argues against dismissal based on jurisdiction.  

The Plaintiffs lawyers are working pro bono.  They would not be investing their time and money in the long appeal process if they were not hopeful of victory.  Everyone should pray the Appeal is successful.

Meanwhile, the independent investigation that Covenant Life has commissioned is ongoing.  We are roughly at the halfway mark in its completion.  Anyone who has information that may be relevant to the investigation is still invited to e-mail that information, or just their contact information and the general nature of what they would like to convey, to the e-mail address established for this investigation: CLCInvestigation@TL-LawFirm.com


On August 28, 2013, Joshua Harris wrote a letter to CLC in which he said,



“At the June 23 [2013] Members Meeting, I shared that we had decided to commission an investigation into the issues raised in the civil lawsuit against our church. … After sharing our intention with the congregation on June 23, we proceeded to retain the nationally recognized, independent law firm of Thaler Liebeler LLP to do this work. … The investigation will probably be accomplished in a matter of months.”  


Thaler Liebeler began its investigation in July 2013.  That was ten months ago.  Now Mark Mitchell tells us, “We are roughly at the halfway mark in its completion.”  That means “the issues raised in the civil lawsuit against our church” will take approximately 20 months to investigate.  But wait a minute.  I thought everyone was innocent!  What’s to investigate?  Initially, Joshua said the investigation would “probably be accomplished in a matter of months.”  A matter of months has turned into 20 months.

Mark further says, “Anyone who has information that may be relevant to the investigation is still invited to e-mail that information, or just their contact information and the general nature of what they would like to convey, to the e-mail address established for this investigation: CLCInvestigation@TL-LawFirm.com.”  That’s fine but Mark should also tell people they are required by law to report the same information regarding suspected child abuse to law enforcement.

After the Court of Special Appeals gives its ruling, it is possible that either side might seek review in the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest Court.  Should the Court of Appeals agree to hear the case, there would be further appellate proceedings that could last many months or even years.  Until the outcome of all appeals is known, and the lawsuit finally ends, we do not believe it’s wise to discuss the specifics of the suit or release the results of the independent investigation, since these actions could affect the legal process and prolong its ultimate conclusion.

Whatever the ruling by the Court of Special Appeals, the case will be appealed to the Maryland Court of Appeals.  Either by the Plaintiffs or by the Defendants.  It will go to the highest court in Maryland. 

In his August 28, 2013 letter, Joshua also said,



“Basically, this means opening up our actions, policies and procedures, especially those that relate to child protection, to scrutiny. … The way the appeal process unfolds will be key in determining the best time to share the results of the investigation.  But we’re committed to learning and applying all we can from the investigation and communicating its results at the earliest appropriate date.” 


I don’t think the “actions” of the pastors, the “specifics of the suit” or “the results” of the investigation will ever be shared with Covenant Life Church.  Why?  Because many of these findings incriminate the pastors, abusers, and conspirators.  I expect Thaler Liebeler will produce a whitewashed report like Ambassadors of Reconciliation did for Sovereign Grace Ministries.  A few slaps on the wrist but certainly no information that could be used to prosecute these men or put abusers and conspirators in jail.

That’s why this “investigation” is so limited even though it is taking 20 months.  It is not a criminal investigation.  Thaler Liebeler can’t subpoena paper or people.  And I doubt it is an “independent” investigation.  There is an easy way to find out.  Every member of CLC should ask the pastors for a copy of the contract they signed with law firm.  Remember, the CLC pastors believe in congregational accountability.  Surely they want to be transparent!

Members should also ask how much this investigation has cost to date and how much they project it will cost in the future.  The 9 month investigation by Ambassadors of Reconciliation cost SGM approximately $400,000.  Ted Kober was the lead investigator for AoR.  He was paid $150 per hour.  Lars Liebeler is the lead investigator for the CLC investigation.  I estimate he is paid $600 per hour or more.  Here’s a thought.  Law enforcement will do an “independent” and “criminal” investigation free of charge.  

I wrote Thaler Liebeler on August 29, 2013 and asked two questions.  Of course, I never received any answers.  CLC members should ask the CLC pastors the same questions.



“At the conclusion of your investigation will you be sharing all your findings with Covenant Life Church?  In other words, do you intend to share incriminating evidence with the public that could result in fines or jail time for CLC employees (e.g. Grant Layman), former employees (e.g. C.J. Mahaney, John Loftness, Gary Ricucci, Stephen Griney), or current members (e.g. Mark Hoffman, Dave Mayo, Charlie Llewellyn)?”



 “Will you be sharing all the evidence you discover as you discover it with the Montgomery County Police Department (e.g. Detective Sally Magee)?  Or do plan to withhold that information from law enforcement under attorney-client privilege?” 


I copied the second question to law enforcement.  In retrospect, I don’t think any of the information shared with Thaler Liebeler is covered under attorney-client privilege.  Certainly, people at large who provide evidence of crimes to Thaler Liebeler are not clients.         

In closing, it’s appropriate to mention the upcoming trial of Nathaniel Morales, a former Covenant Life member who has been charged in Maryland with molesting boys during the 1980s.  Mr. Morales’ case received a good deal of publicity in early 2013, and may do so again during his jury trial, currently set for May 12-16.  The case against Mr. Morales is a criminal matter and should not be confused with the civil lawsuit against Covenant Life.

On February 6, 2013, the Covenant Life Pastors put out a press release on the CLC website.  It said in part,



“On Monday [February 4] news reports were widely circulated about a Nevada man, Nathaniel Morales, who has been charged in Maryland with molesting boys during the 1980s. … Contrary to the impression left by the news reports, Covenant Life Church had no knowledge of such abuse until many years after the abuse when an adult who had been victimized as a child came forward.”


This was a blatant lie.  I will deal with it in a future post.

We wanted the church family to be aware that Robin Boisvert and Grant Layman have received subpoenas to appear as witnesses in the Morales trial.  This represents an opportunity to pray for wisdom if they testify and to lift up prayers for all who have been affected by sexual abuse.

Grant Layman will not be able to lie on the stand like he did to Maryland Detectives during the investigation.  Don’t pray for wisdom.  Pray both of these men are completely honest and don’t attempt to dodge questions.  Do pray for wisdom for the District Attorneys.  They need divine assistance in making the case and dealing with the unscrupulous tactics used by the Defense.  Pray also for all the material witnesses against Morales including the victims from Covenant Life Church.

With the civil lawsuit still on appeal, we continue to be constrained in how much we can communicate, but look forward to being able to present a fuller picture at the appropriate time.  Thank you for your understanding and patience.

I don’t think the CLC pastors will ever conclude there is an “appropriate time” to present a “fuller picture” unless a fuller picture means 2% more than they have shared thus far.  Remember, they are the sole judges of what is appropriate and inappropriate.   C.J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, John Loftness, et al. famously declared the most vital of information “inappropriate” for the members of SGM.  They used this designation to cover up all manner of deceit and spiritual abuse.

We encourage you to pray that God’s manifold wisdom, justice and goodness will be on display as these matters continue to unfold. 

There are many issues that will not be addressed at the Morales trial given its scope and time limitations.  All of these issues must be addressed by the Covenant Life pastors.  These and other matters related to the lawsuit will “continue to unfold” for years to come.      

Mark Mitchell

On behalf of the elders

————————————

Lawsuit timeline: 

October, 2012: Plaintiffs’ Initial Complaint filed

There were 3 Plaintiffs.

May 14, 2013: Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint filed

Seven months later, there were 11 Plaintiffs.  I’d like to know how many were in the Third Amended Complaint.

May 17, 2013: Hearing on Motions to Dismiss

At this hearing, the Court dismissed with prejudice all of the claims of nine of the 11 plaintiffs based upon the legal statute of limitations that governs their claims.  The Court also dismissed for lack of jurisdiction all of the claims against the remaining two defendants residing in Virginia.

June 14, 2013: Plaintiffs filed an Appeal with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals 

June 23, 2013: Independent Investigation announced at Covenant Life Church Members Meeting

At our June 23 Members Meeting, Joshua Harris presented plans to commission an investigation into all the issues raised in the civil lawsuit, with special emphasis on learning everything possible to make our current child protection policies and procedures the best they can be.  The investigation, still in progress, is being conducted by the nationally recognized, independent law firm of Thaler Liebeler, LLP.  The firm is an impartial third party with no prior connection to Covenant Life Church or the matters under investigation.

Thaler Liebeler was commissioned to investigate “all the issues raised in the civil lawsuit.”  This means they were authorized to investigate manifold crimes that occurred across state lines.  Of course, this is not their job.  They are not criminal investigators.  The Covenant Life pastors should have “commissioned” local, state and federal law enforcement authorities, not lawyers.   

August 8, 2013: Motion to Reconsider Denied

The Circuit Court for Montgomery County issued an order denying the Plaintiffs’ Motion to Reconsider, and also noted that since Plaintiffs had failed to file a Third Amended Complaint, the case is closed.

This is misleading.  The Plaintiffs had a Third Amended Complaint ready to file but could not do so because the lawsuit was dismissed.  I’d sure love to read what is in it!

However, the Plaintiffs’ Appeal filed with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals on June 14, 2013 is still pending. 

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 or 11, 2014: Oral arguments for the Appeal Hearing will be scheduled for one of these days. 

Unknown date: The Maryland Court of Special Appeals will render its opinion.







			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
BRENT DETWILER ANSWERS SLANDER CHARGES FROM SOVEREIGN GRACE ELDERS
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

BRENT DETWILER



 



C J MAHANEY







JOSHUA HARRIS







Here is Brent Detwiler’s response reprinted in full, unedited, from:

http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/sgm-council-of-elders-commends-cj-mahaney-condemns-brent-det.html:



SGM Council of Elders Commends C.J. Mahaney & Condemns Brent Detwiler



Friday, August 9, 2013 at 3:02PM
Brent Detwiler





The Council of Elders is the national governing body for Sovereign Grace Ministries.  It is comprised of one representative elder from each church unless a church has more than 500 adult members.  In such a case, they are granted two voting elders.  50 of the 62 representative elders passed the following statement while 12 abstained or voted against it.  Two years ago, there were 107 churches in Sovereign Grace Ministries.  Many have left the denomination. 



Following is the Council of Elders Statement Posted on the SGM Website.



 It can also be read directly here.



“August 5, 2013 



The Sovereign Grace Council of Elders held their inaugural meeting May 23-25, 2013, in Orlando, Florida.  In addition to approving a motion to form a Strategy Committee for International Missions and confirming Mark Prater as the first Executive Director, the Council of Elders also approved, by a supermajority, the following statement to be sent to every Sovereign Grace church and posted on the Sovereign Grace Ministries website.  



As the Sovereign Grace Council of Elders, representing the elderships that govern local churches, we believe that Brent Detwiler has repeatedly and grievously slandered our churches and our leaders.[1]  We denounce as sinful and unbiblical his determined effort to accuse our brethren.[2]  Consequently, we urge our brothers and sisters in Christ to avoid giving audience to Brent Detwiler’s unbiblical speech until such a time that he repents of this ungodly pattern.  Such harmful speech is ruinous to the church of God.  



Furthermore, in contradiction to Brent Detwiler’s ongoing statements, we vigorously reiterate our support of C.J. Mahaney as a qualified minister of the gospel.[3]  While we wholeheartedly support our reformation in polity, we also publicly declare our gratefulness for C.J.’s many years of service and commend his ongoing ministry of the gospel.[4]



[1] This belief is based on the numerous public statements Brent has made accusing leaders of Sovereign Grace churches of lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc. without due process nor sufficient information and at times blatantly contrary to the facts.
[2] See Exodus 23:1, Proverbs 11:9,13, 20:19, 26:20, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Ephesians 4:29-32, 1 Timothy 5:19, Titus 3:1-3, James 4:11-12, and 1 Peter 2:1.
[3] Per Interim Board announcement on the review panels dated January 25, 2012 and Preliminary Panel Report dated July 27, 2011.
[4] C.J. serves as a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville but does not hold a staff position with Sovereign Grace Ministries, Inc.”



This statement comes as no surprise.  Though posted on Monday, I’ve know about it for the past three months.  Mike Pierson, senior pastor of Providence Church of Pittsburgh, recently explained to his church why the lengthy delay. 



“I told you a while back that I was at the Council Elders meeting [as an observer], which is the national gathering…and this is all brand new as far as motions being made and things being voted on.  And I told you…that a motion was brought by somebody and the motion had to do with making proclamations about the documents that Brent Detwiler had put out and also making affirmations about C.J. Mahaney and his continued call and gifting for ministry.  And I told you that I would not have voted for that.  I would have liked to been able to speak up and would not have voted for that but the motion did carry.  There was some discussion.  The motion carried.  It happened.  And so I kind of left there scratching my head, thinking…it just didn’t work the way I thought it should work.  It just was quick.  It didn’t seem to take dissenting opinion into consideration.  It just happened fast.  Well, I just recently found out there’s been a lot has happened since then…. So some pastors who had dissenting opinions about that looked at the Book of Church Order, saw there was recourse in the Book of Church Order, to ask for a Special Session of the Council of Elders…to reconsider that decision [so] a special session can be called where that is re-opened for discussion and a new decision can potentially be made.  That has happened…. Soon a special session will be reconvened.”



