Information emerging from CHC and trial update

24 Saturday May 2014

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations

Tags

CHC, chc confessions, City Harvest Church, cult, cults, Kong Hee, straits times, trial, word of faith cult, word of faith cults

Rodyk & Davidson explain the CHC situation

CHC confessions recently provided it’s readers with the following information:

“In the Corporate Governance Workshops organized by SIAS on 13 Nov 2013, the speakers from Rodyk & Davidson presented the case of CHC.”

Source: CHC Confessions, CHC Confessions, https://www.facebook.com/CHCConfessions/posts/798553436830702, 16/05/2014. (Accessed 24/05/2014.)

They provided the link,

Rodyk & Davidson – CHC Presentation

CHC Confessions highlighted the following information within the article:

Findings from the COC’s Inquiry (Taken from Inquiry into the City Harvest Church, MCCY):

• Despite representations made to public and members, funds were used to fund the crossover Project; executive members were not told of the actual purpose of these funds
• Used to fund the Crossover Project under the guise of donations to its affiliated church in KL, and these were then transmitted by CHCKL to support the Crossover Project in the United States
• Donations and tithes to the charity were transferred into a private fund known as a “Multi Purpose Account” (MPA), and monies in the MPA were used to fund the Project
• Selected donors were asked to transfer their donations from the “Arise and Build” campaign to the MPA
• Apart from a few members the existence of the MPA was not made known to the charity’s members
• Attempt to conceal the existence of the MPA by closing the joint bank account and dealing only in cash transactions
• Disclosure of related party transactions
o Kong Hee’s company sold over S$3m worth of merchandise to the charity, and this was not disclosed
o Eventually Kong Hee ‘re-funded’ royalties to the charity arising from the sale of his merchandise, however these were later reimbursed to him from monies in the MPA and the CHCKL
• Board governance and control issues
o Appointment of Investment Manager was not properly tabled and discussed by the charity’s board
o When he suffered financial difficulties, donations were “re-funded” to him in two tranches, Board approval for one being received 9 months after the re-funds were made

Questions that arise

• Duties of intermediaries where there are complex structures to disguise the true substance of the transactions and monies
• Do intermediaries have adequate facts and information to give professional advice?
• Do donors insist that funds be used for specific purposes?
• Can donors change their minds? How can this be done?
o Under the Charities (IPC) Regulations, if donors specify a purpose for their donations, this must be followed

A CHC family break up

This other news is also from CHC Confessions. Just as we have reported how C3 causes serious damages to family break ups, CHC appears to be no different. Once again – the below events are marks of a cult.

I’m not Christian but my husband attends CHC.

We’ve had problems in our marriage for years and I’m finally filing for divorce. When I brought the matter up, my husband became angry and started threatening to make things difficult for me. One of his threats was that he would never give me a single cent of financial support (I only work part-time so I can take care of our child, so I don’t earn much in comparison to him).

My husband gives a five-figure sum to every Arise and Build or whatever CHC calls their fund-raising campaigns. But he won’t give any support to the mother of his child. He says he has no money.

I don’t understand. What kind of hold does this church have on its members, that they won’t try to save their marriages and they won’t support their spouses?

Source: CHC Confessions, CHC Confessions, https://www.facebook.com/CHCConfessions/posts/798554253497287, 16/05/2014. (Accessed 24/05/2014.)

Here is another interesting story,

If you look through the various Facebook pages that proclaim support for Kong Hee and gang, you will find a lot of amens for posts that supposingly declare God’s support. You will find verses that proclaim ‘who can’t be against us when God is with us’ etc. However, you can never find a post that proclaims ‘God’s justice will be served’. NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING along that line.

It seems like members are scared to proclaim God’s justice. It seems like they would very much prefer their leaders to be found innocent then for God’s justice to prevail whatever the outcome may be. And this, I find extremely disturbing.

I am now an ex-member. Let me share 1 experience in my CG. Sitted in a circle, we were asked to pray for the leaders. As the prayers go around, there were the usual enthusiastic amens to each prayer. When it came to my turn, I simply said that let God’s justice come whatever it may be, and that if the leaders are innocent, let God’s justice prevail. If they are guilty, let God’s justice prevail.

As you might have guessed it by now. NOBODY in the group amen my prayer. My CG leader even quickly took over the prayer during that brief period of silence and continued her enthusiastic support prayer. I’ve since left CHC for other reasons and how glad I did.

To me, it is very clear that what those hard core CHC members want is not God’s justice. They have an outcome in mind, that their leaders walk free. And they are just selectively quoting God’s words to support their cause. Classic case of hearing only the good thing.

Source: CHC Confessions, CHC Confessions, https://www.facebook.com/CHCConfessions/posts/801177769901602, 20/05/2014. (Accessed 24/05/2014.)

Lastly, the Straits Times Reports,

City Harvest Church trial resumes briefly for defence application

SINGAPORE – The City Harvest Church trial resumed briefly on Wednesday as one of the defence lawyers asked the court to refer two questions of law to the High Court.

But the Presiding Judge of the State Court, See Kee Oon, rejected the application.

The two questions were related to one of the accused, deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng. One question was whether, under the law, Tan could be considered to have had control of the church’s funds because he was a church board member, when the board had been collectively given control of the funds.

The second question was whether Tan’s status as a board member meant he had control of the funds in the way of his “business as an agent”. The charges against him can stand only if the answers to both questions are yes.

Source: By Feng Zengkun, http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/city-harvest-church-trial-resumes-briefly-defence-application-2014, Published on May 21, 2014 3:09 PM. (Accessed 24/05/2014.)

Prophet Pringle’s God-Given 2020 Vision Lie (Part 4)

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 Culture, Pringle's Behaviour, Pringle's Beliefs, Pringle's Doctrine/Gospel, Pringle's Language, Pringle's Laws, Pringle's Methods

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

2020, 2020 Vision, 2020 Vision lie, c3, c3 church, c3 church oxford falls, Christian City Church, cult, Phil Pringle, Pringle, vision, volk

Phil Pringle says in his book ‘You the Leader’,

“Warren Bennis, as quoted in In Search of Excellence, calls the leader a “social architect.” When a leader is a God-person, a God-seeker, vision is planted deep inside. God often speaks in pictures to God-seekers, especially to leaders. Pictures are the visual language of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s blueprints for what He wants to build.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 34.

Keep the above in mind as you watch this 2020 Vision campaign video.

Sorry – this is the 2020 Vision campaign video.

Here is the transcript.

TRANSCRIPT

“In the beginning, God gives us vision. This vision is to build the church worldwide. Building the church is God’s top priority in this generation. You and I are called to bring people to Christ, to make disciples and to release those people into ministry within our churches and beyond. And by doing this, we will fulfill the heavenly vision.”

VISION BUILDS FAITH

“Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible. Just like Joshua knew he could take the land of Canaan, so we know that we can build the church around the world.”

FAITH BUILDS INTENTION

“Every vision is just a fantasy without a plan. God has given us a strategy and as we follow that pathway, we will find ourselves expanding right around the world. We will raise up thousands of leaders, connect group leaders, worship leaders, assistant leaders, leaders of churches. People who will work to build the house of God and fulfill this dream God has put in our hearts.”

INTENTION BRINGS ACTION

“Faith without action is dead. Just believing that this vision is going to happen wont make it happen. This vision calls for action. It calls for people to step out. It calls for sacrifice. It calls for stretching. It calls for raising ourselves up to a level we’ve never been before. This action has taken us from seventy one churches in the year two thousand to over three hundred today. It’s taken us from five nations to thirty five nations. And today, we have influence in two hundred cities around the world.

ACTION BRINGS MOMENTUM

This momentum turns a small snowball into a massive avalanche. It’s the power of compounding effort. You and I are involved in a gathering momentum of the great power of God.

AND THE MOMENTUM OF GOD

IS UNSTOPPABLE

Because of this momentum, we are seeing six hundred people around the globe come to Christ every week in C3 churches. Because of this momentum, we’re seeing nearly thirty thousand come to Christ every year. Because of this momentum, each week seventy five thousand people are gathering to worship God. God in heaven is with us. It’s his mighty plan to build his church on the earth.

Together you and I are going to see this amazing thing come to pass. You are part of the history making group of people that are changing planet earth as we fulfill the 2020 Vision.”

CRITIQUE

It is of our opinion Pringle is purposely blurring the lines with the great commission and His 2020 Vision to get people to commit themselves to his movement and not to the true commission of Jesus Christ. If the 2020 Vision was the ‘vision’ that God gave Christians in Matthew 28 this is perfectly fine. Jesus can give us the faith to go out into the world and make disciples in His name. But is this what Pringle is reinforcing?

