C.J. Mahaney to resign as president of Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM)

While I think it is very important to give ‘the benefit of the doubt’ (when doubt exists), I agree that it is strange that in cases involving accusations against church leadership, the default is to give that benefit to the accused instead of the victim. In any other situation, we would naturally lean much more toward protecting the victim. At least that’s my perspective.

There is the sense that church leaders band together to protect other church leaders, as if having one pastor called into question automatically besmirches all pastors. The same thing is seen in other professions, such as police officers and teachers, and even athletes. But because we have such clear guidelines for church leaders, and a system of checks and balances laid out in Scripture for bringing accusations against one another, the church is the last place where there should be any wagons circling or good ol’ boys clubs.

I sympathize that leaders/authority in any profession are vulnerable to accusation though. There have been many cases of manipulation and extortion that resulted in much destruction of the innocent. Our own system of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ acknowledges this, and requires the burden of proof be on the accuser.

However, there is too often a preponderance of evidence, and still people are reluctant to discipline those in church leadership. The lack of consideration for the consequences of allowing the wolves continued unrestrained access to the sheep is astonishing.

There is probably also a sense of personal embarrassment if we have unknowingly supported someone who is now being shown to have been in serious error, doctrinally, morally, and legally. We can’t know everything about every person whose messages we hear or whose books we read. We take quite a bit on faith when we recommend a book or sermon. But when we see men and women we’ve admired to some degree being called into question, I think we can still stand on principle, and let the chips fall where they may.

Susan, good thoughts all the way around.

Julie Ann, yes, the great desire to protect the kids on the part of parents can become tragically mishandled to the point of losing many of them in heavy shepherding environments. The kids seem able to see through some of the foolishness their parents have embraced. and when the Gospel is attached to the madness it gets rejected, too. I’ll never forget the documentary All God’s Children on the CMA missionary kids who were abused in mission schools for decades. I almost can’t bear to think about it, and what happened to their faith. But we must think about it. While I have become completely disillusioned with Sovereign Grace Ministries, I still believe in the sovereign grace of Jesus Christ, so I hope the Lord will have a special care for those children raised in any environment which connects the Gospel to ugly things.