Mike Oppenheimer at www.letusreason.org has written a 4 part expose on YWAM outlining their continued error, spiritual abuse, and absolute support by Calvary Chapel Honolulu specifically, as well as Calvary Chapels nationally and internationally.
Quick Summary of YWAMs error
YWAM and its leadership embraces the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) false teachings that include the “7 Mountain Mandate” and is essentially a Dominionist teaching. Dominionism in a narrow sense, is incompatible with pre-millennial evangelical Christianity and leads to extreme right wing political beliefs which can be summarized as “Christian Nationalism”.
A broader usage of the term dominionism / dominionist leads to confusion and attempts to marginalize any discussion on theology.
This zone of confusion and marginalization is where YWAM thrives. Traditional Christianity does not teach we are to love this world or try to take over it’s governments, educational and entertainment industries. This is just the beginning of YWAM’s problems.
Links are at the end of my article. Skip ahead for the links or continue to read along as you wish for more of a background on this topic.
Waxer, Danny, Bud and Bill. the Calvary Chapel Clique
Mike Oppenheimer is a very kind person and only mentions a certain “Hawaii Calvary Chapel pastor”, in his article so I have added a photo so you, my readers can figure out who is who.
I probably know at least half the men in the photo on a first name basis (I was never introduced to JD Farag and a few others) and I would like to think most of them are genuinely ignorant (of YWAMs errors); but I also know at least some of them are very willingly ignorant of YWAM’s errors. This leaves ONLY two possible options. #1. they don’t speak out because being a pastor is a good job and they don’t want to be unemployed. (this begs the question are they even believers or just good at their job) #2. they know about the error and tolerate, condone and spread it willingly in their pursuit of filthy lucre. Where a individual leaves “being afraid to lose his job” and enters true apostasy is between them and God. I don’t judge any of them eternally but their error here on this planet needs to be addressed. Period!
I beg these guys in the picture above. Many whom I have been friends with and prayed with and cried with and laughed and grew up with. Do you really believe the Bible is true? If its true, then ALL of it is true. Guys please look at THE EVIDENCE and stop being afraid of your clique or whatever you oathed. If they fire you or disown you, rip the dove off your pulpit and building (if you even have a building) and keep on preaching if you are truly a man of God. You will be a celebrity in HEAVEN, the only place it counts. Where is your FAITH? Look at the evidence!
The Calvary Chapel Honolulu and YWAM connection
Danny Lehmann (YWAM Honolulu) and Bill Stonebraker are the same age thereabouts and both admit being in the same place and same time. That place being Southern California during the “Jesus Movement” in the early 1970’s. This is the same Jesus Movement that brought us a wide ranking of acid tripping pastors such as Lonnie Frisbee, Greg Laurie and Hawaii’s own Danny Lehmann.
lightning bolt surfboards
Did Bill and Danny know each other from the Southern California surf scene? This is very possible as even today, surfing and surfers are a well knit clique. Danny certainly knew who Bill was. Bill Stonebraker was a famous surfer and surfboard shaper for Greg Noll and Lightnng Bolt Surfboards.
The first time I think either of them admit being acquainted was when Bill Stonebraker was preaching out of the Diamond Head theater in the 1980s and as the story goes, Danny gave Bill a prophecy that he would be the “shepherd of many sheep” or something along those lines. This is (thought to be) why Bill refuses to address Danny Lehmans error to this day.
Danny Lehmann, Greg Laurie and Bill Stonebraker are the tightest of friends and the only thing I can say with certainty about their early days is that if you ask any one of them about Lonnie Frisbee they will get very uncomfortable and try to walk away from you (or me) or just cut you off. I have done it. Try it. They get very mad. Ask them what they are hiding? How close were they to Lonnie?
Greg Laurie for certain was very close. Greg was known to follow Lonnie around and even dressed like him. Maybe they were more than friends? Is it true that when Lonnie Frisbee was basically excommunicated from Calvary Chapel, Greg Laurie took over Lonnie’s “front line” evangelist position and even the congregation at All Saints Episcopal Church in Riverside? Try asking Bill or Greg any of these questions and watch the sparks fly.
Lonnie Frisbee, Kathryn Kuhlmann and Chuck Smith
Danny Lehmann used to mention Lonnie on occasion but not anymore. Mum has become the word. Lonnie is erased from Calvary Chapel history. If you don’t know why you really need to start doing your own research.
Not a single Calvary Chapel or Word for Today published book mentions Lonnie Frisbee at all even though he is the real reason the Jesus Movement happened. Well Lonnie Frisbee was used by Chuck Smith and known witch Kathryn Kuhlmann. The evidence is readily available and not hard to find, you just wont find it in a Calvary Chapel bookstore.
The reason is simple. Any discussion of Lonnie Frisbee is a rabbit hole that takes you into a world of error and apostasy that on one hand while Calvary Chapels (Harvest, One Love, Fresh Love, etc) claim to resist, the evidence is today’s greater apostasy (the entire Christian Contemporary Music scene and the word faith-prosperity movement) actually BEGAN in the Calvary Chapel inspired Jesus Movement of the 1970’s but that is a WHOLE different story.
Today we are exposing YWAMs error.
Mike Oppenheimer’s articles come out at the same time as a pair of unrelated videos were dropped on the internet.
After watching both videos I believe the timing of Mike Oppenheimers article below is impeccable. While the videos speak for themselves, Mike Oppenheimer gives the real meat and potatoes behind YWAM’s abuse and history of error.
So… Rather than spin our wheels in the endless doughnut of YWAM logic (or lack thereof)
Here are Mike Oppenheimers articles in their entirety.
So I ran into a faithful brother today at the Kapolei DMV and we had a good long chat. We were two of the last of the remaining original CC Nuuanu members still going to CC Komo Mai. Since I have left, he is one of the last of the original guys still going. One of things we got into were “things Calvary Chapel Pastors always say” and I thought it was worth to share with my readers. I’ve also left a few easter eggs up on this post, hidden in plain sight. See how many you can find!
We love the CC Pastors and all the current and former members and we don’t want to be guilty of gossip or backbiting so I won’t share the greater discussion we had.
1). First thing these pastors always say. “Be a Berean”, (Acts 17:11 the Bereans “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”). and “If you ever have a problem with anything I say, come to me”.
