Tag Archives: wealth

An Analysis Of Kong Hee’s Money-Scheming ‘Church’

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

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When people critique Kong Hee’s Church they are also critiquing Phil Pringle and his church. We know personally that Kong Hee sees Phil Pringle in an infallible light as a personal master, mentor, pope and Prophet of God.

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

Not only is Kong Hee a disciple of Phil Pringle, he imitates Phil Pringle in many ways in teachings, conferences, service layouts, financial events and advertising, etc. As Kong Hee said,

“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.

‘Thinking Free And Fair’ offers their analysis of Kong Hee’s City Harvest Church,

An analysis into the wealth of City Harvest Church

Update: I have updated this analysis with a new article in the aftermath of the Pastor’s arrest.  

Although I am aware that City Harvest is one of the richest churches in Singapore, I am still shocked that it is rich enough to pay SGD310 million for a stake in Suntec City. Nevertheless, an entity which is able to amass such wealth is certainly worth studying. I was determined to understand the secrets to the church’s wealth.

I apologize upfront if the points raised give offense to loyal followers of City Harvest Church. Please regard this article as a business analysis of the factors that contribute to the wealth of City Harvest Church, not as an insinuation that the Church got rich through questionable means. The fact is that CHC is very rich and this makes for a fascinating academic exercise to examine its sources of wealth. Just treat it as a business case study. I have tried my best to stick to the facts. Please correct me if there are factual mistakes. However, if there are differences in opinions, please disagree with courtesy.

1. Clever packaging of Sunday services

The income of a church is dependent on the tithes collected (10% of income from church-members). Therefore, the earning power of a church is highly dependent on its ability to retain its existing church members and attract new ones. The larger the church membership, the greater its earnings.

I watched a sample of CHC weekend service on its website.  Compared to the boring Sunday classes I attended as a kid, CHC church service was most refreshing (Watch “The 10 Laws Of The Harvest”). The beginning part resembles a rock concert with good singing and enthusiastic audience. It is an entertaining way to enjoy your Sunday mornings. Going to church becomes a weekly event to look forward to rather than a chore to attend to.

With church services so well packaged for its customers, its customer retention rate and new customer acquisition figures should look good.

2. Extra revenue in the form of advertisements, sales of CDs

This church is unlike the other churches I know. It generates extra revenue through advertisements during its Sunday service(watch the videos). It sells audio CDs on its website. There is an online shopping cart for convenience to those who want to buy online.

3. Efficient collection of tithes

Church-members can pay their tithe online via credit card, eNets or even Giro!! Once members started donating using Giro, the earnings quality of the church improves. Donation collected via Giro tend to be more stable.

With a globalised economy, people travel round the world a lot and may miss Sunday services. In the past, the churches will lose income when these members fail to turn up to pay their tithe. Now, with online payment, they can continue collecting the tithe even when the church-member is working overseas for an extended period of time. With Giro, the church can continue collecting tithes for a few more months even when the member leaves the church as people have a habit of forgetting what they pay on Giro.

4. 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold returns on your church donations

This is where the genius of CHC lies and the secret to its superior earning power. In fact, I have yet to encounter any public-listed company on SGX, HKSE, NYSE, Nasdaq that demonstrates better potential.

The pastor preaches that God will give 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold returns on your tithe. But, you have to be generous in your donations first so that you will receive in harvest proportions. I guess that is the origin of the name City Harvest. Please watch the video “The 10 Laws Of The Harvest” yourself in its entirety and interpret for yourself.

It is a message that cleverly uses an astute understanding of human nature to maximize profits. If I were a CHC member, I will be tempted to increase my tithe as much as possible. Not mincing my words, I am doing it out of pure greed. I do not think I will be alone. It is perfectly fine if members of CHC strongly disagree and thinks that I am not representative for most of them. After all, I can only speak for myself.

5. Quality of customers

With the 100-fold return message, the kind of church members attracted will be most conducive to profit-making. Money-minded people will be attracted to the church. These money-minded people tend to be ambitious and have a great desire to make lots of money. Millionaire minds have a higher chance to become rich. Hence, the quality of customers that CHC attracts are of the highest quality. The richer the church-member, the higher is the church’s tithe per member.

Customer quality will be enhanced through the passage of time due to survivor bias. Suppose out of this pool of Millionaire-Mind Christians, 50% become satisfactorily rich and the remaining 50% still unsatisfactorily middle-class. The 50% who got rich will donate even more because they think their source of wealth comes from their donations. It is most unlikely they will cut back on their tithes  because they will be afraid God will punish them by cutting back the returns. If they are not afraid, the church will be there to warn them not to do so. The remaining 50% who did not get rich will be disillusioned and probably leave the church. The loss is of little significance to the church. These people are not rich and their tithes will not amount to much.

