MK forum

A family that aspires to be tribal missionaries with NTM was found at random on the internet, contacted and asked about the Fanda situation. Did this affect their decision to go with NTM? I did not initiate or participate in this, but I was told of the results. Here is their answer, unedited:

I didn't know about the issue, but I do know that we live in a sinful world and that is no excuse for what happened, but I'm pretty sure that if the home base in the states knew about that they would have kicked them out for sure, there is no exceptions for that. That specific situation would not change whether or not I serve with NTM because I believe there is a bigger picture here. Now, if there was story after story of how NTM didn't take care of issues correctly then I would consider not going with them, but my passion is to serve God in reaching the lost, and bringing the name of Jesus to those who have never had the chance to hear of him over rides this.

I also believe that Satan could be using this story against NTM, and that is not a good thing. I can read the report of this sad story and wish it didn't happen, and wish that people weren't sick, and polluted, but people are, and things happen, Satan will do anything to prevent the gospel from getting to people, and I don't think we should take Satan's side and prevent people from hearing the gospel.

that's my 2 cents.

Breathtaking! Exposing sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual abuse of children is "taking Satan's side and preventing people from hearing the gospel"!

Making children eat their own vomit, gagging and sodomizing young girls, breaking the occasional arm. . . in the "bigger picture," things happen and "bringing the name of Jesus to those who have never had the chance to hear of him over rides this."

Yikes! Well, at the very least, I sure hope this family decides to read the report and see that there is indeed "story after story of how NTM didn't take care of issues correctly." And then, if they choose to work with NTM, I really hope they support those existing workers who are trying to bring serious improvements from the inside-out.

They are graduates of NTBI, Jackson, Michigan.

[quote="Gene Long"]
Now, if there was story after story of how NTM didn't take care of issues correctly then I would consider not going with them, but ....."
How unaware of this person! And yet how typical of the average NTMer! The story of the continued abuse and coverup at the Fanda school alone should be enough to cause one pause for serious consideration!!! I wonder how many stories it will take? All of these cases in FANDA! And then there's NTM PNG, Phillipines, Tambo, and the list goes on and on and on!!!

Yes, I ask the same question as V.A.F.

Also, I didn't read the same thing in the letter that some of you see. It doesn't sound to me that they are saying "winning the lost" is a "bigger picture" than sodomy, etc. I heard/read a person who assumes that this abuse is not a pattern and is not woven into the fabric of the mission.

Regarding the part where they say that Satan tries to use things to destroy God's work. This is true. Satan thought it was great to have all those children (and missionaries) being hurt. S thinks it is great that the sin was covered up. He (or cronies) are no doubt working to do what they can to keep people blind to their own sin, to keep them from repentance, to keep them from doing anything that will glorify God.

And what glorifies God? Reflecting Who He is. In this situation, NTM has a HUGE chance to glorify God to the watching world.

Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.

True Righteousness demands justice, truth, mercy and grace. Justice meted out to the offenders. Truth, no hedging or hiding.

Psalms 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

I don't know what the person who wrote this letter means, but what is true is that NTM has an opportunity to glorify God, to share the Gospel of God in a way that no Christian organization to date (that I know) has done. And how? To openly, fully, and honestly admit the heinous sins that have been done and for each leader to claim the full extent of any personal blame. In other words, show the dirty laundry to all the world. After all, it is SINNERS Christ came to save. The Gospel isn't about being 'good.' We need Christ as substitute for our sin because we can't be good enough! The message isn't "come be good like me" but "God saves sinners such as me. Come join me as one of the saved, let us rejoice in HIM, love Him and live for Him.

I came across this article - not totally apropos b/c it is written about the TV evangelists scandals...., but it doesn't take many word changes to make the article fit this situation.

Judgment at the House of God
R. T. Kendall Columns - Evangelical Essentials

Are the recent church scandals God’s judgment?
I have been asking the question of late: Whatever is going on lately in some charismatic circles with the increase of financial scandals, sex scandals, divorces, even Senate investigations of ministries? Could it be God's judgment? Is there more coming down the road that will make the angels blush? Are people who get found out to continue on as if nothing happened?

Judgment often begins at the house of God (see 1 Pet. 4:17). It is my view that this is precisely what is occurring these days. We have elevated the gifting of Christian leaders above character. At the judgment seat of Christ I will not be judged by how well I preached or how many books I wrote but on the basis of my character. What kind of divine judgment are we facing? I believe there are no fewer than five kinds.

1) Retributive judgment. This is God getting even and showing no mercy at all. It happened to Cain and to Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen. 4:13; 19:28). Eternal punishment is the ultimate display of retributive judgment (see Rev. 14:11).