What the pastor really means is, “I only want you to think that I am correctable and teachable”.
2). This statement is often followed by “At Calvary Chapel we don’t have a membership, you are free to come and free to leave”. Everyone who has ever been to any CC has heard their pastor say this. They all parrot it and it must be a memorization requirement before they get the dove. It’s typically said in a sermon to compare how much better CC’s are to all the other churches that actually have memberships.
DO NOT CLICK ME
This at first glance sounds so free and liberating but what the pastor is really saying is “yes you are free to stay but once you begin to have a problem with my response (more likely my lack of response if you ever actually dare question anything I say), the whole “your free to leave” part suddenly takes on a whole new meaning and pretty much invalidates #1 above, and is a strong indicator you are under an authoritarian ruler.
3). If you ever truly need to confess something to a Calvary Chapel pastor, they often stop you dead in the middle of your confession. “hey man, that is between you and the Lord”.
What they are really saying is, “I am probably struggling with the same thing you are and I won’t have an answer for you”.
This kind of over spiritualization is rampant in CC but I’ll caveat this post by saying not all CC pastors are like this, however…
The big celebrity pastors all are, and so are the ones who follow after and want to be like them.
4). “You’ll never find a perfect church” is yet another one of those things Calvary Chapel pastors always love to say. It may be true on the surface, but unfortunately, again, for the CC pastor, it also has a darker undertone to it. What the average CC pastor is REALLY saying is he is uncorrectable and unteachable. (He really doesn’t want you to be a Berean as described in #1) This is a subtle brainwashing of you the member, since there are no perfect churches, why bother offering any criticism of your pastor at all. And if you must question or disagree with your pastor, please refer to the “free to leave” portion of saying #2 above.
5). Any mention of “the Laodicean church” of Revelation Chapter 3 in a CC sermon will almost always be used in context of the Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses down the street. Because of this, CC pastor’s end up giving their congregations a false sense of security, very much like any other large religion and the denominations. Calvary Chapel’s never ever look inwardly at their own leaders, or traditions, teachings or congregations, which is the intent of the author of Revelation.
I’ll update this post as I remember the other things “CC pastors say” but for now please browse these links. There is a reason Calvary Chapel is now included on many Cult awareness websites.
If you have any more “things Calvary Chapel Pastors always say” please leave a comment below. And click subscribe above to be notified when I update this blog.
Pastor JD has changed his tune on this teaching. On today’s YouTube update Pastor JD will just explain. I’m very impressed with his action. It is tragically THE FIRST TIME I have seen such humility in a Calvary Chapel pastor. Good Job JD. The rest of them should swallow their pride and follow your example. Aloha JD if you sneaking peeks on my blog.
The following is my original post from 4/21/2017
James Jacob Prasch questions JD Farag the pastor of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe over his non-traditional pre-trib views, specifically JD’s interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, JD’s mis-interpretation of the word “apostasia” (Strong’s 646), the rapture of the church, and the current global apostasy. Jacob Prasch is calling for a symposium or a discussion on this topic, not division.
Watch the Video
Jacob Prasch praises JD and the CCA (Calvary Chapel Association) for taking “something of a stand” against Brian Broderson departure and I agree. (that is, they didn’t really take a hard enough stand). Emergent doctrines and practices plague all the larger Calvary Chapels I have been to and I have yet to hear any Calvary Chapel Pastor voice a strong stand against the apostasy/departure that is flooding the charismatic churches today.
Jacob Prasch starts out very graciously in regards to JD’s teachings. By 28:00 minutes Jacob Prasch cites Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum and Dr Mark Hitchcock as those who are upholding traditional and scholarly pre-trib vs the less educated less exegetically skilled and less knowledgeable and who are deviating from it. (that would seem to be JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe)
Jacob Prasch then says, “Without intending to offend anyone”, (pretty sure they ARE going to be offended) Jacob Prasch makes the case that this is clearly the teaching of the rank and file Calvary Chapel’s and most other Charismatic churches today and it is just the tip of the iceberg in my opinion, of the many problems facing Calvary Chapels and all of Christendom today. Jacob Prasch then describes how the 2nd generation of Calvary Chapel leaders are not as learned as Pastor Chuck or Paul Smith. Jacob also says it’s always milk teaching at Calvary Chapels nowadays and there are not many pastors at Calvary Chapels anymore who value actual academic bible study. Jacob Prasch goes so far as to describe JD as basically “untaught” as compared to more formally qualified scholars such as Arnold Fruchtenbaum or John Walvoord or Mark Hitchcock.
What Arnold Fruchtenbaum Actually Teaches
I love intelligent debates and would eagerly welcome a reply from Pastor JD. As for myself, I have a copy of Fruchtenbaums “Footsteps of the Messiah, the Sequence of Pre-tribulational Events” in my library. I decided to take a look and see if Dr. Fruchtenbaum indeed taught pre trib like JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe or more like Jacob Prasch was asserting.
On pages 85-86 Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum clearly teaches the rapture of the church does NOT begin the tribulation. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum teaches it will be the confirming of the 7 year covenant that begins the tribulation, NOT THE RAPTURE. This is traditional “pre-trib” vs the “imminence” doctrine popularized by Tim Lahaye, Thomas Ice, JD Farag and pretty much the rest of the Charismatic movement.
Accusations of False teachers
The problem that Jacob Prasch and others like myself have with JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe are this. JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe makes accusations that “whoever doesn’t teach a imminent rapture pre trib view is a false teacher” and the word “apostasy” in 2 Thessalonians actually means “rapture”.
According to JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe, he confidently proclaims he “seals the deal” in this debate with his handling/mishandling of 2 Thessalonians 2:3. He has said it many times on his weekly “prophecy updates” and his notes are also posted on his website. Here is one example. http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.com/mp3/Mideast/Mid-East_Update_2012-08-26.pdf
(Thanks to Tina who left a comment pointing me to these notes)
I agree with Jacob Prasch, we shouldn’t be accusing each other but rather discussing what we have in common which is much more.
Jacob Prasch wraps up the video using the church in China as an example of being an actually prepared church vs a falsely secure church and which one has survived communism and persecution.
I really enjoyed Jacobs scholarly presentation and think it is so well done I am sharing it on all my social media platforms and by email and text to my friends, family and others.
