Dean Sweetman is a Pastor of a C3 Church in America and is also the “Executive Regional C3 Americas Overseer”. He recently has been in correspondence with the C3 Church Watch community. If possible, we wish to keep all conversations with Dean on this thread to save derailing conversations on other articles.
Below is an observation of how we have seen Dean Sweetman behave on C3 Church Watch. It is also a response to some comments he made here:
We at C3ChurchWatch have in the past proved with biblical evidence how Phil Pringle is a false teacher. It wasn’t a case of us giving our opinion. In fact, we have evidence to make the claim that Phil Pringle has in the past misused scriptures to manipulate people for selfish gain.
This is not the heart of a pastor. This is the heart of a counterfeit. A spiritual fraud. A wolf.
We have gone to task to see who is telling the truth: God or Phil Pringle. One of them is clearly exposing the other as a deceiver. So is God a deceiver or is Phil Pringle a deceiver? We listen to God and we listen to Phil Pringle. However, we tend to put our trust and authority in what God says since he… well… cannot lie.
Often this results in Phil Pringle making God out to be a liar. Since man is sinful, we think it’s best we put our faith and authority in God. So we like quoting what He has revealed. This is our authority. So what authority do you speak from Dean?
TO THE DEAN
So far you speak from your own authority:
“You (sic) opinion as to whether Phil Pringle and Kong He are false teachers is based on your interpretation of scripture I guess.”
“I disagree with your position you disagree with mine.”
Your experiences:
“That’s ok but to label them a false teachers does not stand up to credibility in light of the statements of faith and over 30 years of teaching…”
Your “mob”:
“And our position on that is the now mainstream view and accepted across most denominational structures.”
By saying, “Just because you say it over and over does not make it so” is nothing more than an ad hominem attack. We don’t have to say that Phil Pringle or Kong Hee are false teachers. God Himself does in His Word. Stop standing on yourself, your experiences and your “movement”. Pringle is not your final authority. God is. For once prove God is your authority.
Furthermore, stop casting uncertainty on the scriptures and the facts.
“Great, you’ve got your scriptures I’ve got my scriptures. Isn’t fun.”
“I don’t have all the facts regarding the current CHC investigation but again neither do you.”
“Sorry Fancey, I didn’t say I had all the fact.”
You’d expect this behaviour and intellectual dishonesty coming from famous politicians, atheists, agnostics and secularists. This is worldly, weak and Rick Warren-like beaviour Dean. You should know better.
We say all this in response to your comment here:
“I look forward to more debate with a real person who has the courage to enter such debate with their real name. Its easy, you sign in with Facebook.”
You can’t even respond to your critics with the scriptures. In fact you don’t even-copy paste scriptures. Instead you copy-paste links from “critics” who actively preach the gospel (and who don’t like C3 Church) and say “this would do it”.
We are calling your bluff. You don’t “look forward to more debate with a real person who has the courage to enter such debate with their real name”. We’re not idiots. People who have tried to do this in the past in the C3 Church movement have been mocked, marginalised, gossiped and ridiculed. In fact we know someone who was blacklisted because they attempted to debate a Connect Group leader.
Be a real Christian Dean and start addressing the substance of our claims. So far you are dancing around the scriptures and jabbing at us with plastic forks.
If you don’t want to take us on, take on Chris Rosebrough from Fighting For The Faith. His name is out there. He is aware of the mess C3 is involved in Singapore and America. He has made some very serious claims against Phil Pringle, Mark Kelsey, the C3 Movement and the Global C3 Presence Conference. I am sure he would be more than happy to have you on his program so he can debate you.
Even Matt Slick from Carm.org is aware of C3′s involvement with the CHC scandal. His name is out there. Since you took your gospel presentation from the Carm.org website, why don’t you explain to Matt Slick on his radio program (at http://www.carm.org) how orthodox Phil Pringle’s best friends have been?
We’ve aswered your questions as best we can. So please answer our questions. They are pasted below with some additional questions added on.
OUR QUESTIONS
1. You said, “That’s ok but to label them a false teachers does not stand up to credibility in light of the statements of faith and over 30 years of teaching about Salvation, Baptism, Sin, Grace, Justification, Sanctification, the Bible as the infallible word of God, the Trinity, I could go on.”
Please. Go on. Is it possible to be cursed by God if a Christian has received “Salvation, Baptism, Sin, Grace, Justification, Sanctification”?
2. “With the exception of Charismatic theology…”
Would a Charismatic theologian like yourself believe that it possible to be cursed by God if a Christian has received “Salvation, Baptism, Sin, Grace, Justification, Sanctification”?
3. “And our position on that is the now mainstream view and accepted across most denominational structures.”
Would you like to add anything else to this statement?
4. “Just because you say it over and over does not make it so.”
Why not? Would you like to restate that?
5. So we can understand you and Pringle more clearly, can you please define what you and Pringle mean when you use the following words? We are quite prepared to go through our articles and clean up any misconceptions if you can provide the definitions of these words for Pringle and his movement.
- Faith
- Hope
- Favour
- Grace
- Miracle
- Vision
- Dream
- Church
- Kingdom of God
- Word of God
- Speaking in tongues
- Confess/ion
- Joy/Thanksgiving/Grattitude
- truth
- tithe
- gospel
- Baptism
- Tongues
- Seed
- Sacrifice
- Judge
- Contract
- Bless/Blessing
- Curse/Cursing
- Promise
- Blasphemy
- Heresy
- Wolf
- Critic
- False Prophet
- False Teacher
- Anathema
6. You stated that you “have taught in C3 congregations to to beware of false teachers”. Who are some false teachers you have named?
7. You stated you, “have also taught on to submission to authority”. What do you mean by “authority”? What types of authority?