2) Gracious judgment. Whereas retributive judgment is God's wrath unveiled "without mixture" (Rev. 14:10, KJV), gracious judgment comes blended with mercy. Painful though it is, it is attached to hope and is designed to lead to unfeigned repentance. Gracious judgment is also given to warn us. It was at the bottom of Jonah getting found out, being thrown overboard and then swallowed up by the fish. It led to his repentance (see Jon. 1-2).

3) Redemptive judgment. Also a mixture, this involves retribution paralleled by a promise. When the children of Israel murmured in their wandering, God sent poisonous snakes that bit the people. But He also ordered Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole so those who looked at it would live (see Num. 21:8-9).

4) Natural judgment. A variation of retributive judgment, this is natural law at work with an emphasis on the consequence of sin. "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7).

5) Silent judgment. This is the scariest scenario of all, when God appears to do nothing. It follows this premise: The angrier God is, the longer He waits to reveal it. At His angriest, God does nothing. We see this in Romans 1 when God merely "gave them up" to sinful desires and lusts (vv. 24, 26). Silent judgment is when God doesn't send pain; He doesn't indicate His anger; He doesn't even send a warning.

We can be thankful that it is not silent judgment at work in recent months but gracious judgment that lies behind the ever-increasing number of embarrassing exposures. God has stepped in. Make no mistake, He is angry. But there is hope. As pain is a blessing because it shows something is wrong in the body, so God has been finding people out.

Jonah was found out. God finally got his attention in the fish's belly. Jonah repented and was used mightily as a result (see Jon. 3-4). As Hebrews 12:6 says, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens." The Greek word for chasten originates from a word meaning "enforced learning." God has a way of getting our attention.

First Peter 4:17 describes our current time, when judgment begins with the family of God. It is a good time. God isn't being silent; He is at work. But if we sweep the dirt under the carpet and don't call a spade a spade, it will result in silent judgment one day—which will mean it is too late. It is not too late—at least not now.

http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/evangelical-essentials/16778-judgment-at-the-house-of-god

Like millions of other people, I "blog" on the internet. I do it semi-anonymously (so, don't tell anybody it's me!) here, for instance: http://fatbaptistpreachers.blogspot.com/ I have yet to get any comments on my posts, though I would welcome them. Maybe all the Baptist preachers that read my blog are fit. Or, maybe the fat ones are happy that way. Or, maybe the competition for readership is too steep, and no one reads it at all. In any case, I don't blog just for the fun of doing it. I really, deep down inside, hope people will read this stuff. And, maybe, comment.

The couple contacted at random blogs on the internet. They had their email address on their blog. Maybe, like me, they want people to contact them. After all, they did answer. As to the motivation for asking, I don't know, any more than I know the motivation for answering. Is it relevant to their answer?

MK sheri is one of my favorite posters on these forums. We don't always come at things from the exact same angle, but I think we are in substantial agreement on many points. And, on those points where we differ, she is a lucid and courteous exponent. I deeply appreciate your comments, MK sheri, and I applaud your contributions to these forums. More people should follow your example.

MK sheri is also very gracious, an essential trait if we want people to consider our opinions. I, too, try to be gracious, even if MK sheri sets the bar pretty high. For all that, I admit that I have given the email a pretty literal reading; please do not construe that as being uncharitable. While the email has all of the outside aspects of having been written in one sitting, with no revision or editing for clarity, it would be hard to polish it up enough to make it say something different than it does. Taken at face value, the author says this: "Now, if there was story after story of how NTM didn't take care of issues correctly then I would consider not going with them. . . " In the face of story after story of how NTM didn't take care of issues correctly, the author would CONSIDER not going with NTM. As MK sheri says, this is "a person who assumes that this abuse is not a pattern and is not woven into the fabric of the mission." I agree with that. But this person also leaves open the possibility that, even if it were woven into the fabric of the mission, they would still go with them.

The author also said that "bringing the name of Jesus to those who have never had the chance to hear of him over rides this." Overrides what? It sounds like it overrides story after story of not taking care of issues correctly. I found, and still find, that breathtaking.

MK sheri said, "Regarding the part where they say that Satan tries to use things to destroy God's work. This is true. Satan thought it was great to have all those children (and missionaries) being hurt. S thinks it is great that the sin was covered up. He (or cronies) are no doubt working to do what they can to keep people blind to their own sin, to keep them from repentance, to keep them from doing anything that will glorify God." I totally agree with her on this; I would have said the same thing, just not as clearly. As it works out, during the time that these crimes/ sins were happening, and their cover up was all but complete. . . NTM grew.

