Read Part One HERE
In this blog post I will continue to focus on C.J. Mahaney, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was formerly president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, now known as Sovereign Grace Churches. Their culture incorporates a strong emphasis on homeschooling, patriarchy and corporal punishment. A civil suit was filed in 2012 accusing Mahaney and other Sovereign Grace pastors of covering up sexual abuse of children.
Testimony of a survivor:
"I came to PDI (later SGM) when they were just getting into the subject of Christian counselling. Basically we were told there was no credence in rehashing the past because God was the God of the present. We would go to Celebrations, their annual mecca-life conference, and there would be time for all kinds of things. But there was never a time for anyone who had suffered abuse."
"In the twelve years I was in the ministry, I never asked for help in dealing with my abusive past. I was so afraid I would be judged as being self-pitying or not fully embracing the sovereignty of God. But then one day I made the tragic mistake of reaching out to a pastor of our previous SGM church and he told me something that chilled me to the bone. He said, "It is such a comfort to know that whatever happened to you was sovereignly ordained by God and was still better than you deserved."
"I was shocked, horrified, outraged, you name it. For the first time in my life, I challengd this sick doctrine vehemently, although I didn't attack him personally."
"After leaving SGM, I finally opened up to a very wise and godly woman who was able to show me the depth of distortion to the Father's heart of God presented to me by this pastor and by SGM in general."
Read Part Eight HERE
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