C.J. Mahaney, Mark Prater who is the Executive Director for SGM, and others were behind the effort to rush through the approval at the inaugural meeting on May 23-25 in order to coincide with the release of supportive statements by Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever from Together for the Gospel on May 23 and by Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor from The Gospel Coalition on May 24.  It was all part of a carefully planned and orchestrated public relations push.  It backfired.  




A Little History for New Readers 



Before I proceed, let me provide a little history for those less acquainted with me and the scandals surrounding Sovereign Grace Ministries. 



I was converted to Christ under the preaching of Bill Bright and Billy Graham just after I graduated from high school in 1972.  During my college years, I led a campus ministry.  Later, I graduated from seminary in 1979 and entered into full time ministry.  I was one of the four men that started Sovereign Grace Ministries in 1982.  I served on the Board of Directors for 25 years until I resigned in 2007.  For the majority of those years, I was the number 2 leader after C.J. Mahaney.  He was a dear and close friend. 



In 2000, the other Board Members and I began to formally address serious and long standing patterns of sin in C.J.’s life.  For the next ten years, I attempted to help C.J. in private.  Those efforts failed.  



In July 2011, it became necessary to send out four lengthy documents to all the pastors in Sovereign Grace Ministries because of C.J.’s continuing pride, deceit, lording, and hypocrisy.  I never imagined having to take such a drastic step.  It was out of love for him and the good of Sovereign Grace Ministries.  I’ve always sought its reform, not its demise. 



At the time, Joshua Harris wrote me the following note. 



July 1, 2011 



Brent, 



Your documents have helped me to face issues that I have not wanted to face.  I told CJ and Dave [Harvey] and Jeff [Purswell] that I have played a part in failing to challenge CJ.  If I had been more courageous 7 years ago he might not be at this same place.  I feel that I have failed many people.  And so I feel a great weight of regret and I know the Lord is disciplining me in this process too.  



Joshua 



In August 2004, eight of C.J.’s closest friends met with him for five hours during which time we sought to address his heart on critical issues of character (see Response Regarding Friendship & Doctrine, pp. 16-30).  I led the meeting.  Immediately following the meeting, C.J. shut down the disciplinary process and silenced most of the men who initially spoke out.  That included Joshua and that is why he says “If I had been more courageous 7 years ago he [C.J.] might not be at this same place [today].”  



Ten days after Joshua sent me the note above, he preached a message to Covenant Life Church entitled “The Father’s Discipline.”  What follows are excerpts from this extremely powerful message.  He spoke like a prophet and without fear or hesitation.  He shared openly and honestly.  He put the blame for problems in SGM on himself and other leaders.  It was a prophetic word to the whole movement.  C.J. despised it.  He immediately left the church without counsel from the pastors and never returned.  He remains profoundly offended.   



The entire message can be heard at Covenant Life Church’s website.  Here are some excerpts. 



“We are walking through what is without any exaggeration the most difficult challenge that we have faced as a church.  Last week C.J. Mahaney, a man who help to found this church and led it for 27 years, a man who is a father in the faith to many of us, a dear friend, a beloved teacher of the gospel, who has served as the President of our network of churches called Sovereign Grace.  Last week C.J. stepped down from his role as President because of accusations that were being brought to him from several different men, one in particular, accusations of hypocrisy, coercion, deceit, sinful judgment and unentreatability.  



“The primary person bringing these accusations is a man named Brent Detwiler who helped to found Sovereign Grace and served closely with C.J. for many years on the leadership team.  In years past, Brent has preached here at CLC and is a friend to many.  Brent has compiled three documents, totaling over 600 pages of emails and meeting notes and his own reflections in bringing these accusations to C.J. of his sin.  And he sent these to C.J., one at a time over the past 16 months and when efforts at a process of mediation could not be agreed upon the three documents were sent to all the pastors of Sovereign Grace, and subsequently someone posted them on the internet this past week.  In just a few days they have been down loaded and read by thousands of people and many, many, more people will be reading them in the coming days. 



“The accusations and the details that are shared in these documents not only accused C.J. but they also, understandably so, call into question the judgment and the integrity of the leaders around C.J. including myself.  People are asking, ‘What did people know and when did they know it?  What did C.J. actually do?  Is Brent’s interpretation of all these events true and why didn’t the men around C.J. do more to challenge him and help him? 



“In the midst of a crisis like this one, the temptation for a leader like me is to stand before the people that I’ve been called to lead and say two things.  It is not as bad as it seems.  And it’s not your leaders’ fault.  But I can’t say that because it wouldn’t be true.  It is as bad as it seems.  And it is the fault of your leaders.  And we desperately need the help of God and the wisdom and the accountability of the people who have looked to our leadership to sort through this mess.  



“Our focus does not need to be on our perceived enemies.  I believe God would have your leaders humbly acknowledge that it is our sin and our failure and our faulty structures that have brought this trouble.  I don’t believe that these events are an accident.  I believe they are the loving discipline of our heavenly Father.  And no matter whose fault this is, this is what we cannot get around.  This is what is unavoidable.  We cannot get around the fact that our church and our entire denomination is being publicly spanked.  We are being humiliated.  We are being brought low.  God is getting our attention.  And the word of God tells us in Hebrews 12 that he is treating us as sons. 



“And so I just want to ask you a question.  How could God discipline a whole church?  How could God discipline a whole denomination?  What possible set of circumstances could he create that would force entire family of churches to recognize, to acknowledge, to turn away from deeply entrenched and flawed patterns of leadership and practice and church government?  What could God possibly do to get an entire movement to do that? 



“Well let me just propose a scenario for you.  He could allow a chorus of critics on the internet to point out the most glaring failures and inconsistencies of that movement in an unrelenting way.  He could allow the issues that they didn’t want to deal with, or have the nerve to change, to be aired in public.  He could allow a breakdown in a relationship and the stubbornness of leaders to culminate in a set of circumstances so that all the mistakes and all the relational sins at the top levels of leadership would be written down and posted on the internet for the entire world to read.  Do you think that would work?  



“God, and God alone, has brought this unthinkable sequence of events about.  There are no accidents in his universe.  He disciplines those he loves and it hurts and that’s the point.  And that leads us to point number four.  And that is, that we must be trained by it.  God disciplines because he loves, it hurts, and we must be trained by it.  We must be trained by it. 



“There is so much joy in becoming more like our Lord and more pleasing to him.  When we let go of those weights and those sins that we are carrying we are not going to be sad, we are going to be joyful.  It is going to be better.  Do you see that promise that God is holding out for us?  But we have to allow the discipline to train us.  You see there is a response involved on our part.  There is a response involved on our part.  It is to those who are trained by it.  We can either choose to be trained by the discipline or we can resist it.  



“Please pray for me.  Please pray for all the people that are involved that we would be trained by this discipline.  Not that we would just get through it.  Not that any one person would be preserved, or not preserved in a position, but that the Lord would train us through this discipline.  That we would receive and benefit from everything that he wants to teach us no matter how painful it is for anyone through the process.  That we would not short circuit or try to run away from this process.” (Joshua Harris, The Father’s Discipline, July 10, 2011)    



In response to my sending out The Documents in July 2011, C.J. had Dave Harvey, his number 2 man, post the following five resolutions on the SGM website.  It created a firestorm of protest from members throughout Sovereign Grace churches.     




1.  That Brent Detwiler’s refusal to participate in mediation with C.J. Mahaney—unless Mahaney first agrees (a) to publish an extensive written response to each of Detwiler’s accusations and (b) to make a public confession prior to any mediation or impartial evaluation of his charges—is unjust and constitutes a denial of biblically grounded due process for a qualified minister of the gospel (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Proverbs 25:9).
2.  That Brent Detwiler’s distribution of written accusations against C.J. Mahaney to all Sovereign Grace pastors constitutes the public slander of Mahaney’s reputation.
3.  That the board of Sovereign Grace Ministries has reviewed Brent Detwiler’s documents accusing C.J. Mahaney of sinful practices in the conduct of his ministry and finds no reason at this time to deem him unfit for ministry.  However, the board will reevaluate Mahaney’s fitness after receiving formal evaluation of the accusations lodged against him (see below).  The board acknowledges that sins have been committed but also recognizes and appreciates Mahaney’s eagerness to confess sins, pursue reconciliation with Detwiler, and pursue personal holiness and growth as a minister.
4.  That C.J. Mahaney is a qualified minister of the gospel and this board approves his pastoral and teaching ministry in Sovereign Grace and the wider body of Christ.
5.  That Sovereign Grace Ministries will engage a process of evaluation regarding C.J. Mahaney’s fitness for ministry. 



These resolutions contained numerous lies and misrepresentations.  For example, SGM never engaged the process of evaluation they promised.  Furthermore, C.J. had every opportunity to defend himself but he refused to do so because of his guilt, not his humility.  These resolutions also gave evidence to the heavy handed way in which C.J. and his agents deal with people who bring correction.  I wrote a 20 page response in which I addressed all of the issues in these five resolutions.  Here is a short excerpt. 



The Five Resolutions – July 13, 2011
Friday, January 13, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Brent Detwiler 



Six months ago today, Dave Harvey and the Sovereign Grace Board of Directors reacted to my sending out of The Documents to the SGM pastors with five resolutions.  Those resolutions drew immediate fire from many quarters for being arrogant and heavy-handed.  



Two days later, Dave was forced to write, ”When people are tempted to think that you are (and I’ll pull from our vast supply of quotes here) ‘gaming the system,’ engaging in ‘cronyism,’ ‘going to war,’ behaving with ‘hubris,’ ‘presumptuous and self-serving,’ and, well you get the idea—you’ve got the burden of ensuring they know you get the point.”  



The critics were right.  The descriptions were true.  In the days to follow, Dave tried to spin his way out of trouble (see An Honest Take on a Difficult Week, July 15, 2011; Listening, July 18, 2011).  A firestorm began.    



The initial reaction of the SGM Board embodied and revealed the most serious issues I’ve raised with C.J., Dave, et al. over the past seven years.  Their response was a near perfect illustration of what is wrong and needs to change in SGM.  That change is not possible without new leadership.  



No Reformation of Leadership Culture



Sovereign Grace Ministries has reformed some of its polity but it has not reformed its abusive leadership culture.  Those who could have provided “new leadership” have left the denomination.  If fact, the vast majority of C.J.’s close friends from the past 30 years have been forced to separate from him.  That includes Joshua Harris and the 17 other pastors at Covenant Life Church.  It also includes every SGM Board Member from 1982-2011 except two.  



Moreover, there has been a massive exodus of godly people out of Sovereign Grace churches over the past five years and it only continues.  SGM has tried to blame me, others, and blogs critical of SGM for all of their problems; but people by the tens of thousands have seen and experienced the systemic problems that exist in the ministry, which now includes the largest sex abuse conspiracy in the history of American Evangelicalism. 



In spite of this, the newly convened Council of Elders remains unfazed and dogged.  They press on with the same pride, deceit, lording and hypocrisy that characterized the SGM Board of Directors under C.J.’s control the past two years.  SGM leadership has not changed.  The Council of Elders have now played the slander card just like the Board of Directors did in July 2011 after I sent out The Documents. 



“As the Sovereign Grace Council of Elders, representing the elderships that govern local churches, we believe that Brent Detwiler has repeatedly and grievously slandered our churches and our leaders.  We denounce as sinful and unbiblical his determined effort to accuse our brethren.  Consequently, we urge our brothers and sisters in Christ to avoid giving audience to Brent Detwiler’s unbiblical speech until such a time that he repents of this ungodly pattern.  Such harmful speech is ruinous to the church of God.” 



The charge of slander is the only weapon in SGM’s arsenal.  They have never allowed me to present charges and they have never being willing to defend themselves.  Their  only defense has been to label me a slanderer, tell people I am motivated by vengeance, and threatened people with church discipline if they read my material. (see for example, Ten Common Cult-Like Characteristics Evident in Mickey Connolly’s Leadership)    



The same kind of accusations were made by distinguished leaders like Dr. Albert Mohler and Dr. Ligon Duncan on C.J.’s behalf after I sent out The Documents.  



