C.J. Mahaney's ministry move to Louisville did not spare them a Maryland lawsuit

Reportedly, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), a ministry founded by high-profile Calvinist celebrity, C.J. Mahaney, is awaiting the official serving of a lawsuit filed in Maryland by three unnamed female plaintiffs. According to Bob Allen of Associated Baptist Press,   >>>

the parties reportedly claim that SGM did not report abuse allegedly committed by church members to police. Apparently, church leaders allegedly counseled suspected pedophiles about how to avoid prosecution and forced victims to meet with and “forgive” their abuser (//link).

In response, SGM's Director of Finance and Administration, Tommy Hill, released the official statement below regarding a reported lawsuit on October 17, 2012:

It has come to the attention of Sovereign Grace Ministries through media outlets that a lawsuit has been filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries related to allegations of child abuse apparently arising in the 1980s and 90s. To date, Sovereign Grace Ministries has not been served with any such lawsuit nor does it have a copy of the lawsuit. Sovereign Grace Ministries is not in a position to comment on the allegations of the reported lawsuit. Child abuse in any context is reprehensible and criminal. Sovereign Grace Ministries takes seriously the Biblical commands to pursue the protection and well being of all people, especially the most vulnerable in its midst, little children.

C.J. Mahaney only recently moved his organization to Louisville, Kentucky just down the pike from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Al Mohler, president at Southern, seems to be one of Mahaney's most loyal friends and supporters. When Mahaney temporarily stepped aside as CEO amidst numerous allegations from SGM elders, it was Dr. Mohler who came to his aid. According to Peter Smith, religion journalist for The Courier-Journal, Mohler concluded concerning the elder allegations: 

“I always have had only the highest estimation of C.J. Mahaney as a man and a minister,” Mohler said in an interview — his first public comments on the situation involving Mahaney, one of his fellow leaders in the Reformed, neo-Calvinist movement. “That continues absolutely unchanged. There is nothing in this current situation which would leave me to have even the slightest pause of confidence in him... . “There is nothing disqualifying in terms of anything that is disclosed in this,” said Mohler, who regularly speaks on programs along with Mahaney. “It’s just evidence we knew all along, that C.J. is human but a deeply committed Christian and a visionary Christian leader” //link)

And, the support between Mohler and Mahaney has been reciprocal. Mahaney has given literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Both men are deeply involved with Together for the Gospel and The Gospel Coalition.

But it may be neither easy nor wise for Mohler to imprudently come to Mahaney's defense too quickly on the latest purported claims against Mahaney and SGM. Again, according to The Courier-Journal, the lawsuit is extremely serious:

• The suit describes the plaintiffs as a Virginia teenager and a Maryland college student, both sexually assaulted by church members as young girls, and a young Maryland woman whose family was allegedly shunned by her church for refusing to seek leniency for her sister’s assailant.
• The lawsuit seeks class-action status for what it claims is a wider pool of victims and a continued culture of cover-up... .
• The lawsuit seeks class-action status for what it claims is a wider pool of victims and a continued culture of cover-up... .
• The lawsuit alleges that sexual-abuse victims as young as 3 were forced to meet with and “forgive” perpetrators who had displayed repentance.The suit alleges that church leaders “taught members to fear and distrust all secular authorities, and expressly directed members not to contact law enforcement to report sexual assaults” 
• many other allegations are listed in Smith's article (//link)

And, as Smith rightly pointed out, lawsuits do not tell the whole story but only the claims of the plaintiff(s). At least eight people, including Mahaney, are named in the suit.

Articles

Controversy follows Calvinist group by Bob Allen, Associated Baptist Press

Sovereign Grace Church group sued; abuse alleged by Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal

Lawsuit claims evangelical church hid abuse claims by Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

Sovereign Grace Ministries sued by three women, The JD Journal

Lawsuit Charges C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries with Covering Up Child Sex Abuse by Mellisa Steffan, Christianity Today

Lawsuit Claims C.J Mahaney's Sovereign Grace Ministries Concealed Sex Abuse Allegations by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries

=======================================

The Actual Lawsuit is posted on BrentDetwiler.com (for purposes of disclosure, Detwiler was one of the elders who brought charges against Mahaney in 2011)

Comments

[Andrew]

Lets be sure before we destroy somebody in our blogs that all the facts come out. We do not know if what happened is true or not. In our country a man is innocent until proven guilty and it is a alleged lawsuit not federal charges.

[Tim Rogers]

Andrew,

Wow, are you serious? Peter is merely reporting what four media outlets have reported and one person who was connected. SGM has reported they have not received any copy of such a lawsuit. I wonder why they have not received anything. If that is your take place it out there. But four credible news agencies have stated they have facts that a lawsuit has been filed. How is Peter destroying "somebody in our blogs" without facts by merely pointing to news articles?

