SGM-Mahaneygate: SGM Megachurch Pastor (+ CJ Mahaney) Confesses to Protecting Child Molester for Years

http://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-confesses-to-protecting-child-molester-for-years-119877/

By Morgan Lee , Christian Post Reporter

May 16, 2014|12:29 pm

A megachurch pastor confessed to covering up sexual abuse claims during this week's trial of a youth leader accused of molesting several boys. Nathaniel Morales, 56, was convicted Thursday of sexually abusing three young boys between 1983 and 1991.


Covenant Life Church former pastor Grant Layman admitted on Tuesday while testifying about allegations against Nathaniel Morales that he withheld incriminating information from the police about the abuse.


Public defender Alan Drew asked Layman if had an "obligation to report the alleged abuse?"


"I believe so," he replied.


"And you didn't?" asked Drew, to which Layman responded "no."


According to Brent Detwiler, who attended the trial and is a former Sovereign Grace pastor who now runs a watchdog blog about the ministry of which Covenant Life Church was part until 2012, Layman acknowledged that over the course of 1992 he learned that Morales had abused two boys, but did not go to authorities with these claims.


Detwiler added that the father of two of the boys "contacted the Covenant Life pastoral team again in 2007 when he learned that Morales was a pastor in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. They knew Morales was a serial and predatory sex abuser."


Morales' victims were relieved to learn that the perpetrator was headed to prison, where he faces up-to 85 years.
"I started crying. It was just, it was overwhelming to know that the struggle, the fight, the 25 years of trying to bring this forward, was worth it," victim Jeremy Cook, who was abused roughly 50 times as a teenager, told WJLA.


Pam Palmer, who attended Covenant Life Church for over 20 years, said that as a 2-year-old, her daughter was abused by a male teenager, and suggested that the church had its issues going to the authorities after hearing child abuse allegations.
"One of the pastors told us, 'don't go to the police.' They had a lot to protect. They had money, power and prestige," she said, before ultimately going to authorities herself.


The case also attracted attention from those curious to see if C. J. Mahaney, the former president of Sovereign Grace Ministries and founding pastor of Covenant Life Church, would comment or attend the hearings. Mahaney led the church for 27 years before leaving for a congregation in Kentucky in 2012.


In June 2011, Mahaney took a leave of absence from his role as president after being accused of having characteristics including "pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment and hypocrisy" by former pastors and leaders from SGM.


But after an interim board of directors was installed and an outside organization evaluated some of the accusations, especially those of former SGM board member Brent Detwiler, Mahaney was eventually found to be fit to serve and was returned to his leadership role.


In 2013, Mahaney resigned as president after lawsuits alleged that he and others were complicit in covering up sex abuse allegations in the church. Last summer, he announced that he would not be attending 2014's Together for the Gospel conference, which he helped co-found with Mark Dever, Albert Mohler and Ligon Duncan, but nevertheless was photographed attending and seated next to his fellow co-founders at the April event.


Layman is Mahaney's brother-in-law and stepped down from his role at Covenant Life Church in March.


SGM is made up of a family of about 90 churches in the United States, Canada, Bolivia, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.


Morales is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 14, though Drew, Morales' public defender intends to appeal.

(UPDATE) SGM-Mahaneygate: SGM-CJ Mahaney & Convictions in Criminal Lawsuit Re: Child Sex Abuse

http://thouarttheman.org/

Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church Convicted of Sexually Abusing Young Boys

Posted on May 16, 2014 by 2samuel127

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Janet Mefferd interviews Brent Detwiler regarding the conviction of Nate Morales and how it ties in to Sovereign Grace Ministries.

From Jeremy Cook, one of the victims who testified against Morales:

All, I am trying hard to catch up on all the comments, as it has been a very busy 24 hours. But let me say thank you to you all for your words of encouragement. This has been a very long road, and the conviction today was vindication and also verification that from the legal aspect, this was all worth it, as this predator is and will remain off the streets where he cannot harm anyone else again.

