SGM-Mahaneygate: Updated (26 Oct 2012) SGM Statement on Class Action Suit

Co-defendant, C. J. Mahaney, President of Sovereign Grace Ministries



No doubt written by SGM lawyers.  We'll wait for discovery and a jury trial.

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Updated-Statement-on-Reported-Lawsuit.aspx

Updated Statement on Reported Lawsuit

October 26, 2012 by SGM Staff
Categories: General


Please be aware of the following press release.
October 26, 2012

Statement by Tommy Hill
Sovereign Grace Ministries Director of Administration

Re: A Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Sovereign Grace Ministries Oct. 17 in Maryland’s Montgomery County Circuit Court

Though not yet served, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) leadership has obtained a copy of the civil lawsuit filed last week against SGM and several pastors of its associational churches. This recent complaint makes broad allegations that SGM pastors were negligent in providing spiritual counsel and pastoral care in situations involving persons who had previously suffered child sexual abuse. It is important to note that it does not allege any act of child abuse by a pastor or staff member of SGM or of an associated church. SGM is not in a position to comment on the specific allegations at this time, but we are beginning a careful legal review of each allegation. Upon initial review it appears the complaint contains a number of untrue or misleading allegations, as well as considerable mischaracterizations of intent.

Child sexual abuse is reprehensible in any circumstance, and a violation of fundamental human dignity. We grieve deeply for any child who has been a victim of abuse. We want to minister the love, grace and healing of God to any who have suffered this horrific act.

SGM is committed to integrity and faithfulness in pastoral care, as are the pastors of local congregations. We take seriously the biblical commands to pursue the protection and well-being of all people – especially children, who are precious gifts given by the Lord and the most vulnerable among us. These biblical commands include fully respecting civil authority to help restrain evil and promote righteousness as Romans 13 instructs us. SGM also encourages the establishment of robust child protection policies and procedures based on best practices.

SGM churches are separately organized and constituted in their respective communities. They voluntarily partner together for certain aspects of their broader common mission: to plant churches, develop resources, train pastors and serve international ministries in order to proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We ask that you please join us in praying that God guides and leads all of us in these challenging circumstances, ministering His grace, comfort and peace to all who are affected by this situation, and that His truth would prevail.

SGM-Mahaneygate: Dr. Ligon Duncan Stepped "In It" over Mahaney

Dr. Ligon Duncan

 

Washington Post carried the story on a developing class action lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) by three plaintiffs alleging child sexual abuse and coverups by SGM operatives.  It was filed 17 Oct 2012 in Montgomery County Court, MD. Of course, the stories about abusiveness--at least 100 Pastors also--have a wider arc beyond the abuse of children and pedophilia, as bad as that is.   Here's the Washington Post story.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lawsuit-claims-evangelical-church-group-concealed-sex-abuse-allegations-in-md-va/2012/10/17/75218ba8-187a-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html.  Of course, as the stories broke for years on blogs, SGM Survivors and SGM Refuge, as well as from the well-documented records of Brent Detwiler, two "Defenders" of Mahaney arose, among others.  They arose almost immediately and without inquiry or cross-examination of evidence. They are and were: Al Mohler, an Anabaptist President of Southern Seminary, and Dr. Ligon Duncan, Pastor of First Presbyterian, Jacksonville, MS, and Headman for Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.  They offered full-throated support to the media for their "friend," C.J. Mahaney.  Why in the world Mahaney, a high school graduate, is a Board Member of Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is just beyond comprehension.  The "defenses" were extremely unwise as we noted at the time, especially for Presbyterians who generally are known for caution, care, and prudence.  Ligon Duncan stepped "in it." (See below.) Furthermore, Dr. Carl Trueman, an otherwise astute historian and Professor at the alma mater, Westminster Seminary, also weighed in in behalf of Mahaney.  These men were simply unacquainted with the facts and details.  Reformed Anglicanism wrote Dr. Trueman advising him to, essentially, back off. They did not have the entire factual pattern, yet they spoke publicly. We learn from the Kings and Chronicles, notably, that kings have mixed records and express their wickednesses, from time to time.  We could say more, but it is important that these men "walk back" their endorsement of Mahaney and publicly observe that they were hasty, imprudent, unwise, injudicious, incautious and--well---just too full of themselves.  We've posted below a few comments from one of the blogs. Men, if you want to publicly defend a man--in the press--to the press--to the nation--to a wide constituency--whose history you didn't research, you need to publicly defer to wisdom and offer retractions...publicly.  It is easily done.  Time to man up. Both of you have given justifiable offenses to weaker folks. You are being mocked and with merit.  Your support was premature, thoughtless, uncritical, unfair, unjust, and unwise.  Fix it, Gentlemen.  Be men. Also, tell Mahaney to return to CLC and adjudicate the outstanding offenses there too.  If not, you will reap what you've sown.  I write as an Elder in Israel and a Churchman in the historic, apostolic, catholic and holy Church of the centuries.

---------------------------

Mohler added: “Any time you’re going to take on the role of leadership, you’re going to have critics.”

Mohler also supported Sovereign Grace’s highly centralized leadership structure in its churches, with “very strong pastoral direction” and internal discipline.

“It’s something clearly called for in the New Testament,” he said.

