A lawyer and former elder of John MacArthur's Grace Community Church (GCC), Hohn Cho, accused the megachurch in California of continuing with "awful patterns" in supporting abusers, thereby endangering their victims, as reported today by Christianity Today (CT).

According to Cho's testimony in The Roys Report (TRR) investigation last March, MacArthur, and GCC decided to excommunicate Eileen Gray and shame her for not taking back her husband, David Gray, who was convicted of child abuse in 2005. The church decided to support David even after his conviction and spurn Eileen, the TRR reported.

As reported by Christianity Today, "Witnesses and victims backed his wife's account of the abusive behavior, while church leaders continued to defend him, according to court documents referenced and posted with the March 2022 Roys Report article. David Gray remains in prison."

Cho wrote in a 20-page document that was submitted to the GCC board, "Now that the facts are indeed known, it is not too late to ‘do justice' even at this late stage, almost 20 years later. One's own integrity, and upholding justice and righteousness, and being faithful even in the small things, even for something 20 years ago, all matter immensely."

The church has not admitted to any wrongdoing or issued any apologies. Cho told CT that several GCC leaders refused to read The Roys Report. And MacArthur refused to reconsider his course of action regarding Eileen Gray.

"They sided with a child abuser, who turned out to be a child molester, over a mother desperately trying to protect her three innocent young children," Cho reported to CT. "And that was and is flatly wrong, and needs to be made right."

Cho learned that the injustice done to Eileen Gray by GCC was not an isolated case. Cho reported that there are other cases of women who were counseled by the church to return to their abusers.

Eight women have come forward, reporting to CT that GCC urged them not to report their abusive husbands and fathers to authorities. Church leaders, instead, reportedly quoted Scripture to the women about forgiveness and the submission of wives, telling them to return to fearful situations that were unsafe for them and their children.

Eileen Gray called on GCC and MacArthur to repent in a text to TRR, "Many precious ones have been deeply hurt by GCC's actions, causing some to turn away from their faith in Christ, God's name and character have been misrepresented by GCC. It is my prayer they repent."

TRR reached out to MacArthur and GCC for comment, but they did not immediately reply. However, the church published the following message on its website, saying it does "not discuss details publicly arising from counseling and discipline cases on social media, nor do we litigate disputes about such matters in online forums. Grace Church deals with accusations personally and privately in accordance with biblical principles..."

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