Many Christians will be disgusted with the concept of using tithes to get rich. These people will probably leave the church after attending a few Sunday services. Again, the loss is of little significance to CHC. These people will not be highly profitable to the church even if they are rich because they are not going to tithe as much as the others who believe their tithes is the way to wealth.

To the credit of the Pastor, I think he has devised a wonderful process of filtering out non-profitable customers and sucking in the lucrative ones. There is only so much physical space that a church can have to service its church-members. To maximize profits, the church has to ensure that each unit of space is used for servicing lucrative customers.

6. Kill off competition

CHC has tremendous economic moat that kills off competition. In the video “The 10 Laws of The Harvest”, the Pastor cited Law #5 “Your Seed must be planted in Good Ground” which is an effective weapon in killing off his competition – the smaller churches. Many Christians feel that they ought to donate to the needy, smaller churches rather than rich mega-churches like CHC. The Pastor’s argument is that you do not get good returns like 100-fold in the small churches. You have to donate to mega-churches to maximize returns on your tithe because they have a track record (rich church members). In other words, the seed is not planted in good ground when you donate to the small churches. In his own words, “I don’t always give to the neediest but to the ground that will give the greatest yield”. To illustrate his point, he used an analogy on weak banks and strong banks. You do not deposit your money in a weak bank because it desperately needs fresh funds to survive. You deposit your money in a strong bank which invests your money wisely and yields good returns.

The church has an iron-grip on its members who believe its message. As illustrated previously, its customer base is of the highest quality. This is its track record. Existing church-members will definitely not move to another smaller, needier church with poorer track record.

It has a very strong economic moat as it is very hard for its competitors to get its customers to switch over.

7. Providing a place where the rich can network

As the Pastor said, his church provides a good ground on which you can grow your riches. Rightly so, indeed. For property agents or insurance agents trying to hit their sales quota, City Harvest Church will be an ideal place to hunt for lucrative clients. This church concentrates several rich and money-minded people into a single location. The church offers a unique advantage to sell things. In a religious setting, people tend less to be on their guard and can be more easily persuaded to part with their money. 

Businessmen also like to network in places where there are rich and powerful people who will come in handy in future. The Pastor has done a good job in gathering such people in his church and it makes good sense to make use of this advantage by joining the church.

The rich will attract more rich and the gathering moss snowballs to provide an ever-rising pool of donation to the church. 

8. Preach what people like to hear. 

As a teenager, I was discouraged when I read Bible verses like Matthew 19:23-24 “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” and Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

It seems like if I become rich, I will be condemned to hell.

In the video “Rich God? Poor God?”, the Pastor preaches that it is absolutely ok to be rich. Some prophets of God were very rich. (Abraham, David, Solomon)

There is nothing more musical to a money-minded person than to hear that God is on your side in your pursuit of money. The church-members who are more money-minded will love this and donate even more.

9. God pays for the returns, not the church. 

The church collects the money, but God pays for the returns. The church does not need to pay a single cent for the 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold returns on the donations.

This is as good as you do the work for me, but not only do I not pay you, I shall also collect your salary. You toil and sweat, but I shall eat your bread. God must surely be a miracle worker and people will pay handsomely for his service. I cannot think of a more advantageous economic position to be in to be able to collect money rendered by a miracle worker.

10. Social pressure to conform in church settings and ease of influence

If everyone around you donates, it is hard not to. When everyone else makes sacrifice, the one who does not will look like an outcast. There is tremendous pressure to conform in such a herd setting.

11. Tremendous future earning power

Take a look at the congregation and you will notice the large number of young people. The income growth of young people is the fastest in the population. In the Pastor’s words, “You may be poor today, but you will not be poor all your life”. That is a long-term business plan in cultivating its customers.

Therefore, if CHC can be viewed as a growth stock, its prospects are very bright as its young customers will accelerate its earnings.

12. Stable earnings in times of depression

Besides being a growth stock, CHC can also be viewed as a defensive and safe stock. People pray hardest when they fall in hard times. Strangely, some people have an urge to tithe when they are in financial troubles.

In fact, in the video (The 10 Laws Of The Harvest), a couple came on stage. They talked about the dire straits they were in when they started out. Things change when God challenged them to GIVE themselves out of poverty (exact words from the speaker). Despite not having any money, they still pledged $250 to the building fund. In his own words again, “we often emptied our savings to give to the House of God knowing that this will be the answer to our financial problems”. Hence, not only will the church earnings be stable in times of depression, it may even grow.

13. Using Prosperity as a theme to appeal to customers

The Pastor preaches Prosperity Gospel which revolves around money. His business genius lies in choosing this theme for his church. Money has universal appeal. Everyone worships money regardless of race, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation. In one fell swoop, he has enlarged his market to cover the entire world. It is much easier to convert people to your belief by dangling money and promising great prosperity. After all, who does not love money?

By enlarging his potential market catchment with a greater chance of increasing membership, more donations will flow in.

