Copyright 2023 The Presbyterian Outlook. The local jail was the obvious answer. International | Grace Community Church I first spoke to Eileen last year at a private gathering of abuse survivors and advocates. Evangelicalism has become like Peter, offering a better way than bold, faithful, compassionate, loving proclamation of the full Gospel that offends the sinner, terrifies the sinner, terrorizes the sinner, MacArthur maintained. As a certified law enforcement chaplain with the Tehama County Sheriffs Office in California, Eileen serves inmates and law enforcement in countless ways: from serving as a community call-out chaplain, to teaching regular Bible studies in the jail, to running a 24-hour hotline out of her home, to placing releasees in rehabilitation out-programs, to mentoring women charged with or convicted of drug crimes, assault, embezzlement, murder and a host of other charges. But she continued to hear of more cases of abused women receiving spiritually abusive counseling. Church News | Grace Community Church Elder Says Wives Should Endure Privacy Statement. Finally, she continues, I completely surrendered my life to Jesus.. On the contrary, she moved away and worked for many years to build a quiet life for herself and her children. He was white-scrubbed from the GCC website. Two employees from pastor John MacArthur's Grace to You broadcast ministry have commented on reports that MacArthur publicly shamed a woman in 2002 for not taking back her husband, who was later convicted of child abuse. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The church leaders imposed on her to "suffer for Jesus. MacArthur read from Matthew 16, the passage where Jesus predicts His suffering and death. In the letter, Hardy also noted that the church had known of the accusations but was "concerned with the integrity of Eileen's statements." Should Christians Think of Themselves as Worthless and Wretched? Now Eileen cant help but think, If only I had spoken up sooner.. Now Eileen can't help but think, "If only I had spoken up sooner." These days, Eileen hangs out with cops and criminals. Eileens children were young adults, and she was battling cancer for a second time. Eileen, on the other hand, knows firsthand the challenges and heartache facing many of the women she helps. The conference will run until Friday. NY diocese facing flood of lawsuits files for bankruptcy, Should clergy be mandated reporters? Meanwhile, Johnson said he was not involved in the original issue with Eileen. MacArthurs comments came on the first day of the Shepherds Conference, a gathering of around 3,500 church leaders at Grace Community Church. EXCLUSIVE: MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Wife of Child Abuser As more outlets report that John MacArthur excommunicated a wife for not taking back her child-abusing husband, an elder at Grace Community Church (GCC) is claiming that evidence exonerating MacArthur exists. It is also to recognize the power of her genuine love for the hurting and vulnerable conditions she knows all too well. Its also a far cry from the subservient, servile role she once played to a domineering and violent husband, arole God called her out of initially to protect her children, then herself. The charge is that Grace Community Church counselled Eileen Gray to reconcile with her husband David, who had been abusing her and her kids. She wasn't ready. It was a decision that has undoubtedly caused untold damage to Eileen Gray and her children, and we must heed the lessons from it if we're to avoid repeating it.Instagram: @allthingstheologyTikTok: @all_things_theology0:00 - The Story of John MacArthur vs Eileen Gray1:12 - Repentance Does Not Nullify Earthly Consequences1:47 - We Need To Be More Concerned With The Truth3:16 - People Are More Important Than Perceived Doctrinal Fidelity4:42 - Sin Doesn't Expire5:17 - Forgiveness And Reconciliation Are Different Things5:52 - John MacArthur Is Not Above Reproach6:15 - Would This Have Been Done To A Man? This is what the Lord wants. Faith Promise: Supporting Our Missionaries. "(The Roys Report) is writing about a 20-year-old discipline case that I had no involvement in. "And, like those of us on staff who know him, you have great difficulty believing the accusations that have been brought We can still strongly say that the accusations do not fit with what we know of David.". He said the shaming, although sad, was necessary to maintain fidelity to God and His word. Pastor and author John MacArthur warned thousands of church leaders this week against compromising with the world, suggesting that churches that compromise on biblical principles to be more popular in society cross over into the devils work.. On August 18, 2002, Pastor MacArthur dealt with a "grave matter" during an evening service attended by 8,000-congregants of Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley California, according to The Roys Report. Yet, Eileen is so much more than a survivor of domestic violence and spiritual abuse. "This is what the Lord wants. In this case, it applies to Eileen Gray," MacArthur said. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. As a certified law enforcement chaplain with the Tehama County Sheriffs Eileen told The Roys Report she was subjected to spiritually abusive counseling and church discipline as elders tried to convince her to reconcile with her husband. