July 12,
2006
TO: Pastor Lee
McFarland
Senior Pastor
Radiant Church
15522 W. Paradise Ln.
Surprise, AZ 85374
www.radiantchurch.com &
www.mychurchrocks.com
email:
pastor.lee@RadiantChurch.com
RESPONSE TO ASSEMBLY OF GOD
PASTORS
LEE MCFARLAND
&
ANTHONY NIGER, II
REGARDING CHARGES OF LIBEL AND
SLANDER
Dear Pastor
Lee McFarland and all Assembly of God pastors,
I just
received a copy of your June 30, 2006 response to Philip Powell's letter that
Philip just sent to Assembly of God pastors and a host of other ministries
around the world regarding Rick Warren's teachings and other nefarious practices
going on within the AOG. (Philip Powell is the Christian Ministries Fellowship
Director and former General Secretary for the Australian Assemblies of
God.) Philip Powell has already responded to AOG Pastor Lee McFarland's as well
as AOG Pastor Anthony Niger II's letters accusing Philip of libel and slander
against Rick Warren. What follows is my response to these very serious charges,
as well as a response to Pastor McFarland's original letter to me, and my
response to both you and Pastor Niger's charges against Philip Powell and me and
Dr. Opal Reddin. Before I begin, it is most relevant that I remind you all of
the following Scriptures:
“These six things doth the LORD
hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and
hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked
imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that
speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19
“Thou shalt not raise a false
report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”
Exodus 23:1
“This know also, that in the last
days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good,” 2 Timothy 3:1-3
Your
original letter was not even addressed to me personally; I was just one of many
people you sent your open letter to. So it was not clear that you were
expecting a response from me. But since I have now learned that you did want a
direct response, I am happy to respond.
Before I
address your accusations, I would like to begin by telling all of you that I and
a number of other ministries with whom I correspond are constantly receiving SOS
emails from all over the world from victims of purpose-driven philosophies. One
SOS phone call particularly stands out in my mind. I received the call from a
grown daughter of the wife of a deacon who had been a member of his church for
57 years and the wife had been married to him for 44 years. Her husband and two
other long-standing deacons were ousted for opposing Rick Warrens teachings and
programs being imported into their church. In this phone call, the daughter
described to me that her mother was rolled up in the fetal position on her couch
crying out in agony for how her beloved husband's reputation had been destroyed
both in her church and community ever since he had come out against
purpose-driven philosophy. This man as well as the two other elder deacons in
the faith who were removed, are perfect portrayals of the types of Christian
whom Rick Warren would identify as “pillars” and “resisters” and more recently
as ones who “have to die” in the process of transforming to become a
purpose-driven church. I have been able to verify the story about this church
by the testimony of two or more. But the absolute proof came in the form of a
recording which I personally heard of the kangaroo court that was held at this
church two days later documenting that due process was thrown out the window. A
reporter from a major newspaper in New England flew down to this city and has
now written the story soon to be published.
Rick Warren
claims that he cannot be responsible for everything done in his name. However,
in this case he is responsible because he trains leaders of churches how to get
rid of resisters and pillars, such as how his partner, Dan Southerland, Director
of Church Transitions calls resisters “Sanballats...leaders from Hell”. So of
course Rick Warren is responsible, similar to how the RICO Act (Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) holds leaders of racketeering
accountable, though they cleverly leave no trail and disavow any knowledge or
connection to their crimes. The Church has this already in place if leaders in
churches would actually implement what Scripture teaches concerning church
discipline. And note...we are not aware of any published compassion and
grieving or restitution for any of these saints from Rick Warren, whose programs
purpose-drive non-compliant Christians out of churches in a host of Christian
Denominations. And with few exceptions, the majority of AOG Pastors followed
suit and likewise demonstrated no mercy or compassion for the Christians
documented in the Spiritual Euthanasia article that was sent to
them (available at: http://www.letusreason.org/Current61.htm). Most simply
ignored their plight and failed to even respond. And many that did actually
attacked AOG matriarch Dr. Opal Reddin, following the example set by their
leader Tom Trask who had already publicly humiliated her in the U.S. National
AOG General Assembly (where is his apology to her?). These AOG pastors can
attack and malign a God-fearing Christian widow who was in her 80s with impunity
or simply look the other way. But I will continue to defend her as well as all
of the Christians that Warren has orphaned from their churches. Of course they
are not true orphans, for the Lord is their refuge and strong tower.
In your
recent letter to Philip Powell you stated:
“I never received a response to my
email to James Sundquist, so the fact that you responded is refreshing.”
I would
like to reply:
1. I am quite shocked you would
attempt to correct Philip Powell regarding Matthew 18, while you failed to
contact me personally that you were offended that I did not respond to you. In
fact you publicly copied your letter to me to a number of AOG pastors before and
without even following your admonition to comply with Matthew 18. If you did
not receive a response from me in a timely matter, you had but ask me. I
receive thousands of emails from all over the world and try to answer as many as
possible, particularly the growing number of SOS calls and letters I receive
from saints who have been purpose-driven out of their churches, for as Rick
Warren recently stated...”they have to die” right?
2. Your letter of personal dismay
at me was also not written to me first or even addressed to me, but copied to a
number of people publicly on the Internet.
