Sovereign Grace Ministries: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Chinese Proverb Won't Get Fooled Again (Wikipedia) Several months have passed since we last focused on Sovereign Grace Ministries.  SGM, perhaps more than any other ministry espousing reformed theology, has held to STRICT complementarianism.  Could it be that what has happened in SGM is merely a foreshading of … Continue reading

AoR Report Released: Just How Unhealthy Is SGM ?

"Because we met with such a small percentage of members (less than 1⁄2 of 1%), our observations may not accurately reflect the entire association of churches. Nevertheless, we offer these observations as part of our report." Ambassadors of Reconciliation Report, page 13   Gavel – Wikipedia At long last the Ambassadors of Reconciliation (AoR) Report has been made available through … Continue reading

Mahaney’s Mind-Blowing Machination

"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." Matthew 5:23-24 Spinning Top THE SPIN CONTINUES…  Please read the ADDENDUM at the bottom of the post. Since … Continue reading

My Deconversion: A Former SGM Music Leader Leaves the Faith

"Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings." – Victor Hugo Dusty Pillar Amongst Newborn Stars-Hubble Sometimes, as we deal with issues such as the problems at Mars Hill and Sovereign Grace Ministries, we can inadvertently overlook the deeper issues … Continue reading

Dear SGM Interim Board . . .

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (NASB) Dee and I first learned about Sovereign Grace Ministries in the fall of 2008, and we are grateful to the SGM Survivors and Refugees who have spoken out against the hyper-authoritarian leadership and spiritual abuse they have experienced.   From the hundreds of blog posts and thousands of … Continue reading

Mahaney / SGM – Unprecedented Rescue by the SBC?

"I think preaching and pastoral ministry are where grace is most evident in my life and where my leadership is most effectively expressed. Others seem to agree." C.J. Mahaney We believe history is being made as high profile leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention MEDDLE in the affairs of another denomination, which self-identifies as a "family of churches".  Yes, I'm … Continue reading

Pastors Ignoring Confidentiality: Having Gospel Gossip Authority?

Confidentiality is a virtue of the loyal, as loyalty is the virtue of faithfulness. -Edwin Louis Cole   A Dusty Pillar Amongst Newborn Stars-Hubble/NASA Through the years, we have learned much about how some authoritarian churches conduct business from reading the SGM Survivors blog. Sovereign Grace Ministries was conceived of, and is led, by CJ Mahaney who was also asked … Continue reading

Christian Celebrity – An Oxymoron

"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:26-28, Mark10:43-45 (NASB) Julius … Continue reading

Is the Sun Setting on YRR – aka New Calvinism?

"Our chief concerns have to do with immaturity, instability, and inconsistency in the YRR movement." John MacArthur Beaufort (NC) Sunset (Taken by Deb) The Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement (YRR) gained much notoriety five years ago when Collin Hansen coined his catchy description of a new trend in Christendom.  The emergent church movement, so prevalent decades before, waned while the … Continue reading

Young, Restless, and Reformed (YRR) – RIP?

“I’ve been pondering a post on this thing that’s been called Young, Restless, and Reformed. What’s good? What’s bad? What needs to be celebrated? What needs to addressed? For starters, it may be time to retire the name.” Kevin DeYoung (DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed)   Jonathan Edwards (Wikipedia) I will never forget that day back in 2006 when the September … Continue reading

Rewriting History: SGM/SBC Style

"Those who tell the stories also hold the power." Plato     The Colosseum (taken by Deb) Five months ago many were surprised by the reconciliation of C.J. Mahaney and Larry Tomczak. LARRY WHO? We would imagine that this was a typical reaction of newcomers in Sovereign Grace Ministries.  Kris over at SGM Survivors recently explained: (link) "Prior to early 2008, … Continue reading

Tomczak Sets the Record Straight

 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20 (NKJV) Larry Tomczak The departure of Larry Tomczak from PDI (renamed Sovereign Grace Ministries) has always been somewhat of a mystery until now…  For those not familiar … Continue reading