This was the result of the auction. Who would have seen that coming?
So whoever the Singaporean person was, whoever bought the “anointed” painting from “Prophet” Phil Pringle in “faith”, well done!
You indeed bought Kong Hee his victory. Kong Hee is indeed innocent and the Singaporean government are those evil people that tried to bring him down. Well done for thwarting Satan’s plans by your obedience to buying Phil Pringle’s “anointed’ painting! What an amazing testimony! To God be the glory! The innocent Kong Hee has walked free.
…
Pfff! Who are we kidding?
Can this Singaporean get a refund for being scammed into buying “trash-heap” artwork? Clearly, Pringle and Betlam’s cheap gimmick gained them a $50,000 reputation, offering tainted money to needy people in the Sydney community. How well do Phil Pringle and Jake Betlam sleep at night?
CHC trial: Defence seeks to show prosecution’s questioning was flawed
SINGAPORE: Defence lawyers representing the six leaders of City Harvest Church on Thursday sought to show that the prosecution’s line of questioning was flawed.
Having charged a day earlier that the prosecution had been selective in the information it had presented to the key witness, defence lawyer N Sreenivasan tried to reinforce the point on Thursday.
He asked the church’s former external auditor, Mr Sim Guan Seng, if he answered the prosecution’s questions based on documents it provided.
Mr Sim said his answers were based on what he read on the spot.
Mr Sreenivasan then sought to show that the documents produced by the prosecution were irrelevant.
He asked Mr Sim if auditors needed to refer to email correspondences of the church’s management in the course of their work.
Mr Sim said it was not necessary.
The defence argues that the investments in Xtron were not “sham” just because Mr Sim said they were not sound.
Later in the day, the lawyer representing accused Chew Eng Han sought to show that his client was actively sourcing for properties for the church.
This, Mr Michael Khoo explained, was why the accused sought the monies through the advanced rental agreement.
Previously, Mr Sim had testified that the agreement between the church and Xtron did not make sense.
Church founder Kong Hee and his five deputies are accused of misusing millions of the church’s building fund to boost the music career of singer Sun Ho.
It is the prosecution’s case that the accused moved the monies via “sham bond investments”.
“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.
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.
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.
City News has published an interesting interview with Phil Pringle. We would like viewers to compare the below interview with Pringle with an older article they wrote on Phil Pringle titled ‘Close Friend’ back in 2011.
In this article:
It appears Phil Pringle is attempting to distance himself from being Kong Hee’s oversight. We know for a fact that what Phil Pringle is saying below is not true. If you read the above article, Phil Pringle stated in 2011 that his prophetic office is part of the relationship he has with Kong Hee. It is clear that Pringle prides himself of being Kong Hee’s prophetic oversight.
“In the early years, I would have guided [Kong] and been something like a mentor to him, and I would still be that now, but only by his initiative, not mine.”
However, Phil Pringle may be wanting to distance himself now that the case is underway.
While promoting sex, money, power and murder in her music video clips, Sun Ho is seen by Phil Pringle as “essential to the core, the fabric and the culture of” of CHC. He also says Sun is “key to the future of City Harvest Church”. May we remind readers of Sun Ho’s legacy of raunchy entertainment. While Pringle says that Sun Ho is the “fabric” and the “culture” of City Harvest Church, she seems to lose her fabric and core Christian values to her secular music career.
Asking how Phil Pringle deals with his online critics, Phil Pringle stated that he doesn’t “even bother reading it”. Obviously, critics only give Pringle credibility in his own eyes since he says he’s “not sure [he’s] really being effective if [he hasn’t] got critics”. And how his response biblical in any way, shape or form? Isn’t Pringle demonstrating he lives in both denial and delusion?
On the same subject, Pringle associates critics to radical Arabic communities that murder Christians. Phil Pringle or Kong Hee’s critics could be either Christian or non-Christian. They could be local authority figures like parents, teachers, lawyers, judges or the average person who don’t want friends or family members to go to CHC. To associate these people with murderous, radical Muslim extremists is slanderous, unloving and divisive.
