Bryce Thomas was the lawyer appointed by Ambassadors of Reconciliation to serve as the facilitator between C.J. and me. I asked Bryce to secure a commitment from the SGM Board to include my statement declining participation in all private and public statements. Yesterday, the SGM Board informed me that they “reserve the right to decline this request.” Here is storyline and my response to the Board.
From: Bryce Thomas
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 5:33 PM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject: Adjudication process with CJ Mahaney
Brent,
I have been asked to give a status report on whether the two of you are agreeable to participate in this adjudication process. I have not received an email or other form of indication that you are willing to so participate. You had indicated you would give me a reply by 5 pm yesterday. I will also try to reach you by phone. I can reached by phone as well at xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Just to be sue there was not a transmission issue:
Is it correct to assume by my not receiving an email from you yesterday (10/10/11) and a copy of the adjudication agreement signed by you indicating your willingness to participate in it, that you do not intend to participate in this adjudication using this adjudication procedure?
Blessings,
Bryce
From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 6:21 PM
To: Bryce Thomas
Cc: Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; Aron Osborne; Craig Cabaniss; John Loftness; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank; C. J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; Joshua Harris; Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Greg Somerville; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert
Subject: Arbitration Agreement Unacceptable
Hi Bryce,
I’m sorry Bryce. I thought the following email was sufficient notice since I copied you.
No, I cannot accept the adjudication agreement as a matter of conscience because the conditions are decidedly against me and do not allow me to make a full and complete case against C.J. and SGM as promised.
What SGM has put forward does not incorporate many important ingredients they committed to over the last 12 months (e.g. the use of objective evaluators). See BrentDetwiler.com for additional details.
Furthermore, the SGM Board is unwilling to negotiate or alter any of their terms in this agreement and they have rejected out of hand my counter proposal with no discussion whatsoever.
Moreover, the content of their agreement, and the fashion in which Dave Harvey and the Board forced it upon me, give evidence to their authoritarian manner, arrogant attitude, and deceptive practices.
Lastly, would you please make sure this statement accompanies any statement made by SGM in private or public (e.g. the SGM blog) regarding my rejection of the arbitration agreement. In so doing, I seek to prevent the SGM Board from misleading people regarding how and why this rejection was necessary and also to reiterate my willingness to pursue a better agreement that would have included the promises made to me by the SGM Board which they are now openly breaking.
Thanks for making every effort to make this request certain.
Sincerely,
Brent
From: Bryce Thomas
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 10:27 PM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject: Re: Arbitration Agreement Unacceptable
Hi Brent,
Thanks for the clarity. I would have liked to have seen it work out for both of you and all affected.
Blessings,
Bryce
From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 8:23 AM
To: Bryce Thomas
Subject: RE: Arbitration Agreement Unacceptable
Me too!
From: The SGM Board
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 7:22 PM
To: Brent Detwiler
Cc: Bryce Thomas; Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; Aron Osborne; Craig Cabaniss; John Loftness; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank; C. J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; Joshua Harris; Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Greg Somerville; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert
Subject: Re: Arbitration Agreement Unacceptable
Brent,
We’re sorry that you are unwilling to participate in the adjudication. We hope that God makes another way clear to us all so that we might experience reconciliation in the days ahead.
The SGM Board will be happy to consider your request below to include your reasoning in what we circulate. However we reserve the right to decline this request. We wanted you to know ahead of time should we choose to do so.
Thanks,
The SGM Board
From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 10:06 AM
To: Dave Harvey; Aaron Mayfield
Cc: Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; Bryce Thomas; To: Aron Osborne; Craig Cabaniss; John Loftness; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank; C. J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; Joshua Harris; Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Greg Somerville; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert
Subject: RE: Arbitration Agreement Unacceptable
To the SGM Board,
I’m sorry you are unwilling to negotiate, consider my counter proposal or live up to your promises so I could participate in a just adjudication. I am not to blame. You are the ones who forced upon me such a faulty adjudication procedure.
There is a way, however, to experience reconciliation in the future. Fulfill your commitment to do an outside of evaluation of C.J. and SGM that is open and accountable and meet the two simple conditions I first set forth in “Response Regarding Friendship and Doctrine” on March 11, 2010. Those two conditions included a written and thorough response by C.J. to my documents and a willingness to make a public confession (that is substantive) to the SGM pastors and churches. Reconciliation is possible when these basic acts of justice are put into place. C.J.’s confession to CLC on July 20 was feeble as was his SGM blog post on July 6. These statements hardly qualify as confessions. Both were extremely limited and lacking in clarity.
As a Board you don’t have any right to reserve unless you believe it is your right to present a one-sided account that excludes my perspective. In all my dealings with you, I have invited and included C.J.’s perspective and/or your perspective even when I disagreed. I have nothing to hide. The facts speak for themselves. That’s why I’ve pleaded for transparency while you have repeatedly chosen concealment.
If you don’t like or agree with the statement I provided Bryce Thomas, then refute it in public. Just don’t exclude it. That is a right reserved for dictators and tyrants.
Postscript
The SGM Board denied my request to circulate my letter explaining the reasons for turning down their corrupt proposal. Instead, they presented me to the pastors and public as unwilling to participate in any kind of adjudication.