But even more importantly, and in the midst of the attention and frenzy, my blessing through all of this is to serve God in hopefully inspiring others to speak up, tell their stories, and hopefully have their day too. The immense relief of facing my abuser, speaking the truth, and truly feeling that he had no power over me ever again, and that he cannot harm another again was one of the greatest feelings imaginable. Not that it has to be a day in court for every victim, but to stand up and speak the truth is a powerful thing, and an important step in healing.

The amazing opportunity that God has given me has been that I have already been able to encourage and empower others to speak up, and that was before I could speak so freely about this. This is an incredible blessing and proof of the amazing power of God to turn acts of evil into opportunities for good. I pray that anyone who has been a victim be empowered to step up and speak out. And I am thankful that God has carried me through these years to reach this day.

My goal is to help others take that step, and if I can help you with that, you can email me at another(dot)sgm(dot)survivor(at)gmail(dot)com.

“We cannot shrug our shoulders when children are sexually abused and our leaders in the church cover it up. It is evil to do so.

I’m a 5000 point Calvinist but the silence of neo-Calvinist leadership re: cover-up of sexual abuse under Mahaney’s watch is just awful.”

Matt B Redmond, author of “God of the Mundane.”

This story is taken from 7 ABC News in Washington D.C. and can be seen here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) – Nathaniel “Nate” Morales, a former church leader at the Covenant Life Church in Montgomery County, Md., was convicted Thursday of sexually abusing three young boys between 1983 to 1991.

A jury found Morales, 56, guilty on two counts of sexual offense in the second degree and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

Two hours after the verdict, victim Jeremy Cook was ecstatic:

“I started crying. It was just, it was overwhelming to know that the struggle, the fight, the 25 years of trying to bring this forward, was worth it.”

But Pam Palmer, whose daughter was reportedly molested by a teen church member back in the 1990’s, says Covenant Life Church is also to blame.

Palmer claims that the church’s pastoral team tried covering it up:

“How can you walk away from innocent children being abused and do nothing?”

In fact, during Morales’ trial this week, public defender Alan Drew asked Pastor Grant Layman: “Did you have an obligation to report the alleged abuse?”

Layman replied: “I believe so.”

Drew fired back: “And you didn’t?”

Layman answered: “No…we didn’t know.”

State’s Attorney John McCarthy says that his office cannot prosecute anyone unless crimes are reported – but that perhaps this is no longer the most effective method:

“I think we’ve come to realize that’s not the right way to deal with these matters…”

Cook adds: “Certainly I think there are people in Covenant Life Church that have a bit to answer for. They left this predator on the street when they had knowledge, and ultimately they’ll have to answer to that, whether it be to the courts, or whether it be to God.”

Morales is accused of “preying on” three young members of the church at group sleeoovers and in their homes. Representatives from the Maryland state attorney’s office said the youngest victim was 11 years old at the time, and that the abuse continued until he was 18 years old.

Officials said in a statement following the verdict Thursday that “the abuse was not reported until 2009, when Detective Sally Magee was informed, despite awareness of the abuse among the church leaders.”

“Sexually abusing boys who trust you because of your prominence in your faith community is unforgivable,” said Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the state attorney’s office. “These grown men have shown a lot of courage to come forward in reporting these incidents of sexual abuse during their childhoods. It lets other victims of abuse in our community know that they can come forward and justice will be served.”

Morales faces up to 85 years in prison.

Authorities said he is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug.14.

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/nathaniel-morales-of-covenant-life-church-convicted-of-sexually-abusing-young-boys-103175.html#ixzz31qDFrGkt

 Follow us: @ABC7News on Twitter | WJLATV on Facebook

SGM-Mahaneygate: (VIDEO) Nathaniel Morales Trial: Victim Jeremy Cook Testifies

SGM-Mahaneygate: Brent Detwiler on Radio (15 May 14) Re: C.J. Mahaney & Criminal Action

Mr. Brent Detwiler will be on the Janet Mefferd Show today, 15 May 2014, from 4:15-4:30.  We presume it is EST.

http://www.janetmefferd.com/


Or, http://www.janetmefferd.com.php53-9.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/player.html

SGM-Mahaneygate: Criminal Sex Abuse Trial, SGM-Coverup, & Mahaney's Staunch T4G Allies

http://thouarttheman.org/2014/05/14/mahaney-has-no-clothes/

Mahaney Has No Clothes!

