A Response to
Charges against James Sundquist for “Judging the Bride of Christ”
&
Commentary on Jack Hayford and Gary Greig Commentaries on Todd
Bentley
July 1, 2008
Open Letter
to: Brian Olynick, Stephen R. Strader, Gary S. Greig, Todd Bentley
and Fresh Fire Ministries Staff,
I am
responding to your charges that we are “judging the Bride of
Christ.” If you had bothered to read the testimonies you would
see that we are not judging the Bride of the Christ, as only Jesus
Christ can do that at the Bema Judgment Seat. But we are
commanded to judge the teachings of anyone who claims to be part
of the Bride of Christ. So in one broad stroke you have already
borne false witness against us. I was expecting that at some
point you would retaliate with ad homimum personal attacks,
instead refuting the charges against Todd Bentley and his
collaborators, with Scripture as the Apostle Paul has
mandated. We are required to judge teachings and be good Bereans
to test the Scriptures to see if these things be true. You have
done none of this. But we will! All of my discernment colleagues
have exposed Todd Bentley as a false teacher, not by some
emotional appeal, but by purely comparing his teachings as well as
the roots of his teachings and teachers to Scripture. When did
this commandment become extinct? We are not heretic hunters. In
fact, we don't even have to hunt for them, they are in your face,
published, and in constant media national and international media
coverage.
Anyone can
flail accusations, but if you are a Christian, you must prove your
charges against us with Scripture, otherwise it is you who have
become guilty of bearing false witness against a brother, which
God has deemed is an abomination. If you continue to promote and
defend Todd Bentley, then you become an accomplice and share in
his iniquity. If you think every Christian shouldn't judge the
teachings of a so-called Christian or Christian teacher, then you
are deceived. If a man calls himself a brother i.e., one of
"Christ's bride", but brings teachings contrary to Scripture, then
we are commanded to expose him and expel him from the
church. The Apostle Paul commands us to name names. So we are
compelled to name Stephen R. Strader, Todd Bentley, Gary S. Greig
publicly for being false teachers, refusing correction or warning,
and for bearing false witness against those who have exposed all
of you. We are not attacking the bride, because we are part of
the Bride of Christ, rather we are exposing wolves who are
attacking the Bride of Christ. Todd Bentley and company are not
the Bride of Christ...the Bride of Frankenstein would be a more
apt description, spiritually speaking.
If you are a
pastor, then you should know that. Your failure to do so and
defend your own sheep from wolves in sheep's clothing and Satan's
servants masquerading as a servant of righteousness, then you are a
false shepherd and derelict in your duty to protect your flock. In
this regard, I am compelled to join my colleagues and expose both
you and Todd Bentley publicly on the various discernment newsletters
and national radio programs we frequent, informing them that you
both refuse correction and have failed to repent even upon being
confronted, and represent a clear and present danger to the Church
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I have read Todd
Bentley's defense of the female Angel Emma posted at: http://sheepyweepy.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/todd-bentley-responds-to-criticism/#comment-730
and quoted
from Bentley's site, that the angel would not necessarily be female,
just appear female. Response, so now God is the author of
confusion, so we are not able to discern? What biblical precedent
is there for any angel (male or female) to heal? As to discernment
critics needing to think outside their comfort box, I have read
Jackie Alnor's, Mike Oppenheimer's, Gary Osbourne's and Jacob
Prasch's demolitions of Bentley's stronghold(s). I assure you that
their comfort box is, in fact, Scripture itself. Is it written or
is it not written? What Christians should worry about is when they
are comfortable outside of the Scripture zone! If
we are Christians and good Bereans, our comfort box will be that the
fruit of the spirit is "self-control", not "out-of-control"...evil
shrieks are the sounds made from evil spirits coming out one someone
possessed, not the sounds made by people after they are delivered or
for that matter coming from saints who don't even need deliverance
or healing!
As Jacob Prasch points out this behavior mirrors the the behavior of
demon-possessed kundalini he observed in India.