3. If Matthew 18 is so urgent,
why are you a follower of Rick Warren who does not comply with Matthew 18 and to
date has still not responded to my two emails to him? Rick Warren has exempted
himself from Matthew 18....though many have confronted him with his fraudulent
teachings....this is also publicly known and documented in my book as well. I
agree with Philip Powell's response to you regarding Matthew 18 and Rick
Warren. I am very surprised you would not know that Matthew 18 applies
primarily to private matters vs. public teaching. I am equally surprised at the
number of Assembly of God pastors would have such a poor understanding of
Matthew 18 (shared by Rick Warren, as evidenced by his response to Deborah
Dombrowski of Lighthouse Trails Publishing), who have responded to me in the
same manner. By the way, since you have transmitted and published that you have
something against Deborah Dombrowski (or George Mair for that matter), I am sure
you must have gone to her privately, since this is your interpretation of
Matthew 18. You have accused Philip Powell of not following Matthew 18, right,
before he went public with passing Rick Warren's letter around. Did you even
bother to hear Deborah's side of the story? Where is her side of the story in
your email to Philip Powell? Public false teaching must be exposed publicly.
There is nothing private about Warren's published teachings.
4. Regarding your commentary on
Deborah Dombrowski which you sent to Philip Powell, now both you and Rick Warren
have borne false witness against her. Before you continue to pass on these
false accusations all of you need to read her rebuttal of Rick Warren's
charges. I also have that letter Rick Warren sent to her and can prove that his
statements about his relationship with Ken Blanchard and his claim of no
knowledge of the PDC conference in Nairobi are full of falsehood (I have the
tapes of the speakers at conference who were sent by Rick Warren and even
announced a direct message from him, which Pastor Bob DeWaay also heard and can
confirm.) Here is the context and quote from the Nairobi conference that Rick
Warren claims no knowledge of:
The Bishop at the Nairobi, Kenya PDC Conference
at Nairobi Pentecostal Church introduced Todd Hudnall as one of the staff of
PDC. "He (Rick Warren) has brought around himself some choice men"... He has
also been one of men on the team of the Purpose-Driven Church. He (Todd
Hudnall) is here today representing our dear brother Dr. Rick Warren." He
welcomes Todd Hudnall, who was directly commissioned by Rick Warren himself.
AOG PASTOR TODD HUDNALL:
"In behalf of Rick Warren I want
to pass along that he is delighted that you are here to hear this word from God
today...”
So now let us contrast this with:
Written Friday, November 18, 2005 at 3:32 AM in
the morning, with Rick Warren as the header, we were also able to track down the
ISP (Internet Service Provider) for this email, tracing it directly to
Saddleback Church. Here is what the November 18, 2005 email from
rdw@saddleback.net says:
“Subject: 'Don't pass on lies'
Dear Angela,
The website you refer to below is
well-known for publishing lies. which can easily be proven false. For instance,
it says Pastor Warren was to speak at Nairobi Pentecostal Church from Nov 8 to
11. This is flatly false, as Pastor Warren has never been to this church, never
heard of this church, and was here in America the entire time. ....
Correspondence team”
Never heard of it huh? I am
afraid it is Rick Warren who is not telling the truth, not Deborah Dombrowski!
Here is the real story:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/report.htm.
For more documentation and proof, please contact Angela at: angela@n8tnt.com
5. I have written two letters of
appeal to AOG Pastor Tommy Barnett in Phoenix, near you, and he has failed to
respond. Both of my letters to Assembly of God's Gabriele Rienas were ignored
as well.
6.
Ninety-nine plus percent of the recipients of my letter to thousands of
AOG pastors, which contained Dr. Opal Reddin's letter, did not respond. Of the
approximately 50 responses I did receive, most were retaliatory, attacking me
personally. These responses mirrored how pastors have treated members in their
churches who even question Rick Warren's teachings. NONE refuted me from
Scripture disproving my specific charges against Rick Warren, nor did they
reason from Scripture as Paul tells us to do. And virtually none had any
concern whatsoever for what Tom Trask did to Opal Reddin and no concern
whatsoever for the host of victims left strewn in Warren's path, such as what
AOG Pastor Wayde Goodall did to members of the First Assembly of God in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Several responses were very encouraging,
particularly from those pastors who were students Dr. Opal Reddin at the
Assembly of God's Central Bible College where she taught. So if failure to
respond to letters of appeal is any criteria for being an AOG pastor, you have
picked the wrong denomination, as it appears that ignoring letters is standard
operational procedure within the AOG. Even George Wood, one of your top
executives within the AOG teaches ignoring “detractors” (a true Biblical
response would require them to respond). I am surprised you would not follow
Wood's party line policy to write me. I am also surprised that you would expect
a response from me.
Now I
would like to respond to your accusations in your original 2/22/06 letter to me
which you sent in response to my general letter of appeal to all Assembly of God
pastors:
You have provided evidence that
Rick Warren has used the term “repentance”. But as Bob DeWaay's new book
Redefining Christianity, Understanding the Purpose Driven Movement,
points out, Warren has redefined repentance from historical biblical orthodox
Christianity, and not repentance alone, but a number of terms. The dictionary
definition falls short of the biblical meaning because one could “repent” from
being a Protestant and become a Roman Catholic as Malcolm Muggeridge did. One
could repent from being a Southern Baptist and become a Muslim, as one man
reported in the news did. One can repent from going in one wrong direction and
simply go in an equally wrong direction. If Rick Warren teaches true biblical
repentance as you claim, he would have “changed his mind” about his false
teaching about the 40 day biblical examples he gives which are false in ANY
translation you can find, which I will prove below. If Rick Warren teaches true
biblical repentance as you claim, he would have “changed his mind” about his
false teaching about the covenants and vows in clear defiance of both Christ's
and the Apostle James' warning and instead of forcing his members to take them,
found in Matthew and James.
If Rick
Warren teaches true biblical repentance as you claim, he would have “changed his
mind” about promoting his Carl Jung-based personality temperament divination
embedded in his SHAPE Program (also mandatory of his church members). If Rick
Warren teaches true biblical repentance as you claim, he would have “changed his
mind” about his false teaching about the Fear of the Lord, Doctrine, and
Prophecy, as I proved in my first book. You talk about failing to respond.