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Southern Baptists lose another megachurch: Elevation Church quits the SBC, A prophetic force: Queer songwriter Spencer LaJoye finds resonance outside religion, Bringing light without God: Humanist chaplain Anthony Cruz Pantojas, How male headship became core to SBC identity, Thousands protest in Iraq for a second day over burning of Quran in Sweden. It was a report that Eileen filed with the LA Police Department in 2003 that led to Davids 2005 conviction. Forced to resign. Office in California, Eileen serves inmates and law enforcement in countless ways: from serving as a community call-out chaplain, to teaching regular Bible studies in the jail, to running a 24-hour hotline out of her home, to placing releasees in rehabilitation out-programs, to mentoring women charged with or convicted of drug crimes, assault, embezzlement, murder and a host of other charges. To partner financially, please prayerfully consider supporting one of our missionaries or missionary works. (RNS) Eileen Taylors 20-year-old self could never have imagined her life today. ", David, who also served the church from 1994 to 2001 was prayed for by the members led by Pastor MacArthur, "Pray for David, for the sympathy and compassion and the lovingkindness of God to be his portion. In 2004, Hardy was charged with two misdemeanors for failing to report child abuse and intimidating a witness. Grace Community Church Leaders under Fire for 'Excommunicating' Wife Who Refused to Stay with Abusive Husband, Former Grace Community Church Pastor's Letter Supporting Child Abuser Surfaces, Photo courtesy: Islandsend/Creative Commons. It's not definite however if she was already separated at the time of the sermon. In addition to MacArthur, other scheduled speakers include Voddie Baucham, dean of theology at African Christian University; Steve Lawson, president of OnePassion Ministries; Abner Chou, professor and John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow at The Masters University; and Alex Montoya, senior pastor at First Fundamental Bible Church; among others. She maintains these relationships with these women whether they are behind bars or back outside. They did that with no help from it. Church representatives repeatedly harassed her, including during visits to her home, per court documents. Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. When the Roys Report's first installment of the Eileen Gray excommunication was published almost two week ago, several Youtubers took to responding to the article. He wants discipline . Even so, she says, Im not a savior type. Thats definitely on your ledger.). Then after naming, shaming, and blaming Eileen Gray from the pulpit, and painting her former husband as an innocent victim, MacArthur had the gall to invite the church to sing, "Amazing Grace . . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Then, in a 2002 church service video, MacArthur talked about Eileen, saying he needed to talk about a "sad situation.". Neither John MacArthur nor representatives from Grace Community Church have officially responded to requests for comment. She said she did not speak out before because she feared repercussions against her children, who are now adults. She wasnt ready. The local jail was the obvious answer. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. She writes for American City Business Journals BizWomen. Ungodly Blogger by Night, Corporate Stooge By Day. Hardy was referring to Grays now ex-wife, Eileen, who had first told the church that Gray was abusing her and their children. (RNS) Eileen Taylor's 20-year-old self could never have imagined her life today. Discover smart, unique perspectives on Grace Community Church and the topics that matter most to you like John Macarthur, Coronavirus, Covid, Corruption, Christianity, Compliance, Covid-19, Eileen . Carey Hardy, a former GCC associate pastor, told her she needed to endure the abuse and model for her children how to suffer for Jesus, she said. Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. All Rights Reserved. In a letter Honey shared with Eileen not long ago, Honey recounts the darkness in her early life that led her to drug addiction. Your information will be sent to the Outreach Department and then forwarded to the appropriate person. And the church bears responsibility before God to be the instrument of disciplineThis is what the Lord wants. In this case, it applies to Eileen Gray, MacArthur said. Southern Baptists say no to women pastors. When Honey hit rock bottom, Eileen continued to offer her love and encouragement. Hardy also accused Eileen of having a tendency to exaggerate and exercising faulty logic and irrational thinking.. Skip to main content Watch live. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. She was never judgmental, Honey explains. The letter has since been removed from the site. China arrests pastor, Christians for illegal business practices; church says 'they are innocent', WEA criticized for human rights events with the Iranian delegation to UN, Nashville mourns 49-year-old pastor who led at-risk youth away from life of crime, Eric Metaxas calls on the Church to 'wake up' or face disastrous consequences: 'Everything's at stake', If you disagree with SCOTUS decision on Christian graphic artist answer these questions, Yes, trans exhibitionism is directly downstream of redefining marriage, Freedom only comes through sacrifice, never goes on sale, The extraordinary meaning of July 4th for America and the world, The long march of Drag Queen Story Hour across Europe, Pastor John MacArthur rejects online worship, says Zoom is 'not Church, John MacArthur rebukes pastors who plagiarize sermons: It's ministerial fraud, Christian conservatives respond to John MacArthur comparing 'religious freedom' to 'idolatry', John MacArthur urges pastors to preach on sexual morality to protest conversion therapy ban. Men are always interested in finding the easy way, right? The charges against him were dismissed in 2005, but he is no longer on staff at GCC. Former Grace Community Church Associate Pastor Rebukes - Medium Eileens children were young adults, and she was battling cancer for a second time. According to Roys, GCC never reported the abuse to police despite being mandated to do so by California law. Thats why they find a way to be popular and to avoid hostility and to avoid opposition and to avoid persecution and to avoid offense, he continued. (Damnit, Sturz. One of these tells the story of Honey (whose last name is being withheld), a former inmate Eileen met in 2006, when she first began her jail ministry. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". John MacArthur vs Eileen Gray - Lessons From a Church Scandal Mail-in Giving: Make your check payable to GMI and mail to Grace Ministries International, 13248 Roscoe Boulevard, Sun Valley, CA 91352. All rights reserved. David Gray was later found guilty of several counts of abuse, and is currently serving 21 years to life in prison.In this video I want to share some thoughts on how we as the Church can do better and hopefully prevent things like this from happening again. Mar 29, 2022 2 Staff Writer, Greg Fox We have the various pastors and Youtube pastors to thank for their continued commentary on the Eileen Gray incident, demonstrating from. In 2018, MacArthur garnered controversy when he championed a public statement claiming that the concept of social justice was compromising the Gospel. Nancy Nelson, a retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective (LAPD) who investigated David's case, said that GCC failed to report the case as it was mandated by California law. GCC Response to Accusations Against MacArthur and Church - YouTube ", Despite Eileen's intentions to dismiss her membership with the church, GCC wrote her a letter stating, "We don't automatically remove someone from membership when we believe that we have a responsibility to help that individual resolve issues in his or her life. Article Images Copyright Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Some still retain their identity as churchgoingChristians, struggling to reconcile what theyve always believed with what theyve actually experienced. The theme for this years conference is Unashamed. The conferences website notes that God calls leaders in His church to be unashameda call for courage, fortitude, boldness, and humility.. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The leadership of Grace Community Church, including prominent Pastor John MacArthur, have come under fire in recent weeks after the story of Eileen Gray was brought to light by investigative journalist Julie Roys. At age 20, Eileen known to many by her previous, married name of Eileen Gray knew nothing about. ", In the 2004 letter, Hardy wrote that the church had known of the accusations but was "concerned with the integrity of Eileen's statements. Not long after, she met a man in church who also claimed to have a newfound faith. Grace is central because it is by God's grace that we're even here. She blogs at The Migraine Runner. Some are boisterous and funny, peppering their stories with humor as an analgesic to pain. Despite being mandated by state law to report allegations of child abuse, the report states that GCC officials never reported the allegations against Gray to authorities and harassed the mother to change her mind about separation. A 2004 letter to the congregation of John MacArthurs Grace Community Church that shows a then-associate pastor supporting a man who was arrested for sexual and physical abuse of children has surfaced. In 2004, Hardy and Shannon were arrested for failing to report abuse and intimidating a witness. He also encouraged the congregation to pray for her and treat her as an unbeliever. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. And, like those of us on staff who know him, you have great difficulty believing the accusations that have been brought We can still strongly say that the accusations do not fit with what we know of David.. Courtesy photo. Grace Ministries International exists as a ministry of Grace Community Church to equip, send, and shepherd our missionaries as they endeavor to make disciples of all nations by means of evangelism, discipleship, church planting and strengthening, leadership training, and Bible translation, through the local church unto the glory of God through Jesus Christ. Other reports indicate that he served as an elder from 2002 to 2005. He did, however, note that he "might have been" present at the service where MacArthur spoke publicly about Eileen. Some of these cases were detailed last week in a report from Christianity Today. Finally, she continues, I completely surrendered my life to Jesus.. Not long after, she met a man in church who also claimed to have a newfound faith. Then, in 2017, another woman from Eileens former church reached out to her, asking Eileen to share her story in order to help other women who had experienced similar treatment from the church. Pastor MacArthur received criticisms from different people as shown in this Twitter thread. After persistent refusal, MacArthur publicly shamed Gray on two occasions fro the pulpit. I want to find them so I can tell them about you and how you love them and will comfort them in their pain.. strength of steel and the grace of a reed. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. MacArthur asked the church to pray for Eileen but to treat her as an unbeliever for all we know, she may be, while also encouraging prayer for David, for the sympathy and compassion and the lovingkindness of God to be his portion.. She added, But they do know that I love them.. This love is clear from the newsletters the ministry sends to supporters, which are filled with stories and pictures that both break your heart and give you hope. Editor's Note, March 21, 2022: This is a follow-up to our "Grace Community Church Leaders under Fire for 'Excommunicating' Wife Who Refused to Stay with Abusive Husband"piece. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Pragmatism wants to find a way around any kind of pain or difficulty., While saying good intentions may be behind it, MacArthur felt that efforts to advance the Gospel by political lobbying, by any form of pragmatism, shallow Gospel entertainment, emotional manipulation, acceptance of sin and sinners, is to cross over into the devils work.. Eileen Taylor, left, is a certified law enforcement chaplain with the Tehama County, California, Sheriffs Office, where she works with both law enforcement officials and criminals. Most likely, these accusations come from his estranged wife, Eileen.. (RNS) Eileen Taylor's 20-year-old self could never have imagined her life today. The accusations being brought against him have to do with child abuse. She said she had reported her husbands abuse to elders and pastors at GCC but not yet to police at the time of the shaming and was not yet aware of the sexual abuse. Im sure you know by now that one of our own, David Gray, has been arrested, Hardy said in the letter, which was obtained by The Roys Report. Should Christians Think of Themselves as Worthless and Wretched? Roys' article centers around the church's involvement in the marriage of Eileen and David Gray, the abuse perpetrated by David in their marriage, and the subsequent discovery that David had reportedly been sexually abusing their three adopted children. Eileen Taylor, left, is a certified law enforcement chaplain with the Tehama County, California, Sheriffs Office, where she works with both law enforcement officials and criminals. At age 20, Eileen known to many by her previous, married name of Eileen Gray knew nothing about Christianity, and she was on the fast track to a successful career in banking and finance. John MacArthur warns church leaders against compromising with 'the Critics, among them Russell Moore, who at the time was president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, countered by saying that social concerns and the Gospel are often intertwined. All the cool kids had it: Tom Pennington, Carey Hardy, Rick Holland and finally, Michael Mahoney who all have one particular thing in common intimidation of abuse victims and gross counseling negligence causing harm and emotional damage. Yet, Eileen is so much more than a survivor of domestic violence and spiritual abuse. (Source: Exclusive video obtained by The Roys Report) MacArthur, who leadsGrace Community Churchin Sun Valley, California, told his congregation it was necessary for him to call out Eileen Gray, who had rejected church elders direction to reconcile with her husband, a former childrens music and Bible teacher at the church, because the church bears responsibility before God to be the instrument of discipline.. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. To spend a few minutes with Eileen is to sense under her diminutive shell the Grace Community Church Let Her Down. Now Eileen Taylor Is Standing in Those were the happiest years of the marriage, Eileen told me recently, as she shared about thecircumstances that led to her becomingheadline newsthroughout the past year, after she reluctantly came forward to share how her former church dealt with her family after the church elders learned of her husbands abuse of their children. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. The Roys Report tried to reach MacArthur but failed to get his comments regarding the issue. Two 'Grace to You' Employees Respond - Spinning Shekel She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. Mahoneys misdeeds had been well known among the elders for over 10 years. She later reported it to the police. Sun Valley, CA 91352, MF 8:00 am5:00 pm You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. You have viewed 1 out of 3 free page views. Honey was able to graduate from a drug and alcohol counselor training program, then enroll in college. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. We have the various pastors and Youtube pastors to thank for their continued commentary on the Eileen Gray incident, demonstrating from Scripture what real church discipline is and how woefully wrong Grace Community Church applied this principle.