The Rewriting of Sovereign Grace History

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Date: November 8, 2025 at 12:54:32 PM CST
To: [Former & Current Sovereign Grace Pastors]
Subject: The Rewriting of Sovereign Grace History 

To Sovereign Grace pastors. 

On August 20, 2025 I wrote the Executive Committee about the rewriting of Sovereign Grace history.  I asked Mark, C.J., and Jeff to make a public retraction on Mark’s podcast.  I also asked that a confession be made at the upcoming Pastors Conference (Nov. 18-21).  There has been no retraction so I doubt there will be a confession.  The sinful rewriting of history to extol C.J. (and Jeff) must end.  It is dishonest and idolatrous.  

See my email below to the Executive Committee and encourage them to set the record right at the Pastors Conference.  A fraudulent history is no history. 

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Aug 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Subject: The Rewriting of Sovereign Grace History
To: Mark Prater mprater@covfel.org, Bruce Chick chickfamily@verizon.net, Brian Chesemore brian.chesemore@gmail.com, Andy Farmer afarmer@covfel.org, Abelardo Munoz amunoz@graciasoberana.org, Dave Odom dave@rgcnashville.com, Bill Patton bpatton@covfel.org, Mike Plewniak mike@cckchurch.com, Steve Teter steter@lfcwv.org, David York dave@clfroseburg.com 

To the Executive Committee:  Mark Prater, Bruce Chick, Brian Chesemore, Andy Farmer, Abelardo Munoz, Dave Odom, Bill Patton, Mike Plewniak, Steve Teter, Dave York 

I am taking the occasion to write since you are meeting for your annual retreat.  Please consider what I am about to share.  

I have been watching the executive committee, the leadership team, the directors, and C.J. rewrite (and erase) Sovereign Grace history for many years but I have never addressed it in public. 

For example, C.J. did not found People of Destiny International (a.k.a., Sovereign Grace Churches) as claimed by Mark and others.  This must be corrected.  If anyone deserves that accolade it should be Larry Tomczak.  He was the apostolic team leader for the first nine years of our existence.  

Nor did C.J. found the Pastors College as you and he have claimed.  He had nothing to do with its founding.  And the incentive and model for the PC had nothing to do with Charles Spurgeon.  This lie has been propagated far and wide.  For example, by Mark. 

Celebrating 20 Years: 4th Quarter Mission Fund Video
December 14, 2017 by Mark Prater 

And we wouldn’t be celebrating this moment if it were not for the leadership of C.J. Mahaney (Sr. Pastor, Sovereign Grace Louisville), who had the vision to see men trained for ministry by establishing a Pastors College similar to the model Charles Spurgeon developed.  C.J. also wisely recruited Jeff Purswell who has faithfully served as the Dean of the Pastors College for 20 years. 

Here’s the problem.  None of it is true.  It was my vision to start the School of Ministry (a.k.a. the Pastors College) in 1987.  I did not model it after Spurgeon.  I created it from scratch.  It was an altogether unique approach.  

C.J. “wisely recruited” Jeff because I asked him to do so.  He didn’t even know Jeff except for what I was telling him about Jeff with whom I had built a relationship.  Further, Jeff was not the Dean 20 years ago starting in 1997-1998.  That year, he was still at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with Wayne Grudem.  In 1998-1990, I made him Dean of Student Affairs and had him teach seven courses.  I continued to lead the PC.  Then in 1999-2000, I turned it over to Jeff.  

It is so vain for C.J. to claim he founded the PC and for Jeff to claim he led the PC from its inception.  These are lies and they know it.  Moreover, there was no difference between the School of Ministry in 1987-1988 and 1990-1991, and the Pastors College (renamed) in 1997-1998.  They were identical.   

Let me illustrate further.  In November 2017, C.J. did a podcast with Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman.  On the program, he boasted about founding the PC and modeling it after Spurgeon.  He also boasted about how great the PC was even though half of the men who graduated from the PC either left the movement or ministry by 2016.  These are matters of fact. 

I wrote Jenny about this deception in January 2018.  I was stunned by C.J.’s audacious lying on the program with Dever and Leeman.  That was eight years ago. 

From: Jenny Detwiler jenny.detwiler@gmail.com
Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2018 2:17 PM
To: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Subject: Re: N.T. Wright / Anglicanism 

We read Simply Good News and they are recommending The Anglican Way, by Thomas McKenzie.  

I’m sorry the guys aren’t crediting you for the Pastor’s College.  They should.  The Lord certainly knows your contribution and that’s what really counts.  

