The Gospel Coalition: Why We Have Been Silent about the SGM Lawsuit

Furthermore, there is a real element of Proverbs 26:17 here, which tells me that “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”

[Jay]

I get that many of you say that you aren’t connected to SGM, that you have no relationship with them. But that’s wrong. You do. You are part of the Body of Christ. Look what happened with the Penn State case. People outside of Penn State were outraged. That outrage forced action. Shouldn’t Christians behave better than a secular university?

I think that the disagreement between us is that I don’t think that being a part of the body of Christ doesn’t give me license to go to SGM and demand changes. Do I hope they change it? Yes. Is this whole issue a mess? Absolutely. Should they institute changes so that abuse can never happen again? Of course. Now - Can I demand that they conform to what I believe is Scriptural - not until I actually know someone who is able to make that kind of change and I can actually approach them about it.

Justice for being sinned against is a legitimate demand (Revelation 6:9-11) - but God is the one that brings that justice. It’s worth noting that Jesus did not downplay their deaths or excuse the crime. He told the martyrs to continue to wait for God to act. Abuse is a horrible thing, a crime, and a sin that brings very, very real ramifications on the victim. I don’t think anyone is minimizing that.

Furthermore, there is a real element of Proverbs 26:17 here, which tells me that “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”

I can (should) get involved with the FBFI / Phelps / NIU issues of different kinds (to grab some random topics from SI) because those were / are the circles that I grew up in, went to school in, and am familiar with in the hopes of affecting real change. SGM? Well, I know a guy who goes to an SGM church. That’s it for personal contact between myself and any one individual at SGM.

What I can do is look at how we can prevent it from happening in our churches. That’s where the discussion is good and helpful and I think we can learn from this. But I’m not in favor of acting like the Holy Spirit’s pararescue team for an organization that I have very little involvement with (unless you count reading a book or listening to their music as ‘involvement’ - which I don’t).

I think I have to disagree, Jay, for the following reasons. First, this has become a national news story. The people standing up for Mr. Mahaney are “leaders” of what the world sees as conservative, Bible-believing Christianity. They see the T4G and TGC guys acting very much like the Catholic bishops regarding heinous sin in the ranks. I believe the Lord and the reputation of His church are well served if pastors and Christians leaders who are not blinded by celebrity or personal friendship speak out clearly. Al Mohler is the go to guy in the media as a representative of conservative, orthodox Christianity. When he ties himself to this madness (and the ties are very close), he harms us all.

Second, I agree we don’t need to “demand” change in SGM polity, etc. The Lord Himself is actually working to dismantle Mahaney’s creation piece by piece, and it is an amazing thing to see. Correction is going on. God is cleaning house over there, and I don’t think he’s done. But since major Evangelical voices are saying “move along. nothing to see here,” those who see clear and present danger should speak up. It strengthens the saints to see that leaders care about sin in our ranks (and by our ranks, I mean Bible-believing Christians). Average people, even most Christians, don’t see the little denominational groupings and camps we see. To them, we’re all part of the same group – those folks who peach Jesus as the way of salvation and the Bible as the truth. His name is at stake. That’s enough interest for me.

[Jay]

Justice for being sinned against is a legitimate demand (Revelation 6:9-11) - but God is the one that brings that justice. It’s worth noting that Jesus did not downplay their deaths or excuse the crime. He told the martyrs to continue to wait for God to act. Abuse is a horrible thing, a crime, and a sin that brings very, very real ramifications on the victim. I don’t think anyone is minimizing that.

Sorry. I forgot to say my third point. I don’t think Rev 6:9-11 is meant to applied to people victimized by church leaders. I think God gives the church the responsibility to honor Him by cleaning up its own act. It’s hard to imagine Paul or Peter telling victims of horrible shepherds in the church to wait for the consummation, and not say a word.

[Jay]

Furthermore, there is a real element of Proverbs 26:17 here, which tells me that “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”

Perhaps a more appropriate Proverb:

Proverbs 31:8-9 - Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Paul blasted Peter for not eating lunch with Gentiles!

I wonder what Paul would say to C. J. Mahaney?

I wonder what he would say to T4G or TGC?

Where is the Apostle Paul when you need him? Someone needs to call out Mohler, Carson, DeYoung, et al.

I’ve read a few of the blog posts out there, and I’d like to take a moment to point out that “alleged facts” is an oxymoron. I just needed to get that off my chest.

So to preface my comments: I’ve been in situations where I’ve seen good men and women face false accusations, and the pain and turmoil they experienced while waiting to be proven innocent was brutal. I’ve also experienced the subtle ‘conspiracy’ of church leadership in covering up and excusing financial shenanigans, questionable ethics, sexual immorality, bullying, and doctrinal wonkiness, and seen family upon family utterly destroyed.