Neither you nor Anthony Niger, II responded to any of these documented examples.
Both of you accused Philip Powell of libel and slander or being a false teacher,
but provided no specific evidence, exactly what Thomas Trask failed to provide
in his charges and removal of AOG NY District Director Brother Adour or AOG
Pastor Ray Barnett. If Rick Warren teaches true biblical repentance as you
claim, he would have “changed his mind” about his false teaching about the 40
years example of Moses in the Wilderness of how people who oppose him “have to
die”...saints purchased by the blood of Jesus. If Rick Warren teaches true
biblical repentance as you claim, he would have “changed his mind” about his
false teaching in his Ladies Home Journal column which exalts
self, says nothing about repentance, and does not mention the Cross. In fact,
it is another gospel! If Rick Warren teaches true biblical repentance as you
claim, he would have “changed his mind” what he taught in the Jewish synagogue
recently in which he does not even name the name of Jesus, the very opposite of
what Paul preached every time he went into a synagogue. Warren comes out with
all men speaking well of him, while Paul often gets stoned or put on trial after
speaking in synagogues. Even if your account of Warren preaching repentance
were 100% Biblical, it is nullified by his much more public published articles,
books, and public speaking engagements.
Before I
address further proof that Warren's teachings belie what you defend in Warren, I
would like to point you to the following blog which is an apt description that
Warren's definition of repentance is not biblical:
http://transformingsermons.blogspot.com/2006/02/preaching-repentance.html
(Scroll down to: 10:53 pm Douglas,
Preaching repentance)
Did it
every occur to any of you that Philip Powell did not simply make this up as a
vain imagination, but rather that he was telling the truth, and doing so with
specific documentation? So your accusation against AOG matriarch Dr. Opal
Reddin is without foundation. Opal was right all along!
LEE
MCFARLAND:
I just have
to respond to this email that was in my “inbox” this morning… (see original
email at the bottom)… because I believe it could stumble many. It seems like
somebody is trying to carry the “banner for truth”… but I believe they are
mistaken.....James Sundquist is actually asking us to read this letter “OUT
LOUD” to our congregations… oh my goodness…. please do not do that… that sounds
like a recommendation from somebody who does not understand the dynamics of an
effective church service…
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
How could
you rebuke Philip Powell for not using Matthew 18 against Rick Warren, but on
the other hand suggest that I or any Christian NOT exercise Matthew 18 and other
biblical passages in which we are commanded to mark false teachers and expose
the deeds of darkness publicly before the congregation as Paul did and commanded
us to do which he did “OUT LOUD” publicly and before the congregation that all
might fear the Lord and that the flock would be spared from wolves as well as
wolves in sheep's clothing. What other biblical protocol is there? (Matthew 18
would require going before the congregation if an offending brother does not
repent.)
LEE
MCFARLAND:
Why would
somebody be so against something that simply uses the Bible to explain what we
should be doing as a church? Here is a statement right out of “The Purpose
Driven Church”…
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Calling
Rick Warren's teaching using the Bible does not make it so. Rick Warren does
not “simply use the Bible” but a host of corrupt translations. As to how he
does use the Bible, I have shown both above and with more examples to
follow. You are completely wrong!
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
“We
believe a great commitment to the great COMMANDMENT and the great COMMISSION
will grow a great church!”
The Great Commandment:
“Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your
heart...soul...and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law
and Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” Matt. 22:36-40
JAMES SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
This quote (“will grow a great
church”) of Rick Warren by Lee McFarland has no basis in Scripture – it is an
invention of the mass marketing types like Warren's mentor Peter Drucker.
Churches are not grown through this means in any biblical sense. When the mass
marketing types talk about growth, they are referring to numbers. The emphasis
is on getting as many people as possible inside a building/organization. Pure
doctrine, holiness, repentance and the like become secondary...if they exist at
all. This is contrary – broadly and specifically – to Scripture. Rev 2&3 sums
up concerning church growth – it is a growth in maturity which encompasses three
fundamental aspects: exceeding in devoted love for the brothers, moral purity,
and doctrinal purity. Mt 7:13-14 directly contradicts these mass marketing
gurus and their false doctrines:
“Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.” Mt. 7:13-14
LEE MCFARLAND (citing Rick
Warren):
The Great Commission:
“Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Matt. 28:19-20
•
To “Love God with all
your heart” is “WORSHIP”.
•
To “Love your neighbor as
yourself” is “MINISTRY”.
•
To “Go...make disciples”
is “EVANGELISM”.
•
To “Baptize...” is to “INCORPORATE
INTO FELLOWSHIP”.
•
To “Teach them...all
things” is “DISCIPLESHIP”.
LEE
MCFARLAND:
“How can
you argue against the five purposes right out of the Great Commandment and the
Great Commission? Ministry, Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship, and Fellowship
– which of those words is not Biblical, or causes people to do something evil?”
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Here is how
I can argue against it. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics, and yes
even Muslims carry out these five purposes of Rick Warren (Ministry,
Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship, and Fellowship). Lee McFarland mimics the
same error as his fellow AOG Pastor Niger II, Calvary Assembly in Carthage, NY
who stated:.
“All the 5 Purposes (Worship,
Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry and Evangelism) are all Biblical Principals
found throughout the Book of Acts and can even be found in our own 16 Statements
of Fundamental Truths.”
Pastor Bob
DeWaay demolishes the stronghold of this argument with this commentary on Pastor
Niger, II's statements:
“This would only be true if Rick
Warren had the same definitions for these purposes that the Bible does. For
Warren Worship = music that entertains the unregenerate; Fellowship = getting
together with the unregenerate to study Warren’s materials; Discipleship = SHAPE
which is the study of “self” not denying self as the Bible defines discipleship;
Ministry = serving Warren’s PEACE plan which has nothing to do with the great
commission; Evangelism = doing marketing surveys of worldly minded people to
find out what they want and then give that to them. NONE of this has anything to
do with what the Bible tells us to do. He has redefined every one of these words
and then convinced people that his program is what Christ had in mind. The big
question is: “why are evangelicals so deceived that they cannot see through this
deception?”