As to Bentley
seeing Jesus physically, this reminds me of Paul Yonggi Cho claiming
he saw Jesus appear dressed up as a fireman. (Jesus wouldn't be a
fireman in the first place putting fires out, rather he will be
sending the fires of judgment on the earth.) Sound good that Jesus
is paying us visits? Big problem! The Book of Acts; 3:21 states
that Jesus Christ must physically remain in Heaven until he returns
in glory when he will restore all things! Jesus Christ himself warn
us in Matthew 26:23-27 (and Mark 13:21-22) that if anyone says Jesus
Christ is here or there, don't believe him or even follow after
him. Jesus Christ knew people like Bentley would come along, so he
made it crystal clear that he would not return to the earth until
every eye shall see the entire earth engulfed in the white lightning
of his glory with the heavenly hosts following him. There will be
no wondering if he came back yet for his Second Coming. There will
not be a Third, fourth, 50th or
thousandth coming. And no one can summon him. That constitutes
conjuring spirits or sorcery. So if anyone says they saw Jesus
before his final return, then they saw another Jesus. Are we to
believe Jesus Christ over Todd Bentley who said he saw him? Worse,
Bentley is telling his followers that they can now summon down Jesus
and angels. Mike Oppenheimer reveals that according to Bob Jones,
one of Bentley's mentors, Bentley's Lakeland Revival is supposedly
part of the Third Wave following the First Wave of the Toronto
Blessing, followed by the Second Wave of Pensacola. Mike
Oppenheimer also points out that Paul Yonggi Cho falsely prophesied
that the Pensacola Revival will last until Jesus comes, but it has
been a dismal failure, completely collapsing, ship-wrecking the
faith of many. Instead of revering Bob Jones, Todd Bentley should
have exposed both Jones and Cho. Dr. Christian Wei, who is the
director of a school which trains missionaries to take the gospel
into Communist China has written an excellent documentary exposing
Paul Yonggi Cho. The persecuted and martyred Church in China is
already being alerted to false teachings of Paul Yonggi Cho. Dr.
Wei is presently translating both of my books on the false teachings
of Rick Warren into Mandarin and Cantonese languages to distribute
to the underground church in China to warn them.
Dr.
Christian Wei Expose on teachings of Paul Yonggi Cho:
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/cho/general.htm
Paul Yonggi
Cho quotes compiled by Jim Fox:
http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=557
Mike
Oppenheimer's expose on Todd Bentley: http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/let_us_reason_alert_lakeland.htm
Even though
Bentley's chief apologist, Gary S. Greig, is an instructor at Jack
Hayford's Foursquare denomination Church on the Way (Seminary), who
is a Rick Warren promoter, Bentley is not yet the global clear and
present danger to the church at large that Rick Warren is with his
Global Peace Plan.
GARY GRIEG BIOGRAPHY:
"GARY GREIG
Gary is the Founder and President of Kingdom Training Network, a
ministry called to "move on universities in revival fire with signs
and wonders." He is Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at King's
Seminary at Church On The Way in Van Nuys, CA." SOURCE: http://www.vanguardministries.org/bio-garygreig.asp
http://www.vanguardministries.org/bio-garygreig.asp
Note from his
own biography that Greig hotlinks to both Injoy Ministries and
Equip, which are headed by John Maxwell who is virtually the E for
Equipping in Rick Warren's Global PEACE Plan. I expose John
Maxwell's teachings and his unholy alliance with Rick Warren in my
second book on Rick Warren entitled: Rick Warren's
Global Peace Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace. The entire
book is also available online at:
http://www.abrahamic-faith.com/James/Global%20PEACE%20Plan.pdf
(Once
loaded, search for “John Maxwell”)
Todd
Bentley's false teachings (and Gary Greig's defense of them) aren't
even subtle but glaring. Instead of repenting of defiling the
temple of the Holy Spirit with massive and extensive tatoos all over
his body and defying Scripture, Todd Bentley boastfully glories in
them...a stumbling block to the “least one of these my children” and
the poorest witness. Instead of repenting you (Brian Olynick)
retaliate against the messengers, as though they are the enemy! No
wonder the Apostle Paul said "I am now therefore the enemy because I
tell you the truth"! So I must strongly rebuke all of you and pray
that you repent while there is still a season to repent. So be
assured we will publicly mark you and warn the church.