Ask yourself this question: What is doing more damage to Christianity in the City Harvest Church scandal? Who is adding persecution to the church? False teachers like Phil Pringle and Kong Hee or ‘critics’?
Think about the news group Al Jazeera that spread the news about the Kong Hee scandal through the Arab World. Did ‘critics’ get a mention? Were ‘critics’ reported in the CHC scandal and linked to spreading corruption, persecution and murders in Sinapore? Or was Al Jazeera linking the CHC scandal to false teachers like Kong Hee or Phil Pringle?
If anything, wouldn’t Phil Pringle and Kong Hee be furthering the hatred, persecution and murder of Christians in Arabic countries due to Al Jazeera reporting the CHC scandal both ‘Pastors’ are involved in? We are stunned Phil Pringle would stoop so low to associate his critics with murderous radical extremists. Doesn’t this sound like cult-like propaganda to encourage City Harvest Church members to shun critics?
CITY NEWS PROPAGANDA
Here is the article from City News,
An Interview With Phil Pringle: CHC Has A Future Of Incredible Blessing
Updated on 22 May 2013 at 8:13 am By Theresa Tan
City Harvest Church’s advisory pastor Phil Pringle talks about the secret power of giving thanks, his deep friendship with Kong Hee and the future of CHC.
CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan.
Phil Pringle, senior minister of C3 Church in Sydney, Australia and the president of the C3 Church International, a global movement of over 240 churches, is in Singapore to conduct two weekend services back to back at CHC. He is here to support and encourage the church while CHC’s senior pastor Kong Hee and five other church leaders go through the first week of the trial against them for allegedly misusing church funds.
In this interview Pringle shares withCity News how his friendship with Kong Hee began, how giving thanks is a secret weapon, and he exhorts the congregation to see beyond the trials of the present as a purchase for a future that would be a blessing to the nations.
You taught us about giving thanks yesterday. But how do you give thanks when things are really hard, when you feel betrayed or when you feel someone’s done you a great wrong?
I think the sacrifice of praise—which the Bible calls thanksgiving, giving thanks under difficult circumstances—is the best antidote to a bad attitude, because you’re grateful to God not just in the circumstance but for the circumstance. And that’s a big difference.
Sometimes we like to say, we thank God in the circumstance even though I hate the circumstance, but the Bible is actually saying, thank God for the circumstance as well. The funny thing is as soon as you’re thankful for something or someone, you see them positively. So instead of hating or criticizing them, you now see the positive in them.
That’s why Paul thanked God for the people he was writing to, because it gave him a platform for every following comment. One of the best things a pastor can do is to thank God—for his congregation, his board, his wife and children. Even though some of those people might be frustrating him, if he thanks God for them, he’s gonna change his views and see things differently.
And once you see things differently, you actually see a strategy, a way forward. If I thank God for a problem, then I’ll find a way to deal with it because the positive mind always sees a way through. The negative mind accepts defeat and can’t find a way.
You’ve been a friend of CHC since 1992. That’s 21 years till now. What was your first meeting with Pastor Kong like?
The first time I remember meeting Pastor Kong was in a very large warehouse that he had rented, but he only had maybe 120 people. So he’s always had huge faith, stepping out in enormous ways.
The very next meeting I had with him was at our annual conference, now known as the Presence Conference. And he was on his honeymoon. He came to our conference on his honeymoon. So I was very impressed with that, and I gave him a gift so he was able to go out and buy some clothes for his wife as a present.
I think that was the beginning of the relationship, because I saw in him such a great faith, such a wonderful attitude, and I just felt that he was just going to do something incredible for God.
How would you say the relationship has developed over the years?
I think our relationship is a combination of several factors. In the early years, I would have guided him and been something like a mentor to him, and I would still be that now, but only by his initiative, not mine. But I would also treat him as a peer, a colleague, and someone that I would stand with in the faith.