Posted on May 14, 2014 by 2samuel127

““But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” said a little child. “Listen to the voice of innocence!” exclaimed the father; and what the child had said was whispered from one to another. “But he has nothing on!” at last cried all the people. The Emperor was vexed, for he knew that the people were right; but he thought, “The procession must go on now!” And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever to appear holding up a train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold.”

-Hans Christian Andersen

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Al Mohler praising C.J. Mahaney:

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10 Fast Facts Regarding Grant Layman & the Nate Morales Sex Abuse Trial

1) Grant followed C.J.’s evil counsel to cover up.  (Grant Layman is the brother in-law of C.J. Mahaney and until recently a pastor at Covenant Life Church.)
2) Morales’ crimes were never reported to police by C.J., Grant or other CLC pastors who knew.
3) Parents and youth at Covenant Life Church were not alerted to the predatory and homosexual activity of Morales.
4) The school administration at Montgomery County Christian Academy where Morales taught and groomed victims was never told about his abuses by CLC leaders.
5) Other youth were abused as a result of all these criminal delinquencies.
6) Grant lied to detectives in order to conceal the conspiracy.
7) CLC and SGM leaders have denied all wrong doing.
8) Joshua Harris just commended Grant on Feb 23 for his personal integrity and ending his pastoral service well.  
9) C.J., Joshua, Grant and other pastors at CLC have covered up the pedophilic actions of other sex abusers with multiple victims at CLC.
10) The above have used a cadre of high priced lawyers and law firms to block every attempt to bring them and abusers to justice.

Brent Detwiler’s Report on Day 1 & 2 at the Criminal Trial of Nathaniel Morales


“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. C.J. Mahaney was the senior pastor.


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.


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. They knew Morales was a serial and predatory sex abuser.


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.”

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Here is an email I received from an assistant of Wayne Grudem after I had written him urging him to not speak at C.J. Mahaney’s church:

Dear Todd,

My name is John Paul Stepanian, and I am Dr. Grudem’s assistant as well as a student here at Phoenix Seminary. One of my jobs is to see to Dr. Grudem’s correspondence on his behalf.

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Dr. Grudem speaking at CJ’s church.  Dr. Grudem has the challenging task of weighing many worthy and intriguing requests.  His current research, teaching, speaking engagements and family commitments have filled his schedule, and unfortunately he will be unable to answer your questions directly.  Please accept his regrets.  Dr. Grudem has asked me to personally respond to these requests on his behalf.

Dr. Grudem is speaking at CJ’s church specifically so that he can signal support for CJ in the face of unjust accusations.  No further communication on this subject will be responded to.

May God bless your continued work for His kingdom.

Sincerely,

John Paul Stepanian
MA to Dr. Grudem
Phoenix Seminary

On behalf of:
Wayne Grudem, Ph.D.
Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies
Phoenix Seminary

Carl Trueman on Celebrity Preachers:

“The moral and legal responsibility of every Christian — and especially every Christian leader and minister — must be to report any suspicion of the abuse of a child to law enforcement authorities. Christians are sometimes reluctant to do this, but this reluctance is both deadly and wrong.

Sometimes Christians are reluctant to report suspected sexual abuse because they do not feel that they know enough about the situation. They are afraid of making a false accusation. This is the wrong instinct. We do not have the ability to conduct the kind of investigation that is needed, nor is this assigned to the church. This is the function of government as instituted by God (Romans 13). Waiting for further information allows a predator to continue and puts children at risk. This is itself an immoral act that needs to be seen for what it is.

A Christian hearing a report of sexual abuse within a church, Christian organization, or Christian school, needs to act in exactly the same manner called for if the abuse is reported in any other context. The church and Christian organizations must not become safe places for abusers. These must be safe places for children, and for all. Any report of sexual abuse must lead immediately to action. That action cannot fall short of contacting law enforcement authorities. A clear lesson of the Penn State scandal is this: Internal reporting is simply not enough.”

