CJ Mahaney Reinstated At Sovereign Grace – Brent Detwiler’s Charges Glossed Over

I’m still getting a lot of search engine traffic on this topic, and more than ever now that AOR completed it’s investigation the SGM panel completed it’s review.  So I’m posting what will probably be my last word penultimate word on this train wreck. It’s below the fold because let’s face it, this really is only of interest to SGM members.*

Brent Detwiler’s predictions have unfortunately been entirely fulfilled: after a decidedly limited and unfair process, the panels vindicated CJ Mahaney.  Mahaney has been reinstated as President.  Detwiler has been made out to be some kind of crank whose charges were patiently borne, but has now been dismissed.  And from what I’ve seen on FB and elsewhere on the web, a lot of SGM members are enjoying a victory lap.

It kind of reminds me of how the black community rejoiced at the re-election of William Jefferson here in New Orleans.  Yay, they got their guy back!  (Let’s not talk about the charges against him, this is a celebration!  And those charges were trumped up anyway, right?)  Certainly CJ Mahaney is not a criminal; don’t take the analogy that far. I’m talking about the reaction of his followers, not making an apples to apples comparison of offenses.  And like the William Jefferson followers, I suspect a lot of them are willfully uninformed.  Many people have followed SGM’s instructions and decided not to read Brent’s documents.

It’s true that Brent Detwiler has jumped several sharks in this process. I sympathize with him, though. I read the documents in their entirety. (I admit it: I have no life.)  Several facts stand out to me.

1. No one has ever claimed that the evidence – meaning emails, etc. – were faked or in any way untrue.  When Sovereign Grace described Brent’s charges as “slander” they were using the word in the biblical meaning of “unpleasant, harsh talk” and not the American legal system meaning of “untrue.”  To be clear: they’ve disputed Brent’s reading of the facts and his conclusions, but not the facts themselves.  But one can read Brent’s documents and gloss over his commentary, reading only the email exchanges and reports of phone conversations (which again, have not been disputed) and find quite a damning indictment of what’s been going on at Sovereign Grace and with CJ Mahaney for many years.  Did Brent select the worst examples? Certainly. He was taking the role of prosecutor in this situation.  But I don’t really find that unfair. After all, God does not weigh our good deeds against our bad.  Have we committed a sin? Yes – then, absent repentance, he judges us as sinners. Not as otherwise good people who made mistakes.
2. When you consider the entirety of Brent’s accusations – not just against CJ but also against Dave Harvey and others – what the AOR panel actually looked at was extremely limited, and it seems obvious to me that the process was rigged and unfair.

With that in mind, I’m very sympathetic to Brent’s anger and frustration, and the way he’s behaved, even when it seems excessive. I probably would have reacted the same way.  Then too, keep in mind that Brent has said that he believes he’s been called to address these issues in the same way Old Testament prophets were called to point out sin and call for repentance.

All along, I have tried hard not to be on “Team CJ” or “Team Brent” but rather on “Team God.”  I’ve read all the documentation, all the blog posts, and basically every scrap of information that was out there, and tried to look at it impartially.  After all that, I do think an injustice has been done.  I also see that I don’t have any control over it because while I desire to be on the same side as God, I’m certainly NOT God.

I do think it’s very good news that CJ says he intends to step down soon and that structural reforms will be put in place at SGM.  But to say I’m skeptical about what those reforms might include doesn’t begin to cover it, and CJ intends to resume preaching after he is replaced.  Here are the relevant documents from the various involved parties:

• Sovereign Grace’s announcement that CJ has been reinstated.
• CJ’s response to the SGM announcement.
• Brent Detwiler’s response to the reports on his dismissal
• Panel Reports and the Board’s Response.

And here is Brent’s blog response to the fact that CJ has been cleared:

I’ve come up with a great idea!  Surely inspired by the Holy Spirit.  I am going to do my own three panel investigation of C.J.  Certainly you’ll support this endeavor since you believe so strongly in the Golden Rule – at least for him.  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Here’s how my twelve step program will work.  Try it on for size.

