Together For Mahaney at Southern Baptist Convention!

Well it seems the Brotherhood of Mega Pastor’s feel its okey dokey to dig their hole just a little bit deeper!  I honestly don’t understand WHERE their logic is!  If you remember Together for the Gospel, and the Gospel Coalition wrote letters of support to a partner in their old boys club, CJ Mahaney.

Sadly, their bad behavior is continuing.  What they seem to be doing is trying to scare others into NOT coming forward for help.  They seem to have forgotten their ‘biblical role’, because it should be the opposite.  They know this as well. 

Keep in mind the lawsuit is still going on, and everything is still ‘alleged’ at this point.

Changes to letters of Support of CJ Mahaney

Together for the Gospel wrote their letter of support on Facebook, and it was taken down after over 100 negative responses were received.  They moved the letter to their website where it can safety stay with NO comments from anyone.

In line with how they tend to control their environments it didn’t surprise me to find that they also decided to change their letter around a bit.  Wartsburg Watch and Spiritual Sounding Board is who I noticed sounding the charge! 

When first posted on May 23, 2013, the statement included this paragraph:
“A Christian leader, charged with any credible, serious, and direct wrongdoing, would usually be well advised to step down from public ministry. No such accusation of direct wrongdoing was ever made against C.J. Mahaney. Instead, he was charged with founding a ministry and for teaching doctrines and principles that are held to be true by vast millions of American evangelicals …”
Checked on the morning of June 6, it was discovered that two sentences — “No such accusation of direct wrongdoing was ever made against C.J. Mahaney. Instead, he was charged with founding a ministry and for teaching doctrines and principles that are held to be true by vast millions of American evangelicals” — had been removed from the statement. This is how the new version reads: “A Christian leader, charged with any credible, serious, and direct wrongdoing, would usually be well advised to step down from public ministry. We believe this lawsuit failed that test.”
However, the date on the statement remained May 23. No reference to an update was included on the changed statement.

Shh!  I don’t think we were suppose to notice!  You have to admit the second is a better cleaned up version.  I mean their martyrhood was showing a bit to much on the original.  I guess they figured ‘charged with founding a ministry’, and teaching its doctrines and principals was a bit over the top – even for those that respected them.

What they never did mention was the fact that CJ Mahaney was the lead pastor at the churches (or one of them) while the covering up of the abuse was happening.  How he was allegedly part of the encouragement of the church members NOT to involve the authorities when this was happening.  THAT was why he was mentioned in the lawsuit, and that’s a far cry from ‘founding a ministry’.  Habitual cover up of abuse is what he is accused of after all!

Boz Tchividjian serves as Executive Director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), which he helped found.  The purpose of GRACE is "to educate and equip the faith community to correctly respond to sexual abuse disclosures, while also providing practical guidance to churches on how to protect children."  In addition to this position, he serves as a law professor at Liberty University School of Law.  Boz Tchividjian is the third eldest grandchild of Billy Graham.

He was interviewed by Janet Mefferd:

In case you missed the interview, you can listen to it here (starting at the 20:30 mark).  Janet Mefferd explained that there have been cries from a lot of ordinary Christians who are calling on evangelical leaders to address what she describes as "American evangelicalism's biggest sex scandal to date".

Documents and Audio Surface

Sadly, since all of this started Wartsburg Watch also got to listen to an audio for Sovereign Grace Ministries discussing how they as the church need to handle these cases of abuse as they come up.  The church’s policy is also on a 17 page document.  Sigh!

It was sadly much the same type of garbage that has got so many other organizations in trouble.

The church leaders feel they need to decide if its abuse FIRST OFF.  They will approach the other party – the perp I guess to get their side of the story.  They call their lawyer to see how to protect the church.  They get all their ducks in a row, and then if they feel the case has merit?  They tell the family to go to the police, because after all the authorities don’t like getting information ‘second hand’.  They will not notify anyone else in the church, because I guess they feel its none of their business.  Encourage the family to hush as well.  Then the perp and the victim get handed two different pastors to ‘counsel’ with. 

There is more to it of course, and that is my nutshell version!

Problem is they are mandatory reporters, and the reputation of the church SHOULD be the last thing on their mind!  The lawsuit happened, because they decided ‘it wasn’t abuse’ and buried it allegedly.  Sadly, of course cries for help were ignored.

SBC getting Ready for Convention, and they REALLY would rather deal with the Boy Scouts!

Another interesting part to this story is that the Southern Baptist Convention is coming up again.  The mega pastors didn’t get the ‘support’ they were looking for, and no doubt they want to put this to bed.  It’s not going to happen, because people are crying out! 