- Pastor Bob DeWaay,
Twin Cities Fellowship.
What
Warren, McFarland, and Niger II have done here is not directly presenting evil –
he has presented distortions of what the goals are for the Christian. RW is a
slippery fellow and is one of the best of the syncretists out there. By doing
this, how can a man of God ever fulfill his duty to test the spirits and mark
those who are teaching falsely? By using McFarland's defense of Warren as a
template, anyone could prove that even a Mormon is a faithful Christian. In
fact, there is nothing in what McFarland presented as examples of Warren's
faithful teaching that a Mormon would not likewise teach! In fact, except for
the “P” in Warren's Global Peace Plan which calls for planting churches, Islam
can Equip leaders, Assist the Poor, Care for the Sick, and Educate the next
generation. And every Christian cult and Roman Catholicism already does all of
the letters of Warren's Global Peace Plan. The question is, what ELSE are
Mormons or other professed Christian leaders like Rick Warren teaching that does
not line up with Scripture? This is the crux of the matter! Is it not a
pastor's biblical obligation to his flock to be diligent in exposing all
falsehood no matter the source? Why is Warren apparently exempt from McFarland's
deeper testing? Pastor McFarland is failing in his pastoral duty to discern
"wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15) and those that appear as "angels of
light" (2 Cor. 11:14). In both cases, anyone with little discernment can point
to the appearance of sheep's clothing or the appearance of light to prove that
these teachers are faithful disciples of Christ. The problem is that McFarland
refuses to acknowledge the unbiblical aspects of Rick Warren's teachings and has
unwisely decided to focus only on the appearance of good. I can come to no
other conclusion but that Warren defenders like Pastor McFarland are either too
lazy to examine the evidence against Warren or are simply blinded by their
desire to bring worldly success to their churches at whatever cost. To simply
point out the good points of Warren's teachings and refuse to address the bad,
McFarland has failed his congregation, the Body of Christ at large, and His
Lord.
"Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20).
Now, I did
not say that the use of the five purposes Warren listed were evil (as you have
accused me). But I would like to address what Rick Warren does teach about evil
that does cause many to stumble. Quoting from my book: Rick Warren's
Global Peace Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace, please refer to
paragraph later in the document entitled:
SO WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF
“EVIL” ACCORDING TO RICK WARREN?
LEE
MCFARLAND:
Just as one
example that refutes what the email below …. I just looked at Saddleback’s
membership covenant, the same type as Rick Warren recommends for churches to
use… it does not in one single place ask you to “swear” or “take an oath”…take a
look for yourself…
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
To suggest
that you don't swear or take an oath to a covenant is what you do when you sign
or attest to a covenant belies the very words of Scripture which states that
when God initiated his covenants he swore an oath. Rick Warren himself even
uses Nehemiah as an example of his justifying covenants in his church. If you
don't think Nehemiah's covenant was sworn to, then you need to read the account
in the Old Testament. Jesus even refers to the fact that swearing oaths
regarding the Covenant of Moses is exactly what they were doing. The Old
Testament is filled with these examples. Furthermore, this was not really
Nehemiah's covenant, but Nehemiah re-instituting the covenant or Law of Moses
that God gave to Moses. See 1 Chr. 24:15 & Neh. 10:20. Is Rick Warren telling
us that God gave Rick Warren these new covenants to make binding on his
members? That Testament saints made covenants that they did take oaths to, but
Rick Warren's covenants possess no oath? Too late, we already have the New
Covenant. Luke even uses covenant and oath interchangeably as referring to the
same thing:
Luke 1:73 The oath which he sware
to our father Abraham,
It is known
as the Abrahamic Covenant....so of course a covenant was sworn to.
“I will bring you to the land I
swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give
it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” Exodus 6:8
And again
we read:
Act 2:30 Therefore being a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit
of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his
throne;
What does
Pastor Lee McFarland think one does with a Covenant if not sworn to? For him
to make this statement is just beyond astonishing. And even if they are not
sworn to but simply signed, the net effect is the same when non-signers are
removed or purpose-driven out of their church.
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
The
Saddleback Membership Covenant
“Having received Christ as my
Lord and Savior and been baptized, and being in agreement with Saddleback’s
statements, strategy and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite
with the Saddleback church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to
the other members to do the following:
I.___
I will protect the unity of my church
...By acting in love toward other
members
...By refusing to gossip
...By following the leaders
“So let us concentrate on the
things which make for harmony, and on the growth of our fellowship together.”
Rom. 15:19 (Ph)
Romans 14:19 says this; 'Let us
concentrate on the things that make for harmony and the growth of our
fellowship together.' [emphasis James]
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Rick
Warren uses the Phillips translation. Now let us compare this verse to what
the verse really says::
“Let us therefore follow after the
things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans
14:19 KJV
and the Greek:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/c/1151946086-8104.html#19
Note
there is nothing in there about church growth! In fact there is nothing in
Scripture that gives us a mandate to grow the church or commandments to do so!
Quoting this subjective translation by J.B. Phillips is one more example of Rick
Warren going beyond what is written and and inventing what the Scriptures
actually say. Todd Hudnall, another AOG pastor and international leader of
Warren's Purpose Driven Church promoted the same error in the PDC Conference in
Nairobi, Kenya, 2005. So much for the warning of adding to God's Word. Lee
McFarland insists that Warren uses the Bible....but his teaching on church
growth, just like Warren 40 Day examples are found nowhere in Scripture.