Not at all. Pringle opens up with the following claim: “In the beginning, God gives us vision”. Already we are off to a bad start. Where on earth does the bible teach this?

Pringle adds his own unbiblical theology into his New Age doctrine on vision: “Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible”.

Where on earth did he get this from? His liver shivers? Notice also his allusion to him being a ‘Joshua’ in this video when he says, “Just like Joshua knew he could take the land of Canaan, so we know that we can build the church around the world.””.

But who gave Joshua the strategy to “take the land of Canaan”? God.
So who supposedly gave Pringle the “strategy” to “build the church around the world”? God.

Is Phil Pringle your Joshua?

This is nothing but subliminal advertising again. While the C3 Media flash snippets of Pringle’s 2020 Vision (“1000 churches”, “500 members”), Pringle claims that “God has given us a strategy”. Wasn’t the biblical Great Commission strategy enough?

This indicates that God has given a vision to Pringle that surpasses that of Jesus’ great commission. Why can’t C3 simply follow Jesus’ commission to “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”?

That’s right! Phil Pringle is the Messiah! How can we forget this?

And what is this God-given strategy? Pringle says that if Christians are to “follow [the strategy’s] pathway, we will find ourselves expanding right around the world”. What a claim!

Whatever happens do not question the churches strategies. To do so is to challenge God. Not Pringle. Not C3 leadership. Not C3 church. But God.

Pringle then goes on to purposely misappropriate and reword the scripture in James 2 to his advantage. He reworded the scripture “faith without works is dead” to “faith without action is dead”. He then used this verse to convince his listeners to get on board with his 2020 Vision. A pastor should NOT use the scriptures for his gain like this. Pringle used this scripture to justify people to submit to his divine authority through the infallible 2020 vision God supposedly gave him.

For Pringle to claim God gave him a divine vision and strategy to fulfill but has the audacity to twist his God’s Word like this is satanic. This was not an accident. This was scripted. This was a deliberate tactic to con people to side with his vision.

Using Nazi ideas – the volk

Furthermore, God can’t fulfill His vision without your help! You must help God! Pringle says, “Just believing that this vision is going to happen wont make it happen. This vision calls for action. It calls for people to step out. It calls for sacrifice. It calls for stretching. It calls for raising ourselves up to a level we’ve never been to before.”

Behind all this vision talk is a very Hitler-esque push. Pringle is elevating and attributing a human ‘power’ or a ‘force’ to God. According to Pringle this, “momentum [that] turns a small snowball into a massive avalanche” is the “great power of God”. No. This is volkism. A Nazi philosophy. In Hitler’s work “Mein Kampf” (1923), he let us understand some key points what the ‘volk’ was and how the ‘volk’ worked. Here is a good summary of the volk:

In his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (‘My Struggle’) published in 1923, Hitler set out quite clearly his political ideas. They can be summarised as follows:

… Mankind’s natural unit is the Volk, or people, of which the German Volk is the greatest.
The state only exists to serve the Volk, and both morality and truth are to be subservient to this principle.
The Volk must be headed by a Fuhrer, or leader, who must have absolute authority.

Hitler says about the leader of the volk,

“In that way an eternal ideal, which has everlasting significance as a guiding star to mankind, must be adapted to the exigencies of human frailty so that its practical effect may not be frustrated at the very outset through those shortcomings which are general to mankind. The exponent of truth must here go hand in hand with him who has a practical knowledge of the soul of the people, so that from the realm of eternal verities and ideals what is suited to the capacities of human nature may be selected and given practical form.”

So are we really seeing a move of God Pringle? Or are we seeing you behave like a “social architect”, to construct a volk for your own personal interests? Isn’t God communicating to you the “language of the Holy Spirit to reveal [His] blueprints for what He wants to build”? Or are you playing with peoples ideals to manipulate them to further your agendas? Jesus Christ said,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

What then does Jesus tell us to do?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

We are seeing the reverse with the 2020 vision. God supposedly has bent the knee to Pringle and given Phil the authority in heaven and earth through the “2020 Vision” to make people and churches join his volk (“the great power of God”).

Pringle is not saying the “power of God’ is emphasised through the preaching of the gospel which proclaims that Jesus is The Power and The Authority of God personified. Instead Pringle is pushing the idea that thy volk is truth and power, insisting that you be “part of the history making group of people that are changing planet earth as we fulfill the 2020 Vision”.

Can you see what is taking the focus now? Not Christ and his great commission. The focus is now on Pringle, his 2020 vision and those who bend the knee to it in his movement. Pringle’s battle cry is for you to be part of a history making crew that are changing the world because they are fulfilling the 2020 Vision.

So it should be established that Pringle is using clever marketing gimmicks and lies to deceive his congregation into accepting his fuhrer’s vision. This is man is making his own church with out God’s Spirit. Pringle is teaching the power of God is emphasised through the volk under his “god-given” vision and “god-given” strategy.

A Demonic Faith

The scriptures make it clear that it is God alone that gives us the faith to believe through Christ. Not so with Pringle. Pringle says,

VISION BUILDS FAITH

“Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible.”

However, the writer of Hebrews doesn’t tell us to look to visions to build faith. Nor does the writer tell us that visions “from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul”. Nor does the writer say that when “we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible”. Instead, we read this:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Whatever gave this vision and teaching to Phil Pringle is not of God. Phil Pringle has replaced God with himself, speaking his own CEO vision to condition people and control them for his own agenda. Let us be clear: when Phil Pringle is speaking the vision to his congregation, they are NOT hearing “the magnitude of what God is calling [them] to do”. They are not “faith rising on the inside”. Instead, scriptures CLEARLY say this:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

This vision is nothing but a “weight” which members at C3 should “also lay aside”. Hopefully we have made it clear that this is Pringle’s vision – not God’s. This vision is nothing but a godly facade hiding the fact that:

Pringle is calling YOU to action.
Pringle is calling YOU to step out.
Pringle is calling YOU to sacrifice whatever it takes to accomplish his desires.

This is very different to what we see Luke observing in the early church.

” … the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” – Acts 2:47

As Paul said to the church in Galatians:

“Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”

The answer? Phil Pringle.

Quick Pringle! Attack the “haters” before the truth gets out!

05 Monday May 2014

Posted by churchwatcher in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

allegations, c3 church, c3 cult, case, CHC, chc church, city harvest, City Harvest Church, city harvest cult, court, cult, cults, judge, Kong Hee, Phil Pringle, scandal

If you attend C3, don’t think. Don’t raise any questions around the Kong Hee scandal. Pringle and his leadership will make sure they squash any inquisitive mind who starts looking into the case. So leave quietly or just accept the deceitful stories peddled by Phil Pringle. Even better, ask Pringle himself why he doesn’t disclose the actual details of his close friends case to his congregation.

After his cunning stunts at his latest C3 Presence Conference, how do you think Phil Pringle is going to spin this latest turn of events to his congregation?

The Straits Times reports,

Judge throws out application to acquit City Harvest Church leaders

The trial against City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and five others will continue, and all six of them will testify. The trial resumes July 14.

Their defence lawyers had claimed the prosecution had not done enough to show there was a case against the accused, and called on Presiding Judge of the State Courts See Kee Oon to throw out all of the charges.

But on Monday, the judge rejected this, saying that there was enough evidence for the trial to continue with all of the charges intact. “In my view there is evidence to show that the investments were shams… and were merely disguises for something else,” he said.

He was referring to several bond transactions which the prosecution believes were illegal and a way for the accused to misuse church funds. About $50 million is alleged to have been illegally used in various sham transactions to finance Kong’s wife Ho Yeow Sun’s pop music career and to cover this up.

By Feng Zengkun, Judge throws out application to acquit City Harvest Church leaders, Straits Times, http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/judge-throws-out-application-acquit-city-harvest-church-leaders-20#sthash.2zqPfbXY.dpuf, May 5, 2014 3:15 PM. (Accessed 05/05/2014.)

We at C3 Church Watch are committed to speaking the truth in love, including exposing the false prophets and shepherds within or associated with the C3 movement. However we are also very concerned about the well-being of those people within C3 churches who have been harmed by the false doctrine, unethical practices, and ongoing scandals within the movement.