They want to discuss the Boy Scouts agreement to allow homosexual scouts into their troops, and NOT sexual abuse within the church!  Notice how they don’t want to take that darn SPECK from their eye, but rather deal with the LOG in the Boy Scouts?  How biblical right?!

 David Clohessy, national director of SNAP -- the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests – said May 28 that religious leaders voicing support for embattled Pastor C.J. Mahaney, named in a lawsuit recently thrown out of a Maryland court for legal reasons, ought to be ashamed. (Keep in mind it was the Status of Limitations that had run out, but amended lawsuit has been filed)

Peter Lumpkins  has a Resolution on Sexual Abuse of Children - Proposed to the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas.  I don’t honestly know if they will even acknowledge him under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Amy and her husband are Houston leaders for (Snap) Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (and other clergy).   They belong to the Houston First Baptist Church.   She was planning on attending the Southern Baptist Convention, and holding up a picture of a sexual abuse survivor to being awareness of victims within the Baptist’s churches.    They already has sent a letter to the convention asking for time on this issue (letter is attached on her site).  They get a phone call from their pastor, and have a meeting with the pastor of their large church that they never spoke to prior.  Part of her transcript is below, and she also get a call from the police department concerned about her 'protest':

I saw your blog.
I'm confused. You don't see it as a problem? [speaking out about child sexual abuse by Baptist clergy, about Baptist churches that cover up such abuse, about silence from SBC leaders about this abuse, about the vocal support of another evangelical pastor C.J. Mahaney accused in a lawsuit by 11 plaintiffs of covering up child sex abuse, and planning an awareness event next week at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Houston]
What good is it going to do, you standing outside the SBC?
What good will it do if the SBC president did issue a statement on abuse?
We're not like the Methodists. [each Baptist church is locally autonomous]
How can you say that? [that child sexual abuse within Baptist churches is a systemic problem]
You may be seen as fringe.

A comment from the article:

At the meeting with my husband the next day, Doug brought up the subject of me stepping down (from her role within the youth ministry), and he told my husband that I had told him I was stepping down but that he had said to think about it. Doug told my husband that after thinking about it overnight, he thought me stepping down "is for the best."

My husband asked him, "Why?" Doug replied, "You don't see it as a problem?"
My husband said "No."

Sadly, it seems her pastor feels towing the line with "Together for Maheney".   Another quote:

“They agree with us that child sexual abuse is bad, and they don't want me to stop what I'm doing, but the church doesn't support me raising awareness by pointing out the problem within SBC churches and pastors that cover abuse up by failing to report,” she wrote. “It's not a problem for me to point out these issues with Catholic churches or Penn State, just don't point the finger at my own Southern Baptist Convention.”

Here we go again with this ‘autonomous’ church stuff.  If you remember the Tina Anderson and Chuck Phelps story?  Their Independent Fundamental Baptist churches also use the ‘autonomous’ aspect to NOT deal directly with this sin as well. 

Did they NOT figure out that just isn’t going to HAPPEN? Why is it these preacher boys want everyone to face their sin, and decide where the sin sniffing needs to begin – yet can’t face it themselves?

No, Its not easy to have a friend of yours facing these awful charges.  Common sense needs to be used in these types of circumstances, and yet Chicago type Gangster stuff does instead!  Where is the benevolent leadership?

They are so WORRIED that the darn feminists were going to take them down, and RUIN life as we know it … and look who is doing it all by themselves?  Is this the ‘MANHOOD’ we have been hearing about?

Seriously.  SHAME ON YOU!



_____

*Post as been edited to add more detail.

The Blind Side of the Southern Baptist Convention

If Jesus acted like many of us, he would have stayed in heaven. - Eyvonne Sharp

I wanted to write today about some of the silliness that I have seen recently.  To me it shows the world ‘us against them’ is taught within the church.  Shameful as it is.

In 2009 we were presented with the movie called, ‘The Blind Side’.  Now keep in mind Hollywood tends to sugar the story up a bit, but overall the message was clear. 

Michael Oher to me had a village that helped him get out of poverty, and on his way to a better life.  The movie concentrated on the relationship between Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher.  She was represented as a ‘take charge’ type of gal, and no doubt I’m sure that is part of her personality.  The Tuohy family basically was presented as giving him a home, and help to use his gifts to the fullest potential.  

Now we don’t know if Michael could not make it out of poverty in a gang infested neighborhood alone.  We do know there are plenty of children in his circumstance with roadblocks that are daunting, and at times makes it look almost impossible.  Michael had the drive and will to make it INSIDE, and thankfully had a boatload of people that wanted to help him along with the Tuohy family.

