Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

SGM and Mahaney: Cult-Proofing Insiders and Outsiders

http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=2421&cpage=1#comment-37505

Patricia July 13th, 2011 at 10:31 am  

Is SGM a cult? Questions to ask yourself:

1. Does the group leader have a special charm and persuasion that its people find inexplicable and hard to resist? Yes. Mahaney is a celebrity often receiving thunderous applause when he speaks. In the minds of many, he can do no wrong.

2. Do the people in the group seem a bit too friendly, loving, smiling and happy? Yes. New people are love bombed (a technique used in cult recruiting, in which membership in the cult is intimately linked to love and attachment which engender complete loyalty to the cause.)

3. Do the people in the group offer to help with almost anything church centered? Yes. Most are rarely involved with service outside SGM that spreads the Gospel to unbelievers. They mostly recruit people from other churches.

4. Does the group claim to have a special mission or calling that is unique and not found elsewhere? Yes. No other church emphasizes both the charismatic and reformed. The church music was created within SGM ranks. All pastors must attend the church’s own special college for SGM training.

5. Have many people and/or leaders have left the group and if so, why? Hundreds if not more. In fact SGM has a largely negative Internet presence as a result of people sharing concerns over abuse.

6. Are there any checks and balances of the leadership and power structure? No, the congregations have no input.

7. Does the group have a constitution or laws of government? No. If after the WikiLeak incident, one is formed, it appears that the people will have little voice in the content.

8. Do quite a few people talk about their pastor a lot, as though he is God? Yes, in fact in one sermon C.J. Mahaney said that when all believers stand before Christ for the first time, they will be surrounding their pastor and thanking Christ for him.

9. What is the group’s view on leadership authority and discipleship? The pastors are central and the congregant’s job is to make his pastor happy as described in Mahaney’s sermon “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Quote by C.J. Mahaney regarding the congregation’s role, “The effectiveness of pastoral ministry is dependent upon a proper response TO pastoral ministry.”

10. What is the group’s view on dating and marriage? Rigid styles of courtship are heavily encouraged and young people are carefully monitored in the congregation. Women are under the covering of their husbands and fathers, and have very little voice outside the sphere of things pertaining to women.

11. Is there an elitist mentality? Yes. Many view SGM as superior due to its understanding of the importance of both the charismatic and the reformed, along with recognition of giftings. This is used to keep people from considering other churches. Many who have left SGM were shunned. The SGM atmosphere is pharisaical.

12. How do your parents or close relations outside of the group feel about it? Many are concerned for those they love in SGM churches.

13. What are the finances of the group? Are there secrets? Yes, see http://www.wartburgwatch.com on Mahaney and Al Mohler.

14. Does the group motivate its members mostly through fear and guilt? Yes. Sin-sniffing is common through confessions in front of groups.

15. Have any articles been written about the group? Yes, the Internet has thousands of negative postings with several blogs focused on the abuses.

16. Are there disgruntled former members? Yes, a great many.

17. Do the disgruntled former members all more or less tell a similar story to why they left? Yes, most describe pastoral abuse but even sexual abuse has occurred and been ignored by the leadership.

18. Did they leave because they disagreed with either the teachings or the practices of the group or its leader? Yes.

19. How was the disagreement handled? Through shunning and shaming. No direct acknowledgement of abuses toward individual members has arisen even after the WikiLeaks expose.

20. Does your gut level feeling about this group tell you that something is wrong? Yes.

Questions taken from Paul Martin’s book Cult Proofing Your Kids.

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