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2018 2:25 PM
To: Jenny Detwiler jenny.detwiler@gmail.com
Subject: RE: N.T. Wright / Anglicanism 

I don’t care about not being credited.  It is the extraordinary lying and deceit by C.J., Jeff and Mark that is so troubling.

And let me reiterate, I still don’t care about being credited but I have decided you cannot be allowed to create a false history about C.J., the Pastors College, etc.    

Steve Whitacre has also knowingly propagated the lie that C.J. founded the Pastors College at the Pastors Conference in 2021.  I did not hear back from him. 

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2022 11:25 AM
To: Steve Whitacre steve.whitacre@gmail.com
Subject: C.J. Founded Pastors College 

Steve, 

I listened to your comments about Trinity College during which you said C.J. founded the PC.  That is completely untrue.  C.J. had nothing to do with the start of the PC.  Please stop putting out this kind of bogus information to exalt him.  It is terribly wrong in the sight of God. 

Brent  

And let me add, Jeff did not lead the Pastors College as claimed by you and him.  We changed the name of the school to the PC in 1997.  Jeff was still completing his master’s degree at TEDS [Trinity Evangelical Divinity School].  I turned it over to him two years later.  That is when he began to lead it.  He had nothing to do with its founding or design.  Everything was in place including a Greek course.   

Lastly, when I moved to Wheaton, MD in August 1982 to begin People of Destiny International; Larry, C.J., and others were preaching a false gospel.  The “good news” was about the restoration of the church and making Jesus Lord of your life.  There was next to nothing about Christ crucified.  I addressed this error in 1983 at our Elders Week of Study.  I spoke on “What Is the Gospel?”  It was a major corrective.  You can ask Bill Patton because he was there.  

Thereafter, I wrote a gospel centered Statement of Faith, built a gospel centered curriculum into the PC, and began to teach the doctrines of grace to the apostolic team, SGM pastors, and the movement at large.  For example, I wrote an article for the ministry magazine in 1990 on “The Centrality of the Gospel.”  You men know these things are true. 

We slowly became “gospel centered” but it took a lot of work.  In 1994, C.J. wrote me a letter for my 40^th birthday expressing his appreciation for the doctrinal foundations I laid for the movement and the impact it had upon him.  In the beginning, C.J. and Larry had little regard for doctrine.  I addressed it with them.  C.J. changed, Larry did not. 

Covenant Life Church
In His Presence - Under His Authority - To His Glory 

February, 9, 1994 

Dear Brent, 

It is a distinct honor to participate in the expression of appreciation on the occasion of your fortieth birthday. … I will never tire of reminding you about the impact your love for sound doctrine and study has had on my life and the churches we have the privilege to serve.  It is a contribution you have made and continue to make that has been of immeasurable value.  How does one adequately thank an individual for inspiring them to diligently study and delight in God’s Word?  I trust you feel my gratefulness. 

In His grace,
C.J.

Much later, C.J. popularized the gospel through the Cross Centered Life (2002) and T4G 2006 [Together for the Gospel] but he primarily learned the gospel from me.  

None of this is evident in your re-writing of Sovereign Grace history.  It is simply not true that C.J. founded the ministry on the gospel.  I even had to correct him in the middle years on his gospel-less conversion testimony.  

With The Cross-Centered Life in 2002, C.J. took the phrase, “The Main Thing Is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing” from business guru, Stephen Covey without attribution.  It did not originate with him.  And yet the Lord used it for His good purposes.  But of course, this is one of the core issues I sought to address in C.J.’s soul for 25 years.  His propensity to lie and deceive in order to protect himself and promote himself.  

You are always talking about paying close attention to your life and doctrine.  But the former is simply not the case and it has not been so since I sent out The Documents in July 2011 and the lawsuit came out in October 2012.  It has been one cover up after another.  I still hope for repentance. 

Here is what I’m asking you to do to make things right.  Mark, you need to confess your sins on your podcast and set the record straight.  C.J. and Jeff should be your guests and do the same.  This should be done in the near future.  

Then, a confession should be made at the Pastors Conference in November by the three of you acknowledging C.J. did not found SGC, did not found the PC, did not lay the gospel centered foundations; and Jeff did not lead or design the PC from the beginning.  He inherited the PC.  Nothing essential has changed.    

Like previous occasions, I hope my appeal results in contrition and a commitment to write the history of SGC in an honest and transparent fashion.