Forcing fellow Christians out of your church for refusing to sign Warren
covenants and marking them the way Warren does, is hardly a way to make peace
and edify one another! Just ask the growing number of saints who have been
purpose-driven from their churches (see Spiritual Euthanasia article for
more proof). See: http://www.letusreason.org/Current61.htm
LEE MCFARLAND:
“Live in complete harmony with
each other — each with the attitude of Christ toward each other.” Rom 15:5
(LB)
“Have a sincere love for your
fellow believers, love one another earnestly with all your hearts.” 1 Peter
1:22 (GN)
“Do not let any unwholesome
talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs...” Eph. 4:29
“Obey your leaders and submit
to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.
Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no
advantage to you.” Heb. 13:17
JAMES SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Of course, these commands from
Scripture must be followed. But there is nothing in Scripture which even
suggests that a brother is to take anything that even resembles an oath or
promise with respect to Heb 13:17. What if the leaders are rotten and corrupt
such as Diotrephes in John 3? Our allegiance is not to any man – not even to
Rick Warren. Our allegiance is to Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
LEE MCFARLAND (citing Rick
Warren):
II.__
I will share the responsibility of my church
...By praying for its growth
...By inviting the unchurched to
attend
...By warmly welcoming those who
visit
The
upcoming “Purpose-Driven, Spirit Led” Conference in April of 2006 has a great
title: “Uncompromised”. http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/Events/PurposeDrivenPentecostalCharismatic-LakeForestCA/Uncompromised_home.htm
Rick Warren will be the first to tell you – you don’t have to compromise your
theological or spiritual beliefs – especially Pentecostal beliefs – in order to
be “purpose-driven”, because purpose-driven is not a program or a theological
statement – it is a Biblical model Jesus established for what churches should be
doing until Jesus comes back.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
More lies
and distortions. IT IS A THEOLOGICAL STATEMENT AND PROGRAM! These people are
so bold, so brazen, in their distortions that few pay any attention. They use
words the way the Communists do – who cares what it really means except that it
sounds good and that the last word is clear: OBEY POPE RICK OR IT’S CURTAINS
FOR YOU!
Your
leader, Thomas Trask, U.S. National Assemblies of God National Superintendent
has clearly compromised. Here is proof:
“Thomas Trask
General Superintendent of
Assemblies of God Tom Trask, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God
Church and overseer of Assemblies of God which credentialed Pastor Todd Hudnall,
is now helping spearhead the Centennial of the Azusa Street Revival in April
2006 in Los Angeles, where Rick Warren will be a keynote speaker. Some of the
other apostate teachers invited to speak at this conference include Kenneth
Copeland, T. D. Jakes, Bill Hamon (Apostolic and Prophetic Ministry Today),180
Roman Catholic Francis MacNutt,181 Jack Hayford, David Cho, Creflo Dollar. See
www.azuzsastreet100.net/events.htm for speaker roster.” James Sundquist,
Rick Warren's Global Peace Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace, Bible
Belt Publishing, pp. 104-105, 2006
LEE
MCFARLAND:
There are
several of us Assembly of God pastors who will be speaking at this conference,
and we do so with complete confidence, knowing that we will in no way compromise
our beliefs about our “Pentecostal distinctives”. There is a pastor from the
Calvary Chapel movement who will be speaking… there is a pastor from a
non-denominational perspective as well… clearly this Biblical model crosses all
denominational lines, without compromising beliefs.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Chuck
Smith, the head of all Calvary Chapels has now come out denouncing Rick Warren's
teachings and has now stated that any Calvary Chapel using their materials can
no longer be called a Calvary Chapel. And Calvary Chapel never has
“Pentecostal distinctives”...read the history of how it was formed. Chuck Smith
started Calvary Chapel to be NON-denominational and with disctinctives which are
NOT the Foursquare (“Pentecostal distinctives”) of Life Bible College, or
Assemblies of God for that matter. Read their history.
LEE
MCFARLAND:
Just one
more example that was made by Mr. Sundquist… that Rick Warren doesn’t have
“repentance” in his teaching materials or book… let’s just go straight to what
Rick Warren himself has said on the subject:
JAMES SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
This is really Assembly of God Dr.
Opal Reddin's statement. So you are really accusing her of being a false
teacher: She is talking about true biblical repentance and I agree with her as
I will prove. Furthermore, McFarland never read my other examples, evidenced by
his comments on things I clearly stated in my books and emails to all of these
AOG pastors to whom I sent my complete documentary on Rick Warren.
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
It's OK to Preach Repentance
In fact, that's what preaching is all about.
[Excerpted from Preaching
magazine. By Rick Warren]
Rick
Warren's preaching has a purpose. He expects people to turn from their old ways.
Here are some of his principles on preaching for life change:
1. All behavior is based on
belief. If somebody
gets a divorce it is because they have a belief behind that: "I think I'll be
happier" or whatever.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
The lies
and distortions continue: What we do is based on whether we are obedient to
Christ and His Word or not – as believers. The pagans are slaves to their
lusts, as we once were. As to whether we believers are obedient or not is based
on how much we put the flesh to death and/or give heed to the schemes of the
devil.
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
2. Behind every sin is a lie of
unbelieving. You think
you are doing what's best for you, but you have been deceived. The Bible tells
us that Satan deceives us.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Simplification is being done here in order to craft people into becoming RW
clones. This is so amazingly naïve and contrary to orthodoxy, I don’t know what
to say. Sin is disobedience.
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
3. Change always starts in the
mind. "Be transformed
by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). The Bible teaches clearly that the
way we think affects the way we feel, and the way we feel affects the way we
act.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Once more,
it is evident that McFarland did not read my my book (Who's Driving the
Purpose Driven Church) with extensive commentary on Warren's misguided
teaching on transformation which is in Chapter One.
