“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
― George Orwell, 1984

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Recently a Sovereign Grace “insider” passed along some information they thought would be of interest to me. Check out the two screenshots below and note what paragraph has been deleted from the earlier document. The first screenshot was saved to The Wayback Machine on 9 November 2023, the second screenshot was saved to The Wayback Machine on 31 March 2024.

The missing paragraph, which Lauren Maples, the ‘Minister of Disinformation’ at Sovereign Grace Churches proudly highlighted by making the script bold, was:

“In our 40+ years as an organization of churches, we have not found a single instance in which a Sovereign Grace pastor or staff member has ever been charged with – much less convicted of  – sexual abuse or covering up abuse.”

This was a lie when the document was written, but it was cleverly worded, purposely in my opinion, to provide the Sovereign Grace leaders plausible deniability. (We didn’t say there were no instances, just that we have not discovered any instances!) When it comes to finding corruption in their ranks, Mr. Magoo would have a better chance of it than any Kool-Aid-swilling Sovereign Grace pastor.

Can I prove that a “Sovereign Grace pastor or staff member has ever been charged with – much less convicted of  – sexual abuse or covering up abuse?”

Yes. I present Exhibit ‘A’ – Nathaniel Morales.

Nathaniel Morales Found Guilty on All Counts of Sex Abuse & Offense
Friday, May 16, 2014 at 12:48AM
The Jury has returned its verdict. Nathaniel Morales was found guilty on all five counts of sex abuse and sex offense.

Exhibit B, and undoubtedly the one that caused Lauren Maples to rewrite her “Historical Allegations” document, is that of Sovereign Grace Church of LaGrange, GA pastor Russell Tusing. Tusing was arrested and indicted for sexually abusing his daughter, who was 13 years old at the time. Brent Detwiler has written several articles on this scandal, the latest being on Tusing’s indictment. You will find the article here.

Mark Prater, Executive President of Sovereign Grace Churches, has given high praise to Russell Tusing when speaking at his church. (Of course, in reality, this is meaningless as all Sovereign Grace pastors are well-trained in the art of meaningless flattery of their colleagues.) Nonetheless, Prater chose to publicly praise Tusing so going after him for having done so is fair game in my book. Since word got out of Tusing’s arrest, Prater and the boys have clammed up, other than a statement they gave to a news channel from Atlanta.

The entire “Historical Allegations” document is a Sovereign Grace propaganda piece intended to mislead the masses that do not have an in-depth knowledge of the scandal. They accuse others of “slander, gossip and even published works that are riddled with factual errors.” They state the lawsuit was dismissed in 2013 but don’t say it was dismissed because it was filed after the statute of limitations had expired, leading the reader to believe the case had no merit.

In my opinion, if an individual is aware of the facts, this document is another red flag cautioning one to steer clear of the Sovereign Grace denomination. That is what Albert Mohler decided to do after he realized after meeting with Rachael Denhollander that he had been deceived by C.J. Mahaney.

Here is Dr. Mohler’s statement:

Statement from R. Albert Mohler Jr. on Sovereign Grace Churches
February 15, 2019

As many are aware, I have recently apologized and asked forgiveness for serious errors I made in how I responded to concerns that were raised about Sovereign Grace Churches and CJ Mahaney.

In 2013 I was part of a statement supportive of CJ and dismissive of the allegations and concerns raised regarding SGC’s handling of sexual and domestic abuse claims. This was motivated by several factors. At the time the allegations surfaced, I did request that CJ and the ministry participate in an independent investigation, and I was pointed to the investigation that Covenant Life Church had commissioned. I did not realize until this past year that SGC and its leaders had not participated in that investigation, nor was I equipped to know the shortcomings of how that investigation was conducted. I wrongly believed that an investigation had been done, and relied on that assurance and the court dismissal of the civil suit, along with my personal knowledge of CJ, when I issued my statement of support in 2013. I deeply regret this. I frankly was not equipped to sift through the allegations and did not grasp the situation, and I am responsible for that and for not seeking the counsel of those who were.

I also deeply regret my introduction of CJ at Together for the Gospel the following year. My words were intended to reference the general fog of information on the Internet, and I am grieved to acknowledge that I did not even grasp the context I was speaking into. This was wrong, a serious error, and caused hurt to the victims and survivors who felt that their suffering had been trivialized and dismissed. And I grieve that, I apologize for that, I am deeply sorry, it was wrong and I must say so without excuse or minimization. I would never make such a comment again.

When this issue resurfaced a year ago, I was made painfully aware of my serious mistakes. I immediately urged that an independent investigation be conducted and agreed that CJ needed to step down from public ministry until that took place. This resulted in a severing of all personal and ministry ties, and I have had no relationship with CJ or SGC since that time.

I was deeply affected by the documentation offered by Rachael Denhollander. I met with Jacob and Rachael soon after she released the documentation and I have deeply appreciated her counsel. That first conversation fundamentally changed my understanding of this issue.

I issued a statement in May making it clear that any ministry or organization facing these allegations must submit to an independent investigation. I did not specify SCG by name because I was concerned it would appear self-serving and a political effort to save face. In hindsight, I believe speaking more specifically, earlier, would have been wiser. I sought to be clear by my actions in severing public ties and calling all ministries to a higher standard, but as I am learning more I have realized that this did not communicate to the extent I had intended it to.

I wish I had spoken more forcefully. I should have been very clear about insisting on an independent, credible, third-party investigation right from the time these allegations arose. I should have said nothing until I had heard from the survivors who were making those allegations. I should have sought advice and counsel of agencies and authorities and experts who were even then on the front lines of dealing with these kinds of allegations.

It is my own mistakes that, in large part, are driving my sense of urgency to respond clearly and forcefully to the problems in the SBC which the Houston Chronicle has detailed.

A word to our students, particularly survivors on this campus: I want you to know that I am grieved at these errors, I am seeking input from those who know more. We have stringent policies in place but are working on a public document outlining our policies for handling allegations of abuse and where to go for help, which we will post to ensure the greatest accountability possible. We also have a liaison available to you if you have suffered abuse or harassment who can offer support, advocacy, and help.

To the survivors who were hurt by my errors, please know how grieved I am. Some will question whether the force of public pressure explains the timing of my statement and its public nature. In all candor, this pressure is no doubt part of that explanation. That fact should serve to encourage survivors and their advocates to maintain such pressure.

And for survivors who may not yet have spoken up, especially regarding allegations of abuse that have not yet been investigated by law enforcement, I urge anyone with information to report to the proper legal authorities so justice and the truth can be pursued.

I can only speak for myself, but I wish to do so clearly, acknowledging these errors, grieving at the harm that was done, and committing to do everything I can to lead well and to serve Christ faithfully.

Albert Mohler, Jr. (Link)