-Al Mohler, “The Tragic Lessons of Penn State – A Call To Action”

T4G’s Original Statement of Support for Mahaney:

“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. …

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

The Gospel Coalition’s Statement of Support For Mahaney:

Over the past several months we have remained publicly silent about the 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?




…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).




…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.
…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?




…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.




…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).



 Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor



This statement reflects the views of the signatories and does not necessarily speak for other Council members, bloggers, and writers for The Gospel Coalition.”




Here is John Folmar, Senior Pastor of United Christian Church of Dubai, the church I formerly attended but quit for issues of conscience dealing with the promotion of Mahaney’s books:

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Folmar’s “Go to book” for new believers in his church! Jesus opposed pedophilia, but I don’t see a whole lot of opposing going on by John Folmar. Actions speak louder than words my friend!




These “leaders” display either an appalling lack of discernment or a love of fame and fortune which overrides any concern for the brothers and sisters they are pastoring.  Either way one must question the wisdom of continuing to follow these celebrities.









Comments on sgmsurvivors.com from a former Sovereign Grace church member:



“I am so incredibly disgusted by these pastors, especially the fact that they are hiding behind lawyers.

 I am also humbled by the brave people testifying in court. I can’t imagine what that is like. Thank you for carrying about others enough to put Morales away to keep this from happening again.



 I do believe that this should be enough for CLC to close its doors. It’s time. I do believe had the pastors come clean and confessed all of this when they split with SGM and pursued genuine change, things could have been different. Instead, they have issued SGM-like statements that don’t really seem to paint an accurate picture of what happened.



 Eric Simmons should resign and if no other suitable pastor is available, they should close the doors at Arlington, too. Eric needs to find other ways to use his gifts. Though his sin was committed at a young age, it undermines the very trust necessary to pastor. In an SGM/GC model where pastoring is reduced to preaching, it might not seem like a big deal, but the role of pastor carries an intrinsic predisposition for people to trust him and they probably would not trust if they knew the truth.



 And, is there really anyone, whether loyal to SGM or not, who does not believe that CJ was not aware and likely giving direction about these things?”




“I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”  

 Ezekiel 34:15-16

SGM-Mahaneygate: Mahaney Dropped from Baptist Concern

Calvinist preacher dropped from program

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 People

Calvinist preacher dropped from program

The name of an evangelical preacher linked to an alleged cover-up of child sexual abuse has been dropped from a list of speakers at an upcoming conference at an SBC seminary.

By Bob Allen

A controversial evangelical preacher, named in a highly publicized lawsuit alleging participation in what has been described as the biggest evangelical sexual-abuse scandal to date, is no longer listed as a speaker for an upcoming collegiate conference at a Southern Baptist seminary.

C.J. Mahaney

C.J. Mahaney, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, Ky., and close friend to Southern Baptist proponents of theology that goes by names including the New Calvinism and “young, restless and Reformed,” originally appeared among speakers scheduled for next year’s 20/20 Collegiate Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.
Last month ABPnews reported his name on the program for "Ekklesia: God's Perspective on the Church," scheduled Feb. 7-8, 2014, alongside other speakers that included Southeastern Seminary President Daniel Akin and SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore.

Mahaney’s name no longer appears on the seminary web page promoting the conference. There is no mention of when or why the change was made, and the seminary’s communications office did not respond to a request for comment.

Mahaney spoke at this year’s collegiate conference in February, amid media coverage of a class-action lawsuit alleging collusion by Sovereign Grace pastors to not report suspected or known physical and sexual abuse of children to police but instead handle it internally as a matter of church “discipline.”

After ministry friends, including Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler and Washington, D.C., pastor Mark Dever, stuck by Mahaney in a public statement attesting to his integrity, a Georgia pastor sponsored a resolution adopted at the SBC annual meeting in June calling on denominational leaders 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.”

The pastor, Peter Lumpkins, criticized Mahaney’s return visit in blog comments posted Oct. 10. On Oct. 22, Lumpkins voiced appreciation that the invitation to Mahaney was apparently withdrawn.