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
4. Change beliefs first.
Trying to change behavior without changing beliefs is a waste of time. Say I
have a boat on auto pilot headed north. If I want it to head south, I have two
options: I could wrestle the steering wheel or (the better way) change the auto
pilot.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Changing
what we do must first start with conversion to Christ and then responding to His
commands as given in His Word. If we don’t have His Word, He will impress on
our conscience what to do.
Rick Warren
loves to talk about boats! Here is one of his latest What to do when your
church hits a plateau, where he states:
"If your
church has been plateaued for six months, it might take six
months to get it going again. If it's been plateaued a year, it might take a
year. If it's been plateaued for 20 years, you've got to set in for
the duration!
"I'm saying some people are going to have to die or leave. Moses had to
wander around the desert for 40 years while God killed off a million
people before he let them go into the Promised Land. That may be brutally
blunt, but it's true. There may be people in your church who love God
sincerely, but who will never, ever change"
No sooner has
Warren distanced himself from the Left Behind violent video game for which Warren's PDC Director Mark Carver was one on the
board of advisers for that company in which many have to die than he tells his
followers that many have to die in churches in order to follow him! Warren
exhibits a more horrific understanding of Exodus than I have ever heard from a
pastor. Warren has it backwards who would really be swallowed up by the
earth! So now Warren is Moses? All Christians who murmur against Rick Warren's
vision from God "have to die"! Warren has the Exodus story backwards. It is
Warren that needs to let God's people go from the bondage he has put them in!
Warren also has his oil tanker example backwards. It is the Purpose Driven
Church and his Global Peace Plan that is the oil tanker that must turn around.
Had its captain obeyed Scripture this tanker would not have been going in the
wrong direction in the first place. Meanwhile the propeller for Rick Warren's
Purpose Driven oil tanker continues to chew up Christians leaving them
dismembered as bloodied corpses left in the wake. And sure enough, Rick Warren
is getting his wish! Those, in Warren's words who "have to die" are
Christians. The earth must swallow up these murmurers as in the book of Exodus
simply because they oppose Warren's teachings or refuse to sign his unbiblical
covenants? So Warren is now the Moses for the church of the whole earth? And
remember it was not Moses' decision to cause a million to die for their
rebellion, is was God's. Moses was the humblest man to walk the earth...at
least he understood what the book of Exodus really said. Besides it is not
these resisters who are in rebellion...they are simply the messengers. It is
Rick Warren and the hundreds of thousands of pastors and millions who follow him
who are in rebellion. God help us!!
And here is what the Berean Call has to say about Warren's article What to do
when your church hits a plateau:
[TBC: In this sloppy application
of Scripture, Mr. Warren clearly
hasn't thought through what he has said. Warren admits that these people "love
God sincerely," but for the sake of the program they must "die or leave."
Further, we are told in Scripture
why the people died in the
wilderness. Whether he realizes it or not, Mr. Warren has identified godly
people with the following individuals:
1 Corinthians 10:5: But with many of them God was not well pleased: for
they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6: Now these things were our
examples, to the intent we should not lust
after evil things, as they also lusted.
7: Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The
people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8: Neither let us commit
fornication, as some of them committed, and
fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9: Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were
destroyed of serpents.
10: Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were
destroyed of the destroyer.
And here is
Paul Proctor's most incisive News with Views commentary on Rick
Warren's incomprehensible and reprehensible article:
http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor95.htm
* * * * *
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
5. I don't change people's minds,
God's Word does. "We
speak words given to us by the Spirit using the Spirit's word to explain
spiritual truth" (1 Cor. 2:13 NLT). Both Word and Spirit elements are in
preaching, and often we leave out the Spirit element. Spiritual warfare is
tearing down mental strongholds. Our weapons have power, pulling down every
argument, every pretension.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
This is
just another shameful distortion and once again omits what this passage is
totally saying. Rick Warren leaves out the crucial phrase of this verse
which states “not in words which man's wisdom teacheth” (KJV). The
complete context of this passage also includes verse 12 which states: “spirit of
the world”. Now it is not surprising that Rick Warren leaves this out because
his teachings are saturating with this world's wisdom and principles of this
world. Warren compounds his error by not even correctly defining “spiritual
warfare” which must describe principalities and demonic spirits that we war
against. I am surprised you did not catch this since you quote Ephesians on
spiritual warfare in your letter to Philip Powell! Dr. Opal Reddin personally
sent me much of her own writings on spiritual warfare which she also taught at
Central Bible College. So it is surprising that the leadership of the AOG would
buy in to Warren's philosophy. You won't find these principalities dealt with
in Warren's Global Peace Plan either! We are certainly commanded to cast down
vain strongholds of imagination (which Warren clears does not do but entertains
them and promotes them). But “an argument” or “mental stronghold” are not the
servants of Satan who are masquerading as apostles of Christ. Spiritual
warfare is recognizing that the demonic forces that use Rick Warren's false
teachings to fool people that they are following Christ or that they are,
indeed, Christians. Or, generally, spiritual warfare is first of all
recognizing the demonic world’s tremendous power and then asking the Spirit to
stop the devil’s power from overcoming us. The Spirit also helps us to become
aware of the devil’s schemes. But the schemes themselves are not our
opposition. I am shocked that an Assembly of God pastor who should know better
would quote this erroneous teaching on spiritual warfare being promulgated by
Rick Warren. For a wake up call, AOG Pastor (Tom Trask, George Wood) and a
host of AOG pastors who promote Warren need to read this Scripture:
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
[places].
LEE
MCFARLAND (citing Rick Warren):
6. Changing the way people act is
the fruit of repentance.
