At his Global Presence Conference 2013, Phil Pringle got thousands of Christians to financially support Kong Hee’s trial back in Singapore. Pringle did not inform those present what the allegations against Kong Hee and his staff were about.

Below is the video and transcript. Here are some of our observations what Pringle said:

• Although Pringle did not want to encourage Christians to financially support Kong Hee’s defense lawyers “under any compulsion or pressure” Phil Pringle laid the pressure on people to give.
• He manipulated people into giving by censoring the central facts of Kong Hee’s trial and parading him as an innocent and righteous blood-stained martyr in a pagan world. He did this by comparing Kong Hee’s circumstances to John Bunyan’s and the early church Apostles circumstances.
• Using cat-fight and division-like tactics, Pringle used defamatory commentary against Christians who are questioning the integrity of Kong Hee, Sun Ho and himself. After slagging off Christians as ‘enemies’, he called for the church to be unified again around Kong Hee and Sun Ho without explaining why they were being charged. (For someone who thinks that Christians “are getting a little numb” to criticisms now, Pringle makes sure to attack them publicly.)
• Pringle twists the Apostle Paul’s words so Christians would close their eyes, ears and minds to the truth. When Pringle said, “Don’t be moved as by as a letter as though from us”, he was referring to 2 Thessalonians 2:2. This is why there IS division. Paul wanted the church to avoid men like Pringle that would twist his words.

The above is not an exhaustive analysis of what Pringle said. We encourage readers to examine and discuss the claims we have made above. We are looking at doing a thorough analysis of Pringle’s special offering message at another time. In the mean time, here is Phil Pringle’s message:

“Oh Jesus! Your Presence™ is heaven to us.

You know I- I want to do a couple more things tonight before we finish. If I can have the lights go up a bit.

Uh- I’m hesitant to do this but I just feel we should. And I don’t want you to feel under any compulsion or pressure or anything like this. And I’ve only ever done this once before in a Presence Conference as to add another offering but I know the costs that are involved in Kong Hee making his defense. It’s not small.

It’s not even six figures. It’s seven and it’s multiples of that for the legal defense and for seven people are charged. not just Kong himself. Happily, two weeks ago, Sun was completely exonerated from all charges against her. [Crowds Applause]

You can be seated. Thank you. Just for a second. I know it’s half past time but we’re cool. It’s ANZAC day.

I would like you just to take a card, an envelope if you’ve got one nearby. And if you’d like to participate in this, I’d like you to consider doing that. Whatever you can do it would be helpful, I know, to them. This will all go completely to Pastor Kong to help with his- costs. He has to pay this week $680,000 I think it is, for his legal fees. He’s covering his whole team’s fees. They have to mount a vigorous defense over three years. Those numbers weigh heavily on- on a person and they have prohibited him from asking his own congregation for any help.

He can not use any of his own church funds. They’ve sold there- they sold the unit they were in. Others have moved to help them in other countries and I would like to think that we can be friends to these people in one of their darkest hours.

We do not face this kind of situation. It’s hard to even imagine it or feel it. But I’ve been on the front page of newspapers. And I’ve been on the six o’clock. And I’ve been on a Current Affair when Mr Hinch was around even then. And I was there. “Shame! Shame!”

And uh- and uh- and it’s- it’s a terrible, terrible feeling. But I- you gotta know that the reason we- this- this- none of this comes cheaply. And I’m not talking cash. Nothing of worth is achieved without some opposition. And you can tell the value of a thing you’re trying to achieve by the level of opposition that you’re getting.

And so- there’s a price for the anointing. There’s a price for the growth of the kingdom of God. And when we’re called to come up with that price- whatever it is- there’s not a disciple or an apostle that didn’t go through some immense contradiction in life. To achieve the things, the scriptures that we read, are penned in blood. There are martyrs all through the centuries and persecuted people. John Bunyan was thrown in prison. I think it was eleven times before he wrote ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’. Finally he wrote it.

He figured, “This is why I’m in here”. Hehe! I’m not sure if he ever went back in there but cos he was preaching so ferociously. They just kept throwing him in.

And I think it’s an awesome thing. If one member in the body has suffered. If other members bear the pain as well, a little- and so I would like to do this right now.

One of the things that’s happened- it’s one of the brightest pieces of light in the last three years in this situation- that recently Sun was exonerated because there was insufficient evidence, they said. So there was a public outcry, “Why then in the first place was there any suspension of her office?”

And that was one of the questions asked. And uh- it continues, you know. But that is th- that is a beginning. That is a bright piece of light for- and the press- the last press release I read was uh- halfway positive- and halfway negative. But it uh- it wasn’t as nearly as DAMNING as the others had been.

Let’s pray together and ask God to help us with our giving here to bless our brother. And if you are unable to, pray. If you can, do. Go ahead and let’s uh- be a blessing to Pastor Kong and Sun and the great City Harvest Church. One of the greatest churches in the world without any shadow of a doubt. A church that is changing the ratio of Christian populations in certain countries.

Heavenly father, help us stand with this man and woman you have chosen to serve you and have given you everything. Laid down their lives in so many ways. And Lord we pray as we stand with them here tonight for the blessing of God to rest on our giving, in Jesus name. And every body said, “Amen”. [Camera shot on Kong Hee and Sun Ho praying] Thank you very much. Hallelujah!

You know uh- I knew when we saw the 2014 line-up of speakers for next year, I thought uh, “Pastor Kong is not there. He’s here every year. So I need to ask him”.

[Kong Hee nods ‘yes’, stands up and salutes Pringle to receive applause] Will you at least do one session for us next year? Please! You know. You must do one session for us. [Crowd applauses.]

And I thought, “I want to do that before the end of the night” because exactly what Son said, “Next year when we are here”. That’s one of the greatest statements of faith you’ve heard in this conference. I don’t expect you to fully understand that but because they are facing two trials. One in may and one in August. In Singapore you will see lots of negative stuff. You will read lots of blogs by Christians as well that are terrible, negative, attacking, all kinds of things and we live in that kind of age.

But I think people are getting a little numb to it now. I saw on some comments on Facebook today about this conference. I’m thinking, “Oh! PLEASE! You know! Get over it in Jesus name! Amen! Get a life! Do something! Win some people to Jesus! You know like- our worst critics and enemies are within our own deal, for goodness sake. Can’t we get it together and discover the things that unite us are far more the things that divide us in Jesus name. Amen!

We’re here to build the church, not tear it down. I’m not gonna get into cat fights with anybody. Amen! I’ll just ignore it, move on. Thank you Jesus. “Try the other cheek!” Amen!

It’s all good. Don’t go out there and be moved by these things. Paul had it all the time. Don’t be moved as by as a letter as though from us. People would fake his signature and write letters about the resurrection being over and criticising him. Ridiculous! It’s always been around.

But things like Joey Bonofacio was saying this afternoon, God allows things to shake us. To shake the things that can be shaken so that we’ll lose them and so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain and get stronger. Amen!

That’s why you get shaken. [Crowds applause] Woah!

But be immovable. Be unshakable. Don’t be shaken in mind or troubled in heart by those sort of things. Stand strong. Know what’s right and do that in Jesus name. Amen!”