I had
thought I was done with my own report on Todd Bentley and was
ready to publish it and expose on the radio nationally and
internationally when I read about Jack Hayford's commentary on
this revival which is posted on the Foursquare International
website as well as at:
Jack Hayford & Foursquare International Official Statement on Todd
Bentley:
http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/jack-hayford-statement-on-the-lakeland-revival-todd-bentley/
Therefore,
I am now compelled to add the following commentary on Jack Hayford
to this article on this "revival!"
The most
glaring question I have for Dr. Jack Hayford's formal Foursquare
Church statement regarding Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Revival:
"by any
standard of biblical wisdom, it is far too early to assert
anything on any terms...We are not called to answer for any other
ministry or its report;"
is that if
this is his position and that of his board of directors at Church on
the Way and the Foursquare Church denomination, regarding Todd
Bentley and the Lakeland Revival, then why did Gary Greig, one of
his teaching pastors and promoters of C. Peter Wagner at his own
church, the Church on the Way and Masters Seminary, publish an
apologetics defense of Todd Bentley's actions and so-called revival
on the very website and church conducting the revivals? The pastor
of the church, who is one of those presiding over the Lakeland
Revival Stephen R. Strader even direct me to Gary Greig as the
apologist defending Todd Bentley.
For Jack
Hayford to say that we are not called to answer for any other
ministry is nothing short of staggering. All Christians are called
expose the deeds of darkness and false teachings, whether in their
own church or in a church down the road. To refrain from speaking
out against a wolf in the sheepfold is nothing short of dereliction
of duty of a pastor and shepherd! And if this is true, then why
does Hayford participate in Rick Warren's Purpose Driven hostile
take-overs programs of other churches and denominations which most
certainly do intervene in those churches affairs of other churches,
expelling those who oppose Rick Warren's Global Peace Plan.
Second
problem with Hayford's defense or failure to speak out against
Todd Bentley is his invoking Gamaliel. Gamaliel's statement in
the Book of Acts was not prescriptive, but rather
descriptive. There is no evidence that Paul, after his
conversion, took or used the advice that if it is not of God it
will go away. In fact, Paul taught the opposite as evidence by
his fear of what would happen to the Church of Ephesus after he
died. The Apostles taught that things would get worse and worse
(exactly what we see in Todd Bentley). If what Gamaliel said is
true, then Roman Catholicism and Islam would have long
disappeared, but both of these religions boast collectively 2+
billion followers. It is precisely because the apostate church
did follow Gamaliel's advice that in great part produced the fix
we are in today. Following Hayford's kind of unwise counsel is
the same kind of advice to refrain from intervention in both the
Toronto Blessing and Pensacola nightmare's in the Assemblies of
God and Vineyard. We are still recovering from this nightmare
because these so-called watchmen on the wall who became spectators
and worse participants. Had George Wood stepped in at the
beginning this nightmare might have been averted in the Assemblies
of God. But what does George Wood do in the case of the latest
Rosemary's Baby? He issues a statement on June 5, 2008 that does
nothing to condemn Todd Bentley's teachings. Had he condemned
Thomas Trask, the previous General Superintendent of the
Assemblies of God, a destroyer of the brethren and God-fearing AG
pastors, and promoter of much the very same false teachings
promoted by Bentley, the Assemblies of God denomination might not
be in the state of apostasy that it finds itself. Had Jack
Hayford and George Wood intervened in the case of Rick Warren's
teachings and programs, that plague might have been averted in the
Foursquare Church and Assemblies of God, respectively. But what
does Jack Hayford do? He promotes Rick Warren and Richard Foster
who cite some of the same contemplative prayer mystics that are
the inspiration behind Todd Bentley.
