We’ve already bought up our concerns regarding Phil Pringle inviting Steve Furtick speaking at Pringle’s C3 Presence Conference 2012. Read the article here:

Phil Pringle Endorsing Problematic Steve Furtick for Presence Conference 2012

Brittany Smith, reporter from the ‘Christian Post’, records a conversation Chandler had with Furtick last year:

“The Reformed community is not a big fan of you,” Chandler told Furtick last year during The Elephant Room, which featured blunt conversations and debates among influential pastors. Chandler had expressed concern that Furtick was rejecting doctrine in the name of outreach.” – Brittany Smith, ‘The Bible Is Not About You,’ Says Young Evangelical, http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-bible-is-not-about-you-says-young-evangelical-67210/, 16/01/2012. (Accessed 20/02/2012)

People also may be critical of Rosebrough’s harsh criticism of Furtick. However, Rosebrough received an email from a member of Steve Furticks church. This member confirmed Chandler, Smith and Rosebrough’s understanding of Furtick. Rosebrough read out the email on his radio program here:

Laying Hold of Eisegetical Nonsense

Chris Rosebrough said,

“Ok. This email comes to us from a man who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He and his wife attended Elevation church for five years. However, they will no longer be attending. And – I’m not going to give you his name cos I know how the Elevators will treat him if they heard who this was.” – Chris Rosebrough, Fighting For The Faith, Laying Hold of Eisegetical Nonsense: 21:55, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2012/01/laying-hold-of-eisegetical-nonsense-.html, 19/01/2012.

This email gives us good insight to Elevation and Furtick. The ex-Elevation member wrote to Chris,

“I just wanted to thank you for your ministry. I’ve been extremely blessed by it in the past few days as I’ve listened to your archives learning about discernment and all of the tricks used by false teachers. I had been going to Elevation Church for the past five years every single week until very recently. I have been feeling unrest for many months, considering leaving the church, sensing much ego on Furtick’s part amongst many other things…

But I was held back by the lies taught every week thinking, ‘Surely, for the church to be flourishing the way it is, it must be God, right?’. Boy was I wrong.

I also want to point out  that despite daily prayer and reading of the Word, I have been unable to grow spiritually, bound by the completely backward, narcissistic eisegesis, teaching at Elevation church. After Matt Chandler’s unbelievable message, and much that I had learned listening to your podcasts, I now know why I haven’t been able to grow spiritually. I have been consistently ingesting spiritual poison and have been reading the bible completely wrong.

I feel like my eyes have been opened and I have had difficulty understanding how I could listen to that, week-in and week-out. But I am just glad that I have escaped that trap. Looking back at all of the people there and how it kept me from growing or even learning anything about Jesus, I have the very uneasy feeling Elevation is being used as an extraordinary cunning tool of evil used to ensnare people. A masterfully orchestrated show, designed to manipulate emotion!” – Chris Rosebrough, Fighting For The Faith, Laying Hold of Eisegetical Nonsense: 22:47-24:41, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2012/01/laying-hold-of-eisegetical-nonsense-.html, 19/01/2012.

The letter goes on,

“I want to point out a couple of observations that I found interesting from Matt Chandlers sermon.

1. He seems to be looking and preaching directly to Furtick to his left much of the sermon. Especially when he makes points of the bible ‘not being about you’.
2. He repeatedly says, ‘Look at me’, before saying an important point. Could he be saying that to Furtick?

The cameramen tended to show the crowd and those on stage whenever the audience was clapping. So I scrubbed through the sermon and watched every time it happened, watching Furtick, who did not clap once or even appeared to be paying any attention to Chandler. He was slumped back like a teenager with an attitude. I was especially unnerved when Matt Chandler proclaimed that He doesn’t want Matt glorified. He [God] wants to be glorified in, and everyone applauded except for Furtick. When Chandler says, ‘You are not the centre of the universe’, he looks directly at Furtick. To proclaim that and stare at him in the face when he is clearly despising everything Chandler is saying is so unbelievably bold. He says, ‘There is no sin in your life past, present or future that has more power than the cross of Jesus Christ. None’. That’s forty one minutes into the sermon to applause and amens, accept for Furticks, who at that point is leaning on his fist, presumably glaring at Chandler. He’s normally unbelievably energetic, jumping around, raising his hands, amening pastors off the stage. I don’t want to extract meaning that isn’t there but why won’t he acknowledge the cross of Christ when he so exuberantly acknowledges every other thing uttered by guest preachers?

I’ve watched him for years and I have never seen him behave that way. Thanks again. My wife and I spent hours upon hours, listening to you show learning discernment and being encouraged.” – Chris Rosebrough, Fighting For The Faith, Laying Hold of Eisegetical Nonsense: 26:50-29:01, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2012/01/laying-hold-of-eisegetical-nonsense-.html, 19/01/2012.

We must ask the question, why on earth would Pringle invite such a dangerous teacher to speak to thousands of Christians? Does Pringle not care of his spiritual duties as a pastor?