Monthly Archives: February 2018

Nassar victim Rachael Denhollander speaks out – Continued

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The Story Continues: Here’s the link to the Christianity Today interview with Rachael Denhollander (January 31, 2018).

And here’s SGM’s response (at this link).

Finally, Rachael’s response and challenge to SGM on her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rachael.denhollander/posts/10155089841635264)

PUBLIC RESPONSE TO SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCHES
(For those who have asked, this link is now shareable.)

In a recent article with Christianity Today I referenced deep concerns with the intentional failure to report sexual assault perpetrated in multiple churches, by multiple elders, at Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), now “Sovereign Grace Churches” (SGC). Three days ago, SGC responded to this article and stated I was “mistaken” in my statements and that these concerns “are not true and have never been true”. They further stated that they would not respond to my “false accusations” with evidence as to why they are false, because they would appear “unsympathetic” to victims of abuse. They linked, as proof, to the dismissal of the civil suit against them. The lawsuit was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. This is a dismissal on technical grounds only, it had nothing to do with the substantive claims made against SGM. It simply means that the time for which legal proceedings can be initiated has expired and therefore the court no longer has the authority to examine the merits of the plaintiff’s claims. Ultimately, this dismissal means that the evidence against SGM was never examined by the courts. This is not evidence, in any way, shape, or form, that SGM has not done what is alleged.

I am glad to know that SGC is concerned about victims of sexual assault, but I assure them the most unsympathetic thing they can continue to do is refuse to respond to the concerns of sexual assault victims, myself included. I have no need to be protected from any evidence or response they have. On the contrary, I have sought out this evidence and a response, for more than seven years.

I chose to pursue expertise in the area of sexual assault and institutional dynamics years ago, including my own legal training as an attorney. Having reviewed the allegations and evidence against SGM and their own responses to it, my concerns have only solidified and grown. I have summarized these concerns at the end of this post.

I am asking SGC to support their recent claim that I am making “false accusation”, “mischaracterizing” and communicating things that “are not true and have never been true”, and instead show true care for the victims by finally dealing transparently with these concerns, through taking one specific step:

Allowing GRACE, an Christian organization whose expertise is sexual assault and institutional dynamics, to do a thorough independent investigation of the organization’s historical and current handling of abuse complaints, which will be released to the public. GRACE has no affiliation with SGM or any survivors and therefore is in a unique position of approaching such an investigation with objectivity and independence. GRACE is founded and organized by Boz Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham and is comprised of a team of mental health experts, former prosecutors, and pastors who have a combined experience of over 100 years of addressing sexual abuse related issues. Their legal knowledge, investigative abilities and character is of the highest caliber. I will personally spearhead fundraising efforts for such an investigation and donate myself, to ensure that this can be done with no extra burden to SGM, if the organization will pursue transparency and accountability through GRACE. I will also readily accept any conclusions GRACE arrives at, and personally and publicly apologize if I am found to be in error.

As SGM is not facing a civil lawsuit, there is no reason they cannot, at this time, pursue and provide answers to the many concerns, questions, and evidence about their handling of sexual assault allegations. I am confident that the best way to care for past victims, and the best way to prevent assault in the future, is to take these steps. I hope to see them finally do so.

——————SUMMARY OF CONCERNS————————-
During a time when CJ Mahaney was senior pastor of Covenant Life Church and in leadership in the parent organization he founded (SGM),

1. SGM had an internal policy of not reporting sexual assault allegations to law enforcement, and instead handling them internally. This is evidenced by statements made by multiple SGM pastors, including in official police reports, and in internal SGM documents.

2. Elders in SGM churches did, in fact, follow this internal policy and did not report sexual assault allegations, did not warn congregants of known sexual predators, and did not place limitations on known predators to prevent additional access to children. Under-oath testimony and police reports in criminal investigations demonstrate this.

3. Additional statements by numerous members of multiple SGM churches independently allege further conduct that is in-line with known church policy and proven church practices, including failure to report abuse, failure to warn congregants of known predators, and failure to place limitations on known predators in the congregation. These allegations are numerous, arose independent of each other, and are internally and externally consistent, all factors which carry substantial evidentiary weight.

4. Numerous independent victims and victim families allege that SGM pastors discouraged reporting, were uncooperative with investigators, interfered with investigations, or supported the perpetrator. Some of these allegations have documentary evidence, including a letter on church letterhead, in the official court file, in support of early release of a known pedophile. Other allegations should be given consideration because the allegations are numerous, independent, and internally and externally consistent.

5. SGM has never publicly acknowledged or repented of these known failures to report. They have never responded with specificity to any additional allegations that fit the known patterns, outside of blanket statements that there was “no conspiracy” to coverup abuse, and that the civil lawsuit was a threat to their First Amendment freedom.

6. Additionally, three of the elders directly involved in known instances of failure to report were close relatives of CJ Mahaney, two brothers-in-law and a son-in-law. Internal church documents also state that every elder is to be notified of any claims of sexual assault. During many of the known and alleged failures, CJ was an elder in the church in question. Specifically, he was the head elder.

