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Author Topic: GCx Leaders Unrepentant  (Read 17484 times)
Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #20 on: March 26, 2022, 07:54:20 pm »

From the Addendum to Marching to Zion:  http://gcxweb.org/Misc/LarryPile-03-11-2006.aspx


... These two communications are evidence that Great Commission has not been very forthright with its members about the abusive teachings and practices of its past. Not that every church with a problemed past needs to dwell on that. But it should acknowledge it, describe how it has learned and grown from (and away from) it, and emphasize its desire to glorify God by building healthy disciples of Christ. The past can, and should, be a source of learning. As George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.


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« Reply #21 on: June 27, 2022, 08:09:37 pm »

You continue to promote false stories amongst yourselves, yet you are unwilling to face Him publishing about these things?  What does that mean? Are you actually under the opinion that your constant slander and gossip is righteous?  If you want to be on the podcast you can prove yourself and your accusations once and for all!  When will you do the right thing on behalf of the many you have poisoned and been postponed by?  PROVE your accusations.  Jim is available.  Why are you hesitant?  If there's anyone actually still reading this stuff, don't you think these people should oppose Jim face to face?

Jim is not available.  You want us  to go to him - it is he who should come to us.
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Huldah
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« Reply #22 on: June 28, 2022, 12:22:56 pm »

A long time ago, I heard an interview with the author of a book simply titled Power. (It may have been the book by Michael Korda, but I don't remember for sure.) According to this author, one important way to assert power was, "Don't go to them. Make them come to you."

By the way, the person quoted above, Vince Capobianco, was asked repeatedly to show even one lie about McCotter on this forum. He never did.



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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #23 on: November 17, 2022, 07:40:28 pm »


Our decision to leave a GCM church came after we began questioning many things. And, the bulk of the negative evidence that we found came from GCM itself (sermons, conference tapes, papers, books)not from outsiders who were “slandering” the movement!

-Linda


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Huldah
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« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2022, 10:53:57 am »


Our decision to leave a GCM church came after we began questioning many things. And, the bulk of the negative evidence that we found came from GCM itself (sermons, conference tapes, papers, books)not from outsiders who were “slandering” the movement!

-Linda

Same here. When I left, there was no Internet. There were no published critiques of the movement There wasn't even anyone to talk to who understood the movement. There were no outside influences at all that made me decide to leave. I left because I couldn't reconcile the behavior of the leadership (and some of the more gung-ho followers) with the teachings of the Bible.
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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #25 on: December 02, 2022, 09:30:08 pm »


I just read the 1991 Error/Apology Statement put out by GCx and signed by Dave Bovenmyer. Wow!!! That will stop you in your tracks. But that wasn’t the biggest shock of the day.

Here is a quote from the first page of the 1991 Error Statement:

“And because we realize that our churches and leaders, while doing their best to follow the Lord’s leading, will make mistakes in the future, we are in the process of developing a Book of Government to formalize procedures on how to approach and respond to those mistakes and grievances.”

It is my understanding that this Book of Government was never finished and released. The fact that the Book of Government wasn’t finished is HUGE. To me, the fact that it wasn’t followed through on NEGATES the 1991 Error Statement completely. It says to me, that the leaders got the change in the movement squashed. The leaders in the GCx movement don’t want to change its ways.

To me, finishing that Book of Government should have been the leaders number one priority until it was/is finished. Why would the leaders put anything at a higher priority? ...

... you admit GCx has bad experiences, has abuses and has “bad” pastors. I’m not being slanderous, just recognizing what you state. Why then, is the movement not making it a priority to rid itself of this baggage?

-Miss Current,  2007




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« Reply #26 on: December 05, 2022, 05:22:31 pm »

I know first hand that promises of future reparative actions were never followed through on. Empty promises exposed true intentions.
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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #27 on: December 05, 2022, 06:59:25 pm »


Agree, Margaret.

Margaret, you are certainly someone who has had a thorough inside view of GCx and speak with more experience than most on here as you were in the movement for 30 years!

Men of integrity mean what they say. Their words are trustworthy and reliable. They also readily admit their error and publicly repent when they have publicly done wrong.