I don’t think many Christians ever ask themselves if their pastor is part of the growing apostate church. I also don’t think most Christians ever ask themselves if their pastor would protect the congregation from wolves in sheep’s clothing or if is it possible that the pastor may be a wolf himself.
I believe we are taking way too much for granted these days. My goal is to help bring light to these questions and more.
On March 16,17,18 2017, the HIM 2017 conference is coming to the Hawaii Convention Center. Many well known pastors from Hawaii are attending. This article will take a brief look at who are they sharing the stage with and what their purpose is. Are they declaring the truth of the Word of God or is something else happening here?
Here is a preview of the lineup for HIM 2017
The lineup for the Hawaiian Islands Ministries 2017 conference has been announced and published online. Many familiar faces from around Hawaii are on the lineup and it almost puts me off guard to look any further for anything problematic.
Certainly if Ralph Moore and Elwin Ahu are going, it’s got to be a solid conference, right?
Many of these so called Christian conferences across the USA have stopped listing names of their speakers because many of them are into emergent, ecumenical doctrines, contemplative prayer, dominionism and mystical heresies and people like myself have been (to their annoyance) pointing them out. The hosts of HIM 2017 apparently have not gotten the memo because they list several speakers that have no business at a protestant, charismatic, evangelical conference. Before I start calling people out. A little foundation on where a bible believer should stand.
Acts 20:29-30 we were warned…
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
I am putting up a few of the obvious ones today but plan on expanding this warning as the conference nears, so more Christians know exactly what kind of conference this is and help them decide if they really want to attend.
A Jesuit Priest will be a featured speaker at HIM 2017
Much information exists on the Jesuits and their “Society of Jesus”. These men are deep occultists oathed to serve the Vatican and the Pope. This is the first and most obvious problem with HIM 2017. So many videos and exposes exist on the Jesuit order but as we race into the apostasy the ecumenical churches are returning back to their mother Rome.
The Jesuit Logo revealed
Their symbol is the black sun and has the initials for three Egyptian gods, Isis, Horus, Set.
To quickly find out what Jesuits think of what Christians believe just flip their logo upside down.
Get it?
Oh I can already hear you crybabies out there saying I am the one who is crazy but there it is in plain sight. The Jesuits think of Christians and Our Savior as, well, just look at their logo.
I have a real job and need to make this first post quick so moving right along…
Hindu Yogis
I would think the featured veteran Pastor of the lineup would know better than to share the stage with practicing Hindus but his bio actually is adjacent to this Yoga teacher Michelle Nahri.
Another Yoga teacher below, that makes two!
Oh come on, Yoga is just stretching, isn’t stretching good?
The meaning of a word tells us volumes about what that word really is. If Yoga is just stretching, the meaning of the word should reflect that.
A quick dictionary search or google search will reveal almost 100% of the time exactly what it means. From an honest Yoga instructor…
Another Yoga source describes more of the same.
Yoga by definition is BEING YOKED or attached to something else. It also means being joined or in union or subjugated or controlled or arrayed as an army.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
The bible tells us EXACTLYwhat we are NOT to yoked to!
Jacob Prasch from Moriel Ministries has released an update on the continuing and escalating problems of the Calvary Chapel fragmentation now well underway.
Jacob brings us up to date on what many Calvary Chapel pastors are still denying is even happening, or they are denying the severity of it. If your particular Calvary Chapel pastor will even acknowledge these events at all, he may reference it as something like “growing pains” or a “minor church split”, but the truth is a much darker and much more problematic. For starters, Chuck Smith’s old church, CC Costa Mesa has been hijacked by Brian Broderson and is no longer even considered a Calvary Chapel. So the Calvary Chapel movement is now, as Jacob Prasch says in his video, “a fleet without a flagship”.
The Two Ton Elephant in the Room
At around 27 minutes into his above video, Jacob begins to reference Greg Laurie as being “the two ton elephant in the room”. I thought for sure Jacob was going to mention the recent appearance of Greg Laurie at the interfaith prayer breakfast the day of the Trump inauguration. This was the day when Greg Laurie joined together with Jewish, Sikh, Mormon, Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Baha’i, Episcopal, Hindu and Native American leaders to pray for Donald Trump. Jacob seemed to have missed this one, and he just talks about other problems with Greg Laurie such as Greg’s aligning with Rick Warren’s purpose driven church, and Greg’s defending of Hillsong’s despicable Carl Lentz and the scandals surrounding Bob Coy etc and how all of this could have been and should have been avoided.
Greg Laurie just Prayed alongside Bahai’s, Muslims and Hindus
If you click and watch this video above, last week in Washington DC, Greg Laurie participated in an interfaith prayer service for Donald Trump. The service included shamans and witch doctors. Greg speaks from 41:19 to 43:02 which is barely 2 minutes, including pauses.
Stop reading here for a couple minutes and watch the above video for at least the portion from 41:19 to 43:02, so the rest of my article makes more sense.
Harvest responds
I shared this video with some close friends last week and one of them emailed the Greg Laurie Harvest ministries (not a bad idea) to which they replied…
Harvest Ministries are either incredibly misinformed about their pastor or they are blatantly lying and the video above proves it
Greg Laurie ABSOLUTELY knew he was sharing the stage with Catholics, Mormons, Prosperity word faith preachers, Bahai’s, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Shamans and others!
Greg takes the stage of the interfaith service at about 40:50 in the above video. Greg is the 13th minister to take the stage, he follows a Navajo shaman, two Talmudic Jews, a Hindu, the Mormon, and two Muslims. One of the muslims actually sings from the Koran, no way you could have “accidentally” missed that one GREG!
Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington – Episcopal Church
James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries – Episcopal Church
Randall Marshall Hollerith, Dean, Washington National Cathedral – Episcopal Church
Cantor Mikhail Manevich – Washington Hebrew Congregation
Rabbi Fred Raskind – Temple Bet Yam, St. Augustine Florida
Alveda King – Pastoral associate, Priests for Life, Atlanta, Georgia
Harry Jackson – Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Maryland
Narayanachar L. Dialakote – Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland
D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Imam Mohamed Magid – All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, Sterling, Virginia
Sajid Tarar – Baltimore, Maryland
Greg Laurie – Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California
For Harvest ministries to pretend Greg “didn’t know it was an interfaith service” is a LIE! Sorry to be so blunt but these people are just beginning to be just a little too brainwashed for me.