14. Tax benefits as church is registered as a charity

This creates a huge, unfair advantage compared to all other businesses. This is what landed CHC in controversy. Enough has been said.

If one day the Pastor switches to become a businessman, I will definitely consider investing in the company that he heads and founds.

If City Harvest Church is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, I will certainly buy it. It will be one stock that I am confident of hitting a return of 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold returns.

PS: People tend not to question critically when it comes to religion. A charming smooth talker can easily sway minds with his interpretation of the Bible. In the final analysis, Faith is about simply believing. You cannot approach it scientifically because there is no way to test religious theories using the scientific method. We will only know the real truth when judgment day comes. 

The danger is that there is no accountability on the part of the preacher on whether his teachings are true or not. Even he himself cannot be sure that his interpretations is 100% correct. Given human nature, the interpretations will tend to be self-serving. In fact, it is not only dangerous to the students but to the teacher as well. People will believe their own lies if it yields tempting benefits. That was how Wall Street drank its own Kool-Aid.

While I respect the Pastor for his business savvy, I cannot agree with his interpretations of the Bible. I pray for good health, peace and harmony for my family. Money-minded as I am, I am not comfortable with commercializing my relationship with God by asking for money. The Christian God that I know from my own reading of the Bible is not 财神爷. Of course, if God wants to drop money from heaven on me, I will be more than happy to embrace it.

Source: By think-free-and-fair, An analysis into the wealth of City Harvest Church, http://thinking-free-and-fair.blogspot.sg/2010/03/analysis-into-wealth-of-city-harvest.html, 29/03/2010. (Accessed 09/05/2013.)

Kong Hee: A Word Of Faith Heretic (Part 1)

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

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Many people are led to believe that Kong Hee is a pastor. After hearing a number of his sermons, what he does, what he confesses and what he claims to be, we beg to differ.

We have managed to collect a number of videos of Kong Hee which are no longer available online. In these clips, ask yourself some of these questions:

      1. Is Kong Hee behaving the way a pastor should behave?
      2. Is Kong Hee teaching what the bible actually says what Christians should believe?
      3. Is Kong Hee teaching how Christians should properly live out their spirituality?
      4. Is Kong Hee offering a different version of Christianity that orthodox Christianity has held steadfast too?

The second last video shows Kong Hee teaching that Jesus was rich… and died to make Christians rich with the wealth of this world. In response to Kong Hee’s sermon, we are looking at writing an article that exposes his ‘Jesus’ for what it is: a lie.

We have published on C3CW in the past that Phil Pringle spoke at the “Asia Conference 2010, a bi-annual conference organized by CHC”. The last video is an advert for Asia Conference 2010 where famous financial hucksters John Avanzini and Steve Munsey were invited to speak. This was an event that Phil Pringle helped Kong Hee organise. Therefore – it is no surprise to see and hear some disturbing things emerge from this advert.

Here are the videos…

Down the track, we will also be explaining why C3 Church Watch is examining Kong Hee. We are keen to do articles that expose Kong and Pringle’s close associations. We also wish to provide people with Kong Hee’s personal testimony in how he became a Word of Faith heretic. So stay tuned.

Pringle Learns “Visualization-To-Abundant Realization”… From Sexually Active Goats?

24 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in C3 Spirituallity, C3 Teaching, Pringl'es Books, Pringle's Jesus

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Teaching “Visualization-To-Abundant Realization” Methods Aint Christian

A quick search on “Visualization-To-Abundant” in Google produces information on the following.

The title for this youtube video is “Secret Tool of Visualization to Manifest Abundance in all areas of your Life” with the following blurb:

“Secret Tool of Visualization to Manifest Abundance in all areas of your Life- Apply this Secret tool of Visualization to Attract ABUNDANCE IN YOUR LIFE , Manifesting with Ease and Joy : Money – Happy Relationships- Success – Achievement -My first Best-Selling Book – Beautiful Cars- Dream homes – Supportive Friends – Loving Partner – Vibrant Health – Wisdom – Happiness – Love – Gratitude Satisfaction – Easy Fun Travel – Giving and Receiving – Sharing – Consciousness – Much More – What Else is Possible?” – EduaPotor, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSy9pQE639U, 01/08/2009. (Accessed 25/01/2013.)

You will also come across New Age, occult or scam websites saying things like, “Blending the practical with the magical“, “visualize the abundance you so desire“,  or “if we regularly visualize our desires, send positive messages (affirmations) about our desires to our sub conscious mind and have faith that our desires are acheivable and then persevere – our desires will materialise“. You should also come across websites that promote the secret laws of attraction. Simply by doing a Google search, alarm bells should be going off when these sites pop up. Why is a Christian pastor teaching things that are connected to demonic teachings?

