Too Bad About the “Kids,” But Like GM, ABWE is Just Too Big to Fail
Too many haven’t heard about the tragic scandal concerning ABWE (Association Of Baptist For World Evangelism). On a much, much larger scale, it reveals what I already knew about ABWE—they don’t care about the truth; specifically, biblical truth. In June of 2010, I wrote ABWE regarding one of their missionaries and false doctrine; a copy of the letter can be obtained by request: pmd@inbox.com . My letter was first ignored by the missionary in question, then totally ignored by Loftis and the ABWE board. In regard to a family that the particular doctrine harmed, a prominent leader within ABWE offered to get involved until he discovered that the sending church of the missionary was at fault—he then disassociated himself with the situation. This is the way the game is played at ABWE.
The victims of the scandal (not to be confused with my concerns in June of 2010) had to construct a website / blog to confront what ABWE has covered up for years. Trust me, Al Gore didn’t invent the World Wide Web, God did, and we thank Him for it. Here is a copy of the press release:
Press release concerning ABWE’s mishandling Abuse by Mission Doctor in Bangladesh
Does your church support a mission’s organization that protects a known pedophile? It just might…
Put yourself in her 14-year-old shoes. A 59-year-old physician and missionary, whom you trusted, emotionally manipulated you, then sexually abused you repeatedly. This man serves alongside your parents on the mission field in a remote jungle in Bangladesh. He controlled you, used you and abused you and has been doing so since you were 12. Once you finally found the courage to speak up, those you confided in, those from whom you sought help, isolated you and kept you away from your parents. Then, those two grown men –one a counselor and the other in a position of authority over you and your parents – forced you to sign a confession. You sought their help and now, humiliated and filled with shame, they force you to accept that pain as a sign of your guilt.
http://bangladeshmksspeak.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/victimminorconfession1.pdf
These are not the words of a 14-year-old-girl. These are the words of someone forced to bear the blame of her abuser’s sins.
Today, 22 years after the signing of that document, ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism), continues to handle the situation inappropriately.
ABWE still refuses to fully acknowledge their role in allowing Dr. Donn Ketcham, former Bangladesh missionary and known pedophile, to return to work in Allendale, Michigan as a family physician. Since returning he has seen countless patients, all unaware of the danger they were placed in.
What’s worse is this 14-year-old-girl was not the only girl abused by Dr. Donn Ketcham. This blog was created by another one of Ketcham’s victims. Yet her own story is held in comparison with the story of the unnamed 14-year-old-girl.
http://bangladeshmksspeak.com/
While ABWE has publicly responded to the blog, they have yet to fully assume responsibility for their gross mishandling and subsequent cover up. They admit to decades of awareness and complacency, yet continue to hide behind closed doors and a wall of anonymity after confessing decades of sexual abuse suffered by young daughters of missionaries in Bangladesh.
http://www.abwe.org/news/article/abwe-board-decision-regarding-independent-investigation/
As an ABWE supporting church, we urge you to contact ABWE and demand a deadline be given. The MKs involved have not been given the names of those on the commission or a deadline for the commission’s decision, continuing ABWE’s history of secrecy. For all they know, the commission is made up of the same individuals who contributed to the cover up over the years. Ask them to let the moderators of the blog choose who will be the MKs on this “commission.” ABWE must be transparent in this matter!
Ask ABWE to hire GRACE. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) GRACE has been contacted by ABWE but has still not been retained. GRACE has offered multiple times to be this third party for ABWE, but as of yet ABWE has not taken them up on this offer.
http://www.netgrace.org/index.asp?str_string=About%20Us~The%20Need%20for%20GRACE~none
The victims, their families, and fellow missionaries want more than a confession. The enormity of the situation calls for a more thorough investigation.
ABWE must be held accountable for the knowledge of sexual abuse dating as far back as 1975 and the secrecy and cover up that continues to this day. Many innocent girls have been victimized and ABWE has repeatedly turned a deaf ear to their cries for help.
Write: board@abwe.org and address it to the ABWE Board of Directors [End of press release].
