Child abuse is a sin whether it's physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, verbal, psychological, physiological, sexual, talented, financial.
Hitting a child in the mouth, telling them to quit talking baby talk when they are a baby is child abuse.
Spanking a child for washing their hands before and after going to the bathroom is child abuse.
Sending a child to their room after they finished playing is child abuse.
Telling a child what they have to say isn't important is child abuse.
Starving or keeping food from children is child abuse.
Deliberately allowing a child to fall down the stairs is child abuse.
Jesus said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
That is common sense.
The Bible is God-breathed.
God said, "Parents do not exasperate your children."
A lot of prents and care givers do not know how to love children.
A lot of children are growing up with no direction, no care and most importantly no love.
Adults don't know how to communicate because their parents or care givers didn't communicate with them.
Abuse is a cause of stress.
Abuse causes anger.
Abuse traumatizes a child mentally, emotionally, psychologically.
Abuse causes a deep seated hatred in their heart for those who abused them.
Abuse causes drug addiction.
Our prisons are overcrowded with people who were abused as children.

Quoting Brent Detwiler as an authoritative source in this story is irresponsible reporting on CT's part. If you've been following the story you'll see that this leader was removed by his own church plant leadership and is not a reliable source of information. Do your homework CT.

sgmsurvivors.com or sgmrefuge.com for more information about this situation, and many more past situations.

In reply to Texas, 10:25 AM:

There's plenty of other evidence against SGM and C.J. Mahaney, even without citing Brent Detwiler, to indicate there are some serious issues which need to be addressed. If I were Albert Mohler, John Piper or any other member of the Gospel Coalition, I'd seriously think about distancing myself from Mr. Mahaney and SGM.

Texas - Clearly you have not done your homework. The very issues of authoritarian rule and harshness from the top leaders of SGM are what Brent Detwiler was working against (per the hundreds of emails in his documents), and when he confronted these men for years they forcefully removed him in an attempt to quite him. And the only mention of Brent in this article was that he "led the 2011 charges against Mahaney".

Please refer to www.brentdetwiler.com to read the hundreds and hundreds of first hand emails detailing the abuse, coercion, manipulation, spin, lying, deceit that has gone on just over the last year, never mind the 10 previous years that Brent has attempted to bring reform to Sovereign Grace Ministries. Read the material, be informed.

Texas, I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about. I think you're the one needing to do some homework.

Pastor Piper, Pastor MacArthur, Dr. Sproul, Dr. Grudhem, Dr. Mohler, Mr. Jerry Bridges, Pastor Mark Driscoll, many, many others, where are you?! The Gospel is being hindered while you men say nothing.

Are you not acting like Imams who refuse to condemn senseless killing? In this case, abusive leadership is even allegedly killing the hopes and dreams of children.

Why are you silent while hirelings abuse the flock of God? We are all one church, well, what are you doing to bring correction and bring things into the light?

I can only hope you are in conversation with CJ, Dave Harvey, Mickey Connolly, Brent Detwiller, Joshua Harris, Larry Tomczak, etc. to bring them all to repentance. The facts are all skewed and muddied, but to share a stage with any of these guys without these things made right is joining in with them, isn't it? It seems like the silence, the calmly standing by is a sin.

Please "STAND" and having done all to STAND, say something publicly! Support or condemn actions, but say something.

You will please forgive me, I am not an evangelical Christian anymore and when I was I lacked the spiritual insight the pastors of SGM seem to possess such as having a three year old go into a “reconciliation” meeting with the supposed abuser. If this is an accurate rendition of events these people who administered this meeting have their collective heads up their collective backsides. I get the whole boogie man don’t trust the world voodoo chant but not reporting child abuse. Come on grow up, if your house was on fire would you be outside checking theological / “moral” / gender standing before you let the firefighter do their job. Of course not, that is stupid and you know it. I mean some of the higher ups in the industry (and it is an industry, and quite lucrative) could speak up, they could actually act like Jesus. Of course I am naive and demonically possessed, just like the families and victims. Look you people in the evangelical camp that shine this stuff on look like clowns. You harped on it when the Roman Catholic church got caught with its pants down, literally in some cases, for apologetic reasons not for real outrage at the actual abuse. From most of the evangelical people and pastors I know you are better than this, I am a cynic and I share none of your theological perspectives but I know for a fact most of you are better then this. I have seen it. Do the right thing.

"Pastor Piper, Pastor MacArthur, Dr. Sproul, Dr. Grudhem, Dr. Mohler, Mr. Jerry Bridges, Pastor Mark Driscoll, many, many others, where are you?! "

Speaking with their lawyers?