We’ve already discovered how Pringle’s faith is not founded on Christianity at all but on New Age, New Thought and occultic sources. This should concern any genuine Christian who attends the C3 Movement.

‘The Secret’ to Phil Pringle’s Doctrine of ‘Faith’

Phil Pringle Influenced By Occult/ New Thought/ Metaphysical Cult Teachings 

How Pagan Can Pringle Get?

Phil Pringle And David Yonggi Cho (Revisited)

‘The Secret’ to Phil Pringle’s Doctrine of ‘Hope’

While we have examined Pringle’s doctrine on faith, his doctrine on ‘hope’ is no different. In his latest book ‘Hope’ (endorsed by Yonngi Cho and Kong Hee), Pringle teaches readers how to practice the New Age technique of visualisation… through goats.

Yes, from goats. You’ve got to read it to believe it.

Pringle writes,

“Jacob’s Spotted and Speckled Sheep

In Ephesians 3:20, Paul says, “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” The Greek word for “think” here is no’eo, which literally means “to conceive and perceive.” So, once we are visualizing something, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above it. An example of this “visualization-to-abundant realization” is exemplified in the spotted and speckled sheep of Jacob.”

(Phil Pringle, Hope, South Australia: Hyde Park Press,2011, pg. 40.)

Pringle decides to write a personalised narrative of the Genesis story of Jacob and Laban’s goat/sheep deal. Pringle narrates the following:

“In the heat of the next morning, he calls the great flock of Laban to the watering troughs. However, the goats and sheep arrive to a different scene than ever before. A spotted and speckled wall rises before them just behind the troughs. The larger, healthier, stronger sheep jostle easily to the front. The rams rise on the ewes as they drink, all of them mating with a full vision of spots and speckles before them. When the small and weak finally have their chance at the water, Jacob removes the wall. Every day, morning and night, he follows the same clever procedure.”

(Phil Pringle, Hope, South Australia: Hyde Park Press,2011, pg. 41-42.)

Pringle’s conclusion?

“But Jacob knew that his God had given him hope through a dream, a strategy-and all of it by the power of vision. As Jacob saw the spotted and speckled sheep, and as the sheep themselves saw spots and speckles, their vision had become a reality.

What we see is what we get. What fills our imagination is what will fill our lives. This is the power of hope!”

(Phil Pringle, Hope, South Australia: Hyde Park Press,2011, pg. 42.)

After reading what Pringle had to say on visualisation, do you honestly think Genesis 30-31 is trying to teach Christians how to visualise abundance like Laban’s goats supposedly did? Don’t you think it’s odd that Pringle doesn’t actually quote the biblical story?

The Presence of Folly?

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in C3 Culture, C3 Ministry, Pringle's Behaviour, Pringle's Influences, Pringle's Issues/Events

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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?

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.”

Pringle Believes It’s Gods Will That Jesus Died To Make Believers Rich

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in C3 Scripture Handling, C3 Teaching, Pringle's Beliefs, Pringle's Doctrine/Gospel, Pringle's Laws

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After reading the below blurb, these quotes of Pringle should make sense,

“There is a direct correlation between the measure of God’s Word in our lives and the measure of prosperity we enjoy.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 14.

“When we have no room for the Word of God in our lives we have no room for success.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 14.

How can this ‘truth’ comfort any believer who faces poverty daily? Isn’t a believer to live by faith and not by sight? If a believer fails in his job, is the Word of God absent in his life? What is the secret to remain in salvation that promises wealth and success?

We’ve got commend Phil Pringle for ‘researching’ this first before claiming everyone he looked up to be misinformed. However, here are some verses he clearly hasn’t considered.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

So is the kingdom made up material things? Is the kingdom in this age?

“My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36

Truly Jesus has blessed us when he died, ascended and gave us his Spirit. But did Jesus bless us materially through this cross-pentecost process?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 (Emphasis mine)

If there was any place Paul could have said, “Jesus has blessed us with every material blessing,” that would have been it. Paul makes it clear that Jesus ONLY shared the “Jews’ spiritual blessings” to the Gentiles.

“For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.” Romans 15:27 (Emphasis mine)

With this in mind, read the below blurb from Pringle’s book ‘Dead For Nothing? What The Cross Has Done For You’ (2000):

“2 Corinthians 8v9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that enough He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Paul is referring to the fact that Jesus Christ died without one possession to his name, without one stitch of clothing on His body without any money at all so that he could take poverty to the cross and secure its defeat for those who embrace the saviour.