_______________________________________________________________________________
Of course, there is much need to focus on the victims here, but this all begins with ABWE’s indifference towards biblical truth / wisdom. In addition, all of the scrambling about regarding damage control is also unbiblical. The Scriptures are very clear; when such an act is substantiated (and it certainly was because of the written statement by the 14 year-old girl), God’s people are to gather in His name and excommunicate the individual:
“ 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’” (2Cor 5:1-12).
To begin with, ABWE’s effort to love the perpetrator was totally misguided and unbiblical. In demanding that his sending church join them in following 2Cor 5:1-12, they could have accomplished the following: “….hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful naturemay be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” Also, they obviously don’t believe what Christ said about millstones and those who cause children to stumble.
Furthermore, this story now remains viable fodder for the likes of 20/20 and others to drag the name of Christ through the mud. But, “Oh ya, him: we excommunicated his sorry %@#& and reported him to the proper authorities whom God has not given the sword in vain,” is not much of a story—unless 20/20 wants to make the church look good.
Also, with all of the discussion concerning “prevention,” they could have taken 1Tim 5:19,20 seriously:
“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.”
How many children wouldn’t have been molested if ABWE had constructed a website / blog instead of the victims? How many sexual predators are going to signup with your organization if they know they could become the topic of a page on the WWW or a nationally publicized newsletter? Contrast that with having a reputation for covering up such behavior to supposedly salvage the reputation of the organization for monetary reasons.
And what shall we say of God’s people? For whatever reasons, we love these organizations way more than we love our children. Somehow, it is unthinkable that an organization like ABWE would be allowed to crash and burn even though the directors thereof think they’re smarter than the Holy Spirit. Why? Again, this is not biblical thinking. Even the apostle Paul recognized that he could disqualify himself from ministry because of misdeeds:
”No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1Cor 9:27).
Apparently, like GM, ABWE is just too big to fail; I protest, if the apostle Paul was not too big to fail, you can be sure ABWE isn’t either. And besides, I bet a whole bunch of missionary boards take a hard look in the mirror if ABWE burns. That’s a good thing. No, that’s a VERY good thing. But what about those 400 other “innocent” missionaries connected with ABWE who “didn’t know.”? Are we not past praying for the victims and saving the organizations? Let’s take care of the victims this time. And oh, those 400 missionaries? Well, let’s pray for them. At any rate, in their next association with a mission board, I would bet anything that this time around they will make it their business to know.
This isn’t rocket science. The unrepentant board members and Loftin need to resign. Their correspondence with the public and the victims refer to the child victims as “MK’s” (missionary KIDS). Last time I checked, that’s slang. Can’t you just hear Jesus referring to the “little children” as kids ? Where is the fear of God that really believes that their angels stand before God daily? Yes, they all need to resign so the others may fear.
I know, I know, the victims. But let us not forget that the victims are a symptom of unbelief on the part of the leaders that they trusted, and no thinking Christian should contribute one red penny to anybody who thinks they are smarter than God. If they do—they partake in their sin.
paul
In Search of Eschatological Significance: Part 1
I rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ. Not freedom from his law, but the freedom we enjoy by following his law and applying it to our lives. And by the way, I hate the term “Ten Commandments,” as if Exodus Twenty represents some kind of theological dichotomy in God’s word. ALL of Scripture is the “perfect law of liberty.” It’s all the law. We live by “EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God.” Paul told Timothy that ALL Scripture was profitable for instruction etc. Paul didn’t list separate uses / purposes for the Old Testament and New; so both Testaments serve the same purpose for each category Paul presented to Timothy—both are equal for edification that the man of God will be “fully equipped.”
Everywhere I look, I see Christians in darkness because they follow the lamps of other people. Our own lamps lit by the Holy Spirit determine who we should follow. The mighty apostle said, “Follow me AS I follow Christ.” Our own illumination via the Holy Spirit determines whether they are followers of Christ or not—NOT them!