Another thing, Greg doesn’t preach against or to any of the other religious leaders there.
Greg instead prays for the military and our diplomatic core, our governors and mayors mostly and that all these people would be most importantly, “devoted to our nation”? That’s a wonderfully patriotic concept but where exactly is that in the bible Greg? The email above from Harvest ministries says Greg “declared the truth” but when you listen to his words, that’s not what happened. Greg was only coddling and buddying up with these other religious leaders, certainly not evangelizing or declaring anything except his own popularity.
What Greg Laurie really said at the National Prayer Service
Greg begins his prayer by addressing “Our Father in Heaven and God of compassion”.
Now I have never heard Greg pray that way before. (Only my oldest friends know I used to work at two different Calvary Chapel owned radio stations in the 1990’s so I am very familiar with Greg Laurie). I had to google that name, “god of compassion” and I was not surprised to see what came up on the images tab of that search.
The top results of the search term “God of compassion” turns up multiple hits to the Hindu demigod Sadaksari-Lokesvara or the Hindu god of compassion. Pretty sure Greg would know that and while it could be argued “that’s not what Greg meant”, but see the odd thing is this. Greg never prays this way. He is definitely going out of his way to come across as ecumenical here this time. I’m sure he wants to be invited back again. Oy veys mere!
All and Whatever
Greg’s prayer goes on to generically reference “whatever” once and “all who would call upon your name” and “all that they do” and goes on to pray for “all people” six or seven times total and used the name of Jesus only once at the end. According to the moderator of emails at the Harvest website, praying for “all and whatever” is “declaring the truth” and using Jesus’ name that one time at the end makes it so.
What Greg Does NOT say
A few sample of words Greg Laurie never uses even once during the ecumenical event he attended (accidentally according to Harvest) which might have been more appropriate are as follows. If Greg Laurie was really “declaring the truth”, Greg might have used words like sin, forgiveness, repentance, evangelism, study, bible, apostasy, death or hell.
No, America’s #1 Stadium filling evangelist didn’t sound anything like the Greg Laurie I knew from before. No, he sounds more like his buddy Rick Warren who prayed in the name of “Isa” back in 2009 at the inauguration of Barack Obama.
Isa is the false Jesus from the Quran who teaches people to follow Muhammed and surrender to allah! Arab Christians know this and will explain that Isa is NOT the same Jesus from the Injeel الإنجيل or as we say in English, the New Testament.
Greg Laurie’s reference to the Hindu “god of compassion” sounds a lot like Rick Warren’s reference to the false Jesus “Isa” back in 2009.
I have simply had enough. My friends who are Calvary Chapel pastors and members need to disassociate with that denomination. There are only a few Calvary Chapel Pastors speaking up. As best as I can tell, none of the Hawaii pastors are awake yet even though they all have the same information as the rest of us. At least one is outright hostile to me. It’s time to find another place to fellowship if that’s the way its going to be.
Just about every Calvary Chapel pastor in Hawaii
For any Christians reading this wondering what they should do, my only recommendation is this. READ YOUR BIBLES yourselves so you know the genuine article well.
Calvary Chapel Pastors like Greg Laurie and Bob Coy love to confidently hang their hat on having the correct doctrine but obviously, there is a much deeper problem here than just having the correct doctrine.
Last thing if your pastor doesn’t want to talk about these things or worse yet he can only be seen on a big screen TV on Sundays or is otherwise too popular for your questions then the decision is easy… Leave that church next Sunday and just GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. These issues need to be discussed openly. Pastors need to be repenting just as much as any other group. If they would self govern, guys like me, Jacob Prasch, Roger Oakland and others wouldn’t have to speak up.
This is a brand new video uploaded to Roger Oakland’s Understand The Times YouTube channel from Calvary Chapel Cypress pastor Chris Quintana. Chris is basically discussing all the now public information regarding as he describes it “hemorrhaging” taking place within the Calvary Chapel network.
Pastor Quintana does a nice job picking up where I left off on my December 10 post about Fuller Seminary, Calvary Chapel and the Emergent Church where I basically summarize Paul Smith’s (Chuck Smith’s brother) 2011 book “New Evangelicalism and The New World Order”, which is a nice little history lesson if nothing else.
Pastor Quintana further enlightens us to how certain speakers are currently “persona non grata” in the Calvary Chapel network which he seems to perceive that he is on that naughty list.
This is a long developing story and it is understandable that for many of my readers, this might be like trying to jump into the middle of a conversation that already started way before you got here.
The root of the problem behind all this Calvary Chapel drama is the seducing “emergent church” movement which teaches among many things for example that “God can redeem anything”. This is not biblical and is just another way of saying “the end justifies the means”. God will not redeem the occult for example. He in fact forbids it! This should be a no brainer.
These are just a few examples of a myriad of un biblical false teachings that like, the old “whack a mole” game keep popping up in various evangelical churches including Calvary Chapels. Those of us who are asking questions are all ending up on the Calvary Chapel naughty list. So be it! We stand in good company. The names I mention all deal in facts and do their best to shun gossip or conspiracy theories. I took the time to fact check Roger Oakland and Chris Lawson’s issues with Calvary Chapel (you should too) and I can assure everyone they are very much on target.
Jesus never taught in secret and His disciples were not a secret club or old boys network.
Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Many Calvary Chapel pastors have been acting very defensively lately. There really is nothing to fear. Being a pastor is not supposed to be “a good job” or a “family business”. These pastors need to simply ask themselves if they serve a business franchise or do they serve and trust the King of all Kings, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember when I was working the night shift at KLHT radio back in the 1990’s. I was convinced I wanted to be a pastor; that was until one night I was playing a Chuck Swindoll tape (yes they were still tapes) and Chuck preached “if you can be happy doing ANYTHING ELSE, go do something else” and I knew then and there I should probably not be a pastor.
I thank God for that epiphany He gave me back then as it allows me to freely comment, without any entanglements to the networks, fraternities and brotherhoods that make up the Calvary Chapel denomination today.
Roger Oakland and Chris Lawson and others have all done marvelous jobs laying out the facts regarding the varieties of ecumenical speakers being promoted in many Calvary Chapels. These issues will not just go away. I have created a playlist of several videos documenting these and many other issues in Calvary Chapels. This is my evidence here. Make a fresh pot of coffee, it might take a while watching all of these.