One scene in the movie I have read that bothered the ‘real’ Michael Oher.  He felt that it was presented that Leigh Anne Tuohy was showing him HOW to play football.  How that really frosted him.  I personally didn’t get that impression at all.    Lets look at the scene I believe he was talking about.

Do you know what I see?  I see a teenage boy that lost his focus, and Leigh Anne gave him a pep talk to help him ‘re’ focus because she knew he had it in him.  She just knew how to draw it out of him, and the coach at the time DIDN’T!  She knew Michael knew HOW to play football, but all kids at times lose their focus.  Heck adults at times do also no? 

As a mom?  I would see the coaches losing interest and confidence in him, because he wasn’t doing what he needed to at the time.  She knew the talent was there, and he wasn’t focused enough at the time to show his gift.  She told him to picture his team as ‘his family’ and how he has their back.  That is called encouragement, and we all need it at times.

The real Michael had more than just the Tuohy family.  The movie doesn’t show that at times, but hints at it here and there.  That’s Hollywood!  The relationship with Christ, and showing Christlike behavior is also hinted at.  How many scriptures are there that speak about helping others in a sacrificial way?  Those within Michael Oher circle of supporters did just that, and the movie has been in Christian bookstores ever since.

So what is the silly part?  The Southern Baptist convention asked that Lifeway Bookstore remove the movie, ‘The Blind Side’ from its shelves.  Why?

"I pray that there will not be any more products with explicit profanity, God's name used in vain, and racial slur sold in our Lifeway Christian Book Stores. - Rev. Fred Luter, SBC President"

In other words, the story was too true to life for them.  Life outside the Christian bubble has some dirty parts, but at least the outside world will speak about things realistically.  If you can’t handle the reality for children like Michael Oher?  How are you going to mentor, guide, and help these children?  You can’t if you are too offended by the world they live in.   

Is that HOW we prepare our children to deal with the world outside their parent’s house – or outside the church doors?  Just because others do things, doesn’t mean we have to ‘join in’.  The overall message of the movie was good and something so many others can aspire too.  Since it wasn’t sanitized enough we must instead be ‘offended’ by it.  We can’t reach people that had the will to not only survive but thrive like Michael Oher did if we can’t handle the neighborhoods, and the people surrounding them acting as some would say ‘the world’.

My children went to a Christian elementary, and middle school with some monetary help from others.  Their relationship with God was helped and expanded by those within that church and school.  In other words, their faith life was benefited in so many ways.  That was able to happen even without the ‘sanitized’ environment that other’s feel is needed.    You see even if others don’t wish to admit it the ‘world’ DOES creeps in within the church as well.  When the kids entered public high school?  Their understanding of Christlike behavior helped them deal with the ugliness of the world around them.  They were prepared in some ways, and Why do others completely miss that essential part?

I remember my daughter speaking to me about a pregnant girl in her high school.    She was outraged at how terrible she was being treated by others.  She knew how to look past the sin of ‘premarital’ sex, and offer grace to her.   Should I as her mother be ‘offended’ that she didn’t give this child what for, and remind my child this girl is living her consequences?   Should I rush to figure out a way of getting her OUT of the ‘evil’ school, because her virgin eyes saw something not acceptable?

We need to have balance.  The movie in that bookstore had a rating of PG13.  You had the warning, and if people within your family are NOT mature enough to the rating that was clearly noted on the box?  Don’t buy it! 

I feel sorry for people that can’t see the true, honest and awesome sacrificial way those around Michael Oher uplifted, encouraged, and YES helped him strive and achieve his dream in life.  Could he have made it without them?  Yes.  It would have been much harder for him.  We are asked to do what those people in Michael's life did for him if you look closely at scripture.  What it doesn’t say is to NOT try to help others if they are outside your sanitized biblical small little bubble. 

How awful for the missionaries that they send out into the ‘world’!  They see ugliness far worse than what was seen in this movie.  It’s a wonder they can get anything accomplished!

They need to put that movie back on the shelve, and learn to grow up.  Since they love to come back with extremes in response at times?  NO that doesn’t mean you have sell p@rn next okay!  No that doesn’t mean other types of things either.  From me to you – it means get a GRIP!

What I’m saying is if you can’t be inspired and encouraged by a story like that?  You seriously need to check yourself.  Life has ugly parts, and we can be encouraged and inspired despite them.  It happens all the time.

Come into the real world and breath the air!  Drop the silliness, and live as Christ would have you do.  Christ can protect you from that poison you see at times – remember you have FAITH! … despite your actions to the contrary.  The separate from the world part of the bible?  You are taking it way to far, and you will not be able to do as the people in the movie did if you can’t see that.