This latest development further exposes the poisonous fruit of the C3 leadership. We urge members to honestly reflect on what is happening within the C3 movement. Flee to the Word of God, praying that He will be gracious and reveal to you the truth that leaders such as Phil Pringle and Kong Hee are not shepherds but rather are ravenous wolves not sparing the flock (Matthew 7:15-23, Acts 20:29-31). It is our earnest desire to see many snatched from the fire (Jude 3:23).

News that Pringle will NOT want you to hear: CHC “leaders have case to answer, says judge”

David Yonggi Cho Scandal Paralleled To The Kong Hee Scandal

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

A. R. Bernard, AR Bernard, Bernard, blame, c3 church, ccc, charged, CHC, Cho, CityNews, convicted, cult, David Yonggi Cho, Dr Cho, kong, Kong Hee, munsey, Phil Pringle, Pringle, steve munsey, WoF, word of faith, word of faith cult

It is of our opinion that one can probably parallel these scandals to some of the scandals in the C3 movement.

The blog ‘Not Under The Table’ writes,

UPDATED 23/2/14: Lessons From the Sentencing of 2 Cho’s – How Christian Leaders Justify Responsibilities

The news broke today in a shocking manner with the following headlines:

1) “David Yonggi Cho, Founder of World’s Largest Church, Found Guilty of Breach of Trust, Corruption” (The Gospel Herald) and

2) “Yoido Full Gospel church leaders found guilty of tax evasion” (The Hankyoreh)

3) “Pastor gets suspended prison term for massive embezzlement” (The Yonhap News Agency)

Dr Yonggi Cho, whom Pastor Kong Hee address to be his “Spiritual Father” and “Senior Pastor” is sentenced to 3-years in jail with 5-year suspension. This means that the jail term is deferred by 5-years and he will go to jail to serve sentence if is found to further misbehave during this 5-year term. It is still a jail sentence.

The court ruled that Dr Cho is guility of the following charges: (1) Tax evasion and (2) causing approximately 13 billion won (US$12 million) worth of losses to Yoido Full Gospel Church by instructing his church officials to buy stocks privately owned by his eldest son priced at 4x higher than market value in 2002.

“The criminal activity would have been impossible without the approval of Pastor Cho, who had ultimate decision-making authority,” the court ruled. “By condoning the documents that were being written while he was the head of the church, he was largely responsible for these crimes.” – The Hankyoreh

Earlier, in a Straits Times coverage of the news when investigations first began into the Korean Mega-pastor, Dr Cho had denied any wrong-doing, and dismissed the allegations as “a smear campaign by a very small group of people in his church” and that “those who filed the complaint will have to take responsibility accordingly” (ST, 22 Sep 2011)

When this article was first published, City Harvest Church also issued a statement regarding this matter (http://www.chc.org.sg/_eng/church/church_statementReYonggiCho.php):

It is not the intention of this blog to judge a great man like Dr Yonggi Cho, who over the past decades had contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity and helped many people. We have our imperfections and do make mistakes, and do eventually pay the price for it.

However, the patterns of denial adopted up to the point of conviction finds close resemblances to what was seen in the “CHC Trial”:

1) Blame Shifting

“While delivering the three-year prison term for the former newspaper chairman, the judge rebuked the younger Cho for attempting to shift the responsibility for his unethical business practices onto his father and other senior church members.” (source)

Church Growth International Korea, the ministry founded by Dr Cho (independent and separate entity from Yoido Full Gospel Church) issued a statement to their Board Members claiming that the Korean judge, Hon. Yongtun Cho said that:

“The court considered that even though Pastor Cho had the final say in the church, he never took the lead in any of the crimes including tax evasion committed on the suggestion of the accounting firm.” (source)

“During the investigation, prosecutors also acquired evidence of tax evasion by David Cho. In 2004, when the Seoul regional tax office judged that this stock sale was a gift and ordered that 10.3 billion won (US$9.48 million) of taxes be paid, David Cho enlisted the aid of an accountant and submitted falsified documents to the tax office to disguise the transaction as a normal stock trade, not as a gift, prosecutors confirmed. He is suspected of using this means to only pay 4 billion won (US$3.68 million) in taxes, evading 6 billion won.” (source)

While he may not be the mastermind, he was unfortunately convicted because he allowed it to happen anyway – apparently rubber stamped whatever his son handed him. The key here is that as a leader, you cannot just claim ignorance and hope to get away. Tax evasion charges aside, he unfortunately gave instruction to siphon the money and ordered the stock purchase – resulting in the inevitable CBT charge which is even more damning and inexcusable – impossible to blame shift this.

Is it true that as long as the fault can be pushed away to another party, it would be “all clear” for the accused? Will it change the mindset of logical thinking adults? Or is it done in an attempt to continue to mislead the unknowing members? Throughout the CHC Trial, we have seen the blame pushed to the auditors, the CAD Investigating Officer and other parties including the media (accused to be bias) – me thinks it’s definitely not true, considering the coverage they gave Serina Wee. News is a business to sell more after all.

The CityNews Article (http://www.citynews.sg/2014/02/chc-trial-defense-establishes-that-evidence-cad-failed-to-seize-was-clearly-relevant-to-case/) was plastered on top of the City Harvest Church website (above the “Special Notices” tab). For the blame on the other parties, just refer to the CityNewsSG articles on their website, and my earlier blog articles. We need to be mindful that such articles coming from a church whose leaders are embroiled in a criminal charge do stir emotions and sentiments among the membership as well as members of the public, depending on where you look at it.

2) Threat and Warning

Such uses were probably aimed to threaten people who speak up with defamation lawsuits? Will this work? Considering the first line of defense against any form of defamation is the reporting of verifiable facts/truth, the threat would also fall on deaf grounds, no?

“those who filed the complaint will have to take responsibility accordingly” (ST, 22 Sep 2011)

Didn’t work for you this time Dr Cho. Your 29 elders have the evidence and spoke boldly without fear of your threat.

CHC have used this to their full advantage over a decade ago in silencing businessman Roland Poon who asserted that church funds were used to fund Sun Ho’s Crossover Project. Roland Poon had to issue a public apology. Glad that he is now vindicated for the court has heard that church funds were indeed used to fund Sun Ho’s singing career from as early as 2001, and definitely in 2003.

Similarly, according to online media, Bobby Chaw, a pastor of CHC, also issued a warning about the media “pre-judging” in relation to the suspension of 9 key CHC staff. This was done through the official statement made by the church on 28 June 2012. It should be noted that as a leader, anything said in public has an influence on its followers. The result of such statements (personally, I view it as a threat, so do some other online media), made in a highly sensitive and emotional context resulted in a witch-hunt and name-calling for the COC by members of CHC. Not too nice to plaster more screenshots, but some are found in earlier posts. Me thinks that COC had been too nice; they should just make public it’s findings there and then – and once and for all put an end to all the name calling on the COC.

3) “Did not make any personal gain”

In an updated statement issued on 22 Feb 2014 regarding the sentencing of Dr Cho, the Management Board of CHC cited “very reliable sources that Dr Cho had no personal gain from any of the investments” (source)

One need not look far to find contradicting reports from the 29 elders who lodged the commission’s against Dr Cho. In fact, they have out forward some very serious allegations in their writing, besides those already charged:

“Ha Sang-ok , who was part of the group for nearly two decades, admits to being involved in some fraud : ” In the last 14 years I have seen and done bad things. I tried to convince the pastor to stop, but he paid no attention. His behavior is not that of a Christian, but like that of a guru of a sect“. (source)

“First, they claim that Cho returned only 64.3 billion won (US$60.2 million) of the 163.3 billion won (US$152.9 million) he borrowed from the church while building the CCMM Building between 1992 and 1998, when he was chairman of the church‘s Mission Society. The remaining 99 billion won (US$92.7 million), they say, was never returned.

It is also being claimed that Cho’s third son Seung-jae’s International Club Management Group bought three floors of the building from the church for 29.5 billion won (US$27.6 million) and sold them back three years later for 37.2 billion won (US$34.8 million) – pocketing the difference of 7.7 billion won (US$7.2 million).

They also claimed that David Cho’s wife Kim Sung-hae, president of Hansei University, has yet to account for 10.5 billion won (US$9.8 million) paid by the church as support for Bethesda Christian University, an institution she runs in the US. The elders also view US real estate purchased by the university for around US$15 million as having been bought with church money.” (Source)

In the corporate statement dated 28 June 2012, Pastor Aries Zulkarnain also states that “no profit was gained by the individuals concerned” (source)

Just highlighting the similarities and at the same time wonder how this has got anything to do with the deeds already done. After all, how would these “reliable sources” know, and can we believe a statement based on unnamed “reliable sources”?