All of my AC life I have been taught that eschatology is a “secondary issue.” But according to Matthew 4:4, there are no secondary issues; therefore, eschatology is twenty-five percent of our spiritual diet. How can a proper knowledge of eschatology applied to life make me a better Christian? How can it equip me to better serve Christ? How can I use this knowledge to adorn the gospel?
That’s what really matters—not the fact that I am a dyed in the wool pre-everything. I wonder: how many Christians are pre-everything because John MacArthur is? Though I am comfortable with my ability to defend PE, there are cracks in the dam. I think Christ says what he means and means what he says. I think the goal of the one who created communication is to be clear about what he says. He doesn’t want confusion. So, in regard to all of the events he spoke of in the Olivet Discourse, he said the present generation he was speaking to would not pass away till all of those events took place—for me, that’s a huge problem, though everything else seems to fit. I don’t like loose ends.
Ok, but if I am going to listen to another perspective, it’s not going to be from an a-mil hack; and remember, the goal is to discover eschatology’s role in helping us CHANGE. Well then, who better than Jay Adams? I have started reading his book, “The Time is at Hand.” I found his initial arguments interesting, but they did not make me fear that change was ahead. However, his arguments in chapter three concerning duplication are compelling, and have caused me to let my guard down for the rest of the book. Never the less, it’s still going to be a hard sell.
I look forward to the adventure ahead and pray that the Spirit will show me the importance of eschatology in change: “Those who have this hope purify themselves.” Also, I’m sure the old warhorse would love to have another notch on his belt—we will have to see.
paul
A Big Fat Lie: “Tripp Has Taken Powlison’s DBC Too Far”
No one is better than David Powlison for throwing people under the bus. He will throw you under it, and in some cases, continue to run you over: first forward, then backing up and running you over again. Strangely, he will then publicize (either in print or publicly) his reasons for running you over while flavoring the reasons with compliments—if you’re elderly, apparently, the younger suffer full traction without compliments.
Larry Crabb has suffered Powlison’s wrath since the early 90’s for not being nuanced enough. Supposedly, Crabb and he never agreed on anything, and of course, Powlison was dismayed by Crabb’s book, “Inside Out” which claimed that Evangelicals denied an “inside life,” and all truth is God’s truth. Crabb also said in IO that the church needed Freud’s wisdom to figure it all out. Powlison has no patience for that kind of honesty: you’re supposed to accuse them of denying that the heart has to change first and refer to truth as stuff in the Bible that the church forgets about. When rediscovered—you never, never, admit that God showed it to guys like Freud; instead, you cite really, really old Catholic bishops.
Apparently, Powlison now finds himself in the same dilemma with Paul Tripp who articulated his “Dynamics of Biblical Change” in a book authored by Tripp and Timothy Lane entitled, “How People Change.” Tripp plainly states in the book, among other things, that Christians remain spiritually dead, and passive endeavors such as changing our thinking to that of Christ is a denial of the gospel. Hence, I heard the rumor again last weekend: “Paul Tripp has taken DBC farther than Powlison intended.” Anybody smell diesel fuel?
However, the rumor must be working because Tripp and Powlison will be sitting on the new board of the Biblical Counseling Coalition together where they can once again giggle (because undoubtedly, the rest of the board thinks they’re orthodox), pass notes to each other, and sip lattés while cursing Moses under their breath. Only problem is—it’s a lie. I went ahead and copied documents for comparison purposes: things Tripp and Powlison wrote together at CCEF that can be compared to “How People Change.” It’s all the same stuff—stuff that the church has forgotten, but now interpreted in its “socio-historical context.” The information is almost identical, and was easily gathered in cursory fashion. It should be self explanatory, but I can produce more information if necessary.
Written by Tripp and Powlison in 2003:
“How people Change,” Paul Tripp, 2006:
CCEF’s pilot / test program prior to the release of Tripp’s “How People Change”:
Tripp’s “How People Change” 2006:
Written by Powlison in CCEF’s Journal of Biblical Counseling:
Tripp’s “How People Change” 2006:
TGC Part 20: Directory May Give Clue Regarding What GS/S Churches “Look Like”
This will be the last part in this series concerning The Gospel Coalition. While looking into the possibility of posting a directory of Gospel Sanctification / Sonship churches—it quickly became evident that such a task would be too time consuming. Unfortunate, because many give testimony to the fact that the average lay person will spend two years figuring out that their leadership has adopted the GS/S doctrine. In all cases reported so far, the eldership of GS/S churches refused to come clean to the very end.
