Scriptures say,

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” – Romans 13:1

From City News,

Pringle said in the above video,

Pringle: “It’s such a pleasure to be here with my son Joseph who’s helping us lead worship this weekend in the great City Harvest Church. Keep praying. We’re believing and expecting nothing less than great victory.

Let’s believe together that the future is going to be better than anything we’ve seen before… Do you know one of the things that they did in the bible was they sent praise and worship out in front of the army?”

Joe: “I know… And that’s what I do. I go out and take all the shots.”

Pringle: “Exactly.”

Source: We Stand By You, City News, citynewssingapore, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOToKFKGpdY, Published on May 19, 2013. (Accessed 22/05/2013.)

What did Pringle mean when he said, “Do you know… they sent praise and worship out in front of the army”?

We’re used to seeing Pringle use specific language for personal results. The above dialogue is no different. Instead of using double-speak or bait and switch techniques, Pringle is using bible-coded language for his CHC audience the average person could miss. It’s hard to notice it at first unless you come from a Word of Faith background.

Chris Rosebrough from Fighting For The Faith has in the past reviewed sermons from Phil Pringle. In reviewing one of Pringle’s sermons, Rosebrough has noticed that Phil Pringle uses this deceptive technique.

Chris Rosebrough Critiquing Phil Pringle At C3 San Diego (12/02/2012)

We have also observed Kong Hee uses the bible-code technique.

How Can Kong Hee Say “I Do Maintain My Integrity”(Part 3)

What Did Phil Pringle Mean?

The only thing that CHC is up against is the court case. Pringle encourages people to “Keep praying. We’re believing and expecting nothing less than great victory”. Does this mean Phil Pringle is encouraging and believing that Kong Hee and all others will come out innocent in the name of victory? Well he gives this away. Yes he does.

It appears that Phil Pringle has brought his son over to Singapore as a ‘spiritual strategy’ to fight for CHC’s cause. It sounds absurd until you start unpacking what Phil Pringle said above in this short snippet.

Why is it not absurd? It is fairly common for Pentecostal or charismastic churches to spiritualise circumstances. Kong Hee’s court case is no different. To combat spiritual ‘principalities and powers’, Phil Pringle is claiming that all of CHC and himself are “believing and expecting…  great victory”. (For with God, all things are possible, right? If God is for us, who can be against us, right?)

CHC members would know exactly what Phil Pringle was talking about when he said, “one of the things that they did in the bible was they sent praise and worship out in front of the army”. But do you know what Phil Pringle was talking about in the above clip?

Below is the scripture story that Pringle is alluding too and twisting to elevate CHC to that of Ancient Israel and to those that ‘oppose them’ as CHC’s enemy:

“And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”

Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped… Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15-24, 27

Let’s look at the parallel’s Pringle is drawing on:

What came against Israel? An enemy against them and their God.

What came against CHC? The court case.

What was Israel believing? That God would give them victory over their enemies.

What is Pringle and CHC believing in? “We’re believing and expecting nothing less than great victory.”

How did Jehoshaphat respond to the army? “He appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army.”

How did Pringle respond to the upcoming case? “He appointed [his son] to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as [he] went before CHC.

By bringing his son Joseph into the equation, Phil Pringle is personally employing a spiritual strategy for “great victory” against the trial. This was stupid for Pringle to do as he now made his son’s very presence a symbol of war against the authorities coming against CHC.

On a more absurd note, does this mean Phil Pringle is Jehoshaphat? Oddly enough, going by what we’ve observed Phil Pringle say about himself in the past, it is highly probable he believes that he is a Jehoshaphat of some sort delivering God’s people.

Is C3ChurchWatch Reading Into This A Bit Too Much?

You may be thinking we are reading into what Phil Pringle is saying. You may be thinking that no one would extrapolate this nonsense from what Phil Pringle said. But when Joe Pringle opened his mouth, he confirmed what we believed to be true. He knew what his father was saying on both the ‘biblical’ level and in the current circumstances that CHC was facing. And Joe is right. He is now copping it from us.

“I know… And that’s what I do. I go out and take all the shots.”

This sinister and false biblical idea is re-inforced in the minds of Pringle’s listeners. The idea is this: CHC members and leaders are God’s chosen people and those outside of CHC are Gods enemies worthy of destruction.

Overall, to use the scriptures and God to elevate CHC and to insinuate that anyone who is ‘against’ them is an enemy of God is simply appalling on Pringle’s behalf.

Guilty Through Evasion

In the clip, Phil Pringle did not turn to the camera and speak directly to CHC the following, “Do you know one of the things that they did in the bible was they sent praise and worship out in front of the army?”

This would look as though he is directly telling CHC members to rally “praise and worship out in front of the [CHC] army” to confront their enemy.

Instead, he spoke to CHC by turning to his son and saying, “Do you know one of the things that they did in the bible was they sent praise and worship out in front of the army?”

What we are seeing is Pringle use indirect communication to Joe so that CHC receives what Phil Pringle says directly. This is evasion. And because Pringle results to using it, he knows what he is saying in this clip is essentially out of line.

We have Andrew Kubala resulting in the same type of indirect conversation when he was exposed by accident as a fraudulent healer.

C3 “Healing” Service (Andrew Kubalah Style)

Kubala claimed that a woman was healed. However she didn’t get healed. So he had to try to not look heartless towards her by diagnosing that she wasn’t letting go of the problem to receive her healing. Instead, he would turn from her to the audience, switching the words ‘your’ and ‘our’ to teach that it is our/her mind that is preventing us/her from our/her healing. He was using indirect communication to not offend her. What Andrew Kubala did then is what Phil Pringle is doing here.

This movement is a sign that both Pringle and Kubala know they can’t say certain things directly without facing possible consequences from their listener. That is why we are prepared to say that Pringle knew he was crossing the line when he alluded to the story of Jehoshaphat as a spiritual tactic to claim CHCs victory. He couldn’t follow through speaking directly to CHC. Instead he used his son indirectly to do this.

This entire clip was a very cunning maneuver on Pringle’s behalf. It is our desire to inform readers that this is not the way a Christian Pastor should behave. Can you imagine Jesus’ Apostle’s behaving like this?

Christianity is not a religion that is against governments. Christians are called to submit and faithfully pray for those that rule them whether they agree with them or not.

So why is Pringle behaving as though he is above God’s Word and able to lay these false insinuations on Singaporean authorities?

Well Jesus labels false teachers ‘Lawless Ones’. (Matt 7:15-23.) Why? Observing how Pringle is pitting the church against those Jesus says we need to honour and respect, we think we’re now beginning to understand why.