Phil Pringle gives this good advice,

“We need to distrust those who flatter us. Ingenuine praise has mixed motives behind it. Insincere admiring strokes your ego and blinds judgment. Being ‘charmed’ suspends discernment. Be wise. Know the difference. Fools fall for flattery.” – Phil Pringle, The Leadership Files Vol 2, File 48. The Real Thing.

So how should C3 leaders members feel when Pringle and his church staff send out emails and adverts like this? Should they take Pringle’s good advice? Or should they fall for his marketing schemes?

(From: C3 Church Events <events@myc3church.net>
Date: Tue, Mar 6, 2012. . .
Subject: 4 Days of Presence: Register TODAY to enjoy Box Seats at Opening Night!)

Why does C3 advertise this event as the “ultimate Presence experience?” Wasn’t the point of Presence (according to Phil) to have a God encounter?

By the way, don’t forget how awesome Furtick is. His voice will equip and inspire you! You should already know Furtick’s message and voice is going to preach the gospel and glorify Jesus equip YOU! (Maybe if you touch the hem of his suit, Furtick might heal you.)

(From: “C3 Church Events” <events@myc3church.net>
Date: 07/03/2012 . . .
Subject: 4 Days of Presence: Register TODAY to receive Steven Furtick product arriving on your doorstep!)

Why does C3 think they are “privileged to be the first to host Steven in Australia?” Claims are being made that Steven and his church are a cult.

(From: C3 Church Events <events@myc3church.net>
Date: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Subject: 4 Days of Presence: Day 3 – YOUR friend on US)

The worst thing ANY family can do is share “the experience with friends and family.” Do you want your friends to have Pringle fleece them of thousands dollars or encourage them to empty their bank accounts to buy miracles from God in their unbelief? He has done this also in 2010 and 2009 at his miracle offering ‘sermons’.

(From: C3 Church Events <events@myc3church.net>
Date: Fri, Mar 9, 2012. . .
Subject: 4 Days of Presence: Day 4 – Dining Voucher!)

Clearly the Presence Conference is all about YOU. No? What else would C3 use to convince people to come? Surely all this indulgent-Christianity has gone too far? Surely they would advertise that it’s all about Jesus… Right?

(Source: http://www.myc3church.net/presence12/experience.html)

C3 says,

“The first 200 people through the Expo will receive a Conference show bag jam-packed with discount vouchers, a free message DVD and other goodies. If you have never been to Presence before or you are coming alone, our TLC Team would love to meet and look after you. We have a dedicated meeting spot right near the Info Desk for you to connect with our friendly team over coffee before being guided to a reserved seat!”

Don’t you wonder this Presence Conference is God centered? Don’t you question who is paying for all these indulgences and freebies? What are the chances that people who empty their bank accounts to buy a miracle from God, will be the one’s paying for all the freebies, enticements and indulgences?

The way that C3 has marketed this event under the leadership of Pringle, haven’t they used “ingenuine praise” with “mixed motives?” Is the event about God or you? Or is this about C3 and Pringle’s desire to see churches be branded into the C3 movement?

Hasn’t C3 used the above marketing to “flatter us?” If you were a delegate, don’t you think hero treatment, “strokes your ego and blinds judgment” whether the admiration is sincere or not? If C3 has gone at lengths to target Christians like this in their marketing, how can Christians prevent “being ‘charmed’?” How can they “be wise” and “know the difference” when C3 is treating them like “fools” to “fall for flattery?”

Take Pringle’s advice, “Distrust those [Phil Pringle and C3] who flatter us.”