The Gospel Coalition (TGC), Sovereign Grace Ministries Sex Abuse Scandal, CJ Mahaney, Spotlight Movie
If you haven’t seen the movie, Spotlight, it is a must-see, and I will likely be posting some of my thoughts on the movie in the upcoming weeks after more people have a chance to see it.
However . . . . . I found it very interesting, no, make that disturbing, that the The Gospel Coalition has jumped on the Spotlight movie bandwagon in promoting the movie. I’m thrilled that they are promoting the movie, but I am also reminded of how they came alongside their friend, CJ Mahaney, then President of Sovereign Grace Ministries, who was embroiled in a huge sex abuse cover-up. Hypocrisy much?
A few years ago, the case was exploding in the media and a number of TGC council members made public statements in support of CJ Mahaney (see links below). Mahaney was also still on the TGC speaking circuit as if there was no problem whatsoever. I have yet to see TGC leaders publicly speak out about the way Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries mishandled the multitude of sex abuse cases which were covered up. These cases included an alleged sex ring, families told to not report the sex abuse crimes to authorities, etc.
At the height of the Sovereign Grace Ministries sex abuse scandal, Boz Tchividjian, executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment(GRACE) spoke at the Religion Newswriters Association conference. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, of Religion News Service reported Tchividjian’s comments:
While comparing evangelicals to Catholics on abuse response, ”I think we are worse,” he said at the Religion Newswriters Association conference, saying too many evangelicals had “sacrificed the souls” of young victims.
“Protestants can be very arrogant when pointing to Catholics,” said Tchividjian, a grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and executive director of , which has investigated sex abuse allegations.
Here is a screen shot of The Gospel Coalition’s Facebook page:
(Let’s see how long my comment remains. Feel free to add your own. If you do, take a screenshot. If they remove it, I will post it on the blog (and block out your name if you like).
UPDATE: Mine was removed within a half hour. I’ve posted Sarah’s comment below (you can see that mine is gone).
If you’d like a refresher of the sex abuse scandal, this is a good article:
A Guide to the Sovereign Grace Ministries Scandal and the End of New Calvinism
Related articles:
- Mohler, Dever, and Duncan break their silence and release statement in support of C.J. Mahaney (spiritualsoundingboard.com)
- C.J. Mahaney supporters struggle to find a sympathetic following (peterlumpkins.typepad.com)
- Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up (religionnews.com)
- Mohler, other Calvinist leaders back Mahaney (blogs.courier-journal.com)
- Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up (democraticunderground.com)
- Why The Gospel Coalition – or at least Al Mohler and Company – Must Apologize (spiritualsoundingboard.com)
- CJ Mahaney Scheduled to Speak at TGC Amidst Sovereign Grace Lawsuit (spiritualsoundingboard.com)
Well, that was fast. My comment was removed. Here are more comments:
Spiritual Sounding Board 
It’s as if these guys are running entertainment production companies instead of churches.
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https://twitter.com/fink_maggie/status/670733141154406400
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Why would they look at themselves when it’s always easier to point fingers and blame others? Keeping evangelical friends accountable is hard. Pointing out the faults of the Catholics is easy.
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I just tweeted TGC. Will send Julie Anne the screen shot of my tweet by email as I don’t know how to paste it here.
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In Australia recently, a group was launched called The Gospel Coalition Australia. http://australia.thegospelcoalition.org/
I have inquired with a pastor I respect (a rare bird!) who went to the launch. He tells me that the Aussie group has been allowed to use the name “The Gospel Coalition…” by the US organisation, but they are really independent groups. We shall see!
I am alerting this pastor to the blind spots of The Gospel Coalition in America and the harm to victims of abuse which TGC America endorses or tacitly condones.
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Forgive me for being blunt…but when I read this post Julie Anne…well this just pissed me off immensely. How the hell can you promote something like Spotlight while defending and issues statements in support of CJ Mahaney? This just pisses me off to no end Anyhow I saw Spotlight in NJ and I wrote about it earlier this week.
https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/why-cj-mahaney-and-the-evangelical-christian-church-need-to-see-spotlight/
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The number one reason why we need a new Reformation? That bastardized statement by Justin Taylor, Kevin DeYoung, and D.A. Carson of TGC in support of CJ Mahaney.
https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/95-reasons-why-we-need-a-new-reformation/
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I just snagged the tweet, Barb. Thank you!