1. Three people will serve on each panel.
2. I will pick those people.
3. Jim from SGM Refuge will be on one panel.
4. Kris and Guy from SGM Survivors will be on the other two panels.
5. Six additional people will fill out the panels that are known opponents of C.J. or at least have concerns for him.
6. I’ll call 18 witnesses against C.J. but won’t tell him who they are.  These witnesses need not have any integrity and can be proven liars.
7. Their testimony will be solicited behind closed doors and I won’t let C.J. know what they say against him or give him opportunity to cross examine them.
8. I won’t allow C.J. to pick any witnesses who can testify on his behalf and I will limit his participation to one of the three hearings.
9. I’ll restrict the hearings to very narrow questions but inform C.J. when he arrives at is hearing that he can share anything to make sure he is unprepared.
10. This panel won’t include in their reports anything C.J. says or evidence he presents but people will never know because I won’t allow him to record the session.
11. I’ll have a trial lawyer validate this process so people think it is legitimate.
12. When the reports come out I’ll send C.J. this Scripture.  Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Lastly, I want to express my agreement with the following email that was sent to you this morning. Try Jeremiah 9:4-9 on for size. You’ll discover a perfect fit. God will continue to punish SGM and avenge himself. People, pastors and churches will leave and stop giving money to the ministry. A split will ensue. Those with discernment, integrity and courage will leave. Idolators will stay.

From: [Deleted]
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:11 PM
To: C.J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey; Craig Cabinass; Mickey Connolly; Rick Gamache; Pete Greasley; JohnLoftness; Mark Prater; Jeff Purswell; Aron Osborne; Steve Shank; Bob Kauflin; Joshua Harris
Cc: Bryce Thomas; Brent Detwiler; kris@sgmsurvivors.com; guy@sgmsurvivors.com; jim@sgmrefuge.com
Subject: An announcement regarding C.J. Mahaney

The words disappointing, disheartening, and discouraging can only begin to describe the feelings that many people have, regarding these announcements:

SGM Plant & Build Blog: An announcement regarding C.J. Mahaney

C.J.M.’s View From the Cheap Seats: A note to those in Sovereign Grace Ministries

So, I leave you with this passage from Jeremiah to contemplate:

Jeremiah 9:4-9 [ESV]

[4] Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. [5] Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. [6] Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. [7] Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people? [8] Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully;with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him. [9] Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

It [punishment] has only begun.

I don’t think the people who are taking victory laps right now are necessarily idolators, malicious or even sinning.  Surely some may be, but I think most are just mistaken.  (As I often am, and have grace extended to me.)  At the end of the day, I’m going to have to trust God to sort this out.  As a practical matter, until/unless it is sorted out, I’ve bought my last Sovereign Grace book and CD, attended my last Sovereign Grace seminar, and made my last Sovereign Grace donation.  (On that note, they’ll never miss me; we always did give primarily to our local church.)  In short, I will disengage as much as possible from the national organization, and I will pray that God grants repentance to those involved.  I’m not doing this because Brent said so – I’d already made the decision before I read his post – but because I believe it’s the correct response.  But I suspect Brent is right when he suggests that a lot of people are going to disengage from Sovereign Grace.

I don’t know yet how my pastor is going to respond to this.  I’ve considered what my response to his response will be… if he comes out with a full-throated defense of CJ and SGM, I will be very unhappy. But is continued association with Sovereign Grace enough reason for me to leave a church where we have roots, and where good preaching takes place every week?  At this point, that’s an easy answer: no, it isn’t.  But that’s really not the deciding question. We feel that God has called us to our local church. The real question is, has God released us from our local church?  So far, no, He hasn’t.

So for whatever it’s worth, that’s where I stand.

* Thanks to commenter Waiting for the correction.