There are not many people in the world I would feel that I am called to lay down my life for—and I’m not trying to be dramatic—but he would be one of them. I generally feel that over the years, my Christianity is expressed in helping people I can help, who may not necessarily be those whom others have access to, such as pastors. There are many pastors who are facing difficult times whom I feel I can be of a little help to.
But I would put Pastor Kong in a totally different category than just that because he’s a close friend. I think that we should lay down our lives for our friends. That’s what the Kingdom is. It’s a privilege for me too. It’s an honor. I’m blessed to being involved with City Harvest Church.
At Presence Conference last month, you had Pastor Kong come onstage. You really showed a lot of support for him, and after that there was a lot of negative talk on the Internet. How do you deal with that?
I don’t—I don’t even bother reading it. You know, I’ll be worried if every comment about me was positive.
Why do you say that?
Well, I’m not sure you’re really being effective if you haven’t got critics. There’s not a person who’s achieving anything in the world today who hasn’t got critics. But we’ve taken criticism all our lives for following Christ, for taking steps of faith. I don’t really bother with it. Sometimes it comes across my path and I try to toughen up and not let it affect me.
You spoke about it during your sermon (last Sunday), about the “poison” that some emails or articles carry. What if a new member in church sees something that offends them? How would you advise them to step away from it?
For a young, new person, that’s such a hard thing. I think you’ve got to be upfront and tell people how you’re feeling. In the early church there was a lot of persecution, a lot more than there is now. There are churches in the Middle East where if people know they became Christians, they could be killed.
I know of a church which last year buried 150 of its members who were killed [for being Christians]. There’s a C3 church in that same country which can’t hold meetings on a regular basis because if the locals know when they’re having a meeting they will attack, so they have to constantly change the timings, and they can’t all gather at once; it’s very underground.
So the reality of Christ coming in to a person’s life has to be very real, [not] just going to church, being religious. Because when people discover Jesus, they will pay any price. I think that’s the surest way (to stay away from the poison). But I also think if they received Christ with eyes wide open, they will see that there is a price to following Christ.
What do you see in the future of City Harvest Church?
The price it’s paying today will be the purchase of a future of incredible blessing, of great abundance. I think it will affect the world in a lot of ways, especially in terms of cell groups, culture and reaching a lost world. I think CHC will have a huge impact in China; it’ll possibly be its most major calling, but it may also affect the whole of Asia.
CHC will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year. What should the members look towards, what should they focus on?
The next 25 years. If you extrapolate the last 25 years of growth, you’ll probably come out to half a million people, if we keep growing at the rate we’ve been growing at. So once you see an end result, you can develop a pathway to it, a strategy. That’s why God sees the end from the beginning. Every leader or person in management needs to see the end from the beginning.
You would have heard that Sun’s suspension has been lifted and that she is back as our executive director. What are your thoughts on this?
I think Sun is essential to the core, the fabric and the culture of the church, and her input should not be underestimated. Her concepts, her design, her input into the worship, the leadership and the people should not be undervalued in any way at all. I think she’s very key to the future of City Harvest Church.
Source: By Theresa Tan, City News, An Interview With Phil Pringle: CHC Has A Future Of Incredible Blessing, http://www.citynews.sg/2013/05/an-interview-with-phil-pringle-chc-has-a-future-of-incredible-blessing/, Updated on 22 May 2013. (Accessed 23/05/2013.)
City Harvest Church’s Kong Hee’s statement regarding charges
Updated 11:43 PM Jul 25, 2012
SINGAPORE – Founder of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee, has released a statement on the charges brought against him. The following is his statement in full.
“The Prosecution has brought 3 charges against me, which I have carefully considered with my lawyers.
“I do maintain my integrity, and will rigorously defend that integrity against these charges.
“I have and will continue to place my faith and trust in our judicial system. I will explain the facts and circumstances to the Court, and am confident that I will be vindicated.