“I always have had only the highest estimation of C.J. Mahaney as a man and a minister.  That continues absolutely unchanged.  There is nothing in this current situation which would leave me to have even the slightest pause of confidence in him.  There is nothing disqualifying in terms of anything that is disclosed in [the documents].  It’s just evidence we knew all along, that C.J. is human but a deeply committed Christian and a visionary Christian leader.   Detwiler has an obvious vendetta against C.J.” (Albert Mohler, The Courier-Journal, July 12, 2011) 



“If you have been confused or discouraged by things you have read on the internet concerning my friend C.J. Mahaney and his leave of absence from the board and presidency of Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), I would encourage you to…ignore the assaults of wounded people on attack websites and blogs… C.J. knows of my complete love and respect for him… It would have been very easy for the leadership of SGM to ignore and dismiss these charges, because so many of them are so evidently self-serving and spurious accusations.” (Ligon Duncan, “A Word About C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries,” July 12, 2011) 



Such accusations are not true.  I’ve worked for the reform of SGM, not its demise.  So have many others and their plight has been the same as mine.  1 Corinthians 13:7 has been my guide.  Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  I’ve needed to expose wrongdoing because there has been no repentance and pursue the truth (i.e., justice) for those harmed including the victims of physical and sexual abuse.  Love motivates such pursuits and rejoices when they are achieved.     



Dr. Mohler can say “Detwiler has an obvious vendetta against C.J.”  Dr. Duncan can say “I would encourage you to…ignore the assaults of wounded people on attack websites and blogs…because so many of them are so evidently self-serving and spurious accusations.”  But here is what C.J. said about the same documents before they were sent to the SGM pastors.  



From: C.J. Mahaney
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 12:35 PM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject:    



Brent, 



I think you are accurate in pointing out that I have overlooked statements you have made where you invited correction and disagreement.  Please forgive me for doing so…. Thank you for this correction and thank you for inviting my correction and your openness to discuss all sides of our past interactions.  I appreciate this evidence of humility in your life. 



Brent, let me conclude by thanking you for sending me these documents.  I am deriving much benefit from reading them and reviewing them with others.  



From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 8:09 AM
To: C. J. Mahaney
Subject: Overlooking Statements 



Thanks for your note C.J. and willingness to review my documents with others.  I’m not sure forgiveness is necessary for overlooking my statements but it is certainly granted.  I’m glad to hear you’re finding the documents of some benefit.  Grace to you as you continue to seek the Lord.     



From: C.J. Mahaney
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 12:18 PM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject: FW: Overlooking Statements 



Brent, 



Thanks for your gracious response.  I’m not finding the documents to be of some benefit, I’m finding them to be of significant benefit.



This assessment changed when I sent out The Documents.  Overnight they went from “documents…of significant benefit” to “spurious accusations” condemned as “slander.”  Dave Harvey even referred to them as a “sad tale” in a secret letter to the SGM pastors (see The Mona Lisa of Spin by Master Harvey).  This represents an accurate portrayal of how C.J. and SGM operate when protecting their image.  



Here is an actual example of how I wrote and what I wrote from the third document.  



Concluding Remarks
June 8, 2011 



Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.



Introduction 



I have labored with the hope that this document, in addition to the previous two, will serve your soul, Sovereign Grace Ministries, and most of all the gospel.  I remain grateful for the many years I was blessed by God to serve in your company and the company of so many people I love and respect.  What follows is an expression of my love for you, my former friends, and the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. 



I’ve found no joy in writing a Response Regarding Friendship and Doctrine (RRF&D), A Final Appeal (AFA), and now Concluding Remarks (CR).  I believe the Lord led me, and enabled me to write, but it has not been a pleasant task.  In particular, I have not enjoyed making my case in such detail.  I wish it were unnecessary but general appeals to you for repentance have never been effectual.       
In fact, it is only in the face of overwhelming evidence, godly pressure from peers, and impending consequences; that one gains your attention and then with difficulty.  RRF&D and AFA followed 10 years of correction.   



C.J., I am genuinely grateful to the Triune God for the fruits of pride you’ve acknowledged, the changes you’ve made and the input you’re received from others.  But I also remain deeply concerned because you and the Board of Directors are unaffected on so many important fronts.  That is alarming.  So here is my last attempt to focus your attention.  I hope you find it redemptive…



An Appeal for Justice 



SGM has never faced the facts.  They have never dealt with the evidence against them.  They have never given an accounting for their actions.  Furthermore, they have never allowed me to present my charges.  And most importantly, they have never defended themselves against my charges before a Court of Appeals.    



The Council of Elders says, 



“We believe that Brent Detwiler has repeatedly and grievously slandered our churches and our leaders…. This belief is based on the numerous public statements Brent has made accusing leaders of Sovereign Grace churches of lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc. without due process nor sufficient information and at times blatantly contrary to the facts.”



They are welcome to accuse me of slander but they must prove it.  In over 3,000 pages of hard evidence, I have documented my charges of “lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc.”  I say to the Council of Elders, “Set up an open hearing!  I am glad for you to show me where I have presented insufficient information or information contrary the facts.”  That has always been my position and posture of heart.  



Yet, time after time, C.J. Mahaney and his inner circle have been unwilling to do so.  They have cowered from such an arrangement and this is well known to everyone who has followed the events of the past two years.  Here are but two examples of my repeated efforts to be heard and tried.  



Example 1 



From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2011 8:45 AM
To: SGM Board
Cc: Ken Sande; Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Bryce Thomas; CLC Pastors
Subject: Suggested Proposal for Just, Impartial and Thorough Evaluation of C.J. and SGM 



I formally request the following proposal be adopted by the SGM Board.  If any parts of this proposal are unacceptable, please provide the reasons why and offer alternatives.  



1.  Ken Sande serves as facilitator for the evaluation process.
2.  Ken selects three judges or lawyers and two pastors who are evangelical believers and highly respected with little or no knowledge of SGM to serve as the evaluators.
3.  This five man panel will hear evidence for and against C.J. and SGM.  They will post a summary of the evidence and give their legal/pastoral opinion as to C.J.’s fitness and the fitness of other leaders like Dave [Harvey], Steve [Shank] Bob [Kauflin] and Gene [Emerson].  They are also welcome to post their assessment of me.
4.  C.J. and I will negotiate the terms and conditions with Ken for this thorough going evaluation of SGM and its agents.
5.  If necessary, Ken will serve outside of his official capacity as President of Peacemakers if the terms and conditions of the agreement do not meet, or differ with, the specifications of Peacemakers and thereby prevent his official involvement.  In such case, he will act as a qualified believer.     



When I received no response from the SGM Board to this “Proposal for a Just, Impartial and Thorough Evaluation of C.J. and SGM,” I asked them to put it up for a vote by the all the SGM pastors. 



From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 12:49 PM
To: SGM Board
Cc: Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; CLC Pastors
Subject: FW: Personal Appeal to C.J. 



To the SGM Board, 



At no time have you commented on my proposal.  I see absolutely no reason to reject it if you are genuinely interested in reconciliation and an impartial evaluation of SGM.  I have a serious request to make of you.  Put this proposal before all the pastors of SGM (not just sr. pastors) for a vote.  Let the majority decide.  I am confident the leaders in SGM would welcome such a proposal if presented fairly.  



I am also very willing to stand before all the SGM pastors and answer any questions they have for me.  Furthermore, I’d like to invite all the SGM pastors to the hearing described so they can hear the evidence and evaluate for themselves.  



Brent 



Two weeks later, I wrote the Board of Directors again and copied all the pastors in SGM.  My request for a vote and a hearing were flatly denied by the Board. 



From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 9:42 AM
To: Aron Osborne; C. J. Mahaney; Craig Cabaniss; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; John Loftness; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank
Cc: Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Bryce Thomas; Ken Sande; Tommy Hill; Andrew Mahr; Bob Kauflin; Tony Reinke; Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Greg Somerville; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Joshua Harris; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert; SGM Pastors
Subject: A Second Appeal
Importance: High 



Dave, 



I’ve not heard back from you.  Have you reconsidered?  Have you changed your mind?  Will you allow for a hearing?  Will you permit me to make my case?  Or will you reject this pleading?  Will you deny this appeal? 



I’d also like to ask again that you put my request to a vote of all SGM pastors as an expression of humility and accountability.  Let them vote anonymously.  Let their perspective count.  Let them provide you counsel.    



Sincerely,



Brent 



Example 2 



Six months later I tried again.  This request was also denied.  These efforts at justice are thoroughly recorded in My Appeal to the SGM Pastors for a Church Court in Order to Avoid a Civil Court.  Here are two piece of correspondence found in that treatment.  



From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 6:05 PM
To: Aron Osborne; C. J. Mahaney; Craig Cabaniss; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank; Andrew Mahr; Bob Kauflin; Gary Ricucci; Tommy Hill; Al Pino; Ian McConnell; John Loftness; Ken Mellinger; Paul Buckley; Phil Sasser; Brian Brookins; Mark Alderton; Ron Boomsma; Steve Teter; Warren Boettcher
Cc: Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Joshua Harris; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert; Bryce Thomas; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; Ted Kober; Chip Grange
Subject: RE: Sovereign Grace Relocation Announcement 



I have sent the SGM Board and the CLC [Covenant Life Church] pastors everything I’ve ever written over the last two years.  That’s because I don’t hide my words and I’ve welcomed their feedback.  I’ve repeatedly asked C.J., Dave and the Board to correct any inaccuracies.  I’ve written them for specific clarifications.  I’ve asked them countless questions.  I’ve confronted their lies and deceit.  In short, I’ve done my best to walk in the light and interact with them.  The offer stands.  I want any factual errors I am guilty of corrected with evidence.  If those factual errors prove I have judged anyone; I will repent, ask your forgiveness and write a public retraction.  I’ve done this before.  I’ll do it as many times as necessary.  I’ve only wanted the truth.  That is why I have pursued input from the Board and CLC.  



Someday soon, I hope the Board will fulfill its promise and allow me to share my charges against C.J. and others in a just setting with honorable men.  Someday soon I also hope they will grant my request to defend against my wrongful termination in July 2009.  To date, they have forbid me from expressing my grievances in both cases even though I was promised the opportunity to do so.  I also want to defend against the libelous report written by Mark Prater, Warren Boettcher and Ron Boomsma in December 2011. 



## 



April 23, 2012 



To All SGM Pastors



Urgent.  Please read immediately. 



On July 6-7, 2011, I sent you Response Regarding Friendship and Doctrine, A Final Appeal, Concluding Remarks, and The Untold Story.  This became necessary for eight reasons.



1.  C.J.’s deceitful explanation for his leave of absence.
2.  The favoritism shown C.J. by the Sovereign Grace Board.
3.  The failure of the Covenant Life Pastors to enforce 1 Timothy 5:19-21.
4.  Making me out to be the only witness against C.J.
5.  The necessity of telling the Church (Matthew 18:15-17).
6.  The denial of sin problems in Sovereign Grace Ministries.
7.  The deceit of Dave Harvey and the Sovereign Grace Board.
8.  The need to speak against evil. 


    

      


      
I am appealing to you again.  The interim Board comprised of Dave Harvey, Jeff Purswell, John Loftness, Mickey Connolly, Craig Cabaniss, Steve Shank, Mark Prater, Pete Greasley, Aron Osborne, and Rick Gamache, have denied me justice since they took office on July 13, 2011.  My charges against C.J. and other agents of SGM have not been given a hearing.  I’ve been given no remedy for my grievances. 
      

      
Therefore, I ask each one of you to intercede on my behalf and petition the new Board to agree this week to the use an outside church court as outlined below.  I beg your immediate assistance!  This request does not differ from what was originally and repeatedly promised to me by C.J., Dave, Jeff and Joshua from July 2010 to July 2011.  In reality, I am simply asking you to hold them accountable to their word so additional action need not be taken…  
      

      
The Most Troubling Phrase of All 
      

      
The Council of Elders claims I’ve accused their leaders without due process.  This is the most deceitful and disturbing comment of all.  It is pure spin and contrary to all the facts.  These leaders know I’ve repeatedly asked C.J. Mahaney and those accused to defend themselves.  
      

      
SGM has not been denied due process.  The truth be told, they have fled, loathed, and despised due process.  Due process means they have to provide answers to hard questions.  Due process means they have to be open and honest.  Due process means they have to refute evidence.  Due process means objective judges are present to adjudicate.  SGM fears due process more than anything in this world!  
      

      
In this act of great hypocrisy, the Council of Elders condemns me for slander without presenting evidence or allowing any defense.  This is a brazen denial of due process and an egregious violation of the polity they proudly espouse, but don’t follow, in their Book of Church Order.  See Rules of Discipline, pp. 55-74.   
      

      
This can be corrected.  I’ll fly to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow and meet with C.J. so we can begin to arrange for a Church Court.  I am not being pompous.  I am serious.  Ken Sande can preside.  John Piper and Wayne Grudem can assist.  It barely matters.  The evidence will convince the most ardent supporter of C.J. that there are very serious problems in his life and SGM.  Let me state again in no uncertain terms.  Put me on trial but let it be an open trial!  I will gladly appear and I won’t bring any lawyers.  
      