My playlist (above, not just one video) begins with Paul Smith and as of this post, it includes 16 separate videos. The videos are meant to be watched in order as each video lays the foundation for the next video.
I am praying for the people who can examine this evidence and continue to attend Calvary Chapel, AND OTHER OBVIOUSLY WORSE EMERGENT CHURCHES all while ignoring the evidence set before them and looking the other way.
I have known about much of this for a long time and I did not leave right away, so I do not judge those who are still entwined.
I would like to see at least ONE of the larger Calvary Chapels in Hawaii make a similar stand like Chris Quintana does in the above video. How I would rejoice if I could find strong leadership instead of fear of / or loyalty to some failing association headquartered 2500 miles away.
If I was a Calvary Chapel pastor at this point in time, I would just as quickly jackhammer the dove (which has questionable origins anyway) off the front of the church property, put it in a box and send it back to Brian Broderson with a “don’t call us, we will call you” letter and let the cards fall where they may.
I wish I didn’t have to write posts like this but the kids, including my own, are so smart. They know what’s happening often times LOOOONG before the adults do.
Kids, the bible uses the word “ekklesia” to describe us. Ekklesia basically means ‘called out’. When our pastors instead are accommodating and compromising with false teachers they are NOT being the ekklesia. Someone has to be the called out. God says there is always a remnant according to the election of grace. BE THE REMNANT. Pray for your pastors. You think you have it rough in your high school or college? These pastors temptations are far more seductive than yours. Pray for them.
If you are still not sure what in creation I am talking about then go watch pastor Quintana’s video and get caught up to speed.
This has got to be a very unpleasant topic for Christians as it hits us right between the eyes. Pointing fingers at the cults down the street or the word faith whack jobs on television is child’s play compared to looking within at our own beloved institutions and Bible teachers.
I have just finished reading a 2011 book from “The Word for Today” Publishing by Paul Smith, brother of the late Pastor Chuck Smith. Paul Smith’s book presents a case that the battle for the bible was fought and lost at Fuller Seminary, paving the way for the emergent church and the current battle being fought over biblical interpretation, and the denigration of the Bible from being the inerrant Word of God.
This battle has now spilled over into a full blown church split at Calvary Chapel and is spreading like leaven throughout all evangelical churches, seminaries, and Bible colleges across America and around the world.
Paul Smith documents that Fuller Theological Seminary was the main arena for the battle of the Word of God in the 1960’s and 1970’s which would become the “emergent church” of our generation and the Great Apostasy of Christendom. spoken about in 2 Thessalonians 2. In the 2010’s this battle is being fought at among many other Churches, the Calvary Chapels.
Timothy was also warned about the “latter times” and “perilous times” that would come, Jude warned us about false teachers coming before the “Judgement of the great day”, almost every apostle, Peter, John, James, and Jesus Himself all warned about false teachers and deception as being the #1 super sign of the last days.
If the Bible truly is the inerrant Word of God, and superior to to all other merely human writings, then we should be able to rest in its truth and wisdom in the light of any challenge.
Once we are faced with the reality of ravenous and grievous wolves arising in our own churches, instead of being gripped with confusion, fear or panic, we can be comforted by the Words of Jesus to Peter in Matthew 16:18
upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
It would have been so much easier if I could have found Paul Smith’s book in the Calvary Chapel book Store instead of having to dig around the back channels of the discernment ministries websites and videos. The lack of transparency among current Calvary Chapel leadership is troubling to say the least. I do not condemn them, I wish to only encourage the good ones that remain. My perception and opinion is that most of them do not understand what is going on. This is OK. There’s an old saying…
“you don’t know what you don’t know”.
I recommend Paul Smith’s book to them as it is also a first hand account of Chuck Smith’s wishes before he passed away and an excellent history of the battles fought in the past at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the current struggle for control of Calvary Chapel.
Something is different this time
All through the year of 2016, I have been diligently trying to figure out what in the world is going on in our churches. I know something is different and was having a very difficult time putting my finger on it. I have asked several trusted pastors to explain to me the many clues and issues I was discovering. I would often be met with a wall of resistance or complete confusion on the topic of apostasy in the church.
does this remind you of anybody?
In the past year the only people I found that were aware of and willing to talk about this apparent apostasy were never the ordained clergy.
The pastors at my own Church, instead of openly discussing these issues, would only whisper of these things quietly with me, then instruct me not to spread conspiracy theory or false reports because “yeah, that would be bad”.
One well known Calvary Chapel pastor in Hawaii even went so far as to accuse me of “slandering a man of God” when I shook his tree a little too hard. One has to wonder if that particular pastor truly trusts in the Bible being the inerrant Word of God. If he did, I would think he might welcome discussions such as these much more confidently instead of threatening his sheep.
The year of 2016 has not even ended yet and my so called “conspiracy theories” and “false reports” are now being shouted from the rooftops by various news outletsaccording to Luke 12:3
Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
This really is just the tip of the iceberg. I have been forced to do my own research as my own pastors mostly refuse to discuss these things with me. In all reality, I actually don’t think they themselves understand what is going on. I have to thank the ministries of Emergent Watch, Understand The Times, Berean Research, Let Us Reason and Paul Smith.
For those who can’t wait to order and read the whole book, watch this video by Paul Smith available on YouTube for a little preview of where Paul Smith was coming from.
Paul Smith’s book was published back in 2011 and he would accurately describe, 5 years ahead of time, what is now happening at Calvary Chapel. Pastor Chuck Smith also saw the emergent problems coming, and warned about them early also, almost prophetically, in writing, back on August 17, 1981 and again on June 5th, 2006. (page 136-137 New Evangelicalism) or click here PastorChuck_parsontoparson[1]
Best I can tell, both times, in both letters, Chuck Smith is telling anyone who wants to “go emergent” to just leave and take off the Calvary Chapel name from their church.
I still have many unanswered questions but the clarity is beginning to focus in. According to Paul Smith, two big things concerned him and his brother Chuck. The first was repeated by Chuck many multiple times as he would quote Acts 20
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
The other larger issue concerning Paul Smith is dealt with more in the above book than the video and this is the larger Emergent church movement. Calvary Chapel has huge problems now and it is my opinion the majority of the pastors are confused themselves.
