Deb at "The Wartburg Watch" is offering the following interpretation of Mahaney's convenient and hasty westward retreat from his home church--whence he fled--, Covenant Life, Gaithersburg, MD, towards Kentucky. Mahaney had a temporary layover at Dever's community and then Solid Rock (SGM), MD. We suspect that Mahaney got a preliminary whiff of possible fallout and debris from an impending report from the Ambassadors of Reconciliation (due end of Mar 2012). The new school Baptyerian, Lig Duncan, once suprised RA, but his stock has dropped to about $0.25 from the old school standpoint. As to the forthcoming T4G, 10-12 Apr 2012, we did a preliminary analysis last year: one can expect a few cool $$ million in profits for the event. Where the $$s go is anyone's guess. On another note, for those advancing in years, we offer this. Three benefits accrue in watching and researching Mahaney's history. (1) Ocular exercises, especially. That is, "rolling the eyes." (2) "Shaking the head." It works the neck muscles to get those kinks out. (3) "Laughter." It works the cheek, face and throat muscles. "Ya just gotta laugh a little." Nothing like watching a skilled enthusiast "enthuse." A modern mountebank of the first order. However, there is one contra-indication: do not watch or research Mahaney/SGM if one has blood pressure issues. But back on point. Deb says: "For those of you who are sports enthusiasts, here is what Mohler and Dever have done on behalf of pastor-athlete Mahaney. They have RUN INTERFERENCE, meaning they have protected Mahaney from the criticism and correction he is rightly due from those whom he has hurt in Sovereign Grace Ministries. To put it another way, Mohler and Dever have done an end run around SGMers and prevented that from occurring. Now Mahaney is hiding out at Solid Rock Church until he makes the BIG MOVE" [emphasis in the original].
"I think preaching and pastoral ministry are where grace is most evident in my life and where my leadership is most effectively expressed. Others seem to agree."
We believe history is being made as high profile leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention MEDDLE in the affairs of another denomination, which self-identifies as a "family of churches".
Yes, I'm talking about Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). In case you haven't heard, C.J. Mahaney, who was recently reinstated as President of SGM, is assisting with the appointment of his successor and laying the foundation to PLANT a new church in another state.
As the saying goes, "bloom where you're planted", and the word on the street is that Mahaney is planning to relocate to Kentucky and set down roots there. There is also speculation that the offices of Sovereign Grace Ministries will be moved from Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland to Kentucky — most likely Louisville.
We have written extensively on C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries, so if you are new to TWW, you might want to browse through our archives. Why is Mahaney leaving the state where he grew up and the church he pastored for 27 years? It appears the accusations of hyper-authoritarianism and spiritual abuse (among other things) by hundreds and hundreds of current and former SGMers (including many pastors) have reached a fevered pitch, and Mahaney believes his best option is to get out of Gaithersburg! The Ambassadors of Reconciliation have been called in to investigate the accusations, and they will be issuing their findings very soon. We will be sure to pass along any information that is made public.
What was the straw that broke the camel's back in SGM? From our vantage point, it appears the 600+ pages of documentation that Brent Detwiler compiled (which an anonymous individual posted on the internet) put all of this in motion. As soon as Mahaney suspected Detwiler was going public in some way with his incriminating information, Mahaney voluntarily stepped down. That was in early July 2011. Seven months later Mahaney was reinstated as president of SGM.
Perhaps the most damning information that was revealed in Detwiler's documentation was Mahaney's attempt to blackmail his mentor Larry Tomczak if he did not leave the organization quietly back in 1998. Tomczak had a big problem with the shift toward Calvinistic theology, and, Mahaney threatened to go public with the confidentially confessed sins of Tomczak's son if Larry did not go away quietly into the night… Fifteen years passed, and Mahaney finally made an attempt to patch things up with Tomczak, who had been urging a reconciliation for years.
Why would Mahaney relocate to another state — Kentucky — as some are speculating? If the Bluegrass State is the Mahaneys' destination, there is a very good reason… Dee and I first began investigating C.J. Mahaney and SGM in the fall of 2008 — seven months before we began blogging. Exactly two months after we launched The Wartburg Watch, we wrote about CJ's significant monetary contributions to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in a post called The Mahaney Money Machine. We were so new to blogging that not many people read the following "observation" included in that post:
"How did C.J. Mahaney become so popular among reformed Christians? As far as we can determine, C.J.’s secret to success is that he has friends in high places. We believe his recognition among the “Reformed Big Dogs” began when he befriended Mark Dever, Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, in Washington, D.C. (a church not far from Gaithersburg where CLC is located)."
For more, see:
http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/02/29/mahaney-sgm-unprecedented-rescue-by-the-sbc/
Also, Deb concludes with this bit of humour. We leave you with a tune the Mahaneys may be singing.
jgrig2 said,
Richard said,
Carol Noren Johnson said,
Richard said,
We all remain sinners–justified sinners, but sinners. Don’t let a Christian’s bad acts deter you from seeking to know Him better–which is what theology is about.
Jason Van Bemmel said,
Jason Van Bemmel said,
I was happy to be invited to participate. I was single, so I didn’t have to worry about moving a family. Things were going a little sour in Philadelphia as Westminster was dominated by the Shepherd controversy. My church had gotten taken over by a radical “truly Reformed” faction. So it seemed a good time for me to move. I also had the opportunity to teach smaller classes and therefore had time to write. It was in California that my writing projects finally reached publication.
4. After 30 years of teaching and educating, why did you decide to leave Westminister and move to Reformed Theological Seminary?
It would take a lot more hours than I have available to answer this question adequately. To give a bare summary: between me and WTS/C there were personal issues and theological ones. The personal issues were basically sins of my own, which I confessed on a number of occasions and in some cases received forgiveness. Still, some of these relationships were never put right.
The theological issues as I see them: Over the 1990s, the seminary became more and more the tool of a faction, rather than representing the Reformed faith in its fullness. In the view of this faction, my theology was not “truly Reformed.” In my view, their narrowness prevented me from recommending the seminary to prospective students. I could not, of course, teach at a school that I could not honestly recommend, and I could not teach at a school where my Reformed commitment was not respected.
So I sent out resumés and attracted interest from a number of schools. But RTS gave me the warmest welcome I had ever seen. There are seven former students of mine at RTS/Orlando and two more at the other campuses. There is no factionalism here, either on the faculty or in the student body. We are laboring together, supporting one another. Nobody is trying to undermine anyone else. For me, coming to RTS has been a little like dying and going to heaven.
MORE – http://www.frame-poythress.org/frame_articles/2005Interview.htm