These known failures and additional concerns and allegations merit close attention and an independent, transparent investigation by a trusted organization with expertise, if SGM wishes to show care for victims, or prevent these failures in the future. I hope to finally see them take this step.

3 Reasons Every Christian Needs to Use the Creeds

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Article by Timothy Massaro, staff writer for Core Christianity. He is the Social Media Manager for the White Horse Inn. (original source here)

When we think about the Christian faith, most people today rarely think about creeds, liturgy, or confessions, let alone see them as essential to their relationship with God. Our hesitation concerning creeds is understandable, especially when they are disconnected from our worship and love of God. People often see them as cold, mindless doctrines that have nothing to do with Jesus. But this is not how they were created nor how they should be used.

In the creeds of the early church, we find something of a hidden secret a treasure chest overlooked by many. We find a way to instruct ourselves and our children in the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Let’s look at each of these three points to see why every Christian needs to use the creeds in their personal and corporate worship.

1. Creeds are instructive because they are biblical.
When we think of the great Christian creeds (the Apostles Creed or Nicene Creed, for example), we often put them in opposition to the Bible. What we often do not realize is that the Bible itself leads us into making creeds and is filled with creedal statements.

In the Old Testament, we see Israel confessing its faith in God as it worshiped him in what is called the Shema: Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deut. 6:4-5). This daily statement of faith is intertwined with the command to love God. Who God is and what he has done to save his people is tied to our response in faith and love. Credo, from which creed is derived, after all simply means, I believe.

The early church inherited this tradition and confessed before the world what it believed. Many of these confessions and creeds found their way into the New Testament writings (cf. 1 Thess. 4:14, 2 Cor. 5:15, Rom. 4:25, Rev. 2:8). These statements were circulated in the early church to confess what they believed. Who God was, who Jesus was as the God-man, and what he came to do were essential to their worship and life as the church.

We rightly say that Scripture is our ultimate authority. When the church becomes aware of what it believes in opposition to false teaching concerning how we come to a saving faith in God, we must clarify our beliefs. We must write them down. The Apostle Paul did this and placed many of these statements into the New Testament (1 Cor. 15:3-5, 11:23-26; 2 Thess. 2:15). Jesus himself tells the church in the Book of Revelation to carry on this biblical tradition and believe what they have received and heard from the apostles the eyewitness testimonies of the risen Lord (Rev. 3:3).

The church looks at Scripture as its ultimate authority and cannot but respond in faith concerning what she believes. She believes, confesses, and declares to the world what God has done for her in Jesus Christ. To neglect this great treasure is to attempt to reinvent the wheel and miss what Christians for millennia have been doing as part of their faithful witness to Jesus. Study the creeds to know they are true.

2. Creeds are summaries of redemption and lead us to worship God.
While the creeds were formed in the heat of controversy, it was often the case that worshipping God in church, what was said, sung, prayed, and spoken, became the fountain from which people recognized truth from error. Worshipping God, and understanding what was necessary for our salvation, drove our church fathers to write down why salvation had to look and be a certain way. Without each person of the Godhead being fully God, the early church knew there could be no salvation. We could not worship God rightly. Without Jesus being fully God and fully man, we have no hope. Worshipping Jesus as Lord drove them to confess their faith against error.

The earliest creeds, therefore, became the very life-blood of Christian worship and the way to praise God for all his wondrous deeds.

He appeared in the flesh,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world,

was taken up in glory (1 Tim. 3:16).

This is still our pattern today. As we come to know more and more about God, our worship and love for him are purified by Gods Word and Spirit. This is specifically what Christ came to do. He brought us to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He is the one who forms and shapes us to speak all the words God has given us to say, declaring to the world the works of God (Ps. 71:15, 105:1, 145:6; Heb. 10:5-10). Creeds are meant for worship, to be sung, recited, and memorized so the word of Christ may dwell in us richly. Put them into your worship services to meditate on God.

3. Creeds are guardrails for our faith and doctrine.
When our beliefs are written down and we have them informed by those who have gone before us, we safeguard ourselves from our generations peculiarities and from the tyranny of leaders who would abuse their authority. Like roads on a highway, they keep us from driving onto terrain that will destroy our tires or, as Paul says, to prevent us from shipwrecking our faith (1. Tim. 1:19).

When we fail to write down what we believe and why, we open the door for peoples unspoken traditions to tyrannize us. When traditions are unspoken, they ironically take on supreme authority. Because no one can read them, no one can question them. When they are written down, they compel us to see if they are in fact biblical. When they are known by the smallest child to the oldest saint, they can lead us to worship the triune God as he has revealed himself.

In the creeds, we find a way to worship God with the saints of all ages, hearing the echoes of worship through the centuries. We find a people from all nations, tribes, and tongues worshipping the triune God for the redemption he has purchased in Jesus. We have a foretaste of the new creation he has ushered into this world and will one day bring to completion. In the creeds, we see time-tested paths to tread that keep us looking to Jesus every day as we seek to know him more and more. Use them to guide your love for the triune God.