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Since were dealing with Neo-Calvinism….could it be that maybe God foreordained the corruption of TGC and CJ Mahaney?
https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2015/09/19/has-god-foreordained-an-alleged-child-sex-abuse-cover-up-in-sovereign-grace-ministrieschurches-is-that-why-cj-mahaney-is-so-sacred/
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This makes me livid…the thing that also angers me is how this is tearing people apart in local churches and friendships because some people feel devoted to these folks while others do not. TGC has become needlessly divisive….someone needs to euthanize this organization. And it spreading it Australia? My God it’s like a STD (Spiritually Transmitted Disease)
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I just emailed this to The Gospel Coalition Australia:
Hello, please forward this to all your council members. I believe it is important enough for them to need the alert.
I believe TGC Australia needs to be wide awake to this issue, and to take steps to publicly distance itself from TGC America, so that TGC Australia is not perceived to be buddies with hypocrites.
The link below relates to how TGC America defended and still has not denounced CJ Maheney for his part in the cover up of child sexual abuse at Sovereign Grace Ministries. And now TGC America is promoting the movie “Spotlight” which exposes coverups of child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
This is rank hypocrisy on the part of TGC America.
https://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2015/11/28/after-the-gospel-coalition-staunchly-defended-cj-mahaney-in-sovereign-grace-ministries-sex-abuse-scandal-they-now-promote-the-movie-spotlight-sex-abuse-coverup/
Please reply to my email, telling me what you are going to do about this.
yours sincerely
Barbara Roberts
cryingoutforjustice.com
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I’m going to have to remember STD: spiritually transmitted disease. So true!
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I’m going to let the cat out of the bag. But December 21, is D.A. Carson’s birthday. As such over at my blog I have decided to celebrate Fesitivus on Carson’s’ birthday. We’ll have the annual airing of grievances in which people can talk about how much TGC stinks or what ever you want to say! As part of the Feats of Strength I am going to challenge Mark Dever to a wrestling match. 😛
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Did Mike Sloan’s comment get deleted? Sheesh.
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Sarah, I still see his here: https://www.facebook.com/thegospelcoalition/posts/10153040046962723?comment_id=10153040505342723&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R4%22%7D
I can’t find you’re comment, however.
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Thanks. On my page, mine still shows up, but his (and a couple others) is gone. Weird. Maybe it’s a fb glitch?
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Sarah, That is weird. It shows that they have 10 comments total, but I only see 6 on my computer.
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I see 6 too, but a different selection I guess. Very odd.
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I am pasting this link here in the hope that it shows as the image of my tweet on TGC’s twitter page. JA, if this didn’t work, just remove my comment 🙂
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Yea, it worked, Barb! (I deleted the duplicates.)
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I still see mine (mild as it is) and Barbara’s up. Still getting likes for it, so I assume it’s not a glitch.
Hopefully I got folks googling, at least. I have a few on my Facebook list that need to take note of it.
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I just left a comment over at TGC’s website under my Disqus handle. I saw a note that it’s waiting for approval. I somehow suspect my comment will never see the light of day.
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Did you get a screenshot?
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Singleman – I left a comment on the article as well last night. As of this morning it’s still not approved. However, I said the same thing on their FB post and it has stayed up.
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“I THANK THEE, LOOOORD, THAT I AM NOTHING LIKE THOSE FILTHY ROMANIST PAPISTS OVER THERE…”
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@Eagle:
“I’M A FESTIVUS POLE!
I’M A FESTIVUS POLE!
THAT’S A SEINFELD XMAS TREE!”
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No, Julie Anne. As of now, IT NEVER EXISTED.
Just like these “Assistant Pastors” beside their “Head Apostle”:
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At one time I had some level of respect for the Gospel Coalition. But after they sided with C. J. Mahaney, in the face of overwhelming evidence (in my opinion) that he had covered up child sexual abuse at the Sovereign Grace for more than 20 years, it was obvious that they were nothing more than a good old boy’s club.
In my opinion, these TGC leaders (Carson, Keller and DeYoung and Dever, Duncan, and Mohler) cannot be trusted.
Here is one of their online statements supporting C.J. Mahaney. Later they tried to hide it by deleting it. But the Internet Archives had already documented it:
https://web.archive.org/web/20130606205256/http://t4g.org/statement/
Remember this was a major lawsuit against Pastor C.J. Mahaney:
It was a lawsuit by 11 people who identified themselves as victims. There were 14 defendants, many of whom have already been convicted in the legal system and served time. The allegations in this PDF are horrible to read. https://spiritualsoundingboard.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/2nd-amended-lawsuit-filing-may-14-2013.pdf
So the Gospel Coalition’s promotion of the movie “Spotlight,” while laudable on the surface, serves a dual purpose as a mask for their own evil.
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Excellent comment and thanks for the links, Anon2. We will not forget the survivors at this blog!