Therefore, the best course of action is to refer Christians to the TGC Network Church Directory: http://thegospelcoalition.org/network/church-directory/
On the list is a church in Springboro, Ohio named Clearcreek Chapel (hereafter: CCC). CCC, often referred to as “Clearcreek Cult,” and “Cloudy-Creek Chapel” by former members, is one of the most respected churches among the who’s who of GS/S. The church was founded by Dr. John Street, a prominent board member of the upstart Biblical Counseling Coalition which is intimately connected with TGC and T4G. DA Carson, Jerry Bridges, and Robert Jones have done conferences there (CCC), and Paul David Tripp speaks there often. CCC was one of the pilot churches that tested David Powlison’s “Dynamics of Biblical Change” before it was published as “How People Change” authored by Tripp and Timothy Lane. CCC is also a NANC training center.
Therefore, CCC, as one of the first independent Reformed churches to ascribe to the GS/S doctrine, could represent what churches who follow GS/S doctrine may look like in future years. For expediency, I will use an unpublished (until now) document that expresses concerns regarding CCC—and it also makes a good questionnaire for other churches that hold to this doctrine. The document was derived from actual events and testimonies from former members.
An Open Challenge To Clearcreek Chapel In Springboro, Ohio:
I. A primary hallmark of a cult is covert doctrine and church policy that is gradually assimilated into the thinking of its members incrementally. The organization “CultWatch” states the following: “…if people knew their true practices and beliefs beforehand then they would not join. A cult needs to hide the ‘truth’ from you until they think you are ready to accept it.” Therefore, we challenge the Chapel elders to fully reveal what they believe about the following doctrine and policies to all present members, new members, and visitors:
A. Sanctification: Please inform them that you believe that sanctification is purely monergistic in the same way as it is in justification, and that participation by believers in the sanctification process is a false gospel.
B. The Word of God: Please inform them that you believe that every verse in the Bible is about justification only, and that the Holy Spirit is only active in sanctification when the Scriptures are used to that end only. Affirm or deny that Christians need salvation every day.
C. Church Discipline: Please inform them that you believe that any member can be placed into your church discipline process at any time, and for any reason, and without prior notice. Please inform them that a verbal repentance from the subject does not end the process, but that true repentance must be determined by elders over time. Please inform them that they are not free to leave the Chapel until they are released from this discipline process by the elders, and that any attempt to do otherwise will result in excommunication. Please inform them that all subjects who enter into formal, or informal counseling, are considered to be in the discipline process, and are not free to leave Clearcreek Chapel until they are released from counseling. Please inform them that you believe that you have the authority to place any individual into your church discipline process regardless of membership status, including those who have never been a member of Clearcreek Chapel in the past.
D. Divorce: Please inform all present members, new members, and visitors that you believe that your members are free to divorce any spouse that is unbelieving, or declared to be unbelieving by you because of a wide range of perceived failures as a spouse. Also, many of these perceived failures can be considered abandonment even if the spouse has not physically left or filed for divorce. Furthermore, in regard to an unbelieving husband, you believe that he has no authority in the home, but that his authority resides with you instead.
E. Elder Authority: Affirm or deny that God will honor any decision you make as long as it is according to the single law of love governed by your own conscience (as supposedly formed by reading the “gospel narrative” only), and to the exclusion of objective, biblical imperatives, and the authority thereof.
F. Church Membership: Affirm or deny that members need permission to leave the Chapel for another congregation. Affirm or deny that members can be brought under church discipline if the elders affirm that they are leaving for “unbiblical” reasons.