Previous story:
C.J. Mahaney returning to SEBTS

SGM-Mahaneygate: C.J. Mahaney Dumped from SEBTS Conference

http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/2013/10/southeastern-seminary-drops-cj-mahaney-from-conference.html?fb_action_ids=10202283400196827&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210202283400196827%22%3A399150386854335%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210202283400196827%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

 

Danny Akin and Southeastern seminary drops C.J. Mahaney from conference

 

Apparently Dr. Danny Akin and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary have dropped C.J. Mahaney from the 20/20 Collegiate Conference "EKKLESIA: God's Perspective on the Church."¹ We first posted our lament concerning Akin's decision to retain Mahaney in the face of Southern Baptists' 2013 resolution on the sexual abuse of children in a post entitled "Danny Akin and Al Mohler still sponsoring C. J. Mahaney."  

 

For my part, for whatever reason(s) Dr. Akin decided to withdraw the invitation to Mahaney, we are grateful and commend him and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for doing so.

Now, if only Dr. Mohler could find the courage to sever all ties between Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and C.J. Mahaney's Pastors' School.

All last week Mohler's friends publicly expressed their admiration for his unflinching courage to do the "right thing" during the "Conservative Resurgence," and to do so even when it was personally hurtful to himself and his family.

We wait to see how Dr. Mohler responds under different circumstances.

SGM-Mahaneygate (Daily Kos): Church Child Sex Abuse Scandal Widens & Deepens

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/25/1211671/-The-Church-Child-Sex-Abuse-Scandal-Widens-and-Deepens#

 

Sat May 25, 2013 at 05:26 PM PDT

The Church Child Sex Abuse Scandal Widens and Deepens

by Frederick Clarkson

  

In a recent post, I discussed the apparent lack of sufficient seriousness with which the Southern Baptist Convention and the Catholic Bishops still treat the matter of child sex abuse by clergy. The Associated Baptist Press picked-up on that post and added that while the SBC insists there is nothing it can do, it has nevertheless added a resource page on its national web site for local churches to deal with the matter.  Its not much, but its a start.  

But the scandal of the Louisville, KY-based Sovereign Grace Ministries, which began as a national network of  charismatic evangelical churches but eventually adapted a Reformed theology -- suggests that the problem of child sex abuse and the seemingly inevitable cover-up in conservative churches -- is a pattern that is deep and wide.  And part of that pattern is that too many leaders enable the abusers with their silence, their refusal to consider that the accusations might be true, and/or their efforts to silence the victims.  Child abuse investigator Boz Tchividjian thinks the silence of Evangelical leaders regarding child sex abuse in evangelical churches is not only "deafening" but speaks "volumes".

Indeed. It speaks volumes about the character and moral vision of the leaders of the conservative denominations that comprise the base of the Christian Right.

Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) has been in the news due to the accusations (and a related lawsuit) that its leader C. J. Mahaney has been involved in the cover-up of child sex abuse, among other scandals.

 

The lawsuit was recently dismissed because most of the victims were deemed by the judge to have waited beyond the statute of limitations. (The judge's ruling is being appealed.) There is a statute of limitations for many crimes, but there is no statute of limitation on accountability.  Organizations of victims of these powerful institutions such as SGM Survivors, SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and Stop Baptist Predators pose a tremendous threat to the leaders who coverup past abuses and continue to enable abusers in the present.  

 

Indeed, although the suit was dismissed on a technicality, a number of evangelical leaders were quick to defend Mahaney.

“We have stood beside our friend, C. J. Mahaney, and we can speak to his personal integrity,” wrote Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Ligon Duncan, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Miss.; and Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. 

Someone really ought to ask these distinguished evangelical leaders about the meaning of "personal integrity."  

 

"But not everyone is rushing to Mahaney’s defense," Sarah Pulliam Baily of Religion News Service reported.  

 

Boz Tchividjian, a law professor and executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), which has investigated sex abuse allegations, found omissions in the pastors’ statement.  

