A Guide to the Sovereign Grace Ministries Scandal and the End of New Calvinism

As usual I am behind in my reading, but this article as Ettinger says is a SparksNotes version of some recent events within the evangelical movement formerly known as the Shepherding Movement; it is now under the umbrella of New Calvinism.


First point that caught my interest,

"The New Calvinists are a pretty tangled network of mostly middle-class white dudes who tend to function as an old boys’ club. Total power corrupts and these guys have charm, bald heads, melodramatic preaching tics, and Calvinist guilt on their side. There’s a lot of money to be had in this pastoring business, and there are a lot of questions to be answered about the financial ethics,,,."

Second point that caught my interest,

Even the big leaders in the Christian homeschooling movement and the Reconstructionist theology circles shared a lot in common with the New Calvinists, especially their shared background in the Shepherding Movement. Names like Bill Gothard (patron saint of the Duggars), Douglas Wilson (betrothal expert and Reconstructionist theologian), Doug Phillips (Vision Forum founder and political conniver), and Michael Farris all overlap with these circles in many ways. These men have been linked to racists, are openly anti-gay, and are just plain extremist in their thinking.

This year, I’ve watched Bill Gothard resign after Recovering Grace documented stories of his sexual predation. I’ve watched Doug Phillips lose his ministry and his dignity as his alleged sexual abuse of the family nanny came to light. I’ve watched Michael Farris’ Patrick Henry College scramble to deal with their mishandling of sexual assault cases on the campus of what they claim is “God’s Harvard,” the alma mater of Josh Harris’ brothers (who wrote the book below) and many young adults from SGM churches.

Lots of very BIG names and big money.

A Guide to the Sovereign Grace Ministries Scandal and the End of New Calvinism