Speaking
of Rick Warren, here is a update on him. I just received a
letter from a good brother in South Africa. A Christian broadcast
journalist stated on the radio there that Rick Warren's teachings
should be compared to Scripture. She has now received a
threatening phone call from an attorney threatening her with a
slander lawsuit. But what she was doing was exactly what the
Apostle Paul commanded (even for himself). But this is not
surprise because I was threatened with legal action by Richard
Foster's Renovare organization, one of Jack Hayford's
collaborators. In the U.S. a major network Christian radio
station censored the longest standing national conservative
Christian radio show if they ever again said anything negative
about Rick Warren...doesn't matter if what they said was true.
The New York City Leadership group which was recently formed will
be launching major events this Fall at Madison Square Garden
promoting Rick Warren and Ken Blanchard (also exposed in my second
book on Rick Warren) and his teachings...EVENT SPONSORS:
Buttafuoco
& Associates
Greg Laurie
NJ/NY 2008 Crusade So
BEWARE: Here is their website for proof of sponsorship:
&
So beware
of Jack Hayford, Tom Trask, George Wood and those I have cited in
this document. You don't even need to use the present
documentation of events or fruit in Lakeland Florida Outpouring to
demolish this stronghold, though there is plenty going on to
already rightfully oppose it. In addition to the fruit of this
thorn bush, you can judge him as well as this tree by the root
system which is riddled with false teachers and teachings that
Todd Bentley is still touting to his audiences.
Finally,
one of the most troubling statements of Hayford's official
position is this statement:
"With time,
whatever is taking place in Lakeland and through activities
issuing from its happenings will either verify or discredit the
source of the manifestations." (More Gamaliel reasoning)
Comment:
Give the wolf time...if given enough time, it can destroy the
whole flock. Give leaven enough time it will leaven the whole
lump. Give the siren calls of the harlot enough time, she will
deceive the multitudes.
Therefore,
Jack Hayford is one of the least credible people one should
trust. Here is an expose as to why you should give no credence to
Jack Hayford in the first place:
James
Sundquist expose on Jack Hayford:
http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/jack_hayford_expose.htm
Mike
Oppeneheimer, Director of Let Us Reason's expose on Todd Bentley:
http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/let_us_reason_alert_lakeland.htm
Jacob Prash's
expose on Gary S. Grieg entitled:
A Review Of
Gary S Greig’s Pseudo-Scholarly Apologetic For The Unbiblical Antics
Of Todd Bentley And The Lakeland, Florida Sequel To The Failed
Revivals Of Kansas City, Toronto, And Pensacola,
is now posted
internationally on Be Alert and Moriel Ministries at: http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/review_of_gary_greigs_apologetic.htm
Video of Todd Bentley kicking in the stomach a Stage Four Cancer
victim:
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/3690/
Apparently he
has learned nothing from Moses when God judged him for hitting the
rock instead of speaking to it!
Because
pastors remain silent, or respond like Jack Hayford in the face of
evil, more hapless victims like the cancer patient will go trundling
off to Bentley's Crusade at Harvest Church in Pasadena, near the
Church on the Way in California in late July 2008 and other cities
to come.
For Todd
Bentley to claim he had a conversation with the Apostle Paul makes
him a necromancer, forbidden in Scripture. Todd Bentley is not
conducting true worship or true revival but clairvoyant seances. He
is exploiting the masses with stories he has made up exactly how
Scripture describes people like him in 2 Peter 2:3.
You have made
a mockery of Christ and his Bride, and compounded your sin by
attacking those saints who have exposed you for this circus. What a
reproach! So rest assured, we will sound the alarm on His Holy Hill
about you! If anyone had wondered what signs and wonders would be
performed to deceive even the elect if that were possible, you are
now witnessing it!
Final
Warning:
2Jo
1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine,
receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jo 1:11 For
he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds
Sincerely
in Christ,
James Sundquist
Director
Rock Salt Publishing
http://www.abrahamic-faith.com/False-Teachers.html