Is there a “good old boys club" outside of fundamentalism land after all?

Many have blasted fundamentalists as being a “good old boys” club and allowing, excusing, covering up each other’s sins. Well, I would agree that in pockets of fundamentalism this is true but it is not indicative of all fundamentalists. There have been those who have said they left fundamentalism because of the abuses that this kind of club produced. Again, no disagreement here; abuses, when known should be exposed, confronted and corrected. If there are those who are unrepentant and unwilling to change then, sure, it’s time to move on. Now many have moved on to the more conservative segment of evangelicalism and have touted their “openness,” their “biblicalness” in addressing those wrongs that they saw in fundamentalism. Now we have the revelation that C. J. Mahaney and others within the hierarchy of SGM had created their own “good old boys” club and had operated this way for decades. In the midst of this demagoguery C. J. Mahaney writes a book about humility. Something which, we now know, he was not even being exhibiting in his own life during the writing of the book.
Immediately below are comments made by fellow evangelicals, Al Mohler and Ligon Duncan about Mahaney and his book on humility (these comments are found in the book). Farther down are links to comments these same men have made in recent days about the revelations of C. J. Mahaney’s conduct which have brought about his stepping down from SGM. There is also an excerpt from Mahaney’s statement about what led to his stepping down.

 “This is the right book from the right man at the right time. More than any other man I have known , C. J. Mahaney has taught me what humility really is. This a man whose humility is a gift to the entire church. He knows that humility is strength, and that God uses the humble in a powerful way. He understands the danger of pride and calls all to aspire to a legacy of greatness—a greatness that shows the entire world the glory of God. He points us to a cross-centered worldview that will transform every dimension of life”  R. Albert Mohler Jr. Pres. SBTS

 “In Humility: True Greatness, C. J. Mahaney provides a clear and helpful battlefield manual for the believer’s ongoing growth, the fight against pride, and the cultivation of humility. C. J. is no dry-land sailor in this conflict. He and his dear congregation manifest the Spirit’s sovereign grace-work in both their personal and corporate humility and in their seriousness about dealing with pride. A ‘proud Christian’ is an oxymoron. May the Lord of Glory, who humbled himself unto death, use this book to slay pride in you, and to form in you the true greatness of servanthood and self-denial.” J. Ligon Duncan senior minister, First Presbyterian Church

Mahaney’s book, Humility was copyrighted in 2005.

Next piece taken from SGM website, 7.13.11 (here)

In it Mahaney states:

“A few years ago I started to realize that there were a number of former SGM pastors who had offenses with SGM and/or me. So I began to pursue some of them for the purpose of reconciliation. In January of 2010 I sent Brent Detwiler an email asking if he had any offense with me, communicating my desire to meet with him and hear him out. In 2009 Brent had been pastoring a church in North Carolina and left SGM.

When Brent responded to my email, he informed me that he was not willing to meet with me but that he would interact with me through email and written documents. Two months later I received a 130-page document from him outlining his perspective about my sins and failures as a leader in SGM.

I need to tell you up front that after reading this document and ones that followed, I don’t agree with a number of Brent’s charges and conclusions, nor the manner with which he has presented his offenses. However, my purpose this evening is not to criticize Brent or defend myself, but to inform you about various ways I have sinned and failed at different points in my ministry.

The central focus of Brent’s initial document was how I processed, responded to, and led through a relational conflict we had in 2003-2004. This conflict began when Brent and Dave Harvey brought to me correction related to certain character deficiencies and deficiencies in my leadership of the team. Rather than humbly listening to their critique and examining my heart, I reacted sinfully to what I perceived as their deficient manner of presentation, and this began a season where I was resistant to their correction.

Here is what they experienced from me:

·         I was difficult to entreat.

·         I sinfully judged their motives.
·         I was arrogantly confident in my perception.
·         I compared myself favorably to them.
·         I was offended by what I thought to be a lack of appreciation from them for all I had done for them, and a lack of care for me in a season of trials.

And though we continued to work together, I gradually withdrew from them in my soul. And added to this I arrogantly dismissed their critique and did not inform others of their critique even after I agreed to do so. So I was in effect confirming the accuracy of their correction by how I was behaving.”

Here is what Ligon Duncan has to say (here) 

Here is what Al Mohler has to say (here)

I trust that the glowing inconsistency is evident to you with these aforementioned statements. Were Mohler and Duncan blind to all this in Mahaney when cooperating together with him through those years? Were they aware but unwilling to confront their friend and fellow believer?

Why bring this up? Why bring out dirty laundry for all to see? Because we must objectively examine men, messages, methods, etc. by the lens of the Word of God. If you scan the internet you will see hypocrisy running rampant amongst those who are willing to allow for a circling of the wagons around Mahaney and trying to make him out to be a victim or better yet a hero for having the humility and courage to come forward in light of these revelations. What nonsense! Many of these same people who are favorable to Mahaney were/are quick to judge, condemn this very same kind of behavior when found in fundamentalism (again, I am not condoning such unbiblical behavior with my statements here, just highlighting the inconsistency of some). This is hypocrisy. This is partiality, both of which are condemned by God. The darlings of evangelicalism are not so darling after all.

Hopefully, some are starting to understand, all (“all” means “all, everyone, no one excluded” here) Christians have retained their old, sinful nature and it doesn’t matter where you live, where you go to church, it has the potential rear its ugly head in any and all of us, regardless of our position.

As we live by God’s Word, with its Author residing within, “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), we will be changed, molded into Christ-likeness (Rom. 8:28, 29). There is ever within the nature of things today to push for a man centered world. Whether we look at lost mankind and its headlong push toward what we have described for us in the book of the Revelation and the rise of a one-world system, or whether it be within “Christianity” with its push of men to be listened to for one reason or another. We lift up different men and show them off and say, “follow him,” “he’s got the answers you need.” No, God’s Book has the answers you need and men are only as good as they echo what God says in His Book.

As I have already noted in an earlier article, we need to get back to reading the Bible for ourselves and stop this eating of regurgitated food from other men who have supposed read the Bible and then write about it. I am not saying get rid of your books, please read that article, I will not repost it here, but our energies must be expended in the reading OF the Book rather than the reading ABOUT the Book.