Therefore I am sympathetic to both sides, in that I am outraged at the victimization of men, women, and children in churches, and I acknowledge that sometimes innocent people are falsely accused, and neither situation is better or worse or that there is such a thing as acceptable losses. That’s my little disclaimer.

In spite of how much weirdness I have witnessed myself over the years- and we are talking witnessed with my own two God-given eyeballs- I doubt I could prove much of it in a court of law. The fear and superstition run too deep in many circles of Christianity. I am not surprised that there isn’t a mountain of evidence, or that people waited years, even decades, to come forward.

I’ve just watched a church tolerate, for about 16 years, an unbelievable amount of SIN from their pastor and his family- sexual immorality, incest, lying, irresponsibility with finances, gossip, bullying, rebellion… the list is just insane. But here’s what is scary- my husband and I only walked away from that church about 4 years ago. And it took us 5 years to reach that point because we wanted to do the right thing. You know- fight for truth, justice, and the American way, observe Mtt. 18, be patient, accept the inevitable human foibles of leadership… you name it, we tried it.

So it’s no wonder I believe that there are conspiracies and cover-ups in existence in many churches. They seem to lurk wherever the idea that ‘men of God’ are untouchable is tolerated and even nurtured. I’ve heard messages communicating that we should be extra, extra, EXTRA careful about bringing accusations against them (if ever), because God will punish anyone who raises their hand against God’s “anointed”. If someone does have a problem with the pastor, that person should be tagged as a wolf until further notice. I’ve heard that the authority structures of the church are not answerable in any way to the laws of ‘man’, and that the ‘man of God’ has a direct pipeline to Himself and has reasons for his actions beyond our ken which will be revealed to us sheep at the proper time.

Not every church is like that, but there are enough to be too many.

What is forgotten, IMO, is that there are clear guidelines for the qualifications of church leadership. He must continually prove to others in leadership, to the congregation, and to the community that he is qualified for the office. He is to be of a good reputation in every facet of his life. Ministers are to constantly demonstrate that they are trustworthy. He doesn’t get to declare himself trustworthy. What part of ‘blameless’ do we not understand? Yes, his position is tenuous because of the gravity of his office. It’s part of the package that he accepts when he takes on the responsibility.

I understand not wanting to bolster allegations of misconduct, but in a situation like this, I think prudence, respect for Biblical guidelines, and the message that is communicated to the sheep demands that leadership protect those they lead above all else. Mr. Mahaney should not so much as pick up a paper clip in the name of God until this entire situation is investigated from all angles- legal and spiritual.

They trust God to take care of things, right? God is in control, right? Then how about he and his buds put their money where their Calvinism is? Just sayin’.

[Wayne Wilson] I think I have to disagree, Jay, for the following reasons. First, this has become a national news story. The people standing up for Mr. Mahaney are “leaders” of what the world sees as conservative, Bible-believing Christianity. They see the T4G and TGC guys acting very much like the Catholic bishops regarding heinous sin in the ranks. I believe the Lord and the reputation of His church are well served if pastors and Christians leaders who are not blinded by celebrity or personal friendship speak out clearly. Al Mohler is the go to guy in the media as a representative of conservative, orthodox Christianity. When he ties himself to this madness (and the ties are very close), he harms us all.

Second, I agree we don’t need to “demand” change in SGM polity, etc. The Lord Himself is actually working to dismantle Mahaney’s creation piece by piece, and it is an amazing thing to see. Correction is going on. God is cleaning house over there, and I don’t think he’s done. But since major Evangelical voices are saying “move along. nothing to see here,” those who see clear and present danger should speak up. It strengthens the saints to see that leaders care about sin in our ranks (and by our ranks, I mean Bible-believing Christians). Average people, even most Christians, don’t see the little denominational groupings and camps we see. To them, we’re all part of the same group – those folks who peach Jesus as the way of salvation and the Bible as the truth. His name is at stake. That’s enough interest for me.

Sorry. I forgot to say my third point. I don’t think Rev 6:9-11 is meant to applied to people victimized by church leaders. I think God gives the church the responsibility to honor Him by cleaning up its own act. It’s hard to imagine Paul or Peter telling victims of horrible shepherds in the church to wait for the consummation, and not say a word.

Wayne-

Appreciated your posts.

One - A ‘national story’? I’ll take your word for that, I guess. I’m pretty plugged in on some things, and the only time I hear about this story is when someone puts up a Filing or thread. I have no associations with SGM churches, don’t personally know any SGM members, and don’t generally run in those circles, so I’m pretty ‘out of the loop’ on all things SGM. AFAIK, there are no SGM churches anywhere near I live in NYS (Well, I’m sure there’s got to be one somewhere in NYC). I haven’t seen this story carried anywhere other than SI…not even on Facebook (that I remember - but maybe I missed something). So maybe that speaks more to my lack of knowledge on the subject than it does anything else.