Instead of singling out any of the Calvary Chapel pastors which include many life long friends of mine, I will instead attempt to peel away a few stinky layers of the greater onion here. My prayers are with the Calvary Chapel pastors. They need to listen to the inerrant Word of God and the Holy Spirit, and not necessarily each other. True leadership always arises in the midst of trials. Their current leadership appears to be infiltrated and possibly corrupted at some level. These pastors need to decide if they truly serve Jesus and His church or a denomination which is effectively what Calvary Chapel has become.
What is the Emergent Church anyway
Emergent messages dilute the truth. They are undermining, degenerative and confusing. These are nothing less than satanic spiritual attacks that spill over into the physical realm through church splits, heresies, and the love of many growing cold (Matthew 24:12 and Revelation 3:15)
many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
It is the opinion of many, including Paul Smith and myself that the accommodation and compromise of the emergent movement have done nothing less than set the stage for the “apostasy” and the “man of sin” spoken of in 2 Thess 2 and the coming one world religion.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says all scripture is given by inspiration (theopneustos) or “God breathed”. This means that God does not communicate error. If God is capable enough to supernaturally create everything then is He not also supernaturally able to communicate without error?
Fulfilled prophecy is God’s “authentication code” and according to Peter makes our faith “more sure”. (2 Peter 1:19)
The false emergent teachers don’t seem to think so. They have abandoned the Word of God as their authority and have instead embraced social liberalism basically. Before we can rightly untangle the web of “emergent” doctrine we need to go back and take a little history lesson first to see how we got here.
Philadelphia to Laodicea direct non stop
It is a working theory in evangelical and conservative circles that biblical institutions have about a 75 year lifespan to evidence significant change but that when it comes, it happens almost overnight.
Historically, our modern church age of “Christian fundamentalism” had been under attack since at least 1905 from Humanism and modernism, especially in the Universities and in the government and the media.
The Fight for Orthodoxy begins
In the 1940’s, evangelicals would begin to fight for orthodoxy. Evangelical Christians from Westminster and various other universities officially banded together and created “The National Association of Evangelicals” (NAE) in April 1942.
The NAE grew rapidly. In the weeks following that April day in 1942, Other groups across the United States began to band together and fight for orthodoxy, they were the ACCC American Council of Christian Churches, the Federal Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches and the darker and more sinister WCC World Council of Churches also sprang up in 1942. With the exception of the WCC, these were the men and women who would “fight for orthodoxy” and defend the authority and inerrancy of scripture.
The keynote speech announcing it is worth reading (pg 58 New Evangelicalism)
The children of these devout men of God, the next generation known as “baby boomers” would eventually birth the “Jesus movement” hippies of the 1960’s and 1970’s (yuppies of the 1980s) who would, according to this theory, “assume orthodoxy”. This includes many solid bible teaching churches that would assume they had the correct doctrine so long as they “taught the bible”. AOG, Calvary Chapel, Foursquare, Word of Life etc.
While many previously solid christian churches and universities begin to crumble before and after 1942 and even before the Jesus revolution of the 1960’s, if we look to the end of this 75 year cycle, if we use the 1942 as our baseline and apply the 75 year rule, our generation’s apostasy begins now, somewhere around 2017. If their theory is correct, it will be our generation that completely “abandons orthodoxy”, and is this not what we see evidenced today?
The Battle for the Bible
A case in point is to study what happened at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr Charles Fuller first studied at BIOLA and then would go on to say controversial things like “apostasy needed to be purged from BIOLA”. He would go on to start Fuller Theological Seminary in June 1947. Fuller Seminary would become the beacon of the inerrancy of the word of God in the Western USA for the next 15 years. By the 1960’s infighting and bickering would begin to take over and Fuller Seminary would fully forsake teaching the Bible as the inerrant Word of God by the late 1970s. This would be a little over 30 short years.
This is where it gets weird. There are over 40 boxes containing 700 documents stored in Wheaton Illinois Billy Graham Center concerning the issues surrounding the battles over the bible that took place at Fuller Seminary in the 1960’s and 1970s. 50 of these folders were restricted from access until January 2008, Six folders are restricted from research until after the death of Billy Graham, another three folders are restricted from research until after January 2019.
What is in the remaining folders is unknown but they most likely deal with exactly what we are talking about here. The battle for orthodoxy at the highest levels of the American churches and Christian universities.
If Paul Smith is correct, these documents describe the foundation of the coming antichrist one world religion, at least the Western Christian portion of it.
We believe the bible is inerrant
We (individual believers) may actually be the remnant church spoken of in Romans 11.
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
If we are living in the apostasy and we are the remnant church, then Jesus says in Luke 21
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
What will happen next?
Jesus tells us we will see things beginning to come to pass. The two big ones are Israel the fig tree is their symbol in Gods eyes (not a hexagram) and false teachers (Matthew 24) and the apostasy of the church. Israel was reborn in 1948. The beginning of the apostasy is currently debatable.
In Thessalonians Paul is basically asked when is the day of the Lord and the return of Christ? His answer is found here (2 Thess 2)
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
If the doctrine of imminence is found in 2 Thessalonians 2 it is that the apostasy and the man of sin being revealed is what would be imminent. With a clear conjunction AND in between “apostasy” and “man of sin being revealed” I for one am starting to look up according to Luke 21!
The apostasy occurring is just as big of a super-sign prophetically as the nation of Israel being re-born in 1948… Rejoice!
The Battle of Calvary Chapel
Paul Smith’s vantage point allows him to accurately describe how the leaders of the new evangelicalism, emergent church and the coming apostasy dialed in their sights on his brother Chuck over the years.
When Chuck Smith would distance himself from those who sought to snare him, such as John Wimber and eventually Rick Warren, these wolves would eventually refocus on Chucks Son Chuck Smith Jr and Chuck Fromm and others. Other discernment ministries are openly exposing famous Calvary Chapel pastors such as Brian Broderson, Greg Laurie, Skip Heitzig, Jon Courson and others as embracing emergent and ecumenical doctrines.
Hawaii has not been immune as ecumenical wolves such as General William Boykin and David Barton and others have been welcomed onto the pulpits of Oahu Calvary Chapels in the past few years. I personally (and others such as Chris Lawson) have discussed these issues with these pastors and can’t say any of us have ever been satisfied with the way those discussions went.