The Scripture is couched right in the middle of two chapters written to the Corinthians dealing almost exclusively with the subject of money. Many commentators have great difficulty admitting that this passage is actually dealing with money. In fact, I don’t think I’ve yet found one who agrees that Paul is speaking regarding finances.  The most common comment is that it is a reference to spiritual riches. The Thompson Chain Reference Bible is a wonderful resource and study bible, but at this point he too in the margin describes what Paul is referring to as ‘spiritual riches’; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comes the closest saying, ‘ …in the heavenly glory which constitutes His riches, and all other things, so far as is really good for us’, Matthew Henry interprets it as, ‘rich in the love of God, rich in the blessings of the new covenant, rich in the hopes of eternal life.’ The Word Biblical Commentary, claiming a team of respectful international scholars who were a ‘showcase of the best in evangelical critical scholarship for a new generation’, states regarding this verse; ‘Here, surely health and wealth are ciphers, not for material prosperity and penury but for spiritual exchange as the Incarnate Christ became what we are, so we could become what He is.’ For that to be consistent, the scripture would have to read, ‘Christ…became (spiritually) poor, that you might become (spiritually) rich.’ This then becomes an absurd, almost blasphemous proposition. To say or even intimate that Jesus Christ was a spiritually poor person is ludicrous.

Here is a person who raised the dead, healed the sick, displayed complete prowess over demons and the devil, revealed truths regarding God, man and the entire purpose of God that have withstood every kind of test and scrutiny. This person was not a spiritually poor person. Rather it was because of His spiritual wealth that he was able to go to the cross and bear away the curses that afflict mankind. Even if we limit His poverty to the time He was on the cross, claiming it was our poverty He took, are we to conclude that the ‘hope’ (Acts 2v26) he entered into was a spiritually poor position!? To maintain and kind of hope, and faith through His ordeal demonstrates an extraordinary spiritual richness. In our effort to read more into the statement than is actually there we make fools of ourselves and prevent God fulfilling His great promises in our lives. Jesus became poor regarding the wealth of this world on the cross, that those who receive Him may become rich with the wealth of this world.

Right at this point many people, (mostly Christians) have a terrible amount of trouble accepting this fact. The scheme of the devil has been to deceive the Church into believing that it is far more pious to be poor than it is to be rich. Suspicion is cast upon those who have accumulated wealth. God is seen as one who would rather his people be poor than enjoy abundance in their world. Abundance has always been the will of God for His people.

Getting over a poverty mindset however, is a lot more difficult than most realise. A spirit of religiosity is at the root of this consciousness. Paul encountered it as early as the first century when dealing with errors of the Colossian church.

Colossians 2v18 “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind…”

The religious spirit enjoys being ascetic because it draws pride from the effort. This spiritual indulgence actually only severs a person from Christ. As Esau was cheated out of his inheritance so the believer can be cheated out of theirs. Ascetism, (self inflicted austerity and poverty) posing as spirituality cheats believers out of all the blessings Christ has won for them through the work of the cross. The thinking that says high spirituality is at the expense of physical blessing defrauds the believer of their inheritance, whereas the Word causes us to gain it (Act 20v32).” – Phil Pringle, Dead For Nothing? , 2000, pg. 53-56. (Emphasis mine.)

We encourage you to read his later edition here as well:

Google Books: Dead For Nothing? What The Cross Has Done For You (2007)

‘The Secret’ to Phil Pringle’s Doctrine of ‘Faith’

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations, C3 Scripture Handling, C3 Spirituallity, C3 Teaching, Pringle's Beliefs, Pringle's Doctrine/Gospel, Pringle's Encounters, Pringle's Influences, Pringle's Jesus, Pringle's Methods

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PRINGLES PREACH ON PRINCIPLES

On the 12th of February 2012, Pringle spoke at every service at C3 Sand Diego in the US. In the morning service Pingle said,

“So here’s the fascinating thing, we can understand the principle of how God does things. And often our hearts want to act independently of God using a principle of God.  And the difference between discovering principles that can be put in any motivational book, any sort of metaphysical book like ‘The Secret’ or ‘Understanding the Universe’, (you know these kind of references that have no references to the Lord but understand principles). Now there’s a principle of seed…” – Phil Pringle, God Creates With Words: 8:54, http://media.cccsandiego.com/Media/02%2012%2012%20AM.mp3, 12/02/12.

The continual push in this sermon was, “you’re involved with a person, not just a principle, living this Christian life is a whole lot different” (19:33). Sounds good right?

In one of the meetings on the 12th of February, Pringle starts promoting a book that opposes his morning message. Watch Pringle here market himself and promote his books:

http://vimeo.com/37288145

At 3:30, Pringle starts promoting his books. At 5:24 you see one of his books, ‘Faith’. This article will be examining this book. Pringle’s book ‘Faith’ encourages C3 Sandiego to do the exact opposite Pringle tells people to do.

ASK, BELIEVE, RECEIVE & FINALLY DECEIVE

To demonstrate how occult-driven Pringle’s teachings are, it is good to look at his works in comparison to modern-day New Age or New Thought material. We will compare Pringle’s book ‘Faith’ to a popular book called ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne, since he bought it up.