      
Council of Elders put forth your evidence to show where I have slandered, failed to put forward sufficient information, and blatantly put forward charges contrary to the facts.  This is not a dare.  I have invited such examinations for over three years.  I am serious about this offer.    
      

      
And then allow for reciprocity!  Let the facts speak and let me demonstrate that I am the one who has been denied due process and by malicious means.  You have never allowed me to make my case by presenting evidence, calling witnesses, or cross examining false witnesses though all this was promised me.  Instead, you have shielded  the accused and them off the hook when they have grievously transgressed God’s holy law (see for example, Get Out of Jail Free Card for C.J. – No Adjudication Hearing). 
      

      
At this open Church Court let’s review what I have written in The Ethical Demise of Sovereign Grace Ministries (Part 1) and The Ethical Demise of Sovereign Grace Ministries (Part 2).  That is only right and fair.  You may accuse me but you must back up your accusation. 
      

      
The Sex Abuse Conspiracy 
      

      
It is one thing when SGM leaders cover up their sins.  It is another thing when they cover up their crimes.  The Council of Elders points out that I have accused SGM leaders like C.J. Mahaney, John Loftness and Gary Ricucci of a conspiracy to commit and cover up sex crimes.  That is correct and so have 11 victims of physical and sexual abuse.  I am in good company.  
      

      
A 46 page civil lawsuit called the Second Amended Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand was filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries and others on May 14, 2013.  Most of the counts in the lawsuit were dismissed due to a statute of limitations in Maryland.  None of it substantive merits were addressed or ruled upon by the Judge.
      

      
The case is being appealed and with good reason.  More states are removing the statute of limitations applied to civil courts because they now realize it can take victims traumatized by sex offenders a long time before they come forward and take action.  Thankfully, there is no statute of limitations for sex crimes in criminal courts.  Criminal investigations are underway.
      

      
At the heart of the lawsuit is the charge of a massive cover up that was carried out while C.J. was senior pastor of Covenant Life Church and President of Sovereign Grace Ministries.  For example.        
      

      
“This lawsuit seeks damages for all persons who were harmed and continue to be harmed by an ongoing conspiracy formed in Maryland and implemented across the nation in the SGM “family” of churches.  This conspiracy has existed for decades, and resulted in numerous children being sexually assaulted on church and school property and by church and school employees and volunteers.  Participants in the conspiracy include Defendants Mahaney, Loftness, Tomczak, Layman, Ricucci, Gallo, Ecelbarger, Mullery, D. Hinders, and V. Hinders.  These men conspired, and continue to conspire, to permit sexual deviants to have unfettered access to children for purposes of predation, and to obstruct justice by covering up ongoing and past predation.” (Complaint 1, p. 1) 
      

      
“From 1982 to the present, the individual Defendants participated in a conspiracy to permit sexual deviants to have unfettered access to children for purposes of predation, and to obstruct justice from occurring with respect to past and ongoing predation.  Defendants covered up ongoing sexual and physical abuse of minors and repeatedly and routinely violated the mandatory reporting laws designed to keep children safe from sexual predation.” (Complaint 29, p. 8) 
      

      
The word “conspiracy” appears 48 times and the word “cover up” appears 17 times in The Second Amended Complaint.  The allegation of an extensive conspiracy appears throughout the document. 
      

      
Nevertheless, the SGM Board of Directors (now called the Executive Committee), has categorically denied there is any evidence whatsoever of a conspiracy!  They have dismissed every allegation of fact by 11 Plaintiffs.  Here are their denials which were posted on the SGM website.     
      


      
Our careful review of the allegations to date has not produced any evidence of any cover-up or conspiracy.  
      


      
Let us reiterate that our review of the allegations has not produced any evidence of any cover-up or conspiracy by SGM.  
      

      
I have written about the conspiracy at some length though more work needs to be done.  There is no question of a massive cover up.  These reckless statements by the SGM Board of Directors fly in the face of all the evidence.  Wittingly or unwittingly, they are part of the conspiracy too.  Such pronouncements are absurd.  Read the following posts in evidence thereof.
      





      
Let me present but one example of the conspiracy as alleged in the lawsuit.  “Loftness” is John Loftness, the former Chairman of the SGM Board.  “Griney” is Stephen Griney, a former teacher at Covenant Life School.  “Ricucci” is Gary Ricucci, the current Director of Students at the SGM Pastors College and brother in law of C.J. Mahaney.  All of these men worked for C.J. and were close friends of C.J. 
      

      
“During the 1985/1986 school year, Defendant Loftness, Griney and Defendant Ricucci brought Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas into an empty room with two other girls.  Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas recognized the girls, one of whom was Plaintiff Thompson.  (The other is not being named here to protect her privacy.)  Defendants directed the girls to strip off their underwear, and lay across desks. Defendant Loftness beat Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas on her bare buttocks.  Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas heard the unnamed girl crying, and saw Griney hitting her on her bare buttocks.  Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas turned over her shoulder to look for Plaintiff Thompson, and realized Defendant Ricucci had taken her out of the room.  Defendant Loftness continued to beat Plaintiff Roberts-Thomas’ bare buttocks, and then he inserted his fingers into her vagina.” (Complaint 90, pp. 20-21)
      

      
None of this means anything to the SGM Board of Directors/Executive Committee.  It is dismissed by them as pure fiction. 
      

      
No Self-Examination by the Council of Elders
      

      
When the Council of Elders met for the first time in May, they had no idea it might be a good time to humble themselves in light of God’s opposition!  There was no willingness to examine the past or present.  There was no self-suspicion or self-examination. 
      

      
Instead they took the occasion to exalt themselves by putting forth a statement that denies lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, and abuse by it leaders and especially by C.J. Mahaney.  In my opinion, and let me quote them, “Such harmful speech is ruinous to the church of God.”
      

      
Tragically the 50 representative elders have failed to be trained by discipline over the last two years.  They continue to lead SGM down the path of pride that has brought about its demise.  They have taking lightly the discipline of God and “run away from this process.”    
      

      
“Please pray for all the people that are involved that we would be trained by this discipline.  Not that we would just get through it.  Not that any one person would be preserved, or not preserved in a position, but that the Lord would train us through this discipline.  That we would receive and benefit from everything that he wants to teach us no matter how painful it is for anyone through the process.  That we would not short circuit or try to run away from this process.” (Joshua Harris, The Father’s Discipline, July 10, 2011)   
      

      
What Will It Profit a Man
      

      
C.J. Mahaney has pronounced spiritual gifts and a magnanimous personality but he has  craved the praise of men and pretended humility.  We addressed this issues with him in August, 2004 and on many other occasions.  These root issues led to lying, deceit and abuse in order to preserve his reputation and position.   
      

      
Dave Harvey replaced me as the number 2 leader in SGM in November 2007 when I resigned because I no longer trusted C.J.   Dave was made interim President of SGM in July 2011 when C.J. took a “leave of absence” after I sent out The Documents.  Dave just left SGM in June.  Here’s one of the reasons for his departure – a falling out with C.J. because he was not willing to categorically commend C.J. and condemn me.  
      

      
From: Brent Detwiler
      Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:48 AM
      To: Dave Harvey
      Subject: Falling Out with C.J.
      Importance: High
      

      
Hello Dave,
      

      
I’ve been told about the break down in your relationship with C.J. because he feels you did not defend him adequately and did not denounce me, Larry Tomczak, etc. more harshly.  This comes as no surprise.  You need to bring this to the immediate attention of the entire Board to whom you and C.J. are now accountable.  Be honest with them.  Don’t cover up for C.J.  Put an end to the enablement.  You must tell the Board about this mistreatment of you.  Dave, you know full well that nothing has changed with C.J.  Your assessment and my assessment from 2004 are as relevant today.
      

      
“To correct CJ, or to challenge his own self-perception, was to experience a reaction through e-mails, consistent disagreement (without seeking to sufficiently understand), a lack of sufficient follow-up and occasionally, relational withdrawal.  Along with this, CJ was poor in volunteering areas of sin, temptation or weakness in himself.” (Dave Harvey, Nov 11, 2004) 
      

      
“[C.J.] can become resentful, distrustful or withdraw when he feels misunderstood, judged, or sinned against by others.  Can judge or prematurely come to conclusions about others based on limited or incomplete information.  When correcting or disagreeing can communicate his assessment or perspective too strongly or categorically.  Can lack gentleness and not perceive the unhelpful effect of his words, actions or decisions upon an individual.  Can be difficult to correct and help because he often disagrees with or has a different perspective on illustrations.    Infrequently makes us aware of specific sins or the correction others are bringing to him.” (Brent Detwiler, April, 2004)  
      

      
I have little hope you and C.J. will be transparent with the Board.  I imagine this will be glossed over and made to sound like a trifle when it is serious.  Please turn the corner on a new lease in life by doing what is right.
      

      
Regards,
      

      
Brent
      


      
In April of this year, C.J. “transitioned” from his role as President but not before he positioned Mark Prater to become the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace Ministries.  C.J. knew Mark would get him the universal commendation and condemnation he has craved for a long time.  It is all so sad!  
      

      
“Furthermore, in contradiction to Brent Detwiler’s ongoing statements, we vigorously reiterate our support of C.J. Mahaney as a qualified minister of the gospel.  While we wholeheartedly support our reformation in polity, we also publicly declare our gratefulness for C.J.’s many years of service and commend his ongoing ministry of the gospel.”
      

      
A Modern Day Object Lesson for the Evangelical Church
      

      
It doesn’t matter what the Council of Elders says about me.  I will continue to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s people by presenting the truth about Sovereign Grace Ministry as fairly and accurately as I can.  I have no choice in the matter.  My life is not my own.    
      

      
In his providence, God has ordained every circumstance surrounding SGM for the good of his Church at large.  Once greatly exalted, Sovereign Grace Ministries has been brought low.  This is not due to slander or owing to the devil.  It is an expression of God’s opposition in the face of unrepentant pride. 
      

      
Jesus was not slandering the religious leaders of his day when he exposed their hypocrisy.  He was simply speaking the truth. 
      

      
Matt 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like  whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and  all uncleanness. So you also  outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of  hypocrisy and lawlessness. 
      

      
Sovereign Grace Ministries is in grave trouble.  This edict is a desperate attempt to salvage the vestiges of what little remains.  Please pray for C.J. that he will sincerely repent (see C.J.’s Foxhole Conversion).  Pray for the Council of Elders that they will pursue truth and justice.  Pray for national leaders who enable C.J. and refuse to examine the evidence.   
      

      
Pray also for law enforcement.  Widespread crimes have been committed and a great effort is being made to conceal them.  Last of all, pray for the victims of physical and sexual abuse in SGM.  There are 11 Plaintiffs in the lawsuit but many more victims.  The massive conspiracy to commit and cover up these horrors must be exposed by the power of God. 
      

      
What is happening in SGM is a modern day example of God’s discipline on a national level.  SGM was a rising star and C.J. was its chief luminary.  Both are disgraced and necessarily so.  Pride always goes before the fall. 
      

      
The evangelical Church of Jesus Christ must take note.  God is dealing with Christian celebrities motivated by the love of reputation.  These men have too much power and too little accountability.  There is a great need for courageous Boards of Directors and Pastoral Associates willing to honestly confront the pride, deceit, lording and hypocrisy they observe in such men.  Such an expression of love may be costly. 
      

      
To our shame, C.J. was permitted to play above the rules.  He was enabled in his sin because friends feared his wrath and coveted his approval.  Staying on C.J.’s good side was the key to advancement in SGM.  Crossing C.J. cost you everything.  Too often the same personal ambition motivating C.J., motivated us.  We wanted to stay in his good graces and ride his coattails to greatness.
      

      
We cannot treat well known Christian leaders with favoritism.  They must be judged impartiality and held to the Word of God they so effectively preach.  Spiritual gifting is vital for the ministry.  Right doctrine is crucial.  But Christian character ultimately qualifies a man for ministry.  We must remember the truth of 1 Timothy 5:24.  The sins of some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
      

      
The sins of SGM were not obvious to the Reformed world but they have now appeared and God’s judgment has followed.  Let it be a lesson to all.
      

      

      

      

      

      

      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      SOVEREIGN GRACE ELDERS COMMEND C.J. MAHANEY; CONDEMN BRENT DETWILER
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      
The SGM Council of Elders Issue Statement Commending C.J. Mahaney & Condemning Brent Detwiler
      

      
Monday, August 5, 2013 at 7:52PM
      Brent Detwiler
      

      

      
The SGM Council of Elders posted a statement on their website today that commends C.J. Mahaney and condemns me.  It comes as no surprise.  I’ve know about it for the past three months.  I am preparing a response that I will post on Friday, Aug 9.  I don’t want to rush a response.  This is another defining moment.
      


      
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This is the disgusting statement in its entirety from the elders of Sovereign Grace Ministries. If anyone needs to repent, its not Brent Detwiler. All this while criminal charges are still being investigated and an appeal made in the civil suit.
      