“Sun and I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for all the people who have blessed us with their love, kindness and prayers during this challenging period of time. We have been tremendously humbled by the support and encouragement from the public, family and friends. We especially thank all those from City Harvest Church and the Christian community at large. They have been a constant source of strength.
“I respect the Court proceedings which are underway, and will not make any comment about the charges until the appropriate time and forum.”
By Qiuyi Tan/Claire Huang | Posted: 25 July 2012 0952 hrs
SINGAPORE: Another person has been charged in relation to the City Harvest Church court case.
City Harvest Church’s former finance manager, Serina Wee Gek Yin, was read 10 charges – six related to criminal breach of trust and four to falsifying accounts.
She joins five others, including founder Kong Hee, who were charged last month with misappropriating money from the church’s building fund.
Some S$24 million was allegedly transferred from the church’s building fund account to two companies as bond investments.
These were alleged to be “sham transactions” meant to mask the diversion of the church’s building fund to finance the pop music career of Sun Ho, the wife of Kong Hee.
A further sum of $26.6 million was allegedly used to create the impression that the sham bonds had been fully “redeemed”, a process called “round-tripping”.
Wee, 35, was the first amongst the defendants to arrive in court on Wednesday, wearing a black dress and sunglasses.
She was accompanied by her husband and her lawyers.
Court papers said she was involved in a conspiracy to misappropriate millions of dollars of church funds which were allegedly channelled into bond investments.
Wee allegedly instigated a church accountant to record false entries in the church books on four occasions.
In court with Wee were the five other church members who had been charged earlier.
They are Kong Hee, senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, investment manager Chew Eng Han, finance manager Sharon Tan, and board member Lam Leng Hung.
From as early as 7.30am Wednesday, City Harvest Church supporters gathered at the carpark outside the Subordinate Courts.
They began to stream into the court at around 8am.
The court session lasted all of 15 minutes and every minute was filled with tension.
Supporters of the church packed the public gallery within minutes of the courtroom opening, while people from the media and the defence lawyers of the six accused persons filled the other half of the courtroom.
Kong Hee is represented by Mr Edwin Tong, while the rest have engaged senior counsel.
During the session, prosecution and defence came to agreement that the next mention will be 5 weeks later, on 30 August, so that all cases can be brought up at the same time.
All six are claiming trial and are out on bail of S$500,000 each.
[Email c3churchwatch@hotmail.com for access to the original audio/video of Kong Hee played in this review.]
I received some positive feedback from my last video review and so I decided to record another. This particular review focuses on Phil Pringle’s negligence in allowing Kong Hee of City Harvest Church Singapore to collect the opening offering on opening night at Presence Conference 2012, all the while being under investigation for misuse of church funds, about which Phil Pringle was completely aware and yet failed to mention any of the relevant details concerning the investigations to those attending the conference and watching online via live webcast. I critique Kong’s offering talk wherein he twists God’s word to fleece the audience.
Instead of getting the facts, the audience was fed a one sided propaganda piece, painting Kong as the victim and Phil Pringle as the hero who swooped in to save the day. As you watch this review, ask yourself: would the audience have been so willing to hand over their money at the conference if they knew that the man encouraging them to ‘give’ was currently under investigation for misuse of church funds? I don’t think so. This review will focus on Phil Pringle’s NEGLIGENCE in allowing all this to happen.
Please share this video with anyone you know who attends a C3 Church affiliated with Phil Pringle, especially if they attended this year’s Presence Conference 2012 (April 10-13, Darling Harbour Convention Centre, Sydney)
Below you will find links to the news articles I play in this review.
City Harvest’s founder Kong Hee, four others arrested – 26Jun2012
[Disclaimer: I agree with the statement made by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean in this video that the law should be allowed to take its course and speculation or pre-judgments should be avoided. Therefore, I do not endorse Joanne Chan’s explanation concerning how CHC’s funds may have been misused over the years (see video at 2:20), as this could be considered by some as speculation and pre-judgement.]
City Harvest’s founder Kong Hee, four others charged – 27Jun2012
C3 Church Watch 