Mohler’s association with Mahaney (Is there even one? I wasn’t aware of that if there is.) is problematic. Absolutely it is. So here’s a follow up question. Let’s say someone accused your friend of this kind of stuff (whether it’s covering up abuse or whatever). You know the guy, and you trust him. At what point do you say that you’re going to break up the friendship (again, if they have one - I don’t know) because of it, or do you stay and try and help him get through it (if you believe the charges are baseless) or stay and try and help him work through it?

Two - This point is good, and recently whenever I’ve seen something like this going on, I just keep remembering the advice of Gamaliel in Acts: “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”. Like I said, I don’t follow SGM closely, but it does seem like God’s been working to dissolve some of that ministry, which I think is a good thing (the concept of ‘apostles’ in the present day needs to die).

Three - I agree with you that the responsibility of the church is to clean up it’s own act (1 Cor. comes to mind). I think you would agree with me that the authorities are also responsible to do that as well when it comes to legal matters. I disagree with you that I’ve said that victims should just stand by and be abused. I’ve made that pretty clear on SI, and as someone who has counseled abuse victims, that has never been (nor will it be) to ‘wait for the consummation’.

I like what Susan said, and I’ve said similar things on other matters like it:

What is forgotten, IMO, is that there are clear guidelines for the qualifications of church leadership. He must continually prove (emphasis mine) to others in leadership, to the congregation, and to the community that he is qualified for the office. He is to be of a good reputation in every facet of his life. Ministers are to constantly demonstrate that they are trustworthy. He doesn’t get to declare himself trustworthy (emphasis mine). What part of ‘blameless’ do we not understand? Yes, his position is tenuous because of the gravity of his office. It’s part of the package that he accepts when he takes on the responsibility.

I understand not wanting to bolster allegations of misconduct, but in a situation like this, I think prudence, respect for Biblical guidelines, and the message that is communicated to the sheep demands that leadership protect those they lead above all else. Mr. Mahaney should not so much as pick up a paper clip in the name of God until this entire situation is investigated from all angles- legal and spiritual.

They trust God to take care of things, right? God is in control, right? Then how about he and his buds put their money where their Calvinism is? Just sayin’.

I will never understand why pastors or churches that have pastors who have been accused of this kind of stuff - allegations of covering up abuse or whatever - aren’t quitting their ministries the second this stuff becomes public. They should. I would, if it were me - because of the verses in Timothy that Susan referenced. I can’t possibly imagine trying to be a pastor under that type of allegation.

Again, I appreciate the posts and will think about them a little more.

Jay:

Christian talkshow host Janet Mefferd has done several interviews regarding this case and she has stated this is the largest evangelical sex abuse scandal in her lifetime. I’ve read somewhere else that it is the largest case in the last century. Right now when people think of sex abuse scandals, Penn State often comes to mind. SGM case dwarfs Penn State: multiple perpetrators (w/convictions), scores of victims, multiple accounts of alleged cover-ups. This was going on in several churches, several states.

This is compiled info:

Why did the plaintiffs (the alleged victims) wait so long to file?

Bill O’Neil, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, was interviewed on the Janet Mefferd Show on 5/20/2013 –

• Bill O’Neil says 3 defendants have been brought to the attention of the authorities. Two have already been convicted and 1 proceeded in the juvenile system. One trial is pending in Montgomery Co., MD.
Roughly 1/3 of the defendants have been convicted. (starts at minute 31:00)

• At minute 29:15, Bill says the alleged conspiracy was not uncovered until 2011. It was discovered that “there was a policy in place in the church to refuse to report…to keep people from telling — each other even within the church — about incidents.”

• To listen to the Janet Mefferd Show and Bill O’Neil interview: Do an internet search for: Janet Mefferd Show Premium. Then Enter the date 5/20/2013 in the search field. Look for Hour 1 “Janet talks with attorney Bill O’Neil”) The interview starts at minute 26:00 and runs for through 33:30.)

+ + + + + + +

Who has already run this news story?

Huffington Post – “C. J. Mahaney Scandal: Evangelical Leaders Defend Pastor Accused Of Abuse Cover-Up”

Washington Post – “Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up”

Boz Tchividjian – grandson of Billy Graham – “Where are the Voices? The Continued Culture of Silence and Protection in American Evangelicalism”

WJLA TV (ABC TV) – “Church Sex Abuse Allegations” Search for: My World News|WJLA|Church sex abuse allegations| 5-17-2013

Here are more at Google News Search: http://goo.gl/M3osd

Here is the most recent ABP article: http://goo.gl/M3jef

Jay, thanks for the gracious response. I must have misunderstood you reference to Rev. 6.

