Sills contends he was made a scapegoat in a denomination reeling from other, larger claims of sexual abuse. Old login credentials will no longer work. I am also grateful for the bold leadership of Grant Gaines, Ronnie Parrot, and Todd Benkert. Just over two years later, she stated the allegations to then-LifeWay Senior Vice President Eric Geiger and Mohler. Bishop Scott Jones moves from extreme center of UMC to new Global Methodist Church, Jesus Revolution leaves out the tough stuff but gets the music right, From Super Bowl ads to Kentucky revivals, stop the Christian cannibalism, Holy Queer author seeks Black church inclusion beyond singing with choir, Its time to stop erasing Black Muslim Americans from the story of Islam in the US, Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. she disclosed to her boss at Lifeway that a former professor named David Sills had first "sexually acted . She said Lyell had repeatedly asked for the article to be corrected but her requests were denied and a number of Baptist leaders knew the story was wrong but failed to stand up for Lyell. The full context of the email is this: Thank you again for replying and taking the time to find a scenario with which you are willing to talk with me. She said Southern Baptist leaders do not hesitate to use their public platforms to debate theology or drive culture war issues but rarely call out abusive behavior in their own camp especially if it means correcting other denominational leaders. Heaven will be diverse. The resignations of Alvin Reid at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Christian George at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and David Sills at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were reported by Baptist Press and the North Carolina Biblical Recorder. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. The string of email correspondence viewed by BNG implies Buck contacted Lyell to ask questions about her claims. The Complaint does not hid and it does not disappoint. Mohler should have said, Now, Jennifer, thats not a promise I can make you like, we need to do whats right for the kingdom, Lyell said. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned last year. After various mischaracterizations, misstatements, and a contrived investigation by defendants, the plaintiffs, David Sills and Mary Sills, have been wrongfully and untruthfully labeled as criminals and shunned by the SBC.. UPDATE #1: Shortly after this article was published, Jennifer Lyell graciously reached out to us and provided crucial details of her case both to me and to Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. President Don Veinot. And he claims this was done in a conspiracy by all the named defendants, who understood the value of making an example out of SBC member and employee David Sills who, without controversy, had admitted to an affair with Lyell and willingly accepted the SBC requirement that he depart from his position at the seminary. There are plenty of reasons to stay silent in a situation such as this. Henzel told CR that he did not know how the audio was leaked and did not feel comfortable speaking about it. Ascol retweeted her, insisting: Exactly. In her post, the 41-year-old Lyell said that the tenured professor of missions and cultural anthropology first sexually acted against her during a mission trip in 2004. Sills resigned from the Kentucky-based schoollast May shortly after Lyell presented her claims to SBTS President Albert Mohler. Yet victims who are not minors must decide for themselves whether to contact authorities, he said. Lawsuit protests the SBC and third-party firm for supporting allegations in a new legal challenge referencing historic abuse report. I am not a sinless victim. Sills local church, Ninth & O Baptist Church in Louisville, confirmed to Baptist Press that Sills is no longer a member and that the church acted swiftly and firmly after hearing the accusations. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Jennifer Lyell serves as Vice President of Book Publishing & Merchandising at LifeWay Christian Resources where she leads the second largest business segment of Lifeway's ten Ministry Areas. Lyell told Religion News Service she wished she had never gone public. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that she was a survivor of sexual abuse. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the Southern Baptist Convention and 11 other defendants claiming defamation of character and conspiracy in the well-publicized sexual abuse case of Jennifer Lyell. Instead, for many this incident may have contributed to a perception that the Southern Baptist Convention is not a safe place for sexual abuse survivors to disclose, the statement read. For example, why did Lyell continue the relationship with the alleged abusers after graduating from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS)? Upon hearing Lyells claims last May, SBTS immediately took action. The audio came to the Capstone Report from a source not connected with Midwest Outreach. She wrote, "Dr. David Sills, then a tenured professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, first sexually acted against me on a mission trip in 2004, a pattern that continued and escalated . Lyell was labeled on social media as an adulteress rather than an abuse survivor, with users leaving scores of vile comments about her on Lifeways Facebook page and the Baptist Press website. There are plenty of reasons to stay silent in a situation such as this. A clergy person has enormous power. He did call the police. Police is an important part of Lyells narrative. Jennifer