New Thought places great emphasis on what Byrne teaches as the ‘Law of Attraction’. Byrne also calls the ‘Law of the Attraction’ a genie, This principle has gained much popularity with  Ronda Byrne’s book ‘The Secret’, as Pringle mentioned. The principles discussed in the pages of Byrne’s book are straight out of New Thought. Pringle made the claim “these kind of things that have no references to the Lord but understand principles”. Really Pringle?

On page 47, Rhonda Byrne writes,

“The Creative Process used in The Secret, which was taken from the New Testament in the Bible, is an easy guideline for you to create what you want in three simple steps. Step 1: Ask… Step 2: Believe… Step 3: Receive…” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg. 47-51.

This creative process in ‘The Secret’ was based on this bible verse:

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

‘The Secret’ emphasises very similar principles that Pringle does. This is the table of contents of Phil Pringle’s book ‘Faith’ (2001):

“Contents
INTRODUCTION
1. Faith Is A Feeling
2. Foundation Faith
3. Faith and Prayer
– Desire
– Decide
– Ask
– Receive
– Speak it
– Seem it
– Act it
4. Faith and Conscience
5. Faith and Self-Image
6. Faith and Provision
7. Trial of Faith
8. The Fight of Faith” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001.

Pringle says, “There are seven clear steps to answered prayer. Step one – desire… Step two – decide… Step three – ask… Step four – receive… Step five – speak it… Step six – see it dreams and visions… Step seven – act it.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 36-106.

In his revisited 2003 edition, even one of Pringle’s own church members reviewed his book. Clearly he taught them the practices of the New Age movement. (See thumb nail below or follow the link to read: http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Dr-Phil-Pringle/dp/0958582785.)

POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

Rhonda Byrne teaches,

“One of the most powerful uses of gratitude can be incorporated in the Creative Process to turbo-charge what you want.” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg. 80.

“I stayed focused and held to the outcome. I felt deep feelings of gratitude in advance. As that became my state of being, the floodgates opened and all the magic flowed into our lives.” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg. 80.

This is the classic Positive Mental Attitude that Pringle also associates with the ‘faith’ he teaches. Pringle boldly teaches,

“In the new Testament, Paul’s lifestyle left people on the sideline everywhere. It seems that the man had boundless energy, undeterred purpose and an attitude of pure drive that would send today’s most ardent PMA (positive mental attitude) experts to distraction! … He saw every circumstance through the attitude of faith. He had a feeling within him. He felt that he could not be conquered. He knew His God to be the truth. He made sure that his emotions and mentallity agreed with God’s Word. He would bring his attitudes and emotions into a reflection of what God was saying, no matter what the circumstance.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 23.”  – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 23.

Pringle then tries to justify his view on PMA and faith,

“I’m not talking here about some aneamic substitute for faith called ‘positive thinking’. That may be one of the fruits of faith, but understand clearly that it is not faith itself. Faith begins with an attitude, a spirit within us, a feeling of incredible confidence. A feeling of undefeatable victory over all the circumstances. This feeling makes impossible mountains appear like miniature hills. It makes you feel on top and not underneath.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 25-26.

POWER OF FOCUS, ATTRACTION, RECEPTION & DESIRE

Rhonda Byrne teaches,

“Even though his words were saying he wanted to date more women, his innermost thoughts did not reflect that in his paintings. By deliberately choosing to change his actions, it caused him to focus his entire thought on what he wanted. With such a simple shift, he was able to paint his life and call it into exist- ence through the law of attraction.

When you want to attract something into your life, make sure your actions don’t contradict your desires. Think about what you have asked for, and make sure that your actions are mirroring what you expect to receive, and that they’re not contradicting what you‘ve asked for. Act as if you are receiving it. Do exactly what you would do if you were receiving it today, and take actions in your life to reflect that powerful expectation. Make room to receive your desires, and as you do, you are sending out that powerful signal of expectation.” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg 115.

Pringle teaches,

“Let’s remember that faith involves the heart as well as the mouth. When people grasp the importance of possibilities of “speaking it” they may become excited about the possibilities of confession and ignore the fact that it needs to be a faith of the heart. This just leaves them with just a lot of positive statements and not necessarily a real faith… When our hearts believe one thing and our mouths are saying another we are deluding ourselves and lying to others.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 72-73.

“If a man knows what he wants, then he is in a position to decide that he will get it. This is faith. The determined decision of a man with desire.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 43.

“The promises of God become the power of God when they are believed and acted upon.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 149.

“The main point here is that we are to desire something before faith can come into play. Our desires are of value to God. It’s His will to fulfill our dreams. When we are delighting in the Lord, our dreams and desires are formed in His Spirit, timing and purpose.” – Phil Pringle Faith, 2001, pg 39.

What’s the difference? Forget God. Pringle teaches on the powers of his principles of faith that don’t require God at all. 

