Where’s CJ? Is T4G in a Steubenville State of Mind?
Two high school football players in Steubenville, Ohio were convicted of raping a sixteen year old at a party. The case received national attention and invoked comments from the most famous among us in the sports world. This article gives ground level insight into the case and some of its unsung heroes. It will also gag you as much as the amended lawsuit against SGM did.
But it’s not over yet:
COLUMBUS —
An eastern Ohio grand jury is ready to renew its investigation into whether other laws were broken in the rape of a 16-year-old girl.
One of the key issues before the panel set to meet Monday in Steubenville is whether adults who are required to report crimes knew early on of the rape last August but didn’t say anything.
The panel last met May 24, then adjourned to give investigators overseen by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine time to gather more evidence.
A judge in March convicted two high school football players of raping the West Virginia girl after an alcohol-fueled party last summer.
At the next Together for the Gospel conference (T4G: 4/8/2014), one of the original core four, CJ Mahaney, for the first time, will not be speaking. He is one of the primary defendants in the SGM class action lawsuit. The 2014 website is scrubbed of anything CJ except a small red link that you would miss if you were not searching for it. Clicking on the link takes you to the following page:
July 1, 2013
After much prayer, reflection and counsel I have decided to withdraw from participation in the 2014 Together for the Gospel conference. My reason for doing so is simple: I love these men and this conference and I desire to do all I possibly can to serve the ongoing fruitfulness of T4G.
Unfortunately, the civil lawsuit filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries, two former SGM churches and pastors (including myself), continues to generate the type of attention that could subject my friends to unfair and unwarranted criticism. Though dismissed in May (and now on appeal), the lawsuit could prove a distraction from the purpose of this important conference. My withdrawal is not intended to communicate anything about the merits of the suit. My decision simply reflects the reality that my participation could create a hindrance to this conference and its distinct purpose of serving so many pastors. My strong desire is to make sure this doesn’t happen. I believe the most effective way I can serve my friends who have supported me, and continue to support me, is by not participating in the 2014 conference.
My enthusiasm for this conference is undiminished and I believe it will continue to be a powerful context for encouraging and equipping pastors in their efforts to serve their churches and proclaim the gospel. I am immensely grateful for the undeserved privilege to have been involved in previous conferences, and, most importantly, my ongoing friendship with these men I love and respect.
C.J. Mahaney
Sovereign Grace Church | Louisville, KY
Then if you go to CJ’s website at SGC, there is no mention of T4G or any references to the 2014 speakers at all. Other sources inform me that there are not ANY recent posts from Mahaney showing up at any of the usual haunts like the Gospel Coalition blog.
My, my, do you feel the same cold chill that I do? I am reminiscing of when my sports hero, Bo Jackson blew out his knee. Hero one day—gone the next. It was like he never existed! Seriously, where’s CJ? Even more shocking is the sudden 180 from the statement of support that the T4G crowd posted, what? Two or three weeks ago?
Is this a Steubenville thing? Fact is, knowing of a sex crime and not reporting it is a serious crime. If it has been established that CJ knew and didn’t report it, he could be in deep doo-doo.
This would explain the new normal that posits the idea that they never even knew C J Mahaney. It would seem that the T4G crowd has spent as much political capital on CJ as they can. They also know that Christians have short memories. The goal seems to be to create as much space/time as they can between themselves and CJ before it’s too late.
And the effort seems mutual. Only time will tell if CJ is falling on his sword .
paul
The Jared Mellinger Tweet: I Don’t Think We Get It Yet; They Think All Healing is Christocentric
Rush Limbaugh says he knows liberals like every inch of his glorious naked body. I am not ready to claim such in regard to Calvinists, but there are some things that have become evident to me.
First, as we have learned from John Immel here at TANC, all behavior is driven by logic.
All people act logically from their assumptions. It does not matter how inconsistent the idea is or insane the rationale. They will act until that logic is fulfilled. Therefore, when you see masses of people taking the same destructive actions, find the assumptions and you will find the cause. We’re here in this specific session discussing – we are going to ultimately discuss the issue of Calvinism, New Calvinism, and the question is why within this emergent movement do we see such consistent actions, such consistent outcomes, such consistent stories of oppression and domination and coercion? Why from one congregation to the next do you see the exact same outcomes? This is it. But first to find the assumptions, we’re going to have to do this: We’re going to have to take on our ideas. Ideas, it takes enormous effort to dissect one’s thinking (John Immel: TANC 2012; session one, lines 180-195).
As far as the SGM sex scandal and SGM in general, are any bells ringing? Once again, Christians are scratching their heads in regard to the cold blooded statements made New Calvinists regarding the SGM victims. Julie Anne Smith, the blogosphere diva who continually makes the lives of New Calvinists miserable, has once again called out a Calvinist Brown Shirt for some outrageous statement that demeans the victims of SGM’s house of horrors. You can read the post here. Smith’s new target, Jared Mellinger, is just another little snot-nosed mindless follower of the New Calvinist philosopher kings. This is a cult following that rivals none.