The story has been in National Media…The Huffington Post, CNN, etc.

Now this is a good question:

Mohler’s association with Mahaney (Is there even one? I wasn’t aware of that if there is.) is problematic. Absolutely it is. So here’s a follow up question. Let’s say someone accused your friend of this kind of stuff (whether it’s covering up abuse or whatever). You know the guy, and you trust him. At what point do you say that you’re going to break up the friendship (again, if they have one - I don’t know) because of it, or do you stay and try and help him get through it (if you believe the charges are baseless) or stay and try and help him work through it?

Mohler and Mahaney are very close. It’s one major reason Mahaney has moved to Louisville, where he can shelter under Mohler, and have an impact on SBTS. He has given large amounts of money to SBTS in the past when SGM was flush with cash. (Cynical types would call that buying influence and respect, even friendship?)

If Mr. Mahaney were my friend and I were Al Mohler, and he had done just the things we know he has done (leaving out the unproven accusations), I’d say, “Ceej, i love you, but you are not above reproach. The things that have come out about your leadership, your judgment, your black-mailing of your friend Larry T, (yeah, I finally listened to the recording of your call to him…brother, that was painful to hear) and your unwillingness to submit to the elders of the church you pastored for two decades, all point to your need to step down from the ministry. You tried to do something big for the Lord, to re-invent the faith. Pride, my friend. It caught up with you. I know you are unwilling to face your accusers, or speak publicly about any of this. But hey, it’s time to step down. I will always be there for you, brother. You’ve got book royalties, and have been well taken care of by SGM, but if you ever need a job, we have some great campus jobs at STBS for you…security, mailroom, grading papers (Oh, not the last one, I forgot you never went to college or seminary), gardening…we’ll find something. But no more conferences, pulpits, etc. Okay, bro?” The friendship with me would only end when Mr. Mahaney has cut me off, as he has so many others over the years.

And this, Jay:

I will never understand why pastors or churches that have pastors who have been accused of this kind of stuff - allegations of covering up abuse or whatever - aren’t quitting their ministries the second this stuff becomes public. They should. I would, if it were me - because of the verses in Timothy that Susan referenced. I can’t possibly imagine trying to be a pastor under that type of allegation.

I agree completely. We’re not too far off from each other on this.

I think everyone should read the lawsuit which is publicly available on line. I just took the time to do so. Disgusting. The whole matter is disgusting.

All of the court documents are posted here (both plaintiffs and defendants):

http://www.brentdetwiler.com/class-action-lawsuit/

[Wayne Wilson] If Mr. Mahaney were my friend and I were Al Mohler, and he had done just the things we know he has done (leaving out the unproven accusations), I’d say, “Ceej, i love you, but you are not above reproach. The things that have come out about your leadership, your judgment, your black-mailing of your friend Larry T, (yeah, I finally listened to the recording of your call to him…brother, that was painful to hear) and your unwillingness to submit to the elders of the church you pastored for two decades, all point to your need to step down from the ministry. You tried to do something big for the Lord, to re-invent the faith. Pride, my friend. It caught up with you. I know you are unwilling to face your accusers, or speak publicly about any of this. But hey, it’s time to step down. I will always be there for you, brother. You’ve got book royalties, and have been well taken care of by SGM, but if you ever need a job, we have some great campus jobs at STBS for you…security, mailroom, grading papers (Oh, not the last one, I forgot you never went to college or seminary), gardening…we’ll find something. But no more conferences, pulpits, etc. Okay, bro?” The friendship with me would only end when Mr. Mahaney has cut me off, as he has so many others over the years.

Bingo.

I don’t understand why that doesn’t happen, but it should have - and it should have happened when all this first broke. I’d do the same for any of my friends, and I’d hope that my friends would reciprocate. We do what the Bible says, right?

I guess I’m just too naive.

I did take the time to read through several of the legal documents. In reading through what people say about the case, I see the term “alleged” pop up frequently. Question: have any of the individuals accused of being perpetrators ever been convicted in a court of law of any of the charges mentioned? It seems as though a great deal of this action has focused on a broad range of charges, essentially of neglect and cover-up, in a class-action lawsuit. Are any of the individual occurrences strong enough to have resulted in individual convictions for any of the alleged perpetrators?

Not being a lawyer this is my take on the use of alleged. Alleged is used because none of the charges have been proven in a court of (civil\criminal) law. Not using “alleged” before a court’s judgment would open a person to charges of libel.

I’m just wondering, with as many alleged cases as have surfaced, whether any of them have resulted in convictions or even trials. We have a class-action suit against church leaders, but have any of those they are accused of having conspired to protect been found guilty?