4) Complain is only made by the minority

According to the statement made by the CHC Management Board in 2011, the complain was made by 29 of over 800 elders, hence the implied treatment is that to ignore the minority’s view. If this is not a leading symptom of groupthink, I really don’t know what to call it.

Me thinks that when the minority’s alternate opinion is faced with the majority’s, in a highly charged environment with a charismatic leader, there’s no guessing whose opinion – no matter how truthful or factual will be dismissed. Just think Roland Poon.

Monkey See, Monkey Try to Outdo? Or Flocking Together Birds of Same Feather?

If we examine the associations Pastor Kong Hee has with his group of “spiritual fathers” and good friends (let’s not talk about the advisory pastor pair of Phil Pringle and AR Bernard now – will examine them in due time), it is surprising what we can find:

1) Steve Munsey: Regular weekend service and conference speaker in CHC from 2008 to 2011

– Over-indulgence in personal benefits, while failing to make mortgage repayments, resulting in foreclosure order

List of sources:

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/munster/local-megachurch-navigates-precarious-path/article_2f3b628a-0f42-5355-a8a0-230b1cb1aab8.html

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/indiana_mega_church_faces_foreclosure_partner/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/indianas-largest-megachurch-faces-new-foreclosure-proceedings-90769/

2) Abraham Alex Taneseputra: Considered to be another “Spiritual Father” to Pastor Kong

– accused of embezzling approximately USD500million (4.7T INR)

Sources (google-translated from Bahasa Indonesia, so the language syntax might be off – best read from original source language):

http://www.indoboom.com/2013/stories/church-pastor-embezzles-4-7-trillion-from-church-offerings.html

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=126527234050583&story_fbid=340150022763459 (contains separate articles)

Kong Hee – The Successor to Abraham Alex and Yonggi Cho

In the May 2010 Asia Conference, Dr Cho have laid hands on Pastor Kong and handed the baton to him. It seems that he is the designated successor to Dr Cho, who prophesied that he will outdo his accomplishments.

In another meeting in Indonesia, Alex Abraham also named Pastor Kong to be his successor and prophesied over him that he will have “full vindication” from the Lord. (video recording of service available upon request – link private after being removed)

What is the outcome of such laying on of hands is still to be seen in the coming months, but if there’s any potential of impartation, then whatever is on the hands of the imparter will certainly go to the impartee – might not be a good thing after all.

Bottom line in the Dr Cho case, is that, in the own words of the Management Board, he is “innocent until proven guilty” and all have waited until “due process of the law is complete”. And sorry to note, their “reliable sources” who claimed that this was a “civil suit” have failed them again – it’s a criminal proceeding.

If past history is a good gauge of future occurrences, then everything that was ever said by them just fell to the ground. This is certainly not a happy day for Christianity in Singapore and the world. They can always blame their sources for misleading them, anyway.

Source: UPDATED 23/2/14: Lessons From the Sentencing of 2 Cho’s – How Christian Leaders Justify Responsibilities, Not Under The Table, http://notunderthetable.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/lessons-from-sentencing-of-2-chos-how.html, Friday, 21 February 2014. (Accessed 24/02/2014.)

CHC So “Grounded In The Word” But Missing The Point Of Christianity?

27 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

CHC, CIC, City Harvest Church, cult, false church, false prophet, false prophets, false teacher, false teachers, introduction, Phil Pringle, Pringle

It appears that CHC members like to think they are “grounded in the Word of God”.

After reading this article by CityNews, it becomes apparent that CHC members are more conditioned by clever marketing ploys and psychological manipulation. It appears that Phil Pringle has taught Kong Hee how to build his ‘church’ very well. Consider these teachings from Phil Pringle before reading the below CityNews article (Please note that Pringle’s teachings on Abraham are false):

“People can become anything under the right conditions.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg 319.

“The people we choose are to “fight for us.” The people we choose must have the ability to fight and win. They have proven themselves in spiritual battles and triumphed. They are overcomers. They display consistently positive attitudes. These people do not just attend, support or watch, but they fight. For us! They do not just fight for their own victories. They fight for the church. They defend the Pastor when he’s criticized. They fight for the church’s reputation, health and her finances. They are genuine soldiers for God… I want to know my guys will be loyal to me when the attacks are unjustified, and when they are justified.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg 317-318.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg 317-318.

“All the ministries in our churches, from Youth Leaders through to Music Directors and Associate Pastors are best “home-grown”. Abraham trained those who were born “in his own house,” to be an extremely effective band of soldiers (Gen 14:14)… Those people God gives us are rarely trained when they come. This is so that we can place our particular anointing and culture into their lives. They come unready, so that we can go to work at making them ready.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg 319.

“Abraham’s method is far preferable to getting someone from elsewhere. If people do come from outside, give them time to be “baptised” into the church, so they “own” the vision like everybody else. To become true sons and daughters of the church they need to drink the milk (accept the teaching), imbibe the spirit (accept the attitude of the church), and accept the name (be proud of belonging to your congregation).” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg 320.

If you did not find that creepy, wait til you read this article. Ask yourself, “Shouldn’t Jesus be the central focus, NOT CHC?”

CityNews writes,

What CHC Is All About

New believers undergo the Church Introductory Course to get acquainted with the organization behind the vision.

City Harvest Church is well-known for having members who are grounded in the Word of God. That is because the church believes it is imperative for every member to be discipled and adequately equipped with sound biblical principles. As such, CHC has developed Bible study programs that are centered on Christian beliefs.

There are 12 different Bible study programs in CHC, each discuss and strengthen key aspects of the believer’s life. Through these programs, the believer is taught fundamental beliefs, as he goes through the growth process and finally matures into the fullness of Christ.

The very first program that launches the believer into this journey is the Church Introductory Class.

New members of CHC are encouraged to undergo this series of four lessons to discover the why, what and how of CHC—the reason the church does what it does. Attendees learn all about the history of CHC, its vision, mission statement, core beliefs and cell group system. Each lesson is comprehensive and interactive, with worksheets to be filled in.

LEARNING ABOUT THE VISION

CHC has one of the largest congregations in Asia. Its mission is “to build a church with a strong spiritual atmosphere of faith and purity, where every member is released into ministry, discipled in the Great Commandment to obey the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate.” Through the CIC course, new members will acquire a deeper understanding of this mission and vision.

God has a purpose for every member in the body of Christ and this series of lessons aims to be the starting point to help one discover what his or her purpose might be. In addition, the structure that supports the vision is also revealed in this course—how CHC functions in its role as a church. Upon the completion of the course, members should understand why there is a need for CHC, what it means to be a City Harvester, and the importance for a Christian to be rooted in a local church.

THE PURPOSE OF CIC

Some of the zones in CHC are recently conducted the CIC course for their members. The zone under the pastoral care of Aries Zulkarnain (one of CHC’s executive pastors) had 120 members attending the course, while the zone under Wu Yuzhuang, a district pastor, had a turnout of 130.

“We just had our Easter weekend services last month where we saw many give their hearts to Jesus Christ,” explained Wu. “The CIC course is designed to explain who and what CHC is all about.”

Said Zulkarnain, also a pioneer of the church, “CIC is important because it introduces the values of the church. It also helps to strengthen the foundation of the members’ faith in relation to the church.

Andrea Lau, a student who started attending CHC three months ago, said, “The CIC classes showed me that CHC is a church that does not do things randomly. Everything is planned out thoughtfully and acted upon specifically, according to the vision given by God. Every detail and activity has a purpose.” In addition, she also learned that it is important to have a vision from God when it comes to organizing events and activities, so that there is no wastage of resources and time.

Another student, Casey Ho, felt that the course was effective in grounding the fundamental values and belief system of the church in new members. He said, “Pastor Zhuang is able to engage the class with his own personal experiences as a pioneering member of CHC. The use of interesting analogies made the lessons very relatable. Best of all, everything is supported with strong biblical references.”

As the course communicates and informs members of the plans and purposes behind the vision of the church, the hoped-for result is that every member be able and willing to achieve this vision, together in unity.

To sign up for the next CIC series, e-mail to info@chc.org.sg.