But what is the logic that drives the tweet? What is the logic that drives the insanity seeking a vindicating result? Pure and simple: Calvinism. The logic doesn’t produce a massive group that is equally evil from the leaders to the hanger-on; it doesn’t exclude followers who misunderstand the logic and function on the soundbites, but the basic logic drives the movement and its direction.
Calvinism gets a pass because it has followers who disagree with people ovens; by the same logic, we should allow the marketing of Pepsi-Cola with just a pinch of arsenic. The product will be defended because only some die, and there are some nice people who work at the Pepsi plant. It’s the same sublogic that drives the cozy relationship between the Wartburg Watch and Wade Burleson. The Pepsi doesn’t kill everybody, and it tastes really, really good. But our calling is to rage against those who are indifferent to the victims of Pepsi. For those who take their Bible seriously: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Why is the little Brown Shirt’s tweet pure Calvinism? Let’s discuss that. Calvin got his theology from Augustine, Gregory, and Luther. However, Luther best defines Calvin’s philosophy. Luther interpreted all reality through the gospel. Every event in human history is preordained to show forth the cross story. Reality is divided into two categories: our evil and God’s holiness. Historic events preordained by God help us to see both, and a deeper and deeper understanding of our evil and a deeper and deeper understanding of God’s holiness results in the cross being uplifted before the world.
Misery and deprivation only serves to reveal our true standing before God. Comfort and happiness only serves to jade the true reality of the vast gulf (reality) between our depravity and God’s holiness. Self must be emptied and eradicated; anything associated with an inward consideration is the glory story. Happiness is a gift from God as we partake in meditating on, “our sinfulness as set against God’s holiness” (the theological term is: mortification and vivification).
Therefore, according to Luther, people only live by the cross story or the glory story, and each yields its own results. Hence, John Piper’s commentary on the Oklahoma tornadoes should not perplex anybody, but unfortunately such is not the case. He meant well, he only wanted the victims to see the tragedy through the cross. He is sincere—so was Hitler.
So, justice isn’t the answer for victims, but only the seeking of a Christocentric contemplation that heals. A meditation on our deserved misery lifts up the cross of Christ and shows forth His holiness as opposed to our wretched existence. Those who seek justice are destructive to the cross’ glory because it presupposes that man deserves justice instead of eternity in hell. Justice implies that man’s life has merit. Hence, the tweet:
Wisdom discerns between the cries of the innocent victim seeking help and hope and the cries of the vindictive spirit seeking destruction.
You can replace “help and hope” with the cross story and anything else but that is “destruction.”
It’s high time that Christians stop focusing on the metaphysical disconnects and focus instead on the logic that drives the behavior. Immel is right; these people will never deal with their ideology in the face of results while insisting that the ideology has never been done right by the right people. It is my understanding, if I was properly informed, that Wartburg Watch stated this same idea, in essence; Calvinism in and of itself is not all bad, it’s those damn Calvinists that are to blame. But the dirty little secret is that these people have been running the show in the American church for the past twenty years.
Are we better off?
paul
Calvinist T4G Orthodoxy: Library Size Matters
What do you think of the T4G gang and their “Study Tour”? This is where the key speakers associated with T4G conferences past and present show off their vast libraries. I have posted the video links at the end of this article.
Think about what this is saying. It clearly emanates the idea that vast para-biblical knowledge is needed to understand God’s word. It is also saying that unless you have the money to purchase such a library, you aren’t qualified. These guys are to be revered, respected, and obeyed because they have the knowledge. It’s spiritual caste on steroids.
This is clearly a power play to control people through intimidation—if you’re not a thinker. Basically, if you have a Bible and the internet, your access to information and the efficiency thereof makes their libraries look like an outhouse. But again, the most egregious idea that stems from this is that the Bible doesn’t contain adequate information in and of itself for life and godliness. In order to really grasp the Bible, you need all of that information from guys who lived in medieval times and had the compassion of alligators.
Can you imagine the Apostles putting on such a display? What are these guys thinking? Do they really want a pastor from Harlem seeing this video? What should he make of it? Good grief! These videos speak for themselves as these men flaunt their resources before the world in arrogance that staggers the imagination.
Al Mohler: http://vimeo.com/groups/27420/videos/8693850
Ligon Duncan: http://vimeo.com/groups/27420/videos/9237570
Mark Dever (This video is particularly disturbing):
CJ Mahaney:
John I used to teach the truth MacArthur:
Mohler, DeYoung, Carson, Dever Defend CJ Mahaney’s Known Criminal Behavior in Recent Statement
“Mahaney has never repented of this documented criminal act. But while Mark Dever excommunicated 256 people for non-attendance, which isn’t a biblical reason to bring anyone up on church discipline to begin with, he is giving Mahaney a pass on blackmail and coercion.”