[Mary]

What's sick is people like Andrew care more about CJ Mahaney's reputation and his life being "destroyed" and show no concern that if these allegations are true that CHILDREN were abused and had there lives destroyed.

[Randall Cofield]

Peter,

One cannot but wonder: If this were your own brother in the flesh, would you headline these yet-unsubstantiated charges against him in your blog?

1Co 13:6 Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing...

[Lydia]

What you see posted by Andrew and Randall are exactly the same sort of "doctrine over people" tactics used by the shepherding cult, SGM. They were taught it is a sin for the victims and victim parents to discuss the molestations with anyone outside their leaders who were to "counsel" them. That means NO warning other parents there were perverts in their midst . This teaching also included any secular counselors/police/child protetive services, etc.

This is very typical in top/down authoritarian church circles and SOP in shepherding cults. So, we can easily see how it is considered a sin to report or mention PUBLIC news of a lawsuit filed against a celebrity pastor and the institution he leads. The point Andrew and Randall are really trying to make is that it is considered a sin to mention any possible "negative" news about what they consider a great leader who has been protected by Al Mohler..

Doctrine over people.

Randall takes it a step further and implies Peter is "joyful" over the wrong doing by misquoting 1 Corin 13 to fit the blog post. That is a serious charge considering little ones had to be molested for this to even be a legal charge.To be "joyful" over such a thing would make Peter reprobate. Is that what you were suggesting, Randall.

I have to assume that Randall and Andrew (if a pastor) uses these same doctrine over people tactics in their churches. If not, they are not consistent in what they do online.

As to whether the charges are true or not, each plantiff has told their story over the years on sgmsurvivors. I know that 2 of the stories have documentation from the authorities because they finally did report even though SGM told them not to. And at that point, SGM helped to protect the perverts.

May God have mercy on us for not valuing the most vulnerable among us.

CJ had a very timely move to Louisville, did he not?

[Marvin]

C.J. Mahaney is grasping for straws in a last-ditch effort to maintain a position in ministry. Wonder why, in his opinion, God predetermined this whole travesty to take place? I bet Mahaney hasn't been humbled in a long time. Hope he recognizes his disqualification from ministry. My heart breaks thinking of the kids in Louisville who are now in danger.

[Lydia]

"My heart breaks thinking of the kids in Louisville who are now in danger"

Marvin, There are people here, involved at CAL, who are doing something about it.

[peterlumpkins]

All,

Seems some like Randall & Andrew remain apparently blind to actually reading what we post here. For instance, Randall queries why I would "headline these yet-unsubstantiated charges." But Randall reacts as he time after time reacts against any thing posted by me in the internet world--visible skewing of what I actually write substituting instead his own version in which he conveniently fills in the blanks to suit his point (we've shown this time after time so there's no need to deal with that one again).

My title reads, "C.J. Mahaney's ministry move to Louisville did not spare them a lawsuit." Is there a syllable in the title which either a) is nonfactual; or, b) mentions charges?
So what Randall is thinking in his mind remains beyond my abilities to ponder.

Even more, no charges at all have been leveled against Mahaney. For heaven's sake, Mahaney's press release suggested they had not even been served the legal papers yet! So how could there be any "yet unsubstantiated charges" much less actual charges? Rather as I clearly indicated, lawsuits are not charges; lawsuits are legally filed claims on behalf of plaintiff(s), claims representing only one side of the suit. The first line in the last paragraph I posted makes this abundantly clear had Randall (and Andrew for that matter) bothered to consider:

And, as Smith rightly pointed out, lawsuits do not tell the whole story but only the claims of the plaintiff(s)

And as for the slanderous implication that I somehow am rejoicing that legal suits were filed claiming church leaders carried out despicable, immoral practices on little children as young as three years old not to mention the spiritual abuse of adults the leaders allegedly practiced surely constitutes the most morally offensive slur I'v ever received, and, so far as I am concerned, unequivocally justifies a no-longer-welcome status at this site. People like this have far deeper issues than which I care to deal in my short time left on earth.

With that, I am...
Peter

[CASEY]

Randall....you have posted a Bible verse, in the context in which you put it, makes it incomplete. Are we to rejoice in another's sin? Of course not. I don't see that at all. But what you've clearly forgotten is the obligation to "expose wrong doing"...Eph. 5:11.
What are you doing to expose wrong doing?

[lydia]

http://www.janetmefferdpremium.com/2012/10/18/janet-mefferd-radio-show-20121018-hr-1/#

The attorney, Susan Burke, for the case is on this radio program discussing the suit.

[peterlumpkins]

Thanks Lydia. I listened. Very informative. I hope the SGM legal team will be as transparent as is Burke. And, I put up a link on the main page.

With that, I am...
Peter

[Joe]

Peter...your gossip and slander seriously makes me sick.