“The CIC course has given me better understanding about the fundamentals of being a Christian. It challenges me as a member of the church to play a part in building the Kingdom of God and my local church.”
Andrew Chandra

“I found the lessons very heartfelt. The content motivates and challenges me to commit myself to the house of the Lord.
Michelle Louise

“The class is interesting and very comprehensive. I am convicted by how important it is to find a suitable church and get rooted in that church.”
Lee Wanfong

“During the CIC lessons, Ps. Aries taught that in Christ, we can find our purpose in life and serve God with our talents. I was very impacted by this.”
Ivon Suhartono

“Through the CIC lessons, I’ve come to know about CHC. CHC is more than just a church, it’s a family. It is a place where I can experience God’s love, as well as love from other believers in church.”
Phyllis Yeo Shu Lin

“I am impacted by the love found in the church, and challenged to love and serve each other at greater length in this church.”
Willie Ng Zhiwei

“The CIC course has awakened to me the fact that there is a higher and divine purpose for each and everyone of us; and the church system provides us with the opportunity to develop our talents and gift, so as to reach out to the community with Christ’s love.”
Casey Ho

“The lessons were very enjoyable as Pastor taught it in a fun and interesting way. I am amazed by the vision of our church as I learn more about it through the class.”
Penny Chua Hui Yi

Source: By Sim Xiao Wei, What CHC Is All About, CityNews, http://www.citynews.sg/2011/05/what-chc-is-all-about/, Updated on 29 May 2011 at 6:30 am. (Accessed 28/01/2014.)

C3 Asheville Scandal – While Dean’s Playing Slick, Nick’s In The Knick (Part 7)

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations, C3 Asheville Scandal

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

c3 asheville, c3 church, c3 church asheville, c3 cult, c3 pastor, c3 pastor convicted, c3 pastor jailed, c3 pastor sentenced, ccc, ccc acheville, criminal, cult, dean sweetman, Dimitris, felon, fraud, money, negligence, Nick, Nick Dimitris, pastor phil pringle, Phil Pringle, sentenced, Sweetman

If you are not familiar with the C3 Asheville scandal, please update yourself with our articles here:

C3 Asheville Scandal – C3 Pastor Facing Prison (Part 1)
C3 Asheville Scandal – C3 Pastor “Pleads Guilty In Bank Fraud Case” (Part 2)
C3 Asheville Scandal – Sweetmans Do Nothing Against Fraudulent C3 Pastor? (Part 3)
C3 Asheville Scandal – Four “People… Have Pleaded Guilty” Including “[C3] Minister… Nicholas Dimitris” (Part 4)
C3 Asheville Scandal – C3 ‘Pastor’ Nick Dimitris: The Liar (Part 5)
C3 Asheville Scandal – Massive Financial Judgment Against C3 Asheville Pastor Nick Dimitris (Part 6)

A few years ago Nick Dimitris stated,

“Emily and I want to update you on some news about our family and the circumstances that has arisen. Over two years ago we purchased property from some folks who are currently under a federal investigation in pursuit for multiple proprieties. These individuals and the bank that provided the financing were allegedly involved in illegal behaviour.

Although we had no knowledge of their misbehaviour, we’ve been required to participate with the federal government in this case since we were the buyers. This has put us in a very difficult position and cooperation was not an option in the matter. Our testimony now is a very critical part of the case against these individuals.

You may have seen information about this in the media. And if so, please realise that the media is very good at misconstruing facts, which is misleading at best. Nevertheless, it sells papers. We cannot control what the media does or how they represent the circumstance. But let me assure you church, the facts of the matter have been given to our overseers and a team of leaders within the church.”

Moving along, the Citizen-Times reports,

ASHEVILLE — Three men were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for their roles in an elaborate scheme to obtain more than $23 million in illegal loans to forestall failure of the bankrupt Seven Falls development.

Robert Craig Gourlay, David G. Smith and Nicholas Dimitris conspired with developer Keith Vinson in a case that Judge Martin Reidinger described at the hearing as “a scourge on this community.”

“This is a case where the concerted actions of a few people brought down two banks,” the judge said in U.S. District Court in Asheville. “Not only was it serious wrongdoing, it was very harmful wrongdoing.”

Reidinger sentenced Gourlay, chief credit officer at Pisgah Community Bank, to 15 months in prison. Smith, a loan officer with the bank, received nine months. Dimitris, a minister and real estate investor, got 12 months.

Seven Falls filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The luxury development was planned to accommodate 900 homes and an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course on 1,400 acres, potentially adding $1.25 billion to Henderson County’s tax base.

Prosecutors said Vinson had “straw borrowers” take out illegal loans to buy lots in hopes of preventing foreclosure. Vinson was unable to borrow more money because of rules designed to limit banks’ exposure to any one borrower.

Gourlay and Smith authorized loans involving millions of dollars to straw borrowers, while Dimitris served as such a borrower on loans made by the bank, receiving kickbacks in return, according to criminal complaints filed in 2011.

The three are among 10 codefendants who reached plea deals with prosecutors, leaving only Vinson to stand trial. He was convicted by a jury last month on all 13 counts he was charged with, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, misapplication of bank funds, wire fraud and money laundering.

Reidinger ordered Vinson held without bond until sentencing. He faces up to 30 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

The judge said that in sentencing of Gourlay, Smith and Dimitris, he took into account their cooperation with the government in the case against Vinson. Gourlay and Dimitris testified at the trial.

But Reidinger pointed out that Bank of Asheville and Pisgah Community Bank failed as a result of the scheme. Such crimes serve to undermine the banking system, he said.

“When citizens don’t have confidence in the banking system, the economy collapses,” the judge said.

Prosecutors said Vinson began Seven Falls with a $25 million bank loan to be repaid with money from the sale of lots. He ran out of money in 2008, when the economy tanked and sales dried up. That’s when Vinson and his fellow conspirators came up with a “lot loan scheme” involving straw borrowers.

Former Bank of Asheville President George Gordon “Buddy” Greenwood pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges and was sentenced in May 2012 to four years in federal prison. According to court records, Greenwood was involved in illegal loans to Vinson totaling nearly $6.8 million.

Vinson and six other codefendants, including former Pisgah Community Bank President Thomas “Ted” Durham Jr., await sentencing.

Source: Clarke Morrison, 3 get prison in Seven Falls case – Three men get terms for conspiring with Vinson in loan scheme, http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20131127/NEWS01/311270022/3-get-prison-Seven-Falls-case?nclick_check=1, 26/11/2013. (Accessed 27/11/2013.)

Of Course Pringle Is Uh- Telling The- Uh- Truth About Kong Uh- Hee And Sun- Uh-Ho!

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations, Pringle's Language

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

c3, c3 church, c3 cult, CHC, chc church, CHC cult, chc scandal, Christian City Church, cross over, cross over project, cult, damage control, deceive, Kong Hee, lie, mislead, misleading, Phil Pringle, spin, spin doctor, Sun Ho

We originally were going to publish a long-winded response to all the misleading and deceptive comments Phil Pringle made in the below transcript. However, we wish to frame the below transcript with the motivations of Sun Ho and the Cross Over project.

Pastor Sun Ho said the following about her music album release which featured her song China Wine:

“I’m really excited about this album, because I feel like it really represents me even though it’s in English.” [Source]

“Wyclef was so amazing! He would pick up his guitar and we started just writing the song and we call it “China Wine… I want to work with the choreographer to come up with “China Wine” dance steps and stuff. Seriously, I can’t wait to grow in America and I can’t wait for people to see me…” [Source]

Here is Pastor Sun Ho’s music video clip China Wine. Ask yourself this question, can you see this video clip convicting people of their sins and as a result. repent and turn to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins?

Keep this information in mind.

On the 9th of June, Phil Pringle said the following (transcript below):

“Anyway – ah, when I’m in Singapore, generally Pastor Kong and Sun are not cos they are out, just ah, staying in the Asian Christian community preaching and – ah, making sure that everybody knows they’re still alive, ah- facing a lot of challenges, a lot of battles. A lot of people who um- you know have ah have ah – taking sides against them and- And ah- people just love to be critical. And you know, ah, there are times-ah with believers, I’m not sure if I care if they were right or wrong and- and in this case, this- this couple are the two of the most holy people I know. And I get convicted when I am around them. And I am a very holy person and ah – [audience laughs]. Anyway, I-I-I will ignore the fact that you laughed then. Amen! Ha ha ha!

So- ha ha hum! Uh- Just ask my wife how holy I- no don’t! And uh- yeah so- we um- anyway we were up there in ah- Singapore treading the wi- ONE OF THE THINGS- i- it’s a horrible if you are treading the wine press all on your own. And uh- to have some friends with you- even if, you know- uh- a- e- i- I like – I like the fact that Jesus stood with us even when we weren’t that great. I know most of you have- have been really great people all your life and done bad. But I’m glad he’s still with me anyway when I- met my moments of challenge and difficulty.