Mohler said he knew this practice has had online critics for years.”

http://blogs.courier-journal.com/faith/2011/07/12/mohler-backs-mahaney-dismisses-accusations-of-abusive-leadership/

And Ligon’s incredible words which are forever ingrained in my mind:

“I would then encourage you to ignore the assaults of wounded people on attack websites and blogs, and that you discount the opinings of those who have no real knowledge of these matters or relation to SGM or authority to comment upon them, and that you refrain from assuming that you (or they) are in a position to render judgment on these things.”

http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2011/07/a-word-about-cj-mahaney-and-so.php
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Rev. Paul Levy (Ref21): Reformed Liturgical Incompetence & Ignorance

A young cleric, Rev. Paul Levy
International Presbyterian Church
Blogger, www.Reformation21.org
If an open necked shirt, why
not a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip flops?
On principle, why not a bathrobe and slippers?

Rev. Paul Levy, of the "International Presbyterian Church," offers an odd, confused, and rather broadly "evangelical" statement about Creeds and confessions in worship.  He notes that "written confessions of sin and confession of faith and the Apostles Creed are particularly helpful in screwing good solid theology into the minds and hearts of our people." This has long been known, but Paul was not reared with this.  He apparently is just learning this.  Yet, he unhelpfully opines--again oddly and unhelpfully--that there are "Presbyterians who are really `'wanna be anglicans' and want to legislate for every bit of the service with endless liturgy."  So, toss your hymnbooks, Presbyterians, be consistent, and have all sing whatever lyrics you please.  Yet, you use "written hymns" with 700 plus hymns in the books!  Yet, you  have 33 written chapters in the Westminster Confession.  What's the complaint here of value?  None.  What confused thinking!  Is this the best Paul can offer?  Or Ref21?  Or the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals?  Or, what does R.C. Sproul, Sr., one of the better voices, know about it? Or, the congregations and followers of these "parachurch" outlets?  Rev. Levy or Churchmen at ACE or Ref21, inter alia, modern Cranmers?  No.  But, then, what does Paul, or what does anyone on the staff or on the board of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, or on the faculties of Westminster or Reformed Seminaries, know about the disciplines, lections, collects, rhythms, and piety of Prayer Book Anglicans?  Answer:  a LARGE ZERO.

Sorry, Paul, or other Reformed readers, but if you choose to make a snarky comment about "wanna be Anglicans" who seek to "legislate every bit of the service with endless liturgy" (as if you haven't), you can and should expect this Marine, a Reformed Anglican, to push back with commensurate and measured force.  Some of us tire of it.

We've learn our Confessional theology from the Reformed.  Thank you.  But we have learned nothing about worship, music and Prayer Book Churchmanship from any of you, anywhere, or anytime.  Frankly, we didn't learn alot about the Bible from you either.  Paul, and Ref21, just stay off the topic of Prayer Book Churchmanship, since all of you know nothing about it.

We saw unfortunate comments recently about Lent 2012 as well and did a push back.

We're also beginning to believe that this Prayer Book incompetence, like Paul's, informs many conservative American Anglicans as well. 

Remedy?  Use the BCP daily 365/52/24/7 for decades. After a few decades of this type of use, return to make further comments.  Of course, there are several hundred books that could be recommended also.  At least the English Puritans were skilled in the Book of Common Prayer, e.g. Richard Baxter.

http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2012/04/what-do-you-believe.php

I was brought up in a church that didn't have a written liturgy. That's not to say there wasn't a liturgy. The argument that we have no set liturgy is ever so slightly ridiculous. Can you imagine getting up and announcing a hymn and saying, 'There are no words. Please feel free to sing along to the tune and ad lib'. The prayers also were pretty much the same every week and you had what was known as the long prayer which struck dread into the heart of every small boy. On occasions you were lifted up to heaven but more often than not it was interminably dull. I seem to have spent quite a number of the prayers with my father's hand clamped around my neck or leg longing for it to end.

Anyway, since coming to IPC, I've been introduced to a light liturgy. There are Presbyterians who are really ''wanna be anglicans'' and want to legislate for every bit of the service with endless liturgy. I'm aware that we live in a culture where there are many people who are not particularly literate and find reading uncomfortable. However, written confessions of sin and confession of faith and the Apostles Creed are particularly helpful in screwing good solid theology into the minds and hearts of our people.

I've learnt to love the Creed; the certainty of it, the joy in confessing our faith with one another. There is a sense in which we should roar with joy after reading it but of course we never would.

We live in an age where people don't know what they believe or why they believe it. In the film Chocolat where one of the main characters was asked 'what do you believe?', this was the reply:

Magic carpet rides, rune magic. Ali Baba and visions of the Holy Mother, astral travel and the future in the dregs of a glass of red wine...Buddha. Frodo's journey into Mordor. The transubstantiation of the sacrament. Dorothy and Toto. The Easter Bunny. Space aliens. The Thing in the closet. The Resurrection and the Life at the turn of a card...I've believed them all at one time or another. Or pretended to. Or pretended not to.

We have certainty in an age of uncertainty. We confess our faith with an army of believers around the world and down through the ages. Next time you say the creed give a cheer and rejoice in rock solid truth

Celebrity Pastor: Indecent Exposure (T4G 2012), Including Mahaney

This is a 1-minute blurb from T4G.  Originally, Dr. Carl Trueman, we've been told, was to host this discussion group.  It then was transformed into a panel with "three celebs."  EVERY T4G speaker is rejected by RA in view of the far superior classics in the history of the church.  As if an Al Mohler "expatiation" (called a sermon)--usually about 40 minutes--is better than 40 minutes of Bible reading. Cranmer used to think so, that is, the supremacy of the Bible read abundantly in the congregation...again, the power of wide reading of the Word of God. 

http://t4g.org/media/2012/02/celebrity-pastor-indecent-exposure/

Celebrity Pastor: Indecent Exposure?

Speaker: Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever Year: 2012

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