“Why no mention that CJ Mahaney was actually the Senior Pastor at one of these churches where all of this horrific abuse allegedly occurred AND that [he] discouraged these families from bringing this matter to the God ordained civil authorities?...   Omitting such a fundamentally important fact from this statement is a fundamental error.” 

Tchividjian is the grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and the brother of Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and another leader of the Reformed evangelical movement 

“This lawsuit is less about the abuse and more about an institution that took steps to protect itself and its reputation over the victimized souls (and bodies) of little ones,” Boz Tchividjian wrote.

Writing at Religion Dispatches in March, T.F. Charleton details the grievances of many former GSM members, and how GSM continues forward the authoritarian cult abuses of the "shepherding movement" of the 1970s and 80s, and spawned such leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation as Lou Engle and Che Ahn.  

I was not surprised when Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), the church group I grew up in as a teen and young adult, was served with a lawsuit this past October, alleging clergy cover-ups of sexual abuse.  

Sadly, I was even less surprised when the suit was amended in January to include Covenant Life Church (CLC), the congregation I had attended for nine years, and to add new charges of physical and sexual abuse by pastors, as well as allegations of abuse on church property. From what I’d seen inside Sovereign Grace and Covenant Life from 1996–2005, the alleged abuse seemed almost predictable—the result of the group’s toxic teachings on parenting, gender, and sexuality. 

Sovereign Grace is a U.S.-based church-planting network (they say “family”) of predominantly white, suburban, reformed evangelical congregations. C.J. Mahaney, the current president, and Larry Tomczak—today a pastor at Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood, Tennessee—co-founded the Gaithersburg, Maryland church that would become Covenant Life in 1977. It was the first in what would become a network of 91 churches across 25 states and 17 countries. And it would launch the careers of several conservative Christian activists, including Lou Engle, whose ministry The Call has played a significant role in exporting American religious homophobia to Uganda, as well as Che Ahn, president of the charismatic Harvest International Ministries. Both men were among Covenant Life’s early leaders.

For his part, former prosecutor Boz Tchividjian denounces the silence of evangelical leaders and accuses them of de facto complicity in the crimes of SGM.

 

Here are a few excerpts from his jeremiad:

This past week, I have fluctuated between anger and tears as I read about Christian leaders who proclaim the Gospel with their voice, but remain silent and/or defensive about the horrors of child sexual abuse within the Church.  These leaders have once again, and perhaps unwittingly, demonstrated the art of marginalizing individual souls for the sake of reputation and friendships.  

Earlier this week, I read the second amended complaint filed by eleven plaintiffs against SGM, two churches, and a number of individuals, including a man named CJ Mahaney....   it is one of the most disturbing accounts of child sexual abuse and institutional “cover up” I have read in my almost 20 years of addressing this issue.  Besides the horrific accounts of child victimization (some of which allegedly occurred on church property), what struck me most about these allegations is the systematic efforts by these churches to discourage and sometimes prevent the families of children who had been victimized by church officials from speaking out and reporting to law enforcement.  Another aspect that struck me as I read (and re-read) through this complaint were the myriad of common threads related to the efforts made by these SGM churches to silence these survivors.

 

I should hasten to add that as I previously reported, while no one is perfect, the mainline Protestant denominations have done and continue to work hard to prevent and to address these problems if and when they occur than their self righteous conservative counterparts.

By way of contrast, let's also consider that the liberal mainline Protestant denominations -- the ones that respect the moral capacity of women to determine their reproductive life, and many of which not only welcome LGTB people, who are then treated with dignity and equality, but may serve in leadership roles -- do not turn a blind eye to the problems, but also seek to prevent and address child sex abuse by clergy and others.    

These include, among others, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church, USA, United Church of Christ (PDF), The Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church as well as the Unitarian Universalist Association.  What's more, the progressive Religious Institute has resources for religious organizations considering developing policies and programs in this area, and consults with those who are looking to improve their policies and performance.

My question is the same as last month:   Can the SBC, the Catholic Bishops -- and Sovereign Grace Ministries -- be taken seriously on anything else when they cannot get it together to actively protect children from sex predators -- especially their own clergy?