When are Christians at large going to stop letting New Calvinists frame the discussions to their desirable outcomes? DA Carson et al have issued statements explaining their silence about the SGM pedophile class action lawsuit. See here: SGM Civil Case pdf And no, I don’t have a “trigger alert” for its reading, suck it up and face the facts; it’s the American church in living color. The “unadjusted gospel,” the “scandalous gospel” [true that], the “shocking gospel,” the “underestimated” gospel has inundated the American church for 43 years now—WHERE’S THE BEEF?
Instead of revival and “real lasting change” we have two Reformed organizations needed to keep Calvinists out of court, innumerable broken families and friendships, innumerable church splits, an unprecedented doctrinally dumbed down congregant, a massive exodus of people from the organized church known as “The Nones,” a Neo-Calvinist resurgence exclusive to upper income churches, and innumerable spiritual abuse blogs spawned by the New Calvinist movement which again has had 43 years to make its mark. When are Christians going to start asking the hard questions?
The statements clearly reveal the true character of these evil, wicked men. They falsely accused one blogger of issuing unsubstantiated information about the suit. How can you call the posting of the actual lawsuit unsubstantiated? The statements are blotted with hypocrisy and indications of how stupid they think people are. And frankly, I don’t have time to unravel it all, so let me cut to the quick. But first, let me mention that Mark Dever, who excommunicated 256 parishioners for non-attendance and was applauded for it, along with the others, vindicated Mahaney based on a ruling by a civil judge. In the statement, they also declare Mahaney innocent and fit for ministry based on what they know of him while rejecting the massive outcry against him. Who made them judge?
But let’s just zero in on one fact that they ignore and that Mahaney has never repented of. Oddly, this incident is widely reported as an attempt by Mahaney to force the cofounder of SGM out of the ministry—the opposite is true; Mahaney tried to blackmail the cofounder in order to force him into remaining a member of SGM. In most states, this is clearly a criminal act:
Transcript of Phone Conversation between C.J., Doris and Larry Tomczak on October 3, 1997 pp. 10-11:
C.J.: Doctrine is an unacceptable reason for leaving P.D.I.
Larry: C.J., I’m not in sync with any of the T.U.L.I.P., so whether you agree or not, doctrine is one of the major reasons I believe it is God’s will to leave P.D.I. and it does need to be included in any statement put forth.
C.J.: If you do that, then it will be necessary for us to give a more detailed explanation of your sins [ie, beyond the sin of leaving for doctrinal reasons].
Larry: Justin’s name has been floated out there when there’s statements like revealing more details about my sin. What are you getting at?
C.J.: Justin’s name isn’t just floated out there – I’m stating it!
Larry: C.J. how can you do that after you encouraged
Justin to confess everything; get it all out. Then when he did, you reassured him “You have my word, it will never leave this room. Even our wives won’t be told.”
I repeatedly reassured him, “C.J. is a man of his word. You needn’t worry.” Now you’re talking of publically sharing the sins of his youth?!
C.J.: My statement was made in the context of that evening. If I knew then what you were going to do, I would have re-evaluated what I communicated.
Doris: C.J., are you aware that you are blackmailing Larry? You’ll make no mention of Justin’s sins, which he confessed and was forgiven of months ago, if Larry agrees with your statement, but you feel you have to warn the folks and go national with Justin’s sins if Larry pushes the doctrinal button? C.J., you are blackmailing Larry to say what you want!―Shame on you, C.J.! As a man of God and a father, shame on you!
This will send shock waves throughout the teens in P.D.I. and make many pastors’ teens vow, “I‘ll never confess my secret sins to C.J. or any of the team, seeing that they‘ll go public with my sins if my dad doesn‘t toe the line.”―C.J., you will reap whatever judgment you make on Justin. You have a young son coming up. Another reason for my personally wanting to leave P.D.I. and never come back is this ungodly tactic of resorting to blackmail and intimidation of people!
C.J.: I can‘t speak for the team, but I want them to witness this. We’ll arrange a conference call next week with the team.
Doris: I want Justin to be part of that call. It’s his life that’s at stake.
C.J.: Fine.
(SGM Wikileaks, part 3, p.139. Online source: http://www.scribd.com/sgmwikileaks)
Ohio: 2905.12 Coercion.
(A) No person, with purpose to coerce another into taking or refraining from action concerning which the other person has a legal freedom of choice, shall do any of the following:
(1) Threaten to commit any offense;
(2) Utter or threaten any calumny against any person;
(3) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, to damage any person’s personal or business repute, or to impair any person’s credit;
Mahaney has never repented of this documented criminal act. But while Mark Dever excommunicated 256 people for non-attendance, which isn’t a biblical reason to bring anyone up on church discipline to begin with, he is giving Mahaney a pass on blackmail and coercion.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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