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Notice the date of that tweet? October 17, 2012 right about the time the lawsuit came out. After all of this silence, they now speak. I am issuing a trigger alert. This may produce strong negative emotional or physical responses.

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Albert Mohler, Mark Dever, and Ligon Duncan released a statement just minutes ago to show public support for C.J. Mahaney.

The statement can be found in its entirety here. Below are a few excerpts:

We have stood beside our friend, C. J. Mahaney, and we can speak to his personal integrity. We can make no judgment as to the truthfulness of the horrifying charges of sexual abuse made against some individuals who have been connected, in some way, to Sovereign Grace Ministries and its churches. . . .

If a Christian leader is accused of any wrongdoing, those to whom he is accountable must investigate the charges and then deal responsibly with the evidence. If a criminal accusation is made, Christians have a fundamental duty to inform law enforcement officials. This does not, however, preclude or mitigate the church’s responsibility for biblical church discipline. . . . .

A Christian leader, charged with any credible, serious, and direct wrongdoing, would usually be well advised to step down from public ministry. No such accusation of direct wrongdoing was ever made against C. J. Mahaney. Instead, he was charged with founding a ministry and for teaching doctrines and principles that are held to be true by vast millions of American evangelicals. For this reason, we, along with many others, refused to step away from C. J. in any way. We do not regret that decision. We are profoundly thankful for C. J. as friend, and we are equally thankful for the vast influence for good he has been among so many Gospel-minded people.

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I am going to keep track of other public Christian leaders who have publicly endorsed this statement. Please let me know if you see others. I’m sure others will jump on the bandwagon:

Denny Burk posted on his blog: “I am so thankful to see these men release this statement. Consider this my cosign. “

Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung and Justin Taylor release their own statement of support.

SBCFocus (A Southern Baptist blog)



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Let’s move on to more important matters. While Mohler, Dever, and Duncan seem pretty confident of their friend’s innocence, criminal investigations are ongoing. I have been in contact with several of the victims over these past months. I believe them 100%. I have no doubt that they are telling the truth. But in order for this case to succeed, it is important that the attorneys have as much information as possible. If you have been physically or sexually violated or have any information related to this case, I would like to personally urge you to contact Attorney Burke. Your information is valuable to the case. Here is an important note from Brent Detwiler, including important contact information:

An Appeal for Evidence – Contact Information

There are criminal investigations going on related to the crimes alleged in The Second Amended Complaint against Sovereign Grace Ministries and other Defendants. They range from obstruction of justice to rape.

The on-going collection of evidence is vital in the prosecution of each case. Please contact Detective Sally Magee of the Family Crimes Division at the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland at 240-773-5400 with information. She can also be emailed at sally.magee@montgomerycountymd.gov. She is heading up the investigation in that jurisdiction but can provide contact information for other jurisdictions.

The Plaintiffs’ lawyers should also be contacted with additional evidence as soon as possible.

Susan L. Burke BURKE PLLC 1000 Potomac Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20007-1105 (202) 386-9622 sburke@burkepllc.com

William T. O’Neil THE O’NEIL GROUP LLC 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 1375 Bethesda, MD 20814 (202) 684-7140 woneil@oneilgroupllc.com

I realize there are additional victims and witnesses who are undecided about coming forward for a wide range of reasons (e.g., finances, time off, peer pressure, fear of retaliation, etc.). Please don’t be deterred by these obstacles. You may suffer but your action will please God and serve the good of others.

One final comment. I know a few victims no longer confess the Christian faith. It is still so important for you to speak up and get your voice back. If you remain silent these predators will not stop. Please take a stand. These abusers need to be removed from their homes, neighborhoods and churches. You can play a big part in making sure that happens.Speaking up will also help you find some closure. Silence suffocates. I know. I remained silent about other forms of abuse in SGM for too long. It eats at you. There is freedom in doing what’s right. You’ll be at greater peace knowing you have stopped evil.

No one has asked or prompted me to put out this appeal for evidence.

Thank you,

Brent

May 21, 2013

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Bravo to Boz Tchividjian for his passionate response on Facebook. I took a screen shot just in case it mysteriously disappears.

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