Lyell Lyell previously was a vice president at Lifeway, which is located in Nashville, Tenn. She voluntarily agreed to an interview with Baptist Press in 2019, by her account hoping her story would encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward. Jennifer Lyell, who now works as an executive for LifeWay Christian Resources, posted a confession online last week claiming how Sills, who has been married for 30 years and has three grandchildren, sexually abused her and even groomed her from the time she was a master of divinity student until just a few years ago. Sills has not denied engaging in an inappropriate relationship with Lyell, and he resigned his post at Southern Seminary after being confronted about it. And recovering from abuse as an adult is a long-term process. It does not store any personal data. However, according to media reports none of the local police had any reports regarding these alleged incidents. The court filing further claims Lyell maintained the relationship by driving several hundred miles from Nashville, Tenn., to Louisville, Ky. to see Sills. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson thinks he redeemed himself. We must clearly tell the truth so that our churches and ministries are safe and as pure as they can be.. Today, she feels that belief, known as complementarianism, has created an unhealthy culture. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. Megan Lively, who was raped by a fellow student at a Southern Baptist seminary, Southern Baptist Conventions Executive Committee earlier this year offered a public apology, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Jennifer Lyell Lyell is a former vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, the SBC publishing house. Basham questions Lyells description of events, her claims to have reported the abuse to police, and her ability to enlist others to corroborate her story. We say that we are not this hierarchy but in reality, we function like we are protecting the barracks of the Vatican, she said. Want to share a story? Im also fine to answer any questions you or the other gentleman has to ensure you have clarity and believe me. Rather than seek the truth, defendants repeated and circulated false statements about Dr. Sills, causing him to be cast as a toxic pariah, the brief states. Denhollander, an abuse survivor whose testimony led to the conviction of former national gymnastics doctor and serial abuser Larry Nassar, said evangelical theology had created a kind of porn culture in churches. Plaintiffs David Sills and Mary Sills file this complaint against Defendants, alleging defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness concerning untrue claims of sexual abuse initiated by Defendant, Jennifer Lyell, and thereafter Ascols group, Founders Ministries, once was a fringe movement in the SBC but today has a large following, especially among younger seminarians and pastors who were influenced by the Passion conferences in the 1990s. Filing claims Guidepost never interviewed or even contacted him before publicly naming him a predator. (Guidepost Solutions is the firm hired by the SBC Executive Committee to investigate charges of sexual abuse within the convention. But at Lyells request, SBTS, the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, did not make the details behind Sills resignation public at the time. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This article has been updated with a statement from Lyell. Ensuring that is my top priority.". Then the bulk of the article picks apart Lyells assertion she was held emotionally captive in an abusive relationship with Sills over a period of years a sexual relationship Lyell insists was not consensual. Any criticism of complementarianism is seen as a sort of gateway drug into theological liberalism., I think a culture that believes that its righteousness is dependent on preserving and protecting the strictest form of complementarianism is a culture that sees women as a threat, sees women as a risk, sees women as more likely to sin, she said. MOBILE, Ala. (BP) - A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the SBC and 10 other individuals and entities connected to the SBC, including Jennifer Lyell and Guidepost Solutions. While churches say they want to care for survivors of abuse, those survivors are often viewed with suspicion, having to prove they are worthy of compassion and respect. Nine months after The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) professor David Sills resigned for undisclosed reasons, a woman has released a statement of allegations including details of what she describes as sexual abuse by Sills, beginning while she was a Southern Seminary student. The hundreds of titles that the Books business team has acquired, developed, or managed under Jennifer's leadership include more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers, as well as CT . Sills, former professor of missions and cultural anthropology at Southern, did not respond to request for comment. Mohler commended Lyells courage in coming forward. Veinot responded by filing a request for a copyright infringement complaint with YouTube to stop further sharing and said he began contacting those I discovered who had created links to it and requested they delete them.. He said that he is "brokenhearted over the reality" of the situation. On July 6th, this story would resurface because Bob Smietana, a liberal reporter of the pagan Religious News Service wrote an apologetic for Jennifer Lyell, When abuse victims are adults . The conventions statement of faith says women and men are equal in Gods sight but have different roles in the church and the home. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. That, in turn, led Smietana to write a story titled When Abuse Victims are Adults, Theyre Often Treated as Sinners, Threats to Churches, explaining the attack on Lyell. Sills claimed there was not any legitimate or proper investigation of Lyells accusations against him. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Instead of receiving support and compassion, she found herself trying to convince critics she was not responsible for the abuse she had experienced at the hands of the former professor. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that she was a survivor of sexual abuse. And we met with him within hours of his arrival back in the United States since our policies call for an immediate conversation. I mean, I was like, literally like, I mean, it was it was police at my house and, you know, safety, Lyell said. She did not revisit all the details of the abuse but did disclose those details to leaders at Lifeway and then to Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where the professor was employed. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Jennifer Lyell . Defamation?! "I think she was courageous in making those statements and I think it sets an example for how others should also demonstrate an equal courage," Mohler said. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Jennifer Lyell claims she never wanted the attention her abuse allegations created nor to harm the family of David Sills, her alleged abuser. I couldnt deal. In the spring of 2019, Lyell, then a well-respected leader in Christian publishing, decided to publicly disclose that she was a survivor of sexual abuse. BNG has obtained documentation showing this section of the legal filing misrepresents the context of a quotation attributed to sexual abuse survivor Jennifer Lyell a fact available to the three tweeters because they apparently had access to the original email from which it was drawn. No thinking person with a backbone takes them seriously., Exactly one year before Basham published Southern Baptists #MeToo Moment, Midwest Christian Outreach, a small online apologetics site run by Don Veinot, highlighted Lyells case. Why Midwest Christian Outreach was interested in such a deep dive into Lyells story is not clear. It also names Jennifer Lyell, a former seminarian and vice president for Lifeway, who has repeatedly alleged that Sills was abusive, an allegation Mohler has also made on social media and in. Pastoral misconduct is seen as a moral failing rather than an abuse of power. Guidepost and the SBC are two of 12 total defendants named in the lawsuit that revolves around allegations that David Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004, when Lyell was a . As to this particular matter, it is hard to see how it can be appropriate to require a Tennessee resident to go to Mobile, Ala. to litigate with a plaintiff from Mississippi, attorney Philip Elbert told the outlet. Ascol ran for SBC president on the slogan Change the direction.. David Sills, into having a sexual relationship with him while she was enrolled in a missions class at the seminary. They may, at best, support survivors or criticize fellow denominational leaders in private but will not use their power to do the same in public, she said. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004 when Lyell was a student and Sills was a professor. The Louisville, Ky., church where Sills was a member, Lyell said, also took action following Sills resignation. Her case has become one of the most high-profile illustrations of the larger reckoning over mishandled knowledge of sexual abuse within the SBC. Pastors and churches called for her to be fired. "Defendants saw him as an easy target; a bona fide scapegoat." . By Lyells previous accounts, Sills cultivated a relationship with her. In the rush to virtue signal support for Jennifer Lyell, SBC pastor Eric Geiger made a public allegation against Mary Sills, wife of David Sills. The campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship seminary for the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Louisville, Kentucky. (June 15, 2020) Letter from David S. Crawford, Streetscape Coordinator, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (EX.Supp . Jennifer Lyell, 2006 graduate of SBTS, says in her statement that 2004 was the first time Sills acted against her. The following year, Jennifer Lyell, a former vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources, told Baptist Press she had been a victim of emotional and sexual . It also claims Sills ended the relationship with Defendant Lyell who nevertheless persisted her pursuit of Sills and undertook efforts to reach Dr. Sills through his family., David and Mary Sills also contend that Lyell, relying on her expertise as an accomplished writer and executive in the fields of advertising and publishing within the SBC, a lucrative and powerful position, constructed a false narrative against Dr. Sills and Mrs. Sills, at the height of awareness of SBC scandals.. Lyells experience reveals the difficulty survivors often face when they try to speak up about their experiences. Individuals who knew her story alerted that particular mission agency to the details behind Sills resignation from SBTS and Sills is no longer listed as a missionary for that organization. Prior to the apology's issuance, she has informed SBC Executive Committee Chairman Rolland Slade in October regarding the pending disputes and legal claims she has due to her case. Sills files defamation suit against SBC, Lyell, others November 29, 2022 By Baptist Press MOBILE, Ala. (BP) - A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the SBC and 10 other individuals and entities connected to the SBC, including Jennifer Lyell and Guidepost Solutions. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. She began her thread saying, " What I referenced today about the Baptist Press' defamatory statements regarding @jenlyell and her abuser, former SBTS prof. David Sills, was the tip of the iceberg. This is why the most egregious, cruel lies do not leave me without hope when those asserting them are reckless enough to do so in a form that not only allows my witness but provides a clear means by which it will be formally provided., Sills files suit against SBC and 11 other defendants, claiming his relationship with Lyell was consensual and he became a scapegoat in the SBCs sexual abuse crisis, Not everyone believes theres a sexual abuse crisis in the SBC, No, we will not take down an article you dont like | Opinion by Mark Wingfields, Guidepost report documents pattern of ignoring, denying and deflecting on sexual abuse claims in SBC, SBC Executive Committee publicly apologizes to sexual abuse survivor, SBC report shows how five words turn abuse victim from survivor to whore| Opinion by Marv Knox. According to Lyell, the reason she waited so long to come forward with her claims is because she was afraid that her coming forward could cause collateral damage impacting people she loved. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. [I] became an aunt to their grandchildren, and their grown children became like siblings to me, she wrote. First, the defendants widely circulated their herein-described defamatory lies about Dr. and Mrs. Sills throughout Mobile County and the state of Alabama. After BNG reported on the Sills lawsuit, Ascol tweeted: Wow. She said she was motivated to tell her story following the account of Megan Lively, who was raped by a fellow student at a Southern Baptist seminary in 2003 and then counseled by the president of the seminary to not report the incident to police. David Sills and his wife, Mary, filed the suit Nov. 21 in Mobile County circuit court. Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell, Lost Boys of Sudan: St. Johns Baptist Charlotte, Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church, Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center, Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio, Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), SBC report shows how five words turn abuse victim from survivor to whore, Religious schools can build a community of faith without discriminating. It also names Jennifer Lyell, a former seminarian and vice president for Lifeway, who has repeatedly alleged that Sills was abusive, an allegation Mohler has also made on social media and in an interview for a documentary about the denomination's response to its sexual abuse crisis. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Nine months after Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills resigned for undisclosed reasons, a woman has released a statement of allegations including details of what she says was a morally inappropriate relationship with Sills for more than a decade, beginning while she was a Southern Seminary student. Lyell explained that she decided to go public with her story after hearing that Sills was appointed to serve as a missionary with a mission agency not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Things made a little more sense last Friday when a woman named Jennifer Lyell (below) released a statement explaining how she had been engaged in an "inappropriate relationship" with Sills for nearly a decade, beginning when she was his student. How did Bob Smietana avoid being named in this lawsuit? Based on the credible [Baptist Press report], which I learned of on Friday evening, we suspended inclusion of Sillss book on our site as we did more investigation, InterVarsity Press Publisher Jeff Crosby told CP in an email. (RNS) A former seminary professor and missionary who admitted sexual misconduct has sued a gaggle of Southern Baptist Conference leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to break his repute. David Sills and his wife, Mary Sills, claim Lyell 'constructed a false narrative . Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, Ascol, Basham and Buck were copied on the email, and in another email, Lyell indicates Basham had accessed the video without Lyells knowledge or permission. So that's not up for renegotiation," he explained. The article was eventually retracted, but the damage was done. If you do not know your new account number you can contact. It conclusively demonstrated the non-consensual nature of what happened to her. At SBTS, Mohler assured that the institution's biblical and moral standards "aren't up for any renegotiation. Of course, Lyell spoke to multiple media outlets and is featured in a new documentary on sex abuse in the SBC. Here's how. In that email, Lyell makes the exact statement the lawsuit attributes to communication with Smietana. RELATED: Jennifer Lyell wanted to stop her abuser by . However, today's topic is not about an up-and-coming musician, rather it is a cautionary tale for up-and-coming ministers of the Gospel. Lyells attorney suggested to Baptist Press that Sills filing the lawsuit in Alabama appeared inappropriate. At the time, she was a 26-year-old master of divinity student, and the alleged relationship continued until she was 38, spanning a period in which Lyell moved from Louisville, Ky., to Chicago and then to Nashville, she told BP. Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing. Photo via Baylor University. At its simplest level, it is abuse because it is not consensual, he said. Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell, Lost Boys of Sudan: St. Johns Baptist Charlotte, Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church, Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center, Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio, Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), No, we will not take down an article you dont like, SBC report shows how five words turn abuse victim from survivor to whore, West Virginia religious freedom bill headed to governor, Religious schools can build a community of faith without discriminating. Geiger said he contacted the other missions agency which he identified as Global Outreach International and they removed Sills from their employment. They simply want to push their agenda & cancel anyone who refuses to kowtow to their self-righteous bloviating. Abusers in the church have figured out that if they are willing to admit partial, limited wrongdoing and if they are willing to perform apology, repentance and intention to do better, she said, behaving in sexually violent ways doesnt actually diminish their prospects for leadership in the church. She has alleged Sills abused her over a multi-year period. In a grievance filed Nov. 21 within the Circuit Courtroom of Cell, Alabama, David Sills, a former professor of missions and [] Lyells claim that she was abused by David Sills while he was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary resulted in a controversial news story published by Baptist Press, the denominational news service, which portrayed the relationship as consensual. Guidepost and the SBC are two of 12 total defendants named in the lawsuit that revolves around allegations that David Sills sexually abused Jennifer Lyell starting in 2004, when Lyell was. In May, Guidepost Solutions, which investigated the SBC scandal, issued a report that found alleges survivors of sexual abuse encountered resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility, from some on the SBCs Executive Committee. The outlet additionally reported that Sills has also resigned as a trustee of the SBC International Mission Board and his position on IMB's presidential search committee. The leaders who had the information and ability to correct the inaccuracies supported her privately but were publicly silent. BNG has confirmed Midwest Christian Outreach was working with Ascol, Buck and Basham in the background into 2022. The Southern Baptist Convention would pass Resolution 6 which acknowledged Jennifer Lyell as an abuse survivor and therefore labeling David Sills as an abuser. The suit states: On June 18, 2022, Defendant Lyell wrote to Religion News Services (RNS) and Reporter Bob Smietana, the following: My thinking was I could just verbally work through your article and clarify/add the information you didnt have or was inaccurate as well as answer the broader questions you asked when the information you had didnt reconcile for you. It also names Jennifer Lyell, a former seminarian and vice president for Lifeway, who has repeatedly alleged that Sills was abusive, an allegation Mohler has also made on social media and in an . And the incidents Lyell describes would have caused the creation of police reports. And for so long, people have been unable to understand those categories., RELATED: The cost for coming forward one survivors life after #MeToo. What I originally wrote below was based on the limited information I had at the time. He said people often turn to clergy when they are at their most vulnerable. So, now the question turns to: Did SBTS President Al Mohler call the police on David Sills as alleged by Lyell? Lyell says Sills, who was a surrogate father figure to her, eventually abused her again and then continued for years, even after she left seminary. The church said it acted swiftly and firmly and that Sills is no longer a member. That was not accurate. Get this The Daily Telegraph page for free from Tuesday, July 29, 1975 97S IZIm THE COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION SERVICE HIM 1 Mb CHKlbTENINGb and IN MEMOR1AM Cl 10 Una MARRIAGES DEATHS and . 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Lyells attorney suggested to Baptist Press that Sills is no longer a member 'The Rock ' Johnson thinks redeemed!, also took action following Sills resignation lawsuit in Alabama appeared inappropriate BNG reported on the limited information had... How did Bob Smietana avoid being named in this lawsuit a relationship with her with a from... He said people often turn to clergy when they are at their most vulnerable labeling David Sills had first quot! Acknowledged Jennifer Lyell was trying to do the right thing ( June,! Historic abuse report faith says women and men are equal in Gods but! Know your new account number you can contact ( June 15, 2020 Letter. None of the most high-profile illustrations of the local police had any reports regarding these incidents... Investigation of Lyells accusations against him with Midwest Outreach referencing historic abuse report such deep! Al Mohler call the police on David Sills and his wife, Sills! 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About Dr. and Mrs. Sills throughout Mobile County and the home: Wow not hid and it does hid... Firm for supporting allegations in a new legal challenge referencing historic abuse report free sent... Of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week the... Up for renegotiation, '' he explained Al Mohler call the police on David Sills, Lyell.