But, GCx stirred the yeast of McCotter’s deception and tricks right into their leadership operation to “handle” nearly any complaint of spiritual abuse. Like McCotter, their left hand would distract and hide from others what their right hand was really doing. Complaints of wrongdoing were nearly always falsely labeled or denied. If their abuses leaked out to the members, they were minimized or called those who spoke the truth corrupt Christian’s, when all the while they were the ones who were corrupt. They produced fake fanfare in announcing “programs” that appeared to demonstrate concern about past members merely as a PR stunt. There was no real repentant heart in it. Certainly very little fruit according to witnesses on this site.

Public Statements made by GCx Leaders slandering former members in order to secure GCx’s ongoing deception were never publicly and humbly retracted, except for a very few which strangely accompanied signed statements saying ‘GCx had repented’. Quite curious and concerning!



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« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2023, 07:58:55 pm »



GCC has a 30 year history of apologizing and manipulating people into agreeing that they are working towards restoring themselves to a healthy church.  That's just further abuse and a lie.  Their apologies aren't sincere.  Their apologies are self-seeking, motivated by an effort to save their own image.

-Cult Proof,   2018


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« Reply #29 on: March 26, 2023, 07:50:42 pm »



The [GCx] leadership has too often not been repentant.  And the guilt is so widespread at this point, it is hard to get things reconciled.  I not only drank the kool-aid; I passed it around to others and encouraged them to drink.  I don't know whom I've hurt.  I wonder (I'm new here) if there is a list of the names of the people who are willing confess to those who write in and lay out specific sins committed against them.

I was a defender for a long time.  It took getting married and having all my expectations completely exposed for the false hopes they were before I could see what I'd been through.  The wounds are deep; the consequences seemingly for ever:  marriage choices, career choices, family decisions, etc. I know that God is sovereign, but I constantly struggle.  I feel that I was not protected. ...

Like many, I struggle to read Scripture.  We threw our lives behind the understanding we had of God's Word--we lived the lies we believed.  Every time we open the Bible, those false messages are waiting there to confuse us. 

-TurnLeft,   2009


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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #30 on: April 17, 2023, 06:40:39 am »



I'm sorry to say that the Weaknesses Statement [1991] felt like a play-by-play as we encountered difficulty with our pastors. I disagree that it is a "thing of the past". The leadership of our church (and the other 3 GCAC/GCM churches I was part of in the past 10 years) still acts that way.
-MarriedWomanPhD,   2010
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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #31 on: May 05, 2023, 07:14:03 pm »



… That is one of the things which was repented of in the weakness paper. JM [GCx elder/pastor name abbreviated] spoke at a pastor's conference about 5 years ago [~2005] and it was on having children. He showed that if we multiplied at the right rate, while others in Christendom had less children, in just a few generations GC would have the majority population in Christianity. The application was that, "we (GC) are the remnant!"

He was told to apologize the next day and the message was taken down. I do not see this attitude changing in the movement, however. There is an elitist view. People boast that they evangelize more than other churches, but it is not effective evangelism. It is quick prayer and emotional!

For the record, even though a weakness paper came out in 1991, I was never made aware of it, nor were my peers who were still in the movement. It was only years later that I heard of it and it was in a boasting manner. The leader spoke of how much humility it took to produce such a paper and how no other groups in Christendom have done that. Yet, I would say that the church I attended, it was never repented of. I encourage all the young people to read the paper for themselves.

-JosieJ




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« Reply #32 on: May 17, 2023, 07:31:18 am »



I'm sorry to say that the Weaknesses Statement [1991] felt like a play-by-play as we encountered difficulty with our pastors. I disagree that it is a "thing of the past". The leadership of our church (and the other 3 GCAC/GCM churches I was part of in the past 10 years) still acts that way.

Thanks for sharing.
That's what I was afraid of.

-MarriedWomanPhD,   2010
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« Reply #33 on: May 17, 2023, 07:56:58 am »


I just read the 1991 Error/Apology Statement put out by GCx and signed by Dave Bovenmyer. Wow!!! That will stop you in your tracks. But that wasn’t the biggest shock of the day.

Here is a quote from the first page of the 1991 Error Statement:

“And because we realize that our churches and leaders, while doing their best to follow the Lord’s leading, will make mistakes in the future, we are in the process of developing a Book of Government to formalize procedures on how to approach and respond to those mistakes and grievances.”