POWER OF VISION

‘The Secret’ says on vision:

“I always say, when the voice and the vision on the inside become more profound, clear, and loud than the opinions on the outside, you ‘ve mastered your life!” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg 146.

Pringle teaches on vision:

“To perceive is to see. The kind of vision and perception we are talking about is of the mind. A faith vision is an incredibly powerful creative force… This also relates to the realm of impossibility – a thing you can’t see ever happening because of the impossibility of it. Experience can tell you that it doesn’t happen. The Knowledge tells you that it can” happen. The facts tell you it wont happen. Yet your faith tells you that it’s a reality. It will happen. You can see it happening, against all the odds. You need faith for what you cannot see, not for what you can see.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 99-100.

POWER OF VISUALISATION

Finally, Ronda Byrne also teaches on visualisation:

“Visualization is the process of creating pictures in your mind of yourself enjoying what you want. When you visualize, you generate powerful thoughts and feelings of having it now. The law of attraction then returns that reality to you, just as you saw it in your mind.” – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg 93.

Pringle also teaches on visualisation (watch how he approaches scriptures with his experiences):

“A long after that experience, I looked back and realized that many of the elements I had seem in the imaginations in my mind were a duplicate of what actually happened. I had stumbled on to a principle of God. As I investigated the Scriptures, it became obvious to me that God spoke to His servants from the beginning of time through visions and dreams. Here we’re looking at the vision of faith. As soon as a real faith for anything arrives in your heart, you will see that thing.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 94-97.

“In Ephesians 3:20 Paul says that “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” The Greek word for “think” here is “no’eo.” This literally means “to conceive and perceive.” Once we are visualizing some-thing, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above it.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 103.

“Gods movies. There is a screen within our mind upon which three projectors are jostling for prime time… He [God] has a projector with a preset, wonderful destiny as the main feature. As we enter the Spirit through praise and worship, God will form His vision within our thinking. We pray the prayer of faith. The vision of the answer comes to mind and we see it, in living colour… Once the vision of the fulfillment of your dream has been planted in your mind, bring it to your prayer life. Each time you pray bring the picture to mind and meditate on it. See it happening. Destroy all the images of failure. Replace them with the image of success.

Right now in my life I spend much time dreaming over my visions of faith. I know this works. I would be a fool to ignore it. Remember, one of the mightiest keys in the Kingdom of Heaven is faith. Vision is a major part of faith, for we walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is directly contrasted to natural eye sight.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 103.

WHY PRINGLE IS WORSE THAN BYRNE

It should be apparent by now. Pringle does not know the difference between putting confidence in the sinful flesh and putting faith in Jesus alone. What’s worse, Pringle’s teachings are more extreme than Byrne’s. Pringle is teaching the metaphysical cult teachings of New Thought (which is linked to occultism).

“Faith knows it’s there [the object of your desires] because it has the substance of the experience, or the thing, in itself. Faith is a substance of a “thing” it feels the “thing” existing within the heart right now. Because it exists inside me I know that it exists. Somehow my faith has rebelled against normal time restrictions, travelled out into the future, plugged into this thing and translated the substance of it back to me here in the now.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 55.

He also blatantly LIES with his handling of Hebrews 11:1. There is no amplified bible that translates Hebrews 11:1 the way he says it does.

“We believe that we have the answer to our prayer before our five senses tell us so. The Amplified Bible interprets Hebrews 11:1 as “Faith perceives as a reality what is not revealed to the five senses.”

Faith is like an additional sense. A spiritual sense… Thus we walk by faith, that is, an inner substance, an inner reality that cannot be seen by anyone else. The conclusion is that we don’t wait until we receive a thing before we believe that we have it. We get it before we get it.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 56.

PRINGLE’S PREPOSTEROUS PROSPERITY PRINCIPLES

Pringle simply is not putting a relationship with God first. As we see, he is not preaching anything from the bible that promotes the truths of God. Instead he is teaching lies to Christians to dabble in deism, (the metaphysical world view that the universe is governed by impersonal, spiritual laws rather than a personal, sovereign God).

“When this principle first began operating in my life I had never heard anyone so much mention the idea of receiving a thing before receiving it. If they had, I may have written them off as having had too much pizza the night before! It sounds strange to the natural man. But that’s always the way with the laws of God. They are indecipherable to the natural man. In Isaiah 55 God declares His “ways are not our ways”. He says that His ways are “higher” than our ways. Like the difference between heaven and earth, flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom. It’s a spiritual Kingdom. It runs on spiritual principles. We must understand these principles and operate within them if we are ever to do anything of eternal value for God. Trying to build a spiritual Kingdom by means of the flesh is a sure recipe for burn-out and failure.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 58.

Because of his approach to his understanding of faith being prosperous, he can’t separate his more serious damaging teaching.