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I don’t think TGC knows what endorsing CJ will now do to every church affiliated with them. Before, it was every church in SGM that had to deal with CJ’s fleeing from discipline and abandonment of his flock. And, I’m not even talking sexual abuse. I’m talking about the spiritual abuse of God’s chosen people. I’m talking about exalting the mission of the church above the very souls of it’s members. I’m talking about stomping on people in the name of God. Crushing His Beloved. Every church in SGM is split over one topic…CJ. Many of those churches and other TGC churches that absorbed their refugees are suffering and bleeding over the arrogant behavior of this one man.
Now, TGC is choosing to orchestrate a split in every TGC affiliated church by supporting CJ. When they publicly support CJ, they are accusing each one of his victims, the pastors and members of Covenant Life Church and the two dozen other churches that left SGM of being liars. They are the accusers of the brethren. Every church affiliated with TGC is precariously teetering on a cliff waiting to see if TGC will choose CJ. If the pastors in these precarious churches, already torn by division in SGM support TGC, you will see every church in TGC undergo massive church splits and even crumble from existence. In churches all over the country, member have their bags packed with one foot in the door and one foot Googling “Presbyterian”. TGC loyalties to an unfaithful man will ultimately bring about the demise of this movement. To God be the glory.
Do the right thing TGC. Distance yourself. Or disappear. Stop calling us liars and seek the truth. God was here. And, you were not.
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Crumbledmess, yes! You hit upon the far-reaching effects of spiritual abuse and the collateral damage. Your comment is excellent. Thank you!
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I believe the real reason TGC is so excited to encourage its audience to see the movie “Spotlight” is because of their hatred of the Roman Catholic Church. There….I said it.
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@Darlene:
HUMBLY, of course (chuckle chuckle).
“I THANK THEE, LOOOOOORD, THAT I AM NOTHING LIKE THOSE FILTHY ROMANIST PAPISTS OVER THERE…”
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What better way to deflect from your contempt for sexual abuse victims than to promote Spotlight? This is a PR move.
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The author of this article works for 9Marks. If he thinks it is important to expose institutionalized child sexual abuse then he needs to have a conversation with Mark Dever (a solid supporter of CJ).
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Did you get a screenshot?
No, and the comment wasn’t approved. I not only noted the C.J. Mahaney/SGM coverup, I also mentioned the scandal at Doug Wilson’s church as well. I also noted that TGC allowed Mahaney and Joshua Harris to quietly resign from their council following Nate Morales’ conviction 18 months ago.
However, there is one comment which was approved discussing abuse in Protestant churches. That comment didn’t specifically mention the SGM case or discuss anyone by name, but pointed out that Protestant churches haven’t done a good job of standing up for abuse victims. I hope I’m correctly remembering the substance of that comment as I had to open up another browser to view it. (For some reason, TGC’s comment system isn’t compatible with the version of Firefox I use.)
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Being a part of and promoting the ‘good ole boys club’ is more important than doing the right thing.
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Now if only there were a movie or documentary made about the SGM scandal, it would be fun to observe TGC’s reaction. Time for some popcorn.
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BTDT, that sure sounds like a tweet to me.
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Good catch, Kathi. I need to tweet about that, too.
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TGC, Together for the Gospel, shoot, all churches need to start squirming about potential lawsuits for mishandling. If they’d smarten up, they’d get training for themselves/staff/volunteers. It’s going to be expensive to make mishandling “mistakes.”
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Singleman, that was my comment. So far, my comments at the the TGC blog as well as their Facebook page have not been removed. I do think that if a movie were made on the SGM scandal, or any other Reformed church/ministry scandal, The Gospel Coalition wouldn’t be so anxious to encourage their readers to attend the movie. It should be noted that just as the RCC covered up the pedophile cases and attempted to keep the matter in-house, so too have the Reformed churches (as well as other Protestant churches such as the IFB churches) attempted to do the same. It is only through the diligent and watchful eyes of bloggers that the truth is coming out. And I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Just like “Priest = Pedophile”, Gospel(TM) = CORRUPTION.
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@Kathi:
The Party Can Do No Wrong, Comrade.
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Daisy Lane • a few seconds ago
Hold on, this is waiting to be approved by TGC Articles.
TGC, why would you support Soverign Grace Churches / Ministires and CJ Mahaney when you know they/he covered up child abuse for years. SHAME ON YOU!!!!
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I just wanted to point out that the Daisy above is not the same as me.
There are two different people posting under the name “Daisy.” The green and white avatar Daisy posting right above is not me.
My avatar usually shows up as a purple and white logo thing.
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