And even if you’re right, you know and ah- a- in- to- to be persecuted for that is a challenging thing.

Now this church is one of the greatest churches in the world. If I was to pick five great churches in the world, this would be one of them. In the whole world. This church is impacting nations, like taking the population ratio of Taiwan from two percent to ah- ten per cent oh- a- over a period of ten years. Ah- Astonishing results in many, many Christian- ah, in many, many ah- Asian nations in ah- Christian concerts that Sun was performing in, about a hundred and ah- ten concerts. In- In those she had about a hundred and forty thousand people come to Christ. So that was the purpose of um- them, as a church- ah- boosting that- ah – singing career. And ah- so anyway- ah- apart from all that fact, we are great friends of this church and are standing with them, seeing them ah- through this incredible challenge they are facing at present. And uh- they’ve had some good news in this last week, even though the pressure is still on- eh- eh- at an equal level. But I just wanted to play a little clip from last weekend when I was with him. Thanks guys!”

[Plays Video]

Amen! Well, the Pastor of that church is gonna be speakin’ at Presence Conference next week. Kong Hee. And the Advisory Pastor will also be speaking at that conference next week. Amen! So ah- it is going to be such an astonishing time. One of the reasons I show you that- just to get a visual of what this church is going to look like in a few years time amen! And ah- Presence will help us get to that place as we keep moving!

That’s one of seven services they have over a weekend. They also have Chinese and Indonesian services. Ah- but um- that one is actually the smaller of the two weekend services. Um- English speaking services. The night before is the Saturday night one which is the largest service during the week. And uh- that’s exciting though every time I get in amongst their great church and feel the power of their prayer life, their discipline and ah- and moving forward. And no wonder the- the devil has done everything he can to try and oppose them.

We’re gonna see revival around all the nations of the world, every tip where there’s a C3 Church- next week we are upgrading and going up a level, without any doubt at all.” – Phil Pringle, C3 Church Oxford Falls, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiKrMwtZGSk.

To understand what happened prior to this transcript, please read the following article:

What Is Phil Pringle Trying To Hide? *Update 3* (03-07-2013)

“You Can Inform Your Readers That Phil Is A Father In The Faith To Kong.” – Pastor & Executive Regional C3 Americas Overseer

31 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by churchwatcher in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

c3 church, c3 cult, CHC, christian city church cult, christian city cult, City Harvest Church, city harvest church cult, cult, cult leader, cult leader kong hee, cult leader phil pringle, dean sweetman, Hee, Pringle, prosperity cult

We will be producing a lot of information in the coming weeks about the emerging C3 ‘Church’ and City Harvest ‘Church’ scandals. A lot of information is coming out of the courts and hitting the news. The facebook group ‘CHC Confessions‘ has been exploding with fascinating insights to the CHC Cult and the China Wine scandal.

Furthermore, Dean Sweetman (Senior Pastor of C3 Church Atlanta and also “Executive Regional Overseers for C3 Americas”), has recently been commenting on C3 Church Watch.

At C3 Church Watch we will try to do our best to capture the important information surfacing at this time. This means there may be multiple articles posted a day.

Please join our facebook group ‘C3 & Hillsong Church Watch – A Call To Discernment‘ to be notified of upcoming articles.

KONG HEE’S “FATHER IN THE FAITH”

“You can inform your readers that Phil is a father in the faith to Kong.” [Source]

That was a recent comment made by Dean Sweetman. Sweetman is the ‘Executive Regional C3 Americas Overseer’ and Sr ‘Pastor’ of C3 Church Atlanta. Dean Sweetman is a significant player in the C3 movement and should be causing Australian and Singaporean heads to turn towards the global C3 Church movement with his recent comment.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” Matt 23:15

That was Jesus’ words to the false religious teachers of his day. This says a lot about not only the ministry of Phil Pringle but the influence he has had on the ministry of Kong Hee. Consider Kong Hee’s comment:

“You can’t talk about City Harvest Church without talking about C3. Or Christian City Church. You know Pastor Phil has been there for me; praying with me; encouraging me; discipling me; telling me how to do the work of the ministry; taught me how to collect an offering; how to give an altar call; how to build a church; build a team. So Pastor Phil, from the depth of my heart, for Sun and myself, we wouldn’t be where we are today without you and Pastor Chris. Let’s give Pastor Phil and Pastor Chris a big clap.” – Kong Hee, Kong Hee, Session 8: (00:24), Presence Conference 2010.

To fully understand how involved the founder of the C3 movement Phil Pringle is with the CHC scandal, please read the below articles.

Kong Hee To Phil Pringle: “You created this mess! You’ve Got To Come And Help Us Fix It”

Kong Hee Again Blames Phil Pringle For SunTec Mess: “… it’s all your fault, Pastor!”

We have already concluded that Phil Pringle and his C3 movement is a global prosperity cult. This was not just based on Pringle’s claim to his congregation that he was ‘Elijah’. (If you give money to him, you are giving directly to God). There were many times when we could have labeled C3 a cult. However it was Jabin Chavez who spoke at C3 this year that made us publicly label the C3 Church movement a cult.

Chavez On Resurrection Sunday Exalts Pringle’s Above Christ?

Now we are seeing people from CHC conclude from their experiences that CHC is also a cult. The similarities between the way C3 and CHC operate is highly disturbing. We are now becoming more concerned how C3 Church financially conducts itself if Kong Hee imitates and learns from Phil Pringle and his ministry.

“Many people come to City Harvest Church and they look at our church. Look at our pulpit. Our Rise and Build. And they say, “Hey! Why is it that in Australia they kinda copy after you?”

Well actually we came here and copied everything from Christian City Church. So we have our own Rise and Build and I just thought I show you this latest installment where we anounced to our church, SunTec City Convention Center.” – Kong hee, C3 Presence Conference, Session 4, Sydney, 2010. [Emphasis ours]

Recently this testimony was published online:

I remember Pastor Kong sharing about how a couple sold their Wedding Ring to pay for their Building Fund pledge, back when i was a christian at CHC 4 years ago. It’s a pity it’s all for China Wine.

I left CHC after my CG Leader Pressured me to show him the True amount of my income thus to increase the amount i give in my tithes. Now i know; CHC is a Cult. I got their “Regular Member’s Card” only after i have regularly gave my tithes (Of course i never gave 10%, it was barely 5% i never believed Church is all about money).

The CHC Cult Ranks:
Regular Cultist Sheep
Ministry Cultist Worshiper
Executive Cultist Leader

I was there. I heard this Sermon.
I still keep this card. To remind of how easily tricked i was.

(A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization)

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151834020457147&set=p.10151834020457147&type=1, 30/08/2013. (Accessed 31/08/2013.)

A Good Example Of Pringle Teaching Dishonestly

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by churchwatcher in Pringle's Behaviour, Pringle's Doctrine/Gospel, Pringle's Influences, Pringle's Language, Pringle's Methods

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

c3, c3 church, c3 cult, c3 global, c3 iglobal, C3i, c3i global, c3iglobal, ccc, ccc global, ccc oxford falls, cccglobal, ccci, cult, deceit, deceitful, deceitfulness, deception, deceptive, false, false teacher, false teaching, global, lies, lying, Phil Pringle, Pringle, tithe, tithes, tithing

Before tackling this article, please read the following:

Pringle Mocks Corrector

More Christians in his church should tell Phil Pringle to “stick to the bible”. The topic of money is a common message preached at C3 Church. While we do not hear the faithful gospel preached of Christ and Him crucified, it is impossible to escape C3’s ten minute money-grubbing message. People need to face the facts. Phil Pringle has an unhealthy obsession with money and making up fables.

He clearly does not put his faith in God. Rather, Pringle puts faith in his works and finances. Question Pringle’s prosperity gospel and there is a good chance you will be labeled, criticised, ostracised, demonised or even isolated by the leadership. The tithe doctrine specifically is Pringle’s golden calf. In the past, the tithe has been called by C3 leadership the “foundation” or “cornerstone” to every believers life.

This false doctrine is both binding and destructive. This keeps poor Christians in C3 stuck in their poverty. This false doctrine has divided families and churches. Still, Phil Pringle conveniently refuses to examine the historicity and the biblical truth of the tithe. This doctrine helps no one except the false and deceptive ministry of Phil Pringle. Yet he insists Christians must tithe.

In a Sunday night sermon titled ‘Financial Excellence Part 2’ (22/05/2011), Phil Pringle slandered (blasphemed) God. He did so by putting words in God’s mouth. Pringle unashamedly went out of his way to mislead his congregation on his false tithe doctrine. Phil Pringle invented his own theology to convince and intimidate his congregation to continually financially support his ministry.

