Other women say church officials told them to forgive their husbands, even amid safety concerns. GCC counselors and pastors reportedly shared Bible verses with the women about love, submission, and forgiveness. Eileen Gray, who went public with her story to try to help others, says GCC leaders are continuing in “egregious sin.”
Pete Singer, executive director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), tells CT that pastoral defense of accused abusers is “unfortunately prevalent” and “a reflection of how the pastor has been groomed.”
Grace Church Defends Its ‘Biblical’ Counseling
In response to the CT article, Grace Community Church elders say they don’t “publicly discuss details arising from counseling and discipline cases.” Instead, the church “deals with accusations personally and privately in accordance with biblical principles.” As for its counseling practices, elders state: “Our church’s history and congregation are the testimony. Myriads of Grace Church members who have sought counsel at our church will testify that the counsel they receive is biblical, charitable, supportive, and liberating.”
That wording sparked pushback on social media. Seminarian Rachel Darnall tweets: “‘Our church’s history and congregation are the testimony.’ Well … yes. That’s kind of the problem. GCC’s own former congregants – including a former elder! – are telling the public things about the church’s history that need to be repented of.”
New York Times columnist David French calls the CT article “incredibly disturbing,” tweeting that it “raises questions that demand answers.”
Meanwhile, William Wolfe, a former Trump administration official, tweets: “I’m so thankful for the life and ministry of @johnmacarthur And whatever did or didn’t happen at GCC, I’m not going to trust the reporting from the likes of @CTmagazine, or commentary from @DavidAFrench, @kkdumez, etc., for one second on this issue. And you shouldn’t either.”
