As CT reported five years ago, the case against SGM claimed that the ministry had conspired to cover up abuse within its network. Back in 2014, Nathaniel Morales, a former youth leader at SGM’s flagship Covenant Life Church in Maryland, was convicted on five counts of sexual abuse against three underage male victims between 1983 and 1991. Mahaney, who was lead pastor at Covenant Life when the alleged incidents took place, has expressed grief for the victims, but said he was not involved in a cover up. 

Comments by Larry Nassar accuser Rachael Denhollander in a Christianity Todayinterview have revived debate over a dismissed abuse lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) dating back to 2012.

Last week, Denhollander referred to the SGM saga as “one of the worst, if not the worst, instances of evangelical cover-up of sexual abuse” and “one of the most well-documented cases of institutional cover-up I have ever seen.”

The 33-year-old said her former church’s stance toward victims and involvement in restoring former SGM president C. J. Mahaney led her family to leave the congregation.

Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC) issued a statement dated February 2 calling her characterizations untrue, citing the 2014 dismissal of a civil case against SGM. (In a separate case, a former youth leader with SGM had been convicted of abuse.)

SGC executive director Mark Prater said, in part:

We thank God for Rachael’s courage in confronting Nassar and commend her invaluable work on behalf of other abuse victims. Like so many, we were impressed by her faithful witness to Christ in such difficult circumstances.

At the same time, it needs to be said that she is mistaken in her accusations made against Sovereign Grace Churches and C. J. Mahaney. The Christianity Today article publicly mischaracterizes Sovereign Grace and C. J. based on accusations of which Rachael had no involvement and which are not true and have never been true.

It’s extremely difficult to respond to false accusations without appearing unsympathetic to victims of abuse. It is our sincere hope that this brief statement has done both by speaking truthfully, respectfully, and in a way that honors God.

Denhollander, whose gospel-infused testimony against the abusive doctor made national news and went viral among Christians, stood by her remarks regarding SGM in a 1,000-word Facebook post shared on Monday.

She said the case dismissal—in which the judge ruled the alleged victims had waited too long to sue—was “not evidence, in any way, shape, or form, that SGM has not done what is alleged,” and urged SGC to allow GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) to conduct an independent investigation.

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