      

      

      

      

      
Council of Elders Statement
      

      

      

      August 5, 2013 by SGM StaffCategories: Council of Elders
      

      
The Sovereign Grace Council of Elders held their inaugural meeting May 23-25, 2013, in Orlando, Florida. In addition to approving a motion to form a Strategy Committee for International Missions and confirming Mark Prater as the first Executive Director, the Council of Elders also approved, by a supermajority, the following statement to be sent to every Sovereign Grace church and posted on the Sovereign Grace Ministries website. 
      

      
As the Sovereign Grace Council of Elders, representing the elderships that govern local churches, we believe that Brent Detwiler has repeatedly and grievously slandered our churches and our leaders.[1]  We denounce as sinful and unbiblical his determined effort to accuse our brethren.[2]  Consequently, we urge our brothers and sisters in Christ to avoid giving audience to Brent Detwiler’s unbiblical speech until such a time that he repents of this ungodly pattern. Such harmful speech is ruinous to the church of God. 
      

      
Furthermore, in contradiction to Brent Detwiler’s ongoing statements, we vigorously reiterate our support of C.J. Mahaney as a qualified minister of the gospel.[3] While we wholeheartedly support our reformation in polity, we also publicly declare our gratefulness for C.J.’s many years of service and commend his ongoing ministry of the gospel.[4] 
      

      
[1] This belief is based on the numerous public statements Brent has made accusing leaders of Sovereign Grace churches of lying, deception, hypocrisy, conspiracy, abuse, etc. without due process nor sufficient information and at times blatantly contrary to the facts.
      


      
[3] Per Interim Board announcement on the review panels dated January 25, 2012 andPreliminary Panel Report dated July 27, 2011.
      

      
[4] C.J. serves as a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville but does not hold a staff position with Sovereign Grace Ministries, Inc.
      


      

      

      

      

      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      SOUTHERN BAPTISTS PASS TWO RESOLUTIONS: ON GAYS IN BOY SCOUTS & SEX ABUSE OF CHILDREN URGING GREATER DISCERNMENT BY CHURCH LEADERS
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      

      



      
Full Text of Resolution 6 from Baptist Press:
      

      SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION RESOLUTION 6
      ON THE CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP POLICY OF THE 
      
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
      


      
WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
      
has been a values-based boys organization designed to “prepare young
      
people for a lifetime of character and leadership,” equipping them “to
      
make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them
      
the values of the Scout Oath and Law”; and
      
WHEREAS, The Scout Oath contains language that is consistent with
      
belief in God and biblical precepts that serve as the basis for Christian
      
faith: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country
      
and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep
      
myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”; and
      
WHEREAS, The leadership of the Boy Scouts throughout its history has
      
restricted from membership and leadership those persons who would
      
affect the group’s ability to advocate its viewpoints in regard to belief in
      
God and His moral precepts; and
      
WHEREAS, In 1992, and again in 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention
      
adopted resolutions affirming the Boy Scouts in their stand that homosexual
      
conduct is inconsistent with the obligations of the Scout Oath,
      
encouraging the BSA “to maintain its historic commitments” (1992) and
      
“to hold fast to its traditional ideals” (2000); and
      
WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the
      
constitutional right to freedom of association allows a private organization,
      
as part of its “expressive message,” to exclude a person from
      
membership when “the presence of that person affects in a significant
      
way the group’s ability to advocate public or private viewpoints” and that
      
allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message
      
(Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale); and
      
WHEREAS, In 2004, the Boy Scouts adopted a policy statement that
      
said, in part, “Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct
      
is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to
      
be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed”; and
      
WHEREAS, In 2012, an eleven-person committee appointed by the
      
National Council of the Boy Scouts completed a two-year study and
      
reported its unanimous decision that the Boy Scouts retain the current
      
policy as outlined above; and
      
WHEREAS, NBC News reported in breaking news on January 28,
      
2013, that the BSA executive leadership, in concert with certain members
      
of the BSA board of directors, was poised to change the Scouts’
      
historic policy at its February 4–5 board meeting the following week to
      
allow avowed homosexuals into membership and leadership positions
      
within the Boy Scouts of America; and
      
WHEREAS, During the week between when news broke of this proposed
      
policy change and the February board meeting, the Boy Scouts
      
received an outpouring of feedback from Scouts, Scouting families,
      
sponsoring organizations, and the American public; and
      
WHEREAS, On February 6, 2013, the BSA board determined that, “due
      
to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a deliberate
      
review of its membership policy”; and
      
WHEREAS, The National Council of the Boy Scouts voted on May 23,
      
2013, to approve new membership guidelines that state, “no youth may
      
be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of
      
sexual orientation or preference alone”; and
      
basic understandings
      
of male friendships, needlessly politicize human sexuality,
      
and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts; and
      
WHEREAS, Many Southern Baptist churches sponsor Boy Scout troops
      
and many Southern Baptists are involved in Scouting; and
      
WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states that “Christians
      
should oppose . . . all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery,
      
homosexuality, and pornography,” and Southern Baptists consistently
      
have expressed their opposition to the normalization of homosexual
      
behavior in American culture through more than a dozen resolutions
      
over the past thirty years; now, therefore, be it
      
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention
      
meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, express our continued
      
opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of
      
America to change its membership policy; and be it further
      
RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude for the thousands of individuals
      
within the Scouting family and the culture at large who expressed
      
their opposition to the BSA executive leadership’s intent to change its
      
membership and leadership policies in regard to homosexuality, leading
      
to the compromise recommendation it presented to the BSA National
      
Council; and be it further
      
RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude to each voting member of
      
the National Council who voted in opposition to the policy change for
      
membership; and be it further
      
RESOLVED, That we express our well-founded concern that the current
      
executive leadership of the BSA, along with certain board members, may
      
utilize this membership policy change as merely the first step toward
      
future approval of homosexual leaders in the Scouts; and be it further
      
RESOLVED, That we call on the Boy Scouts to remove from executive
      
and board leadership those individuals who, earlier this year, sought
      
to change both the membership and leadership policy of the Scouts
      
without seeking input from the full range of the Scouting family; and be
      
it further
      
RESOLVED, That we affirm the right of all families and churches
      
prayerfully to assess their continued relationship with the BSA, expressing
      
our support for those churches and families that as a matter of conscience
      
can no longer be part of the Scouting family; and be it further
      
RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families that remain in the 
      
Boy Scouts to seek to impact as many boys as possible with the life-changing 
      
Gospel of Jesus Christ, to work toward the reversal of this new membership 
      
policy, and to advocate against any future change in leadership and 
      
membership policy that normalizes sexual conduct opposed to the biblical 
      
standard;
      
RESOLVED, That we encourage churches that choose to sever ties
      
with the Boy Scouts not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider
      
expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry, a distinctively Southern
      
Baptist missions organization to develop godly young men; and be
      
it finally
      
RESOLVED, That we declare our love in Christ for all young
      
people regardless of their perceived sexual orientation, praying that
      
God will bring all youth into a saving knowledge of our Lord
      
Jesus Christ. 
      
_____________________________________________________________
      

      
SBC Resolution on Sexual Abuse of Children adopted with amendment
      
June 12, 2013
      
Peter Lumpkins 
      


      
See YouTube video here:
      

      

      

      
Below is the vetted version of the resolution on sexual abuse of children I originally proposed.  In [bold] text is an amendment I offered reinserting what I felt was a valid concern toward convention leaders and employees of the Southern Baptist Convention and their relationships with organizations and/or individuals with disturbing policies and practices in protecting our children. 
      

      
How timely for Southern Baptists to not only endorse a statement strongly encouraging pastors and churches to openly and forthrightly handle abusive situations with children, thus demonstrating that protecting our children is of utmost importance to us, but also sending a strong message to denominational leadership to employ the highest sense of discernment in affiliating with either organizations or individuals that possess morally questionable policies or practices in protecting children from abusive situations. 
      

      
Consequently, we encourage trustees of all our entities and agencies to pay careful attention to the point of reference the resolution on sexual abuse of children constitutes and to monitor closely the individuals and/or organizations affiliated with us via our denominational leadership. We are convinced that there presently exists unhealthy liaisons which need to be addressed (see also here and here). 
      

      
Finally, I possess no intentions of leaving this issue behind. While the resolution on the sexual abuse of children is a good start, it remains a poor ending. Given our Baptist polity, we fully understand no resolution may usurp the local church autonomy we hold dear.  However, I personally plan to explore ways we may be able to adequately and legitimately address the issue with strong policies and procedures which protect children while retaining our rightful Baptist heritage of local church autonomy.  May we pray to that end. Our children areworth it! 
      

      
[Here is the SBC statement of resolutions.]
      

      
ON SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN 
      

      
WHEREAS, The Bible is clear in its affirmation that children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3–5); and 
      

      
WHEREAS, The Lord Jesus demonstrated His love for children by encouraging them to follow Him, correcting those who hindered them, and condemning those who harmed them (Matthew 18:3–6; Mark 10:13–14); and
      

      
WHEREAS, The sexual abuse of children remains an ever increasing criminal offense with more than 1.8 million reported victims of sexual abuse by more than 750,000 child abuse perpetrators identified in the United States alone; and
      

      
WHEREAS, Tragically, instances of sexual abuse have been perpetrated within Southern Baptist congregations, churches of other denominations, and other Christian ministries; now, therefore, be it
      

      
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, call upon Southern Baptists to stand with our Lord Jesus in loving and protecting children as He does; and be it further
      

      
RESOLVED, That we remind all Southern Baptists of their legal and moral responsibility to report any child abuse to authorities in addition to implementing any appropriate church discipline or internal restoration processes; and be it further
      

      
RESOLVED, That we likewise call upon all Southern Baptists to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in exposing and bringing to justice all perpetrators, sexual or otherwise, who criminally harm children placed in our trust; and be it further 
      

      
RESOLVED, That we strongly urge Southern Baptist churches to utilize background checks like those provided through LifeWay Christian Resources (www.lifeway.com/backgroundchecks), databases of sexual predators such as the US Department of Justice sex offender database linked at SBC.net (www.SBC.net/localchurches/ministryhelp.asp), or other relevant resources in screening all potential staff and volunteer workers, particularly those who minister to children and youth; and be it further
      

      
RESOLVED, That we encourage pastors and church leaders to develop and implement sound policies and procedures to protect our children; and be it [further] 
      

      
“RESOLVED: that we encourage all denominational leaders and employees of the Southern Baptist Convention to utilize the highest sense of discernment in affiliating with groups and/or individuals that possess questionable policies and practices in protecting our children from criminal abuse; and be it finally”
      

      
RESOLVED, That we urge all Southern Baptists to pray for children who are victims of abuse, to stand for their protection from abuse, and to support safe and healthy children’s ministries in our churches and communities. 
      

      
As I indicated, the amendment overwhelmingly passed.  Here is a video Joe Donahue captured of my speaking to the motion to amend.  Included also is North Carolina pastor, Tim Rogers defending the motion to amend.  Thanks Joe for the video! 
      

      
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      HARD HEARTS IN THE SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES LAWSUIT-(NOT THE PLAINTIFFS)
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Brent Detwiler http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/what-kind-of-hard-heart-by-matt-redmond.html, offers a list of manifestations of hard heartedness in the SGM lawsuit by Matt Redmond:
      


      
Posted: 03 Jun 2013 07:33 AM PDT
      

      
What Kind of Hard Heart?
      Saturday, June 1, 2013
      Matt Redmond
      

      “His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the lower millstone.” – Job 41:24
      

      What kind of hard heart are we witnessing in the SGM abuse scandal?
      

      What kind of hard heart sides easily with a wealthy pastor against those who suffered at the hands of sexual abusers under his watch and then does so in the name of the One Who had no place to lay his head?
      

      What kind of hard heart winks at a pastor who demanded an accountability of pastors and then ran from it to a church outside of his network of churches?
      

      What kind of hard heart says we must not believe the accuser against the sexual abuser till all the evidence is put forward?
      

      What kind of hard heart publicly says a pastor has not even been accused of wrongdoing when the truth is the very opposite for all those who are curious enough to see?
      

      What kind of hard heart wants the statute of limitations to be in effect and not hear the evidence from 11 plaintiffs presented?
      

      What kind of hard heart needs it to happen to them or their own children before they speak out?
      

      What kind of hard heart says, “we will not go to the civil authorities for the sake of the abused” and then is relieved when the civil authorities dismiss a case in favor of the alleged abuser?
      

      What kind of hard heart goes and preaches in the pulpit of the accused and seeks no audience with the accusers?
      

      What kind of hard heart refuses to listen and then says those who would cry out for justice and help are divisive and gossips?
      

      What kind of hard heart could read the Second Amended Complaint and not think the leader of such an organization should step out of the limelight?
      

      What kind of heart is so hardened it would publicly insult the blogs that have given a voice to the sexually abused while publicly embracing one who is accused of conspiring to cover up and silence the abused?
      