Please note that the author of the email said, "I don't think we should take Satan's side and prevent people from hearing the gospel." I don't think s/he is trying to say that we shouldn't engage in sexual abuse of children or cover up such actions, since that would be taking Satan's side. That is true, but it doesn't fit the context. It sounds to me like they are saying that bringing these things to light is what can destroy NTM, and we shouldn't be a part of that. I've actually been told that by others, as well. My participation in this site is hampering the spread of the gospel, they tell me.

I believe that those who have "taken Satan's side" and are hampering the spread of the Gospel are those who committed these atrocities, not those who have exposed them. I would like to think that all Christians agree with that. It is shocking that there are those who blame the victims and others who would draw attention to these things.

Wow... I don't know how to respond to this politely but I will try. Is the author of that email saying "the ends justify the means?" Can you be serious? It doesn't matter how many lives are destroyed or innocent children thrown into the pit as long as the word of the Gospel has been spread? And when these things are brought to light we are "taking the side of the devil to prevent the spread of the word?" Are they not placing themselves as an equal to God by sacrificing their own children?

Gene - your reading of the letter is sadly, probably accurate. That person, and all who believe that are blind to the truth; Cover-up impedes the message of the gospel. Cover-up is the antithesis of the gospel.

The GRACE report puts it this way...

Satan thrives on silence and passivity as he slithers through Christian institutions such as Fanda. We have seen what the devil does with silence and inaction and we reject it as the sin that it is.

The cross that propels NTM into the tribes is the same cross that NTM must seek in order to gain a deeper understanding of its sin along with a greater dependence upon the Sin-Bearer who forgives and transforms and makes us a new creation

How can we share a gospel that we don't preach to ourselves, that we ourselves need?

For true Christian repentance, we must be changed to see the wicked truth about Fanda, to grasp the wrongheadedness, to empathize with the hurting, to tremble at the offense to God, and to resolve for restitution. The cross and character of Christ demand no less. The ultimate mission of NTM is to be like Jesus, in her going to every tongue and tribe and people and nation...

...the inherent desire of the church to protect the institution’s good name and standing in Christendom. When a church body succumbs to this temptation, it is no longer Christ-centered and has lost its way, leading others down a destructive path.

God’s kingdom is the kingdom of the heart—it is not our churches, institutions, missions or schools. He is building His kingdom, not ours, and He does that by having authority over the human heart to the point where it is full of the Holy Spirit. Such godly power imparts His life, His light, His grace, His truth, and His love into all that we are and all that we do. It is only then that God’s Kingdom grows and He is glorified.

Returning to the individual who wrote that email..., we cannot know their heart. I don't know your story but I know mine. That person may be callously unconcerned for the MKs or they may be caught up in the multiple delusions and erroneous beliefs that have permeated the mission. I used to think that 'disobeying' or questioning the leaders was as if I was rebelling against God. The process of coming out of that has been emotional, full of fear. I was afraid to trust my thoughts..., what if, what if I was/am deserting God to think this way!!

On the flip side of that, I am also outraged at that attitude, that belief. I don't know if outrage at the attitude should be separate from outrage at the person. I am still chewing on this. Where is my outrage appropriate and where am I taking on for myself the vengeance that God says is His alone? I don't think it is an easy distinction and I don't have answers.

Parts of this same section of the GRACE report spoke to me about my own heart.

The cross that propels NTM into the tribes is the same cross that NTM must seek in order to gain a deeper understanding of its sin along with a greater dependence upon the Sin-Bearer who forgives and transforms and makes us a new creation. If NTM is most burdened by the specific consequences rather than by the sin or most grieved by loss of reputation rather than by offense to a holy God, then this report will have failed in its heartfelt intent—genuine repentance before a holy God that leads to heart and institutional transformation.

I had a specific sin in mind at the time and asked myself - Is my grief over this because of the consequences and my lowered view of myself or is it because I have offended God. I had to admit, it was the first and repent of that. I pray also for true repentance for the leaders at NTM.

The other part that spoke to me personally is this:

Even when child abuse within the church is revealed, there is a great temptation to blame the situation as the work of an isolated group of men and women with devious, deluded or criminal minds who cunningly snuck themselves in among the faithful.

I see how quickly I point the finger at "them." They are the guilty ones. They deserve judgment. I quickly defend myself, "I would never..." I set up a false separation between the 'sinful' Christians and the 'good' Christians, putting myself in the latter category of course. In my "I would never..." about their specific sins, I can keep my eyes away from "But I would..." What am I trying to avoid seeing about myself? Where am I resisting repentance about the matters of my own heart?