Time and time again we have seen those who defend the Bible as the minority. Calvary Chapel has become at least one of the front lines for the coming “Great apostasy” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2. Why most if not all of the Calvary Chapel pastors seem to fear or completely avoid discussing these things is just a mystery still to me. This is obviously a battle but everyone is afraid to stick out their noses.
We are called to separation as Christians, and to create a barrier between us and the coming ecumenical, New Age emergent Laodicean church. We are not to accommodate or compromise with them. There are several Scriptures that support this.
I could go on. This is just a sampling of sound biblical warnings against false teachers.
So what are we? Fundamentalist or Evangelical?
The emergent “new evangelicals” are now creating confusion by continuing to refer to themselves as evangelicals while yet denying the inerrancy of scripture.
Proper evangelicals who still hold on to inerrancy have considered going back to the term “fundamentalist” but the term carries much negative connotations. It has become something of a joke or an insult to be called a “fundamentalist” these days, especially when the news easily loads the meaning with its associations to terror and disdain.
Rick Warren himself calls fundamentalism, “a very legalistic, narrow view of Christianity”. Is it no surprise when our misguided brethren in our churches also accuse us of being “legalistic” when we defend the authority of the Word of God?
The church today is full of confusion and conflict as it attempts to on one hand accommodate and compromise with the new evangelicals while we still hold some kind of a last stand against the global religion that is now upon us.
Do we compromise? Do we conform? Who do we conform to? Romans 8 gives us the answer, it says God has predestined us to:
be conformed to the image of his Son
And Romans 12 says
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This can only happen by trusting in the changing power of the very Word of God.
The old rules are good rules. Let scripture interpret scripture, use clear passages of the bible to help clarify obscure passages, listen to the Holy Spirit, let God teach you. Be like Jesus, reference the Old Testament when possible. Consider the intention of the author when reading your bible. Are you reading poetry like Psalms? History like Kings or Chronicles? Prophecy like Ezekiel and Daniel, or the good news of the gospel like Luke and John?
Be a “Berean” like the Jews in Acts 17:11. They asked questions are were commended to be “more noble” by Paul.
Another good rule of thumb is never argue with a liberal about liberal issues. Choose your battles wisely. Try to engage them on what is the truth or real evidence. They will always win their liberal arguments. You just can’t win arguing against “helping people”. We stand on the truth, not traditional liberalism or conservatism.
We don’t deny the need for liberal reforms or programs, but these programs still leave us with unredeemed sinners. The emergent churches thrive in this realm. “unity”, “culture” and “community” shape their gospel, the truth gets sidelined.
Hegelian Dialectic
The new evangelical churches busy with “deconstructing” and “redefining” biblical terms like gospel and armageddon, have effectively become the thesis for the antithesis or the problem for the solution of the coming global one world religion.
Hegelian concepts come from German philosopher Georg Hegel. Hegel teaches that in order to synthesize something new, (in this case a global religion) a thesis must be used to confront an antithesis. They speak of deconstructing the New Testament and redefining it in order to “experience Jesus more profoundly”. This is a false teaching and against clear scripture such as Mark 10:45
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The gospels are in perfect harmony with each other and the entire Old and New Testaments. They do not teach a thesis and antithesis creating a global religion. Be careful church. Be very careful!
Peter Drucker
Peter Ferdinand Drucker was an Austrian-born American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation.he was one of the top authorities on the nature of man and society. He believed there were no natural laws and the universe was subject to continuous change.
Later in his life, Peter Drucker would announce that absolutism and rationalism were failures and that the corporations had failed in the endeavor to provide healthy community to society as a whole. Prior to this, Peter Drucker had no interest in the church but it would soon occur to Drucker that his quest to solve all mankind’s issues could be realized through the church. Peter Drucker would become particularly attracted to the seeker friendly megachurches.
Rick Warren and Peter Drucker
Rick Warren and his mentor Peter Drucker
Rick Warren and Peter Drucker would cross paths in a seemingly marriage made in postmodern emergent heaven. More apostates were coming out of Fuller Theological Seminary than ever before and Rick Warren finally had a mentor that he could move the “purpose driven church” model forward, or as Paul Smith writes, put it on a slippery slope downward!
Peter Drucker’s quest for the perfect community caused him and Rick Warren to bond together from the beginning of their friendship. Rick Warren has publicly boasted that Peter Drucker was his mentor and Drucker would shape the “purpose driven church” model more than anything else.
Bob Buford, another famous Christian entrepreneur and philanthropist also claims Drucker to be his role model as well created the Drucker Foundation and wrote a book “Drucker and Me”.
These men are the false apostles of the emergent doctrines. At least one of them clearly denies knowing Christ!
Simon the sorcerer and Balaam the prophet
The only answer our churches should have had for men like Peter Drucker, Rick Warren and the rest of the apostles of the new world order can be found in Romans 8
and when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
the Sons of Calvary Chapel
Drucker and Buford would mentor not only Rick Warren but also Chuck Smith Jr, and Chuck Fromm, both sons of Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel.
The emergent movement has been particularly drawn to Calvary Chapel over the decades for many reasons. Again, this is according to Paul Smith, he claims agents of the emergent church have been penetrating into and seeking to identify their movement with Calvary Chapel for a long time now.
While Calvary Chapel may have resisted the Drucker inspired Purpose driven model well enough under the leadership of Pastor Chuck Smith, in Chucks older age, the other sons of Calvary Chapel, like Greg Laurie, often crashed Chuck Smith’s events with surprise appearances by Rick Warren. According to Paul Smith, Rick Warren was never invited by Chuck and very much a “party crasher” in all of these photos below.
Why does Chuck look mad? And why is Greg smiling like that?
“Pastors Perspective” and another ambush by Rick Warren, at least Chuck is smiling this time.
Everyone says Rick Warren invited himself to Chucks funeral…
…but then they all pose for a picture with the heretic Rick Warren after.
This doesn’t look good guys. Why doesn’t someone honor Chuck at his funeral and ask Rick Warren to leave? Don’t want to make a scene?