      What kind of hard heart are we witnessing?
      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      SOVEREIGN GRACE LAWSUIT-MOTION TO RECONSIDER FILED WITH COURT
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Based on a Maryland law which allows for a seven year statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases instead of the normal three years, attorneys for the plaintiffs have filed a motion to reconsider with the court. Brent Detwiler reports here and below: http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/plaintiffs-motion-to-reconsider-filed-with-court.html:
      

      
Plaintiffs’ Motion to Reconsider Filed with Court
      

      
Friday, May 31, 2013 at 12:44PM
      Brent Detwiler
      

      

      
The Motion to Reconsider was filed on Tuesday, May 28 and served on Wednesday, May 29.  The full title reads, “Plaintiffs’ Motion to Reconsider the Application of Maryland’s Statute of Limitations to Conspiracy Claims of All Plaintiffs and to Reconsider the Application of Courts and Judicial Proceeding §5-117 and Allow Certain Plaintiffs Seven Years from the Age of Majority for Filing of Their Action.” 
      

      
The argument invalidating the statute of limitations, since the conspiracy was only discovered in August 2011, is put forward in more detail.  The Judge may reject it again.  That doesn’t mean it has no merit.  If rejected, the Plaintiffs lawyers will appeal the ruling.  The entire appellate process will probably take around two years.  It is an uphill battle but the Plaintiffs’ are willing to fight on in the cause of justice.     
      

      
The argument that the statute of limitations for Plaintiffs Renee Gamby and Donna Doe should be 7 years from the age of majority (18), not 3 years, is a new one from what I can tell.  It looks sound from my limited perspective especially in the case of Gamby since the alleged crimes against her occurred in Maryland.  I hope it succeeds. 
      

      
The complete Motion to Reconsider is available under SGM Lawsuit / SGM Class Action Lawsuit Documents.  Here are some highlights.  
      

      
Factual Background 
      

      
“As alleged in the SAC [Second Amended Complaint], discovery of the conspiracy occurred in August 2011.  Until that date, plaintiffs were not aware of the concerted efforts by Church leadership to suppress reporting of child abuse, to interfere with the prosecution of child abuse, and to prevent other church members from learning of past reported child abuse.” 
      

      
Civil Conspiracy Claims Are Timely Filed as Such Claims Accrued at the Time of Discovery of the Conspiracy 
      

      
“Under the discovery rule, a cause of action for conspiracy accrues when the plaintiff learns of the conspiracy or with reasonable inquiry should have learned of the conspiracy.  Courts applying the discovery rule to civil conspiracy claims have reached the same conclusion – the crucial factor is the discovery of the conspiracy, not the discovery of the underlying tort injury…   
      

      
“To hold otherwise means that a plaintiff is barred from bringing a claim before she ever discovers or could have discovered the factual predicates for the claim, a direct contradiction of the discovery rule… 
      

      
“Like other states, Maryland recognizes that different causes of action may have different accrual dates, and the time of learning about the injury arising from negligence is not the same as the time of learning about the conspiracy.  The timeliness of conspiracy claims should be judged by the discovery of the conspiracy, not the discovery of the underlying injury associated with other causes of action.” 
      

      
Claims of Certain Plaintiffs Are Timely Filed Within the Requirements of §5-117 
      

      
“In October 2003, Maryland law was amended by passage of Courts and Judicial Proceeding Section 5-117, which increased the time allowed for bringing claims “arising out of” an alleged incident of “sexual abuse” that occurred while the victim was a minor.  Rather than the standard three year statute of limitations, the new law allowed a victim seven years after reaching the age of majority to file suit, if the claims fall within the scope of the law.  The claims of Renee Gamby and Donna Doe both “arise out of’ alleged incidents of sexual abuse that occurred when they were minors.  In addition, both Gamby and Doe were the victims of “sexual abuse” as defined under Maryland law, because both were abused by persons specifically included within the scope of §5-177.  Meeting the requirements of §5-117, each plaintiff should be allowed 7 years from the date of majority, and thus the claims of Renee Gamby and Donna Doe are timely filed within the requirements of the Maryland law.” 
      

      
Conclusion 
      

      
“The application of the discovery rule to civil conspiracy claims dictates that such claims accrue at the time the plaintiffs discover or should have discovered the facts establishing the elements required to bring a conspiracy claim.  Under this rule, Plaintiffs civil conspiracy claims are timely filed.  Moreover, based on the allegations in the SAC, the allegations by Renee Palmer Gamby and Donna Doe arise out of alleged incidents of sexual abuse that occurred when the plaintiffs were minors.  As such, the applicable period of limitations is seven years from the age of majority, and claims by both Gamby and Doe were filed within the allowable limitations period.”
      

      

      

      

      

      

      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      DON CARSON, KEVIN DEYOUNG & JUSTIN TAYLOR DEFEND C.J. MAHANEY AGAINST CHARGES IN SGM SEX ABUSE SCANDAL
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						

      

      

      

      

      
Posted By Kevin DeYoung On May 24, 2013 @ 7:00 am In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled
      

      
A Statement from Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, and Justin Taylor
      
Over the past several months we have remained publicly silent about the civil lawsuit filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), which alleged a conspiracy to cover up sexual abuse.
      
Many have asked why we have not spoken publicly. Is this a conspiracy of silence, a way to whitewash accusations against a friend? Is it a way to stand with the powerful and to make a mockery of the weak? Is it simple cowardice? Why hasn’t more been said?
      
What We Did Not Intend to Communicate
      
We recognize that to some, our not speaking up feels like a betrayal, especially to those who have personally experienced abuse. Understandably, people want to hear that Christians categorically deplore and despise sexual abuse. We recognize that on this painful subject inaction can be hurtful and perceived as uncaring.
      
It needs to be said in no uncertain terms that the actual acts alleged in the lawsuit are utterly evil—an offense against a holy God and an act of hatred against innocent children. They are horrifying and revolting. Apart from repentance, they are damning. There is no excuse, at any time or in any place or for any reason, for the use of children for sexual pleasure. Pastors who learn of such abuses should contact the appropriate authorities immediately, institute church discipline, and apply the whole counsel of God (including both law and gospel). Every church should have a clear child protection policy, and in every situation of abuse the victims must be assured that they are notresponsible for the crimes committed against them. Furthermore, pastors are responsible to obey all mandatory reporting laws, alerting law-enforcement officials and fully cooperating with all investigations. This is not an alternative to church discipline and gospel counsel, but a necessary and complementary role of divinely instituted civil authorities.
      
A Theory of Conspiracy
      
Over the past several months we often weighed the idea of writing a statement like this. Every time we concluded that caution was the better course. It is generally unwise to make public comments concerning a civil case that is being considered for trial or currently under deliberation. But now that most of the complaints filed in the SGM Ministries civil lawsuit have been dismissed, it seems an appropriate time to explain our silence and some of our thinking behind it.
      
We have not read the ruling of dismissal from the judge because, to our knowledge, it has not been made public. We do not know whether the plaintiffs’ attorney will file further charges. The legal back and forth may continue for some time. But we have read the explanation offered by the plaintiffs’ attorney regarding the statute of limitations in a civil suit:
      

      
We (the victims and the lawyers) all knew about the statute issue at the outset. But fighting for justice means doing so even against known obstacles. We had a conspiracy theory to overcome the statute but the Court rejected it. . . .
      

      This is a revealing comment, as it indicates the legal strategy behind the civil suit. (And note that this was a civil suit, not a criminal complaint. While they certainly believe crimes were committed, this lawsuit itself was only seeking monetary damages.)
      
The plaintiffs’ counsel in the Sovereign Grace case knew that it could not proceed solely based on the allegations of abuse, given the statute of limitations. (Some of the alleged abuses occurred 25-30 years ago.) The statute of limitations is not a “legal technicality” but rather an important feature of our judicial system. The plaintiffs’ counsel therefore alleged a wide-ranging theory of conspiracy, hoping that this would overcome the legal requirements regarding the time between when the alleged crimes took place and the filing of the civil lawsuit. This is apparently what the judge dismissed, determining that it would not even proceed to a trial. If you listen carefully to the attorneys’ explanations of the case on radio programs and other venues, they essentially acknowledged that they had no proof of a conspiracy. As the motion to dismiss points out, although C.J. Mahaney is named as an individual defendant, “the sole allegation against him in the Complaint is that he founded Sovereign Grace Ministries (“SGM”) and is currently its President. . . . He is not specifically identified or alleged to have performed any other act or omission throughout the 143-paragraph Complaint.”
      
So the entire legal strategy was dependent on a theory of conspiracy that was more hearsay than anything like reasonable demonstration of culpability. As to the specific matter of C.J. participating in some massive cover-up, the legal evidence was so paltry (more like non-existent) that the judge did not think a trial was even warranted.
      
Would it have served anyone to take to the blogosphere to express our legal opinion about the conspiracy allegations before the case was decided, much less before it even went to trial? Would it have changed anyone’s mind? Would it have helped the case itself in any way? We deemed it wiser to let an impartial judge rule on whether the case should be considered, making a determination based on all the facts available.
      
Another reason we have remained silent is because we have detailed charges from one side, but essentially no defense from the other side. Scripture warns us about what often happens in such a situation: “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Prov. 18:17). Can anyone say with certainty who is innocent and who is guilty in these multiple allegations spanning several decades? This is why we have courts, and why the Bible calls us to prudence. If we must denounce and separate from everyone or every ministry facing serious allegations, any one of us could be publicly ruined in a matter of days by nothing more than accusations. High-profile Christians are sometimes targeted not because they are guilty, but because they are well known. While those who are shown to be guilty should be exposed with rigor and with tears, surely as brothers and sisters in Christ we must understand how much gain there is for those who hate the gospel when Christian leaders are unfairly attacked and diminished. We agree with the Heidelberg Catechism that obeying the ninth commandment requires more than telling the truth; it means we do not “join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause.” Instead, “I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name” (Q/A 112).
      
Please do not hear us saying that we assume all of the plaintiffs are lying. We do not assume all the defendants are innocent, or that they are all guilty. We are not privy to the sort of information necessary to make that determination. Where the allegations are accurate, we have nothing but the deepest sympathy for the victims, desiring that legal justice might prevail and that they might know the Lord’s healing and vindication. And where allegations may be false or misconstrued, we sympathize with those whose reputations have been unfairly tarnished with no public recourse. This is a tangled mess. It is enormously complicated, with multiple allegations at multiple levels over multiple years, with multiple amendments. Which is why if a case were to go to trial, it would involve hundreds of hours of evidence and deliberation by an impartial judge and jury seeking to discern the truth and to bring justice to bear. Discerning the full truth is not always a simple matter, and it does not seem to us that blog posts and tweets are the best medium to serve the cause of truth. In hindsight we still believe restraint has been the wiser path.
      
The Face of the Lawsuit
      
There are two other facts that may be germane to this discussion: (1) some have tried to make C.J. Mahaney the “face” of the SGM lawsuit, and (2) we are friends with C.J.
      
Reports on the lawsuit from Christianity Today and World Magazine (among others) explicitly and repeatedly drew attention to C. J., connecting the suit to recent changes within SGM. He has also been the object of libel and even a Javert-like obsession by some. One of the so-called discernment blogs—often trafficking more in speculation and gossip than edifying discernment—reprinted a comment from a woman who issued this ominous wish, “I hope [this lawsuit] ruins the entire organization [of SGM] and every single perpetrator and co-conspirator financially, mentally and physically.”
      
We are not ashamed to call C.J. a friend. Our relationship with C.J. is like that with any good friend—full of laughter and sober reflection, encouragement and mutual correction. He has regularly invited—even pursued—correction, and we have given him our perspective when it is warranted. While the admission of friendship may render this entire statement tainted in the eyes of some, we hope most Christians will understand that while friends should never cover for each others’ sins, neither do friends quickly accept the accusations of others when they run counter to everything they have come to see and know about their friend. We are grateful for C.J.’s friendship and his fruitful ministry of the gospel over many decades.
      
Conclusion
      
We are not in a place to adjudicate all the charges leveled against Sovereign Grace Ministries or the specific individuals named in the lawsuit. The purpose of this statement is not to render a verdict on the charges, nor in any way to trivialize the sins alleged. We realize some will construe this post as confirmation of their worst suspicions, but we trust most of our brothers and sisters will be able to consider our explanation with an open heart and a fair mind. Our silence was not decided upon lightly; neither was our decision to break this silence. Our prayer is that one day—and please, Lord, soon—all who face injustice of any kind will see the Lord bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his justice as the noonday (Ps. 37:6).
      