II. Cults propagate a strong exclusivism mentality among their members. Clearcreek Chapel members are characterized by a predominant attitude that the Chapel is the only truly relevant ministry within hundreds of miles. This mentality is clearly propagated by the elders of Clearcreek Chapel and would be necessary by default because of your belief that synergistic sanctification is a false gospel, which is far from what most churches consider orthodox.
III. Cults inflict fear through character assassination and inimidation. Character assassination in regard to those who have left the Chapel is rampant, and the elders stand by and give approval by participating or refusing to stop this activity, regardless of the pleadings from those who have left. This is a well documented fact. CultWatch says the following in regard to this third element: “Character Assassination is a sure sign of a cult,” Also, “Cult leadership is feared. To disagree with leadership is the same as disagreeing with God.” Fear of leadership at the Chapel is very prevalent and easy to ascertain.
IV. Information control is a sure sign of a cult. The Chapel elders have specifically told parishioners that observing a particular website critical of the Chapel is “sin.” Because any sin is cause for church discipline at the Chapel; in essence, you are clearly threatening church discipline for anyone who observes the site. A member was instructed by the Chapel elders, in writing, not to study doctrine or attempt to ascertain an understanding concerning your hermeneutics. One elder told the same member not to be concerned with the Chapel’s doctrine for “at least two years.” The following is another quote from CultWatch: “If you are instructed by a group not to read information critical of the group, then that is a sign of a cult.” Also, “legitimate groups have nothing to fear from their members reading critical information about them.” We therefore challenge the Chapel elders to encourage the congregation to read material critical of Chapel doctrine and elder behavior, and also assure them that there will be no retribution for doing so.
V. Love Bombing and relationship control are also signs of a cult. Love bombing is a Clearcreek staple. When an elder was caught having an inappropriate, divisive conversation with a Chapel spouse, he offered “love” as a defense in plain contradiction to biblical instruction. The motivation of supposed love is license to do what is right in your own eyes at the Chapel, regardless of Scriptural guidelines. This also speaks to your antinomian doctrine. The Chapel elders seek to drive a wedge between spouses when one spouse challenges your doctrine. This is well documented, and is a staple mode of operation used by Jehovah Witnesses. A constant, and unbalanced emphasis on love also replaces concern for sound doctrine in dramatic fashion at the Chapel, and is a distinctive mark of a cult. Also, on numerous occasions, members who have left the Chapel have been instructed not to associate with present members, and have been threatened with church discipline accordingly. Chapel members have also been instructed not to ever speak to specific members, and others who have left the Chapel. Weekly flock meetings are used to disparage individuals who have left the Chapel and to set the table against possible conversations that may take place at a later date. CultWatch says the following: “Beware of a group that tells you who you can and cannot see.”
VI. Cults will usually have reporting structures. Elders are placed in strategic relationships with people who are perceived as individuals who may question doctrine. Elders will often invite parishioners or visitors to weekly breakfast meetings for the purpose of keeping tabs on what they perceive at the Chapel. A members wife was recruited to feed the elders private information concerning who her husband was associating with and other private information. The elders also recruited a member to be an “encourager” to him during a time when they were concerned that he would confide in others. CultWatch says the following: “Is information you expect to be kept confidential reported to the leadership? If so, then it’s a cult.”
VII. Cults practice high pressure coercion. To say that members who leave the Chapel to join other churches are made to feel uncomfortable, and threatened, would be an understatement. For members to leave the Chapel without some kind of tension is often a balancing act. In fact, at least one member was held there under threat of excommunication for unbiblical reasons, and against his own wishes, for almost four months.
VIII. Cults practice time control. The idea is to keep subjects preoccupied with constant events to prevent contemplation in regard to doctrine, personal involvement, or involvement with those outside of the organization.
IX. Cult leadership is not accountable to outside organizations or the congregation. We challenge the Chapel elders to repeal changes they have made to Chapel polity in order to implement plenary elder rule.
X. Cults seek to control their subjects through coercion and fear in regard to finances. We challenge the Chapel elders to repent of teaching the congregation that God curses all of those who do not tithe ten percent of all financial increase to the Chapel.
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