Repentance is not behavioral change; it results in behavioral change. Repentance
happens in your mind. That 's why John the Baptist says to produce fruit in
keeping with repentance. "I preach that they should repent and turn to
God and prove their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20).
7. The deepest preaching, bar
none, is preaching for repentance.
Many preachers are great at interpretation, good at application, but not willing
to call for repentance. I preach repentance every Sunday. I talk about "changing
your mind" and "paradigm shift." But every message comes down to two words: Will
you? "Will you change the way you're thinking?" If you are not preaching
repentance, you're not preaching.
Excerpted from Preaching magazine.
Rick Warren is pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California.
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Not
everything Rick Warren says is false. Nevertheless, truth plus error = error.
All cults and all major religions teach many things which are true...but that is
why they are so deceptive! Pastor Bob DeWaay's commentary on Warren
sometimes telling the truth is quite appropriate:
“What we have going on here is
people finding places where Warren teaches the truth and using that to defend
his whole movement. Personally, I am not claiming that Warren does not know the
truth, and in many cases he privately believes it. But when he speaks to the
people who need to know the truth the worst, like the readers of PDL, and Ladies
Home Journal, and United Nations, then he does not give them the truth, but what
he thinks they want to hear. If an evangelical pastor gets a hearing with
Warren, Warren will definitely say he believes in repentance. He can get people
in his church to say they have heard him talk about it. But does he preach it to
the lost? NO!!! He tells them to work on their self esteem.
Warren’s defenders claim that if
he teaches some truth in some places, that justifies him teaching lies and
errors to the masses. But we are never justified in hiding the truth, misusing
the Bible, and teaching error. And if he knows better, then he is all the more
blameworthy!”
Also hear
is commentary at:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Critical_Issues_Commentary/archives.asp?bcd=2006-7-10.
In this program Brian Flynn and Bob DeWaay discus the gap between private
orthodox beliefs and public statements that contradict these that characterize
the Purpose Driven movement. This commentary is brilliant and much needed!
LEE
MCFARLAND:
Please be
encouraged… when people are attacking something like Purpose-Driven Church, it’s
because they haven’t actually read about it, or met Rick Warren, or been to the
Purpose-Driven Church conferences… but most importantly, they are attributing
evil to a man who is just trying to help pastors be better pastors… and trying
to help people understand the reason they have been placed on this earth by God…
JAMES
SUNDQUIST RESPONSE:
Well I am
not encouraged by false teachings and I most certainly am not encouraged by AOG
Pastor Lee McFarland and Anthony Niger, II bearing false witness against both
Philip Powell and me as well as Dr. Opal Reddin. Lee McFarland implies that I
have not read Rick Warren's writings, or else I would see that he is just trying
to help pastors be better pastors. But I have thoroughly researched Rick
Warren's teachings, line by line, precept upon precept and comparing them
directly with Scripture. That is how I know he is a false teacher and his
claims are fraudulent. It has becoming increasingly apparent that Lee McFarland
has not even read either of my books on Rick Warren because I answered many of
his criticisms already...and yes with documentation. No I have not met Rick
Warren. But I have not met the Pope, the Dalai Lama, or Dr. Hugh Ross either.
All of their teachings are well-known and published. So why would I have to
meet him? Is meeting him going to cause fairy dust to come down over my eyes
that I would become deceived to believe a false teacher? I don't have to
meet him to mark him. There is no Scripture to prove that Paul or John ever
met many of the false teachers they marked. And I would not need to attend a
Purpose Driven Conference to identify Warren as a false teacher...there is
already plenty to expose him in his Purpose Driven Life book,
Ladies Home Journal column, and radio and television appearances.
Nevertheless, I have listened to the entire tapes of the Purpose Driven
Conference in Nairobi, 2005 which I comment on in my second book on Rick
Warren. Had Lee McFarland read that commentary along with Bob DeWaay's
commentary on that conference he might not have been so reckless to make his
accusations, for I addressed them. Finally, Rick Warren is not helping pastors
be better pastors who simply regurgitate his parade of errors and use his
sermons vs. studying the Word primarily to show himself a workman approved.
Rick Warren is deceiving pastors and making them worse pastors and poor
shepherds who are not guarding the flock against Warren's false teachings which
I have only partly addressed in this letter. Rick Warren's supposed examples of
teaching truth and repentance loses all credibility because elsewhere he
contradicts his own teachings as this document proves. He should not be helping
pastors at all, but rather should be disqualified as a pastor! He has not
helped people better understand their place on the earth but confused them and
led them astray, and abusively treated resisters through the training he
provides churches leaders throughout the world who follow his template.
Were Rick
Warren to preach the unadulterated Word of God and repent to the host of
churches, denominations he has led astray, families he has destroyed, and
renounce his own books, then perhaps he might help people understand why they
have been placed on earth. You and your pastor partners in the AOG such as
Tom Trask, George Wood, Todd Hudnall, Anthony Niger II, Tommy Barnett, Wesley
Shortridge, Bill Ellis, Randy D. Rice, Jonathan Chambers, Chris McMillan, Dan
Lumadue, Mark Canfield, Rich Fogal, David Crosby, Sr., (AOG District Sec.
Treasurer in Pennsylvania), Tom Grazioso, Joe Fuiten, Randy Carter, E.G. Olsen,
Chris Hickle, Ken Burtram (Potomac AOG District Sec. Treasurer), Wayde Goodall,
and a host of others who promote Rick Warren and/or have attacked me and Dr.
Opal Reddin (many even calling Opal's letter of appeal “spam”) must also repent
for you too are all guilty of forming an unholy alliance with him.
