A Seventh Reason for Sending Out the Documents – The "Spin" of Omission

Wednesday, July 6 was a monumental day in my little life on planet earth! That evening, I sent out “Response Regarding Friendship and Doctrine,” “A Final Appeal,” “Concluding Remarks,” and “The Untold Story” to all the pastors in SGM (see BrentDetwiler.com for documents).  It was something I never planned to do or hoped to do.  But releasing the documents had become a matter of conscience by that evening.

 Earlier in the day, C.J. posted the following statement on the SGM website.

“Over the last few years some former pastors and leaders in Sovereign Grace have made charges against me and informed me about offenses they have with me as well as other leaders in Sovereign Grace.”

This statement by my friend was terribly misleading.  It was a "spin" of omission.  First, for many years, not a few years, many people, not some people, raised legitimate concerns with C.J.  Our dealings with C.J. were not a recent development.  They had a long history.  The reader was led to believe otherwise.

Second, the charges (i.e., reproves, correction, rebukes) against C.J. came from men who worked with him at the time.  They did not come from former pastors and leaders who recently left SGM or from men who leveled bogus charges because they were offended.  No, the unsuccessful process of speaking into C.J. life had been going on for a long time.  It began in December 2000.

C.J. should have made clear to all of SGM that his pride, unteachableness, deceit, sinful judgments, hypocrisy and more; had been addressed for a long time by people who loved him, were loyal to him, and cared about him.  Not just by offended former leaders.

I hate to say it, but this was an example of Sovereign Grace spin.  What C.J. said was true but only a small part of the story.  He left the rest out.  In so doing, he minimized the seriousness and down played the extensiveness.

Decide for yourself.  Read all 600 pages and compare them to C.J.’s statement above.  I’d say there is a massive disconnect.  C.J. had a responsibility to tell the whole truth.  He did not do so and that is the seventh reason why I sent out “The Documents.”

C.J.’s statement on July 6 was monumental in what it did not say.  I had no choice but to inform the SGM pastors of the deceit I observed.  It was the straw that broke this camel’s back.  I had to send out The Documents.