Before you read and listen to this segment of Phil Pringle, we wish to warn you of following deceptive methods false teachers like himself use on Christians.

WARNING 1: Always hold the pastor accountable to the words he uses. If he his playing with words, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM.

WARNING 2: If a pastor is wrongfully confusing what God is saying to what he is saying, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM.

WARNING 3: If a pastor does not read the biblical text to justify his claims, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM. (i.e., if he tells you a biblical story and hi-jacks the biblical narrative for his own means.).

WARNING 4: Always check what the pastor is saying in the NAME of God to what God actually says in His Word.

WARNING 5: Always make sure that the Pastor is using biblical reasoning to teach you and NOT emotional manipulation (e.g., guilt, group intimidation).

Below, Pringle breaks all the rules of how a pastor should teach, behave and rightly approach biblical texts.

PRINGLE PLAYING WITH WORDS

In the below transcript you will see Pringle mislead the congregation by calling his financial insights to the bible a “bible study”. How can Pringle call what he taught a “bible study” when he never read the texts in Joshua and Genesis? He never even gave biblical references. This was not a bible study. (A bible study actually involves the pastor explaining what the bible means by reading it and handling the contexts of what is said correctly.)

Throughout the below segment, Pringle kept redefining what the tithe was in very obscure ways. He does this to convince Christians that the tithe is biblical. Ask yourself: is the tithe continually defined by Pringle as ‘a tenth’ or something else? Does it keep changing itself meaning to suit Pringle’s theology or agenda?

PRINGLE PLAYING ‘GOD-AND-SWITCH’ AS IN ‘BAIT-AND-SWITCH’

To actually grasp what Pringle is doing in this segment of teaching, please watch the video at the bottom of this article (one minute in).

Good preachers clearly distinguish when God is speaking through the scriptures. They make sure that their voice is separate from God’s so no man is confused between a man’s words and God’s Word. Not so with Pringle. Pringle at one point speaks as though God is saying something through the scriptures. However, the listener can get easily confused over either God or Pringle speaking to you.

It was incredibly difficult to transcribe this video. In particularly when Pringle said,

“If you give me that [Jericho] then the rest of the land is yours. That’s the first fruits, that’s the tithe. That’s the tree in the garden for Adam.”

Was Pringle telling us this or was he telling us this is what God was saying in the book of Joshua?

PRINGLE AVOIDING THE BIBLE AT ALL COST

Using the books of Genesis and Joshua, Pringle starts arguing his case for the tithe. He AVOIDS reading these texts to support his argument. Instead, Pringle hi-jacks the narrative, lies about God saying things He never said and makes stuff up according to his personal pet theories.

If Pringle read out Genesis 2-3 or Joshua 6-8, then any hearer would realise that the tithe is not even mentioned in these ancient documents. You don’t think Pringle knows this? And what he says isn’t new. The sermon ‘Financial Excellence’ is based off his book ‘Keys To Financial Excellence’. His teaching has been expanded and extracted from his book ‘Keys To Financial Excellence’:

Pringle’s Curse Attack Gets A Wiki-Whack

Phil Pringle not only makes up his own theology in regards to the city of Jericho being a tithe, he also teaches that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil is the tithe. Once again, if anyone was reading Genesis 2-3, they would see that Pringle is not honest in handling the God’s Word.

PRINGLE’S MESSAGE

Below is part of the transcript we just critiqued and the video.

“So here’s the Lord saying, “You’re robbing”. You’re taking something that belongs to God. It’s the tithe. You’re sticking it in your pocket. [Inaudible] Bless me. It aint gonna happen.

There’s a guy called Achan in the scripture. And look- If I’m stirred up about anything to do with this message, it is this point I’m making right now. Because, here’s the thing, Achan- does anybody know who Achan is? Achan?

Ok. Here’s the picture. Real quick little bible study.

Joshua comes to Jericho. God says, “March around the thing- seven days. Seven days, seven times. Shout. PHEOW! The whole thing will collapse. But,” he says, “that city is the tithe.”

“Don’t touch anything in the city.” It belongs to God. The whole lot. It was ‘under the ban’ was the literal words. Devoted to destruction. “If you give me that then the rest of the land is yours. That’s the firstfruits, that’s the tithe. That’s the tree in the garden for Adam.”

It’s the firstborn of every animal born on the earth. It’s the first. It’s the tithe.
‘kay. So everybody does it.

“Phew! Don’t touch it! Don’t touch!” Achan sees a big lump of gold. He says, “I’ll take that”. Puts in his back pocket. Goes into his tent. Digs a hole. Puts it in. Hides it in a couple of garments. [Inaudible.] Digs a hole. Hides it.

The next- they’re ready to go to the next town, Ai. Little town. A-i. That’s a little name, three thousand people, bam! Just go up there. Josh is- says ‘Oh, we wont even send the whole army up. We’ll kill these guys in no time at all’. Bam! So he goes up. They get defeated.

Israel gets defeated. About thirty seven of their own soldiers die. Achan doesn’t. One of the soldiers. He doesn’t. They come back. Josh is on his face. He says, “God! How did that happen? We took Jericho with big thick walls! Then we got beaten at Ai, by a nobody group!”

God says, “Somebody took the tithe.”

He says, “What do you mean?” He says, “You gotta find out who did this.” So they find out. Do a little investigation.
“Achan. What are you doing?”

“Woah!” … This is why I’m stirred up about it. Because it’s not about just me individually. It’s about the whole church. I’ve a corporate responsibility to the entire Kingdom of God. To the whole body of Christ.” Phil Pringle, Ps Phil Pringle: Financial Excellence Part 2, http://www2.myc3church.net/videos/ps-phil-pringle-financial-excellence-part-2, Sermon (PM), 22/05/2011.

Below you can watch him say this in the snippet about one minute in.

PRINGLE LYING TO PEOPLE ABOUT GOD

Phil Pringle has a shepherds responsibility to handle God’s Word correctly and NOT lie and slander God and His word for financial gain. If anyone did do a “bible study” reading Joshua 6-8 while Pringle preached, they would notice Pringle made up things God never said.

God didn’t say,

“that city [Jericho] is the tithe.”

God did not say,

“If you give me that then the rest of the land is yours. That’s the firstfruits, that’s the tithe. That’s the tree in the garden for Adam. It’s the firstborn of every animal born on the earth. It’s the first. It’s the tithe. ‘kay.”

When Joshua consulted God in regards to his military losing the battle at Ai, God did not say to Joshua,

“Somebody took the tithe.”

Phil Pringle is making God say and teach things God never said. In other words, Phil Pringle is blaspheming by taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Firstly, this false teaching of the tithe goes against the heart of the Father, goes against Jesus and His finished work on Calvary and the Holy Spirit. Why? It is through Christ we find blessing and freedom away from the curse and condemnation of death, God’s Law and His wrath. As Christians we do not receive the Holy Spirit, God’s promise and blessing by our works. The entire letter to the Galatians makes this case. This is blasphemy no matter which way you look at it, again taking the Lord’s name in vain.

PRINGLE USING INTIMIDATION AND CROWD CONTROL

Pringle lets his emotions run in this portion of his talk. His tone is accusative against Christians for not tithing. If you watch further beyond the transcript, he starts personally confessing his works and his faithfulness to the tithe.

This does not stop Pringle teaching to his congregation that if individuals aren’t tithing, they are accused by God of “robbing,” cursed by God Himself and blocking the progress of his C3 church movement. This is This is why he says,

“I’m stirred up about it. Because it’s not about just me individually.”

The onus is on non-tithers to do what Pringle says or else. His lies mixed with his intimidation is in our opinion bullying. It is of our opinion he is using misleading tactics to force non-tithers in his congregation to tithe, using his own congregation against them. Think of it this way. After this sermon, how would members react to people who say they don’t tithe? After this sermon, do you think non-tithers would dispute this teaching against other members? Do you think they will feel isolated and alone in their thoughts on this matter?

Overall, this is a good example how a false teacher would teach and behave behind a pulpit. Phil Pringle’s false message and deceitful methods are clearly evident in this sermon.

Is This The Way Phil Pringle Should Run His Church?

16 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by churchwatcher in Pringle's Issues/Events, Pringle's Methods, Pringle's Outcomes

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SERMON EXECUTION

When key church conferences or events are weeks away, Phil Pringle executes his teachings in rather peculiar ways. To the average person it sounds like what they are hearing in a Sunday service or bible study is biblical teaching.