      
Article printed from Kevin DeYoung: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung
      

      

      

      

      

      
URL to article: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/05/24/why-we-have-been-silent-about-the-sgm-lawsuit/
      

      
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BRENT DETWILER RESPONSES TO ABOVE DEFENSE OF MAHANEY:
      
http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/don-carson-kevin-deyoung-and-justin-taylor-defend-cj-mahaney-1.html?printerFriendly=true.
      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      C.J. MAHANEY, FOUNDER OF SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY 3 CHRISTIAN LEADERS
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      

      

      

      

      
Statement from Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, and Albert Mohler, at:
      

      http://t4g.org/statement/, in support of C.J. Mahaney:
      


      

      

      
May 23, 2013
      

      
We are friends who have been brought together for the gospel. Over the last several months, we have wanted to speak publicly to the issues that have related to our friend C. J. Mahaney. A Maryland judge’s recent action to dismiss a lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries offers us the first opportunity, and responsibility, to speak to this issue. We could not speak to the issues involved so long as they were raised only in the context of an action in the civil courts. We have never made a public comment with regard to claims and counter-claims in a civil lawsuit, and we will not violate that principle now.
      

      
Claims presented in a civil lawsuit seeking financial compensation are beyond the ability of the public to render judgment. Often, such claims are even beyond the ability of a court to deliberate. To comment on such claims is irresponsible, since no one apart from the court and the parties directly involved has any ability to evaluate the claims presented. If the filing of civil litigation against a Christian ministry or leader is in itself reason for separation and a rush to judgment, no ministry or minister is safe from destruction at any time. Furthermore, the effort to try such a case in the court of public opinion prior to any decision rendered by an authorized court is likewise irresponsible.
      

      
We have stood beside our friend, C. J. Mahaney, and we can speak to his personal integrity. We can make no judgment as to the truthfulness of the horrifying charges of sexual abuse made against some individuals who have been connected, in some way, to Sovereign Grace Ministries and its churches. Our hearts must go out to anyone, and especially to any child, who suffers abuse at the hand of anyone. In such a case the legal authorities must use the full power of the law to investigate and to prosecute any perpetrator of such crimes. We must take any responsible action to protect the vulnerable, and we must act immediately to inform legal authorities of any charge or claim of sexual abuse, and do so without delay. Our first response must be to call the police, to act to protect the child or young person, and then to proceed to biblical church discipline when the facts demand such a response.
      

      
If a Christian leader is accused of any wrongdoing, those to whom he is accountable must investigate the charges and then deal responsibly with the evidence. If a criminal accusation is made, Christians have a fundamental duty to inform law enforcement officials. This does not, however, preclude or mitigate the church’s responsibility for biblical church discipline.
      

      
A Christian leader, charged with any credible, serious, and direct wrongdoing, would usually be well advised to step down from public ministry. No such accusation of direct wrongdoing was ever made against C. J. Mahaney. Instead, he was charged with founding a ministry and for teaching doctrines and principles that are held to be true by vast millions of American evangelicals. For this reason, we, along with many others, refused to step away from C. J. in any way. We do not regret that decision. We are profoundly thankful for C. J. as friend, and we are equally thankful for the vast influence for good he has been among so many Gospel-minded people.
      

      
Our heart goes out to anyone who has ever suffered abuse of any kind. Our emphatic encouragement would be for anyone who has ever suffered such abuse or knows of anyone made vulnerable to such abuse to contact law enforcement officials without delay. We must then allow the law enforcement agencies and the courts to do their proper work. When criminal charges are filed, the public is then presented with evidence upon which it can draw a responsible judgment. On matters of protecting the vulnerable, Christians know what judgment must be made. We side with the victims.
      

      
Our hope and prayer is that Christ’s healing and health will come to all parties involved in this matter and that justice and righteousness will prevail for all. May every true victim of any injustice be vindicated. May every doer of wrong be exposed. And may all of us speak no further than we can responsibly speak.
      

      
Those who minister in the name of the Lord Christ bear an inescapable duty to live and to minister in a way that is above reproach. Those who teach, reminds James, will face a stricter judgment. [James 3:1] May everything we do, everything we teach, and all that we are be measured against that standard.
      

      
Together for the Gospel,
      

      
Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler
      

      
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      BRENT DETWILER APPEAL TO REPORT CRIMINAL EVENTS OF SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES TO AUTHORITIES AND ATTORNEYS
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      


      


      
From Brent Detwiler www.brentdetwiler.com, on the Sovereign Grace lawsuit and criminal investigations:
      


      
Posted: 21 May 2013 03:18 PM PDT
      

      
There are criminal investigations going on related to the crimes alleged in The Second Amended Complaint against Sovereign Grace Ministries and other Defendants.  They range from obstruction of justice to rape.
      
The on-going collection of evidence is vital in the prosecution of each case.  Please contact Detective Sally Magee of the Family Crimes Division at the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland at 240-773-5400 with information.  She can also be emailed at sally.magee@montgomerycountymd.gov.  She is heading up the investigation in that jurisdiction but can provide contact information for other jurisdictions.
      
The Plaintiffs’ lawyers should also be contacted with additional evidence as soon as possible.     
      

      
Susan L. Burke
      BURKE PLLC
      1000 Potomac Street, N.W.
      Washington, DC 20007-1105
      (202) 386-9622
      sburke@burkepllc.com 
      

      
William T. O’Neil
      THE O’NEIL GROUP LLC
      7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 1375
      Bethesda, MD 20814
      (202) 684-7140
      woneil@oneilgroupllc.com 
      

      I realize there are additional victims and witnesses who are undecided about coming forward for a wide range of reasons (e.g., finances, time off, peer pressure, fear of retaliation, etc.).  Please don’t be deterred by these obstacles.  You may suffer but your action will please God and serve the good of others.    
      
One final comment.  I know a few victims no longer confess the Christian faith.  It is still so important for you to speak up and get your voice back.  If you remain silent these predators will not stop.  Please take a stand. These abusers need to be removed from their homes, neighborhoods and churches.  You can play a big part in making sure that happens.
      
Speaking up will also help you find some closure.  Silence suffocates.  I know.  I remained silent about other forms of abuse in SGM for too long.  It eats at you.  There is freedom in doing what’s right.  You’ll be at greater peace knowing you have stopped evil.  
      
No one has asked or prompted me to put out this appeal for evidence.  
      
Thank you
      
Brent (Detwiler)
      
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      JUDGE DISMISSES SOVEREIGN GRACE LAWSUIT ON TECHNICALITY THAT 9 OF 11 PLAINTIFFS ARE INELIGIBLE DUE TO STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Brent Detwiler, www.brentdetwiler.com, and other sources including http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/sovereign-grace-ministries-class-action-civil-lawsuit-involving-child-sex-abuse-88894.html, and
      

      
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130518/NEWS01/305180046/Lawsuit-alleging-sexual-cover-up-Sovereighn-Grace-Ministries-dismissed
      

      
reported the court’s dismissal, but Susan Burke, attorney for plaintiffs will appeal. 
      

      
Here is Detwiler’s report in full below:
      

      

      

      

      

      
Statement by Susan Burke Regarding Statute of Limitations, Bravery, Appeal, & Criminal Proceedings
      

      
Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 4:28PM
      Brent Detwiler
      

      

      
Susan Burke, the plaintiff’s attorney, gave The Wartburg Watch permission to reprint the following statement, verbatim.
      

      
We (the victims and the lawyers) all knew about the statute issue at the outset.  But fighting for justice means doing so even against known obstacles.  We had a conspiracy theory to overcome the statute but the Court rejected it.  The victims are all brave and courageous people whose willingness to fight against evil has already made a difference in the world.  Also, please realize going forward with a civil lawsuit does not in any way prevent criminal actions – perhaps may even make it more likely.  And please keep praying, as we think the Court erred, and will be appealing her ruling. 
      

      
All the best,
      Susan L. Burke
      

      
If you read the 2nd Amended Complaint you’ll notice the emphasis on the conspiracy by the Defendants being discovered by the Plaintiffs in August, 2011.  Susan Burke and Bill O’Neil hoped to overcome the statute of limitations using this legal argument.
      

      
These two lawyers took the case knowing it would be hard to argue successfully.  They invested a lot of their own resources for the good of justice, the cause of the Plaintiffs, and the prevention of sex abuse.  The same is true of the Defendants.  One told me, they planned to keep $1 in damages and put the rest into a non-profit Foundation to help the victims of abuse. 
      

      
The law “may” require the Judge to dismiss the case due to the statute of limitations.  If so, she did no wrong but that does NOT mean justice has been served.  It has been circumvented.  God is interested in justice.  Civil authorities often fall short in providing it.  Then again the appeal may be successful. 
      

      
This much I can tell you with certainty.  Going forward with the appeal “does not in any way prevent criminal actions – perhaps may even make it more likely.”  “Criminal actions.”  That means arresting people.  “More likely.”  That is an understatement by Ms. Burke.
      

      
The criminal investigations are going on behind the scenes.  Believe me when I say no one cited in the lawsuit is sleeping well at night.  There are numerous criminal charges under consideration from obstruction of justice to rape.  Plaintiffs are determined to press ahead.  They may never be remunerated but they are not going to let their abusers, abuse others.  The dismissal was excruciating but they are undeterred.  Pray for them.
      

      
Pray also for law enforcement officials, witnesses who provide testimony, and victims in other churches who are afraid to come forward.
      

      

      

      

      

      

      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      SECOND AMENDED LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST SOVEREIGN GRACE MINISTRIES, NAMING 11 PLAINTIFFS
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Brent Detwiler has announced:
      

      
“The Second Amended Lawsuit was filed today (May 14, 2013) in the Montgomery County Circuit Court, Maryland.  It is available on this website by clicking on “SGM Lawsuit / Class Action Lawsuit.”  A link is provided at www.brentdetwiler.com, (in PDF format here: http://abrentdetwiler.squarespace.com/storage/documents/second%20amended%20sgm%20lawsuit.pdf.
      

      
“The original Class Action Lawsuit was filed on Oct 17, 2012.  It named three plaintiffs and nine defendants.  The First Amended Lawsuit was filed on Jan 11, 2013.  It named eight plaintiffs and 14 defendants.  The Second Amended Lawsuit names 11 plaintiffs and the defendants remain at 14.  Some of the pseudonymous plaintiffs are now using their proper names.”
      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
		
	
		
	
		
	
      
		
		
      EX SGM MINISTRY WORKER CHARGED WITH 10 COUNTS OF MOLESTATION
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Nathaniel Morales has been charged with 10 counts of molestation of boys and will go to pretrial hearing this Friday. No judgment is being made by this blog about the guilt or innocence of this person. We are simply presenting what is already in the public domain. See the articles below:
      

      

      

      
http://blogs.courier-journal.com/faith/2013/02/06/ex-ministry-worker-in-former-sovereign-grace-flagship-church-charged-with-sexual-abuse/, and
      
http://www.courier-journal.com/viewart/20130205/NEWS01/302050067/Nevada-pastor-faces-child-sex-abuse-charges, and
      
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/man-accused-of-molesting-boys-in-1980s-from-md-church-church-is-identified-in-sex-abuse-suit/2013/02/04/62e2a882-6edd-11e2-b35a-0ee56f0518d2_story.html.
      
This is a quote from the Washington Post:
      
“An indictment returned in December charged Morales, 55, with ten counts of either sex abuse or sex offense. The indictment says the sex acts involved four boys and occurred between 1985 and 1990, when police say Morales was helping the church with youth ministries, conducted Bible studies, teaching at a Christian school and hosting sleepovers.”
      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	
      
		
		
      SOVEREIGN GRACE-143 COMPLAINTS, “REFORMED” MAN PLEASERS, WASTEFUL SPENDING, 13 CHURCHES DEPART, GIVING COLLAPSES, PEOPLE FLEEING
      		
		
       
      
	
		
		
					

			
		
      
						
      Below is the most recent update from Brent Detwiler, reviewing the facts about SGM, in its entirety at:
      
http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/2013/2/1/they-loved-praise-from-men-more-than-praise-from-god.html?printerFriendly=true. Bold lettering is this blog’s:
      


      


      

      

      
They Loved Praise from Men More Than Praise from God
      

      
Friday, February 1, 2013 at 6:45PM
      
Brent Detwiler
      

      

      
Isa 30:9-14 These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. [10] They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right!  Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. [11] Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” [12] Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, [13] this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. [14] It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.” 
      

      
This is the story of the southern Kingdom but it is also the story of Sovereign Grace Ministries.  Judah relied on oppression and depended on deceit in order to reject the message brought to them by the Holy One of Israel.  So too, the leaders of SGM have repeatedly employed the same means because they were unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.  But this sin has now become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly.  “Oppressions and deceit had been the ‘wall’ they built to assure their safety and prosperity, but it will be shattered to pieces” (NIV Study Bible).  C.J., Dave Harvey, John Loftness, the interim Board, and current Board are the most culpable. 
      