You and
Rick Warren may have a vast network of Assembly of God Pastors, District
Directors, national AOG Supervisors, a half a millions pastors around the world,
Rupert Murdock, major secular as well as Christian publishers and Christian
radio stations and magazines, and a vast fortune promoting Rick Warren's Purpose
Driven Church, Purpose Driven Life, and his programs on how do
deal with what George Woods calls “detractors” and Warren calls “resisters” on
your side. But I and many others have one thing you all lack, working in our
favor, and that is the truth. You may be able to snuff out the voice of the
righteous widow of Dr. Opal Reddin's, as Tom Trask did. But I heard her voice,
and more importantly the Lord heard her cries. And those of us who know the
truth will not be silenced. There is a remnant out there who have discernment
ministries and who are good Bereans who are not being silenced and will not be
silenced.
If there
still remains any doubt that we are attributing evil to a man unjustly, then I
appeal to you to read the following which is more proof regarding Rick Warren.
I don't determine what is evil, Scripture determines this.
WHY THE ASSEMBLIES OF
GOD LEADERS SHOULD HAVE REJECTED RICK WARREN'S PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE BOOK
AND HIS 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE BEFORE THEY EVEN GOT TO DAY ONE OF HIS 40 DAYS
OF PURPOSE:
RICK WARREN'S 40 DAY
INVENTIONS VS. WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ABOUT EACH 40 DAY EXAMPLE
“Noah’s
Life was transformed by 40 days of rain” (Purpose Driven Life p. 10)
Is this true?
No! Noah was not transformed..he had already been transformed and had been
preaching for 120 years…the 40 days marked judgment for all of the people on the
earth OUTSIDE of the Ark…who drowned! See Genesis 6-9
“Moses
was transformed by 40 Days on Mount Sinai”(Purpose Driven Life p. 10)
Is this true?
NO! Moses was given his purpose at the burning bush BEFORE these 40 Days on Mt.
Sinai. See Exodus Chapters 3, 21-25
“The spies
were transformed by 40 Days in the Promised Land” (Purpose Driven Life p.
10) Is this true?
No!10 Spies
were not changed. 2 were already faithful but NONE were
transformed
in the
Promised Land” See Numbers 13:30-33
“David
was transformed by Goliath’s 40 Day challenge” (Purpose Driven Life p.
10) Is this true?
NO! David was already a man after God’s own heart…and didn’t even show up to
until the END of Goliath's 40 day challenge. See I Samuel Chapter 17
“Elijah was
transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from a single meal”
(Purpose
Driven Life p. 10) Is
this true?
NO!
It was 2
meals to simply strengthen him…and Elijah had already been given his purpose….no
transformation here! See I Kings Chapter 19
“The entire
city of Nineveh was transformed when God gave the people forty days to change.”
(Purpose Driven Life
p. 10) Is this true?
NO. The 40
days were given as a deadline to judgment…but they repented long before then..no
process of transformation that took 40 days here! See Book of Jonah
“Elijah was
transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from a single meal”
(Purpose
Driven Life p. 10) Is
this true?
NO! It was 2
meals to simply strengthen him…and Elijah had already been given his purpose….no
transformation here! See I Kings Chapter 19
“Jesus was
empowered by 40 days in the wilderness.” (Purpose
Driven Life p. 10) Is
this true?
NO! This is
completely wrong!
Jesus was
tempted during the 40 days not empowered…furthermore He was already all powerful
and his purpose was already known by Himself before the foundation of the
world! SEE Matthew Chapter 4 Mark Chapter 1, Luke Chapter 4
“The
disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus after his resurrection.”
(Purpose
Driven Life, p. 10)
IS THIS RIGHT?
NO! The
Disciples were already not conformed to this world and already had their
purpose…if anything they were transformed at Pentecost…that’s 50 days, not 40
days! See Acts 1:3
******************
RICK
WARREN'S COVENANT (P. 13 PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE) VS. SCRIPTURE
Aside from
the fact that Rick Warren asks you to sign a covenant at the beginning of his
book without having read the book to be a good Berean to see if these things be
true (who among you would sign a contract before reading it?), and Rick Warren
comparing his covenant to Nehemiah (which was really God's covenant given to
Moses, simply reinstated), let's see what Jesus Christ and his Apostle James
have to say about oaths that Warren makes binding on his congregation, defying
even the Apostle Paul who condemning anyone trying to put us back under the law
and the traditions of men:
“Again, ye have heard that it hath
been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt
perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
But I say unto you, Swear not at
all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither
shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or
black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil.” —Matthew 5:33–37 [emphasis mine]
“But above all things, my
brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any
other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation.” [emphasis mine]
— James 5:12
Dr. Opal
Reddin, Professor at Assembly of God's Central Bible College for 24 years, knew
ALL OF THESE THINGS, and reviewed my book and emails before publishing, easily
discernible to any good Berean willing to check out the facts in Scripture. So
why didn't Tom Trask, General Supt of the AOG know that Rick Warren's accounts
of the 40 Days in the Bible were fiction and fraudulent, and if he did know,
that is even more frightening that he would still promote Rick Warren and his
programs! And why didn't a host of AOG Pastors such as Lee McFarland both to
check the Scriptures to see if Warren was telling the truth or not?
RICK
WARREN'S DEFINITION OF EVIL
AOG Pastor
Lee McFarland insists that Rick Warren really teaches true biblical repentance
and that he “simply uses the Bible”.
For you to affirm and quote of
Rick Warren's apparent teaching of repentance to carry any credibility
whatsoever, it must begin with fear of the Lord which is the beginning of
wisdom. No fear of the
Lord, then no beginning of wisdom and without this beginning there can be no
repentance for you have removed its foundation.
“If
the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3
So let's
see what Rick Warren teaches about fear of the Lord.
This taken from my book Rick Warren's Global Peace Plan vs. Scriptural
Teachings on Peace:
Fear of the Lord