8. Why don’t you look into the C3 Asheville scandal?
C3 Church Watch 
1. No
2. I’m not a charismatic theologian, never said I was. See answer 1.
3. When the Arch Bishop of The Anglican Church comes out and says he speaks in tongues, yes, I would say Charasmatic theology is now in the mainstream.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.of.canterbury.speaks.in.tongues/33448.htm
4. No
5. It too long, but it’s probably same as you with a Charasmatic leaning.
6. People like you guys…..just kidding. I have warned my congregations many times about belief systems that don’t profess Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.
Islam, Buddism, Mormanism would fall into this category to name a few. What I don’t do is encourage the church to criticize other CHRISTIAN churches and denominations. Whis is what you spend most of your time doing.
7. 1 Peter 5:1-7 NLT
[1] … And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: [2] Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly-not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. [3] Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. [4] And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. [5] In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” [6] So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. [7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. …
Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
1 Tim 3:8
In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
Titus 1:7
You will no doubt refute that this is the way we govern our churches. Rock on.
8. I am deeply involved.
@ Dean – Proverbs 18:17 “The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.”
You state that “I have warned my congregations many times about belief systems that don’t profess Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.
Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism would fall into this category to name a few. What I don’t do is encourage the church to criticize other CHRISTIAN churches and denominations. This is what you spend most of your time doing.”
In response I submit this…..
“How many times have you seen this play out in a court of law? A good defense lawyer can have you convinced that their client is completely innocent. Then comes the cross examination which can leave you even more convinced that the same defendant you were ready to exonerate, is almost certainly guilty.
Why, when doctrinal matters are infinitely more important than earthly matters, do we not take the same care to evaluate whether or not they are true? We are so comfortable with our little circle of influence that we just refuse to listen to anybody else. This is dangerous practice. It guarantees that if we ever embrace false teaching we will most likely never leave it. This is a cult like attitude.”
Did Jill Sweetman really do her doctorate at Trinity University (I.e the legit one in San Antonio)? Excuse my scepticism but its being fuelled by senior church figures being “awarded” phd’s from less than reputable institutions…
No reply to this question, Dean?
I’m very interested in this as well – as, no doubt, are many others.
Surely you won’t leave this question hanging with no response – your reticence may be misconstrued by some as being due to you having something to hide, which I’m sure is not the case at all. (And after all, God didn’t ever intend us to hide our academic credentials under a bushel, did he?)
Obtaining a PhD is hardly a trivial undertaking, and the study and research involved can span many years: a degree followed by a masters – or at the very least a degree with honours – and then the doctorate itself. Could you let us know how long it took your wife in total to obtain her doctorate?
This was his response to me:
“To Simeon, Jill has a Phd in Biblical Counseling from Trinity University. I can send you her 40,000+ word thesis if you like. It was on Exercise and Pastoral Depression. She graduated with honors.”
Look I don’t care really, good on them. I’ve never been academic and didn’t get into the uni I applied for, so I applaud any kind of study. But why is there such importance to become Doctors in church circles?
The way I read and interpreted some of the New Covenant Uni “About” stuff is that God is the ultimate authority and accreditation doesn’t matter. My opinion.
As a lady at my work said (her son is a Baptist minister) – it takes 3 years of study including theology to be able to become a Baptist minister. So WHY is every old person who gets on the platform now a PASTOR?? At a c3 I know, everyone who’s got some kind of “ministry” is a pastor. My sister preaches at a Salvation Army and has a paid ministry with them but she isn’t a “pastor” or even “officer”.
@ Dean – Why am I not surprised to see this? Money problems? Call in the “money man”, he will “fleece” your flock , condemn them with all sorts of law (rather than grace), making all sorts of promises of “financial blessing” – and the pastor won’t get the blame! Just the money…
http://www2.myc3church.net/videos/phil-pringle-and-robert-morris-full-tank-%E2%80%93-living-life-blessed-part-1
And warnings about the “money man” have issued from many quarters…..
http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2013/09/robert-morris-shakes-down-newspring.html
http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/robert-morris-i-check-tithing-records.html
Dean, “5. It too long, but it’s probably same as you with a Charasmatic leaning”.
Okay. Mind if you start with defining these few for now? These Definitions will only help us understand where you, Pringle and the c3 movement are coming from.
Faith
Favour
Miracle
Dream
Confess/ion
tithe
gospel
Seed
Blasphemy
Heresy
Critic
@ Dean – you say “…I don’t spend time publically tearing people down a a blog”.
I’ve been thinking about this since you made the comment, certainly a valid one.
Perhaps if pastors did spend more time warning their congregations about false teachers, discernment ministries & bloggers wouldn’t need to be the ones warning them?
You rightly warn against Mormons, Islam, JW’s etc but doesn’t the scriptures clearly warn of those false teachers that are, by outward appearance, Christians?
Galatians, Jude, 1 John, 2 Peter – in fact all of Galatians and parts of the other pastoral epistles are written to warn of false teachers/teaching that infiltrated the churches. And this was happening in their time, how much more so in ours?
Failing to provide adequate instruction to the congregation is a spiritual breach of care.
The bible being the final arbiter of Truth, if these instructions are clealy given to the early church, how much more responsibility falls on pastors’ shoulders today?
Naming “names” IS biblical – 2 Timothy 2:17-18 “…and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them Hymanaeus and Philetus who swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some”
Being part of a world-wide group of churches, when one leader endorses certain false teachers by allowing them at conferences or in pulpits, this impacts on that group as a whole. If you have disagreement with that decision, should you let your congregation know, and tell them why you disagree?
This isn’t an issue of charismatic vs reformed – this is addressing the whole body of Christ.
Dear Dean,
We would greatly appreciate it if you could supply us with some of c3s definitions of the words we asked for. Can we at least start with these 3?
Faith
Favour
Miracle