‘Christian bookstores’ and the unsustainable bubble of the evangelical subculture

Lifeway, The Blind Side, and what I don’t want to say

To give an account and to intercede for their wives

Shirley Taylor over at Baptist women for equality had an article this morning about Advent. The article title did make me sigh a little bit!

 

Should women be looking for the Christ child, or a husband?

 

Towards the end of her article she had mentioned Cindy Kunsman, and educational program that Cindy had presented in 2008.

Cindy Kunsman can tell you that Baptist seminarians believe it. At a conference in 2008 at a Southern Baptist Seminary, Cindy says “Several young men asked how it was that I believed that they would not stand before God…to give an account and to intercede for their wives….These (young men) were Baptist Seminary Students.” (ethicsdaily.com April 2008).

Cindy’s video is very interesting, and I learned a lot!  She hits on all kinds of areas of beliefs regarding Patriarchy.  When she mentioned some teachings from representatives from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Federal Vision,  and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary?  They pretty much threw a hissie fit, and claimed she offered ‘misinformed accusations’.  Did they pony up with the evidence, or actually point out the errors in question?  Nope.  Funny how that happens isn’t it?

 

This belief about how husbands are accountable for their wives and children's actions before God is crazy talk! We are asked to love and care for another. We aren’t asked to be held responsible to intercede, give an account or be responsible for another in this fashion.

 

When you face God its between you and him. It won’t matter if you were a popular pastor, head of the seminary, dutiful wife, wonderful mother, etc. He isn’t interested your office or role. Gender doesn’t give you leverage!

 

When I read things like this I truly feel badly for the men and women that are taught these things. It’s a very heavy burden if it were true for them, and being that humans can be selfish? No humanly incentive for women to do their best. It’s a teaching that states we don’t need Jesus, but a good husband to give account and intercede for us.

 

No offense, but they need to find another seminary.

Violence within the Church

SBC Impact has an article called, 'Violence in the Church - An Introduction'. They are looking for feedback, and I encourage my readers to hand them that! Domestic violence it seems to me is almost a foreign languange to others, and fear of NOT helping change things seems to be the trigger of NOT doing anything at all!

Here is a snippet:

Why it is untouched- I am thankful for the few churches and pastors giving serious attention to this problem. However, one of the questions that lingers is, “Why is so little attention given to this issue within the setting of the Church?” For me, in order to bring it successfully into the spotlight, I must first have a deep understanding of why it has not yet been in the spotlight. I offer three reasons and ask for others to offer more. I know many of you can help with that.

1. The theology and practice of marriage and divorce silently pushes us away from the issue of domestic violence. Slippery, but real, questions present themselves in this arena. Pastors literally spend hours trying to keep spouses together. Spending energy on a heavy issue that may cause a spouse to leave the home seems to emotionally split a pastor (it does me).

2. Domestic violence seems, to me, to be the most dangerous ethical issue a person can get involved with within the Church in America. The life threatening nature of getting involved with helping abused people break the cycle of violence at home is itself enough to mute voices and pause action.

3. Preaching, discussing or standing corporately against domestic violence does not fit well within the context of the rapid church growth machine. On a side note, it seems to me many other ethical issues are never put on the table for discussion and action for this same reason.

What are your thoughts of Violence within the church?

Paige Patterson and the SBC enable Domestic Violence!

Internet Archive Recording of his statements




I found this article on Because It Matters

Here is an portion of the recording:

I had a woman who was in a church that I served, and she was being subject to some abuse, and I told her, I said, “All right, what I want you to do is, every evening I want you to get down by your bed just as he goes to sleep, get down by the bed, and when you think he’s just about asleep, you just pray and ask God to intervene, not out loud, quietly,” but I said, “You just pray there.” And I said, “Get ready because he may get a little more violent, you know, when he discovers this.” And sure enough, he did. She came to church one morning with both eyes black. And she was angry at me and at God and the world, for that matter. And she said, “I hope you’re happy.” And I said, “Yes ma’am, I am.” And I said, “I’m sorry about that, but I’m very happy.”

And what she didn’t know when we sat down in church that morning was that her husband had come in and was standing at the back, first time he ever came. And when I gave the invitation that morning, he was the first one down to the front. And his heart was broken, he said, “My wife’s praying for me, and I can’t believe what I did to her.” And he said, “Do you think God can forgive somebody like me?” And he’s a great husband today. And it all came about because she sought God on a regular basis. And remember, when nobody else can help, God can.

And in the meantime, you have to do what you can at home to be submissive in every way that you can and to elevate him. Obviously, if he’s doing that kind of thing he’s got some very deep spiritual problems in his life and you have to pray that God brings into the intersection of his life those people and those events that need to come into his life to arrest him and bring him to his knees.