It is my understanding that this Book of Government was never finished and released. The fact that the Book of Government wasn’t finished is HUGE. To me, the fact that it wasn’t followed through on NEGATES the 1991 Error Statement completely. It says to me, that the leaders got the change in the movement squashed. The leaders in the GCx movement don’t want to change its ways.

To me, finishing that Book of Government should have been the leaders number one priority until it was/is finished. Why would the leaders put anything at a higher priority? ...

... you admit GCx has bad experiences, has abuses and has “bad” pastors. I’m not being slanderous, just recognizing what you state. Why then, is the movement not making it a priority to rid itself of this baggage?

-Miss Current,  2007






Correct.
A humble leadership would even in the 1991 statement have said "we were wrong. We'll change"
Instead they put in phrases like "because.....".
That's kind of making an excuse.
Just say "we were wrong"
I'm thinking maybe they never intended to change.
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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #34 on: May 20, 2023, 07:37:11 pm »



The interesting thing I found is that GCx has been made aware of the practices for a long time, by many others and that they have disregarded and hidden the cries of others. It was interesting for me to find out after I left of the Statement of Weakness paper put forward years ago, where GCx had initially recognized their error. To my surprise, the same exact things which they claimed to have repented of as a movement were still being practiced.

I spoke with several former leaders of the church I was at who had left and to a person they all said that they tried to help leadership (the ones given charge of protecting God's flock) see the misguided practices and weights and burdens they were putting on others. My point is that they have had ample opportunity to change.

-DevastatedTC,   2014


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« Reply #35 on: June 15, 2023, 05:55:41 pm »



Issues I dealt with were supposedly corrected in 1991. How were [they] not corrected 9 years ago? Someone tried insinuating that these were issues 20 or 30 years ago... Why did I encounter them during the 5 years I attended a GCC church?

... I choose not to disclose identity for those trolling or the GCC leaders who might be watching. I learned 7 years ago what happens when someone leaves.

-Godisgrace   2018  [left~2011]



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« Reply #36 on: August 20, 2023, 12:40:19 pm »



GCers tend to remain worldly and love those who love them or who are "cool", hip, fashionable, trendy...because they have never really been regenerate[d?] to turn and judge things rightly--at least in my experience.

... these are fake shepherds with false humility who lord it over everyone and not only abuse, but protect the abusers of, the sheep.

Beware these men's [McCotter’s founding disciples’] disciples, they're wicked and all wholesome-y in their words but without understanding.

- theresearchpersona,   2016


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« Reply #37 on: November 06, 2023, 06:47:36 pm »



GCM's "apology" came out in 1991. I was a freshman in 1992 and heard NOTHING about this. In fact, I was a victim of everything on the list. This is irresponsible at best. Deceitful and sinful at worst.

I went on staff in 2005 and heard a 5 minute discussion about "people being hurt in the past and it being a misunderstanding." First time ever hearing about it. Never saw the letter. No details provided. ...

Reading my journals from that time in my life, I was MISERABLE. ... many years later and I am still in therapy. I attribute this to the influence and teachings of GCM- legalistic, dogmatic ...

It's years later and I am still unable to attend any church. Organized religion scares me and I have made peace that my spiritual journey does not need to include membership in organized religion at this time.This is not because I am looking for a "perfect church," but rather because any attempt to experience church is traumatic, like tearing off a deep, gaping scab. ...

-amyk


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« Reply #38 on: November 09, 2023, 09:01:42 am »



They don’t take seriously the suggestion that they have cult-like tendencies. It’s viewed as persecution and misunderstanding by outsiders not as zealous as they are. They hide their past and don’t even have their 1991 apology statement posted.

-Genevieve,   2007


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« Reply #39 on: November 16, 2023, 07:10:59 pm »



I don’t think we really understand the level of deception that occurs in people who abuse. We think that if they cry and say they are sorry, that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t touch the practice of deception that runs their lives and that runs their organizations. We’re very naive about that. You can’t marinate yourself in the lies and deception that are needed to keep abusing—and then say “I’m sorry” and have that change who you are.

-Dr. Diane Langberg,   2023
 Christianity Today Interview




 (Bold Emphasis mine)

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/january-web-only/diane-langberg-interview-church-abuse-trauma-sbc.html


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