Really CT? Please do better than calling Sovereign Grace ministries a network of "Reformed" church plants. They trace absolutely no organizational lineage from either the Continental Reformation or with Presbyterianism. "Reformed" is a wildly inaccurate descriptor of their ministries, even by their own account -- they would probably identify at least as much with being charismatic as being Reformed (theologically). And really, the extent to which they are theologically Reformed is only predestination.

If CT cannot use terms like "Reformed" and "evangelical" with precision, I don't know who can.

"Pastor Piper, Pastor MacArthur, Dr. Sproul, Dr. Grudhem, Dr. Mohler, Mr. Jerry Bridges, Pastor Mark Driscoll, many, many others, where are you?! "

Most likely out playing golf.

Anyone who really knows anything about SGM and its corruption knew this day was coming.

Praying for those families. Praying for JUSTICE.

These allegations may be true, and they may be completely false. There could be a cover up, it may be only one indiviudal. I pray that justice is done. What bothers me is the lack of sorrow, and seeming delight in the downfall of others, and the reveling in telling as many people as possible. There is such bitterness and keeping record of wrongs and desire for punishment and spreading unsubstantiated claims and merciless judgment (by those who are in no capacity judges) that, if one were to make the same kind of judgment, might doubt the salvation of some (not the alleged victims, rather the 'survivors'). Wow, I see how easy that is to type. You can have all the truth and wisdom and justice in the world, but without love... I fear there is a smiling face behind the keyboard of many today, due to this new allegation. That pains my heart.

My face isn't smiling, that's for sure. I'm deeply grieved at what has allegedly taken place and what shame this brings on the body of Christ.

In response to John,

As one of the individuals mentioned in the suit, I can personally say that the allegations are 100% true. Read the stories of these individuals. This doesn't make us smile, and it certainly isn't a simple situation that can be fixed with a simple solution. Entire lives have been wrecked because pastors care more for the reputation of their church than for the protection of the young. I would try not to make assumptions about people and situations that you don't fully understand.

fixed,,,,Sorry about that Lucy, that post is in response to John.

What a terrible shame. Jesus must really be proud of his "CHURCH".
With all of the hoopla about the Gay and Lesbian's now days makes you wonder what God thinks about Sodom and Gomorrah now. Ruth Graham said "If God doesn't destroy the U.S. for the stuff that is going
on this day and time he will need to apologize for Sodom and Gomorrah".

The spirit has departed! Get out of the churches. Filled completely with the spirit if anti christ & completely levend with the levin of the pharisees. I've shaken hands with these men, there was a day I respected them. I hope they repent. It would be good.

Mahaney is *still* signed up to be speaking at The Gospel Coalition conference.

CT, I beg you to please say something about that. Call them out. They've deleted facebook comments from many people asking the question of why they've provided no rationale for this decision. This stuff just needs to come to light and TGC is a big organization that I respect a lot and this kind of scab will stick if they don't come clean and say *something*. ANYTHING.

Thank you!! Do the right thing!

I attended Covenant Life church as a guest numerous times in 2002 and 2003. The man I was dating was attending there, and was very active. I had listened to CJ Mahaney before, and enjoyed hearing him there. But I have to say, there was an interesting culture of "we're right and everyone else is questionable" that I worried about. I was never truly welcome at any of their events, sometimes sitting for hours with no one speaking to me except my friend. I hope they have gone on to be better about this, to be more welcoming of others, to be more social in the world - you don't spread Christianity by pushing others away.

It is say to see so-called "christians" commenting with bitterness, hate and meanness. Worse, some are venting in public what should be laid at the feet of Jesus Christ.

If you cannot love and restore a fallen brother or sister in Christ, then you cannot follow Jesus Christ.

We all should fall on our face and repent and ask the God of mercy to forgive us.

I am deeply saddened by this news. I have always been thankful for the work being done by SGM. It's always hard to know what to believe in these circumstances. I have little doubt that young lives and surrounding families have been deeply impacted and, as a dad this always tugs at the protective nature of your heart.

If it is true that CJ and others have protected offenders, I'd love to know why. Was the idea to try to restore lives within their care? Was it a cover-up? It is hard to know, especially when you live on the other side of the world.

I pray for resolve and for healing the affected parties. I pray above all else that God be glorified even when the Church is in error.

To those of you who feel so sorry for these abusers who are the victims of all these bitter, judgemental, "so-called Christians," why don't you look at what Jesus said on the subject: "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." This sin is in a class by itself, and in my opinion, this would be a perfect punishment.