Unfortunately this is not the case. It is becoming more evident that C3 members are being seduced by innovative marketing ploys for Phil Pringle’s conferences and events. People need to understand that Phil Pringle can often have a rather different agenda when he is preaching. It is of our opinion that his marketing ploys are becoming more manipulative.

Consider some of these statements he has made in his book, ‘You The Leader’:

“People can become anything under the right conditions.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 267.

“I don’t approach Sundays with an attitude of, “What message shall I preach?” but rather, “What do we want to achieve in our church at this time?” That desired end result determines what and how I preach. Then, within the particular message, I ask myself, “What am I trying to achieve here? What one thing am I attempting to say? What do I want these people to have or do at the end of this time?’
Then I follow the plan.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg. 234.

“What we preach is what we get. We are farmers sowing seed. If we are unhappy with the harvest we’re reaping, we should sow different seed. If we want different results, we preach different messages.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 215.

It is unsettling to know that a pastor might be using his position and sermon time to manipulate people. This is what we have recorded Phil Pringle doing in the past.

Another False Prophecy By Pringle Alongside A Deceitful Sermon

Pringle’s ‘Get Ready For God’ Bible Study Notes, Exposed

Pringle’s ‘Financial Excellence’ Bible Study Notes, Exposed

HAS ‘PASTOR’ PHIL PRINGLE CHANGED?

You may be thinking Phil Pringle went through an unusual phase in his ministry. Not so. We have seen him behave like this for a few years now. This year we have seen Pringle misuse his power and position to market his events through his teachings. Specifically this years Presence Conference 2013 and Vision Builders 2013.

In this articles we will not give you a critique of Phil Pringle’s sermons that market people to attend Presence Conference 2013 or Vision Builders 2013. First, we invite you to look at the bizarre C3 Connect Notes study, weeks leading up to Presence Conference 2013. (Emphasis ours in underline.)

35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4v35
(all references NIV)

It says: “don’t you have a saying?” We all have a saying.
– We can say one thing, but God says this: we can’t go without the presence of God.
– Moses and the people set out, but they pleaded: “Please God, don’t let us go without your presence.

The presence of God defines who you are. When people meet you they don’t just experience you, they experience God.

The church is a place of the second chance – but the church is also the house of promise.

TALK ABOUT:
* Are you ready for the hour we are about to step into? Are you willing give [sic] him all of your life?

Ps Greg French moved extensively in the prophetic after this message. We would like to encourage all leaders to have a special prayer and ministry time in your connect group this week. Remember you are a sufficient minister of the Holy Spirit! ‘..Our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit..’ (2 Corin 3:5-6)

Source: CN08Apr13 – Carrying The Presence Of God

Let’s see if Phil Pringle honestly used the single verse in the ‘bible study’ in context. Did he handle the words of Jesus accurately? Does God overwrite all our sayings to correct us? Let’s see what Jesus said:

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:34-38. (Emphasis ours.)

So what has this verse got to do with God’s presence™? It doesn’t. But what is Pringle trying to say? That God will override our sayings to say something else?

Pringle used ONLY John 4:35 to explain that, “We can say one thing, but God says this: we can’t go without the presence”. This could be true BUT Jesus in his next breath says in AGREEMENT that, “the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true“. So… what is going on?

Why did Pringle exclude this? If he kept the scripture in context wouldn’t people be able to see that God can be in agreement with our sayings?

We are assuming he wants people to think like this in the bible study:

As a reader, are you ready for the hour you are about to step into: Presence™ Conference 2013?
How is it possible to give God all your life if you do not go?
Don’t you realise that God is telling you that you can’t go without the Presence™ of God?
Can’t you see that if you say “I might not go to Presence™ Conference”, God might be telling you to do the opposite?

It’s wrong for Phil Pringle to make Jesus out to be a liar. When you read the verse in its context, the entire bible study is debunked and made pointless. This seems to indicate that Pringle is misleading his entire Connect Group network with this study to try and get people to go to his Presence Conference. Quite frankly this is despicable behaviour coming from a ‘pastor’.

But it get’s worse…

WHAT IS THE C3 VISION BUILDERS DINNER & THE C3 VISION?

Before looking at the Vision Builders marketing ploys Pringle weaves in his teachings, it is important that you understand the ‘Vision Builders’ dinner.

We’ll let C3 explain what it is.

If you do not know what the ‘Vision’ of God is to Phil Pringle, it is this. (Also watch the video via below source link.)

“Our vision for C3 Church is to see 1000 Churches planted by the year 2020 with an average attendance of 500 members.” – 2020 Vision, C3 Church Global, http://c3churchglobal.com/cms/2020-vision. (Accessed 14/06/2013.)

With this in mind, it is time to look at how Phil Pringle convinces people to sign up for the ‘Vision Builders’ dinner so they can make financial pledges to C3 Church’ building initiatives.

VISION BUILDERS MARKETING GIMMICKS

Here is what you will find advertised on the myc3church website. Ask yourself this question: Who “prepares a table” for you? God or C3?

To reduce the size of this article, we will only look at C3’s Vision Builders video and C3’s latest ‘bible study’ Connect Notes.

Here is the video.

The transcript reads:

“What a humbling thing it is to realise that God, the Creator of the universe, maker of heaven and earth, has prepared a table for you. Long before you acknowledged Him, your place had been set, the invitation extended. Taste and see that the Lord is good. It was not a place you could earn or deserve. You were lost. Dead. But now, you are found alive, caught up in his great story. And so before you is a banquet. A feast of provision. That you may play a part in the midst of darkness bringing the light.”

Like other Vision Builders dinner, Pringle encouraged people to bring their wallets to the table and make pledges to the C3 building fund. (Quick reminder: The light is Jesus, not our money.)

There is something seriously wrong with the video presentation. Do you think this advert has gone one step further than worldly marketing? How do you feel when you watch this? Who is really preparing the table? God or Pringle? Who is really asking people to give cash? God or Pringle? Who is asking you to expand in your sacrificial giving? God or Pringle?

The lines were deliberately blurred to entice and pressure C3 members to give sacrificially. But would God really want people to give financially at this event?

C3 BIBLE STUDY CONNECT GROUP NOTES

If that’s not disturbing enough, look how Phil Pringle in the last two weeks planned out the C3 Church bible study connect group notes.

CN03Jun13 – GRAND DESIGNS: PURPOSE, PLANS & PURSUIT

CN11Jun13 – GRAND DESIGNS: SPARE NOT – Ps Phil Pringle

You can see bible passages are being twisted in these Connect Notes when Pringle wants people to ask these questions:

TALK ABOUT:
* Have you ever had a time of stretching with God?
* Are you ever tempted to “bail out” or “dig up the seed” in waiting for God to grow something in you?
* Does it encourage you when God says you shall expand or His people will inherit?

Source: http://www2.myc3church.net/sites/default/files/CN11Jun13.pdf (03, June 2013.)

Here is this weeks Connect Notes questions:

TALK ABOUT:
* What is your part of God’s grand design? Are you looking to the Bible to affirm the plan of God?
* Discuss how our church leadership and vision is always exhorting us to expand and look out.
* Are you involved in the width, the length, the depth or the height of his plan? Where is God calling you? [Note Pringle’s allusion to
* How are you investing in the future of His magnificent house? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?

Source: http://www2.myc3church.net/sites/default/files/CN03Jun13.pdf, (11, June, 2013.)

These questions should be properly revealed this way:

* Have you ever had a time of stretching with Phil Pringle pressuring you to give money?
* Are you ever tempted to “bail out” or “dig up the seed” because Phil Pringle keeps telling you, “God [wants] to grow something in you”?
* Does it encourage you when Phil Pringle says you shall expand or His people will inherit?
* What is your part of Phil Pringle’s grand design? Are you looking to the Bible to affirm the plan of Pringle (or testing what He says to what God says)?
* Discuss how our church leadership and vision is always exhorting us to expand and look out.
* Are you involved in the width, the length, the depth or the height of Pringle’s financial plan? What is Pringle calling you to do?
* Discuss how you are investing in the future of Phil Pringle’s ministry? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?

What’s the answer to the last question? “How are you investing in the future of His magnificent house? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?” Answer: Go to Vision Builders.

Is this biblical? Do people realise they are being financially duped by Phil Pringle? Do they know what they are hearing is not the biblical context but a deceptive marketing scheme? How should members feel if they are being manipulated like this? Is this the way Phil Pringle should run his church?

Please pray that members get wisdom and and understanding so they do not put themselves under financial stress.

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