      
We now have a situation in Sovereign Grace Ministries where multiple crimes were allegedly covered up by the President, Chairman of the Board, and pastor over the Pastors College.  C.J. has a long and documented history of covering things up.  John has a 19 month history of doing the same during his nine months on the interim Board (Jul 2011-Mar 2012) and ten months on the current Board (Apr 2012 to present).  I am not surprised by the attempts to cover them up but I am shocked by the extremely serious nature of the charges.  For instance:
      

      

      

        

      • “The facts show that certain individual Defendants and other predators not named repeatedly physically and sexually abused children.” (C 1) 
        • 

      • “Defendants negligently hired sexual predators.” (C 25)
        • 

      • “Defendants concealed the ongoing sexual predation in order to avoid any financial or reputational harms to the church.” (C 31)
        • 

      • “Paul Poe was repeatedly sexually assaulted by two men.  The primary perpetrator was a pastor and teacher.  The secondary perpetrator was children’s ministry worker.” (C 37)
        • 

      • “Karl Koe was seven years old when he was repeatedly sexually molested (approximately ten times) by the male son of a Church pastor.” (C 53)
        • 

      • “Defendants, including the pastor father of the predator, failed to take any steps whatsoever to prevent the juvenile sexual predator from preying upon other children.” (C 56) 
        • 

      

      
Complaint 1 refers to “individual Defendants.”  Tomczak is named for physical abuse but who are the other Defendants accused of sexual abuse by the Plaintiffs? 
      

      
Complaint 25 says “Defendants…hired sexual predators.”  How many Defendants hired predators?  How many predators?  Were the predators pastors?  Were they children’s ministry workers?    
      

      
Complaint 31 (and many other Complaints) alleges a massive cover up.
      

      
Complaint 37 references a pastor-teacher and children’s ministry worker.  Who are these individuals?  They no longer work at Covenant Life Church according to Joshua Harris but are they still in ministry?  Is this pastor-teacher one of the Defendants, a current pastor-teacher in SGM, or a former pastor-teacher?  Same for the children’s ministry worker.
      

      
Complaint 53 and 57 allege “the male son of a church pastor” repeatedly molested minors and the pastor-father did nothing to stop it.  Who is the son?  Who is the father?  Has it stopped?
      

      
C.J. knows the answers to these questions better than anyone.  What has he covered up?  Is the Board of Directors aggressively investigating him?  Why hasn’t he been put on a “leave of absence”? 
      

      
There are 143 Complaints in the class action lawsuit.  Directly or indirectly, they all point back to C.J.’s leadership as senior pastor of Covenant Life Church for 25 years and President of SGM for 22 years. 
      

      
This lawsuit will prove to be another chapter chronicling the ethical demise of Sovereign Grace Ministries and its key leaders. 
      

      
But this demise has been allowed to happen because many pastors in SGM have refused to face the facts and deal with the truth.  They say “See no more visions! and Give us no more vision of what is right!  Some glory in their ignorance and pride themselves in their restraint.  They refuse to read anything “negative” about  SGM in obedience to their superiors.  They will not immerse themselves in the facts and show distain for the evidence.  Such is their rebellion against God all the while congratulating themselves on avoiding “devilish slander.”
      

      
Then there are those pastors who understand the truth about C.J. and SGM but will not take a stand for righteousness.  They are the largest group.  They know lying, deceit, hypocrisy, favoritism, injustice, and oppression have been on full display the past 1½ years (and longer) but will not speak for fear of being put out of the synagogue.  They will not press hard questions upon the Board or demand an accounting from C.J.  They take no resolute action.  They will not reprove the abuse and corruption that is so evident.  They capitulate to the ruling powers.  In the name of “gospel unity” they remain silent.  To be honest, I have no respect for them.
      

      
John 12:42-43 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
      

      
Fear, love and praise.  They all go hand in hand.  Notice, these evangelical leaders loved praise from God but they loved praise from men MORE!   They were afraid to take on the spiritual power brokers of their day who could damage their reputation, impede their advancement, destroy their religious livelihood and cut off their social network.  They would not speak up and confess their faith because they coveted recognition by men more than approval by God.  They were compromisers.
      

      
Such persons are silenced by the love of praise and the idol of ease.  They crave life in the synagogue and abhor death on a cross outside the city.  They will not trouble themselves.  They appease and enable; they don’t reprove and correct.  They make terrible pastors because they want everyone to like them. 
      

      
Not being put out of the synagogue also equates with not losing favor with the Reformed community and its powerful leaders.  To speak against C.J. is to invite their rejection and hostility.  The Reformed “big dogs” not only bark, they bite like pit bulls.  It is my hope and prayer that more of them will begin to honestly evaluate the mountains of evidence against C.J. and other SGM leaders in the coming year.  They too have enabled C.J. and contributed to the demise of Sovereign Grace Ministries.     
      

      
People have feared C.J. and coveted his praise.  Such fear and coveting remains pervasive in SGM.  It has destroyed the movement.  The “audience of one” has so often been C.J.  It is a harsh reality but leaders and pastors have frequently been motivated by the praise of C.J. more than the praise of God. 
      

      
C.J. has great power to harm you and great power to help you.  So does his inner circle.  Very few friends have been willing to risk being on his bad side.  Those who have are no longer friends.  They were cut off.  Though he still retains great power, his power has been diminished.  That is a gift from God.  The Lord has seen fit to remove Dave Harvey also.  John Loftness will be next.
      

      
The story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John’s gospel provides a paradigm for how the fear of man operates among Sovereign Grace pastors.  
      

      
John 9:18-34 
      

      
[18] The Jews [i.e., the leaders that were hostile to Jesus] still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. [19] “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” [20] “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. [21] But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” [22] His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. [23] That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 
      

      
[24] A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” [25] He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” [26] Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” [27] He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” [28] Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! [29] We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 
      

      
[30] The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. [32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” [34] To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. 
      

      
Here are a few observations that fall far short in expositing the full meaning of the text.  The parents didn’t disown the son but they did disown Jesus.  They believed Jesus was the Christ but they would not acknowledge it because they were afraid the Jewish leaders would put [them] out of the synagogue and cut them off from Jewish society. 
      

      
The parents of the blind man were nominal believers but not genuine disciples.  They knew Jesus had healed their boy but instead of saying so they lied.  They wouldn’t identify with Christ.  They refused to be honest about what they knew to be true.  But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know.  Ask him.  They also passed the buck.  Don’t ask us, ask him!  
      

      
How often I have seen this in Sovereign Grace Ministries when “hostile” leaders have interrogated timid pastors.  “Are your reading Brent’s documents?  Do you access his blog?  Do you believe what he is saying?”  “Have you been in contact with him?”  These timid pastors respond like the parents of the blind man, “Don’t ask me, ask someone else!”  They believe what I’ve written is true (or largely true) but they will not say so for fear of being put out of SGM.  Nor will they identify with me.  
      

      
The same is true of many associate pastors who disagree with their senior pastor’s support of C.J. and SGM.  They will not take the senior pastor to task because it could cost them their job. 
      

      
Isa 51:7 “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults.” 
      

      
In contradistinction, you’ve got to love the response of the man previously blind!  He is direct and he is sarcastic (e.g., Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?… Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.).  He defends Jesus and he corrects the powerful leaders.  What did he get for his courage and outspokenness?  And they threw him out – that is, out of the synagogue!  The consequence his parents feared, he did not fear.  They lied and passed the buck.  He spoke the truth and suffered for it.     
      

      
Cowardice and its resultant compromise are rampant in SGM.  Numerous doctrines have already been altered, concealed, or marginalized in order to win the favor of men outside the movement.  Charismatic experience as defined by Paul is at an all-time low inside the movement (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-11, 27-31; 14:26-33).  The malignancy of self-promotion and self-preservation continues to metastasize.  It puts even the gospel at risk in the future (cf. Gal 5:11; 6:12).  
      

      
Few Sovereign Grace pastors have been willing to suffer rejection and persecution over the past 18 months.  Despite the obvious evil of oppression and deceit, they will not testify against C.J., Dave, John, the interim Board or current Board.  Like Jesus told his disciples, the world cannot hate you (John 7:7).  It is this unwillingness to be hated, despised and rejected that imperils SGM.  When a pastor becomes preoccupied with saving his life, rather than losing his life, he forfeits his soul (cf. Matt 16:25-26; Mark 8:35-36; Luke 9:24-25).  It is time to get out of the ministry.  No one should follow a pastor who has demonstrated no willingness to suffer.    
      

      
There is no going forward in SGM unless there is a going backward.  The sins of the past must still be acknowledged.  Hundreds of leaders and thousands of people remain unreconciled to SGM.  No one on the leadership team, interim Board, and current Board should be nominated, elected or appointed to positions of leadership under the forthcoming polity agreement.  Nor should anyone on the former Polity Committee.  Not only did the proposed SG Book of Church Order reveal the hearts of Board members, it revealed the hearts of men like Jared Mellinger and Matthew Wassink.    Now of these men should serve in future leadership positions unless they are willing to address the past which they have thus far been committed to cover up and leave unexamined.  
      

      
“Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, [13] this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. 
      

      
Sovereign Grace Ministries is like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly.  Providence has made that clear!  And yet SGM continues to hype its accomplishments on the website.  They really believe press releases and a new polity are the answer.  They forget, God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands (Is 25:11b). 
      

      
Blind to the irony, SGM recently highlighted the nine students attending the upcoming Pastors College after 15 years of operation.  Six of the nine men come from churches led or overseen by a former or current SGM Board of Director.  Hint!  Moreover during the last fiscal year, $871,394 was spent on the Pastors College according to the Audited Financial Statement just released.  That is incomprehensible. The Pastors College is now a failure by all objective measures. 
      

      
Discerning pastors don’t want to immerse pastoral candidates in the leadership culture modeled by C.J. and those around him.  That is one of the stated reasons Covenant Life Church pulled out of SGM.  I suspect the Pastors College will be swallowed up by Al Mohler and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  I can’t imagine it will survive.
      

      
Thirteen churches have left SGM in the last seven months including the first, third and sixth largest.  That equates to over 7,000 people which is more than 25% of all members and that number doesn’t take into account the thousands of people who have left SGM churches. For example, hundreds of people left each of the churches in Orlando, Knoxville and Richmond.  Richmond saw 400 out of 750 people leave.  The exodus continues in many SGM churches and will only worsen. 
      

      
Giving to SGM has also plummeted.  For the fiscal year ending August 31, 2012 (not Dec 31, 2012) contributions dropped by 1.7 million or 36%.  As a result, SGM had to use up 1 million in savings and liquate 250k in assets in order to meet budget. 
      

      
Since August 2012, the financial crisis has only worsened.  Eleven churches left after that point.  Many that remain with SGM have stopped giving or severely cut back.  People’s confidence has continued to take a dive and deservedly so.  How can people and churches continue to give anything to SGM? 
      

      
Last fiscal year, SGM spent 400k in donor’s money on the relatively worthless work done by Ambassadors of Reconciliation and the Three Review Panel.  Their combined efforts effectively soft pedaled or covered up all the serious issues in SGM.  And to this day, SGM remains unwilling to release any figures regarding C.J.’s past or present compensation. 
      

      
Now there is a class action lawsuit against SGM, its President, its Chairman of the Board, and its pastor over the Pastors College.  How much money will this cost donors in lawyers’ fees?  Who is going to pay out the millions in damages if awarded to the growing list of Plaintiffs in the future? 
      

      
The serious problems that exist in SGM are now widely affirmed by Christian leaders and notable publications in the United States.  C.J. has discredited himself.  Dave Harvey was removed from all ministry in SGM.  John Loftness and Gary Ricucci are at the center of the class action lawsuit.  Jeff Purswell has nine students in the Pastors College.  These are the main players plus Bob Kauflin who has enabled C.J. as much as anyone.    
      

      
Believe it or not, I still hope for a miraculous recovery of SGM.  But that will not come until men are willing to address the oppression and deceit that has caused SGM tobreak in pieces like pottery.  I’m afraid the sailors in the ship who threw Jonah overboard had more sense than most SGM pastors.  
      

      
The sailors got to the bottom of things and addressed the problem – Jonah.  They didn’t fear him.  They feared God.  Not so in SGM.  Though the sea has gotten rougher and rougher no one is willing to address Jonah’s rebellion (so to speak) and assign fault.  Until that happens the raging sea will not grow calm.     
      

      
It is the praise of men and the fear of being put out of the synagogue that has silenced the majority leaders and pastors in Sovereign Grace Ministries.  Until that radically changes the violent storm surrounding SGM will grow even wilder than before.     
      

      
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My efforts are designed to help Christians judge righteously, think biblically, and live courageously. Would you prayerfully consider a gift or donation?  This work is aided by the kindness of appreciative readers.  Click the donation button for more information.  Thank you.    
      

      
  
      

      

      
Article originally appeared on (http://www.brentdetwiler.com/).
      

      

      

      



      

      
			
      
		
      
		
		
      
			
							

		
      

	
      
		
	

			  
      
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