“When Paul told the Philippians that God would supply all their need… their generosity would trigger one of the most powerful spiritual laws in existence. It is the law that the widow of Zarephath discovered when Elijah told her to give away her last meal… For the provision of God constantly to be at work in our lives we must activate the laws of God.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 153.

These are the giving laws recognised in the Word of Faith Movement such as the ‘tithe’ and ‘seed faith’ heresies. Believers are taught to obey these so they may be graced or favoured with the Gods miracles. This is salvation by works. As a result, Pringle curses Christians by the very ‘faith’ he says we must live by.

“This especially applies in the world of tithing. Tithing in one sense is not actually giving. The tithe belongs to God, not to us. Malachi the prophet says that when we keep the tithe we are actually “robbing God”.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 155.

“When we withhold the tithe we bring upon ourselves a curse.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 156.

“Thirdly, WHEN we sow determines when we will reap. We need to sow well before we plan to reap. The time to sow is not when you have a need. You are to be constantly sowing your world with generous actions of faith. Oral Roberts has called this “seed faith”. Anyone who plants a seed has faith that it will become a plant in time. We all realize that it’s not going to happen overnight, but faith and patience inherit the promises of God.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 156-157.

CONCLUSION

As a result in dabbling between both the Christian and occult camps, he continually speaks with two tongues and condemns himself and others.

“The words we speak contain great power. However, it is important that we focus on the positive aspect of the power of the tongue rather than the negative… When we ignore the spirit of Scripture we reduce truth to formulae, empty ceremonies and at worst, superstitions. The Word of God is extremely powerful and must be “handled accurately”(2 Timothy 2:15).” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 70-72.

“Again we see the correlation between the heart and the mouth. The heart must be in harmony with the mouth and the mouth with the heart. Saying the right words is not like some magical formula that will make a thing happen. A positive confession is not like saying “Abracadabra, Open Sesame”. This thinking has the disastrous effect in the reverse.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 74.

“Faith is lifeless unless you act on it. T.L. Osbourne says: “When the promises of God are believed and acted upon they become the power of God”. We can do all the things we have previously talked about about: desire, decision, prayer, speaking faith, seeing the answer, but if we don’t act our faith it is all to no avail.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 

“The “fearful” are at the top of the list of those who are thrown into the lake of fire.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 108.

This is a pitiful faith that hopefully, no Christian should ever want. This is faith by works and laws. This is not faith. This is confidence in the flesh. As Paul says about true Christianity,

“… We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…” Philipians 3:3

If you feel lead to pray for the spiritual state of Phil Pringle and the C3 Movement please do so. No Christian should have to put with this kind of false teaching. No one should be bound by it.

EDIT: Not looking at his book faith, also compare the following teachings between Phil Pringle & Ronda Byrne:

Both teach that the writers of the bible were exceedingly wealthy,

“If you have been brought up to beheve that being wealthy is not
spiritual, then I highly recommend you read The Millionaires of
the Bible Series by Catherine Ponder. In these glorious books you
will discover that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus
were not only prosperity teachers, but also millionaires them-
selves, with more affluent lifestyles than many present-day mil-
lionaires could conceive of.” – Ronda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg. 109. 

“And you need to understand. The bible, (this is kind of a shocking thought for some people), it’s been written by some of the wealthiest people in history. If you got Bill Gates to write a chapter, Warren Buffett to write a chapter, the telecommunications guy in Mexico  (I forgotten his name) to write a chapter, (the three richest men in the world), that’s what the bible is! It’s these unbelievably, extraordinary, successful people who’ve written this book and said, ‘Do these kind of things and life’s going to work for you’.” – Phil Pringle, Financial Excellence AM, 8:15, 22/05/2011.

Both encourage self talk,

And so immediately after you say, “I am tired” or “I am broke” or “I am sick” or “I am late” or “I am overweight” or “I am old,” the Genie says, “Your wish is my command.” Knowing this, wouldn’t it be a good idea to begin to use the two most powerful words, / AM, to your advantage? How about, “I AM receiving every good thing. I AM happy I AM abundant. I AM healthy. I AM love. I AM always on time. I AM eternal youth. I AM filled with energy every single day.” – Ronda Byrne, The Secret, 2006, pg. 168.

“Self talk has become fashionable in many circles of people attempting to improve themselves in any number of areas of their lives. It’s truth that has been in God’s Word for thousands of years. We should develop a set of statements that we regularly speak to ourselves. This creates a faith about who we are and what we can achieve. Here are some examples.

I like my life. I love my job… I’m a happy person. I’m a peaceful person… I speak the right kind of words. Inside the sun is shining everyday. I find solutions to problems. I find answers to questions. I find what I’m looking for. Doors open to me. My mind is healthy. My emotions are stable. I’m happy with the way I look… I love serving God. I’m a creative person. I’m a fit person. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I’m glad about my past. All things are working together for good in my life.” – Phil Pringle, Faith, 2001, pg 94-97.