While Chuck Smith held true to the Word of God the many Calvary Chapel pastors who are embracing emergent practices such as Chuck Smith Jr, Chuck Fromm, Brian Broderson and others. Time will tell which ones remain true to the Word of God. One of you please take a strong public stand. Be like Dr. Charles Fuller! Call out the apostasy!
I sometimes feel like a sheep without a shepherd anymore. Out of that whole bunch I always loved Mike Macintosh the most. I wish he would call out the heretic instead but I know Mike has class and doesn’t want to make a scene at Chucks funeral probably.
Jesus and our culture
Jesus anticipated all cultures. He was not shortsighted. None of this is a surprise to Him. Jesus knew his plan of redemption would be challenged by these men. 1 John 2:26-27 says
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
This is not complicated. Humanism seduces, the Holy Spirit teaches His disciples. We abide in Christ and Him alone!
Global peace plan
As we can see now, the emergent churches are a tangled web of deception. Fuller Theological Seminary, Peter Drucker, Bob Buford, Rick Warren, all the evangelical churches in America. They all want to go global.
Billy Graham has endorsed Rick Warrens Global PEACE plan and “40 days of purpose” Many discernment ministries are pointing out that the five points in Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan line up perfectly withThe UN Millennium Development Goals
This could very well be the foundation for an inter faith positive thinking Global religion. It is coming through Rick Warren and his purpose driven drivel.
What would Jesus do?
In the great commission, when did we ever see Jesus teach us to embrace humanistic unbelievers and teach them to have a purpose driven life? Was Jesus simply unable to know that by 2017 the world would be “post modern” and in need of some rock and roll and tatted young pastors dancing to a laser light show and spinning pyramids and smoke machines? Is this what we need to reach people these days?
Dr Charles Fuller courtesy of https://www.biblebelievers.com
Whatever happened to the discernment and leadership of real shepherds with a heart like Jesus? Oh what I would give to follow a teacher like Dr Charles Fuller today.
I found an archive of Dr Charles Fuller’s sermons at https://www.biblebelievers.com and will begin to listen to him from this day on. I hope to find some inspiration for future messages.
Jesus said man’s greatest problem was not poverty but alienation and rebellion towards God.
When Paul the apostle stood before Herod Agrippa in Acts 24-26 Paul did not try to “promote reconciliation” or anything resembling Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. plan! The apostle Paul preached the good news of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.
The only reconciliation Paul ever preached was to be reconciled through Christ 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Rick Warren does not appear to be teaching this sort of reconciliation in any of his books. His message is a humanistic cultural reconciliation to each other which may make us feel good but it doesn’t save our souls from sin.
While I can’t ultimately judge Rick Warren’s heart, (only God can) I can be sure that Rick Warren has the same choice to make as all of the rest of us.
A. Trust in the global elite who think they know what is best for mankind
B. Put your hope and trust in God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Last thing I can say is don’t believe a single word I have written here until you do the reaserch yourself. Be a Berean like the Jews in Acts 17:11. Get in the Word of God and see who is really telling the truth.
Billy Graham was known to often preach “The Bible says”… Well whenever I have done bible studies for friends or family I always ask “WHAT does the Bible say”. I want YOU to know. I am telling you don’t trust me or any other preacher, go look, seek, find. The Holy Spirit will teach you. This is promised in John 14:26, 1 John 2:27, Matthew 10:19, elsewhere. It is a marvelous adventure and one I am always blessed to be on.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
During the weekend of June 1st, the Hawaii Convention Center was ground zero for Foursquare Convention Connection 2016. I did not attend but have watched several videos and heard lots of first hand accounts from my many friends who were there.
Doing the Haka (ha’a) for Jesus?
It took me a while to find the actual archive of all the videos from that weekend on the foursquare.org/convention website but they are here. https://vimeo.com/album/3885992
When you search through the videos, the entire weekend is there, but before we discuss certain events at the convention in more detail, lets me first give a little more background to the topic at hand.
I remember in 1994 when reading this book “Perpetuated in Righteousness” by Daniel Kikawa, I would meet a person that would become a life long friend of mine to this day. This person is Mike Oppenheimer. He broke down the problems in Kikawa’s book for me person to person. I can roughly summarize, but for all the information, see Mike Oppenheimers original work on this teaching found here Perpetuated in Righteousness or Perpetuating a Modern Myth
Basically Daniel Kikawa in his book “Perpetuated in Righteousness” teaches the concept that the Hawaiians were descended from the ancient Jews and held a belief in God identical to Christianity without it ever being revealed to them by any missionaries or ever having the Old or New Testament!
I could have told Mike Oppenheimer it was bunk right away. I just don’t see Jews as a tribe or nation getting on canoes and sailing all around the Pacific doing the ha’a and the hula but lets see what else Kikawa says.
Daniel Kikawa goes on to propose in his book that the Hawaiian’s knew God from the “gospel in the stars”. In his book Perpetuated in Righteousness he states that the Hawaiian’s gods, Kane, Ku and Lono were the one God called Io, who is actually Yahweh; that all three are co- equal.
This is garbage equal only to the Jehovah Witnesses who taught the pyramids in Egypt also held the gospel message!
While a few of the more devout bible students may be thinking “hey, this might be what is referenced in Rom.1:18-25″, Well what Romans 1 actually tells us is that when mankind sees the evidence of God’s power in nature, they naturally suppress it, and change it into a lie, worshipping the creation and creatures instead of the Creator. The Hawaiians were no different until the Word of God came to them via the New Testament. The Hawaiians needed the bible just like we need it still today.
Where does it ever say in the Bible the gospel was written in the stars? The point that Kikawa is trying to make is that the Hawaiians, (“descendants of the ancient Jews” according to only Kikawa), knew about God, Jesus His Son, His plan of sacrifice, and the resurrection. He says that they learned all of this by looking at the stars and they called his name Io, Lono, Ku, and Kane?
I love the Hawaiian people and have many lifelong Hawaiian friends but yeah guys, this is a lie.
So you may be wondering why am I bringing this up now? Hasn’t it been over 20 years since this book was written? Well, yes however. this teaching has popped up again at the “Connection 2016” Foursquare church convention in Honolulu.
Watch this above video from about the 3:50 mark pastor Matt Higa from New Hope Kauai teaches that “Io” is Jehovah God and was a trinity with three persons in him. Matt Higa goes on to cite “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as a reference!
Was that the book of 1st or 2nd Spielbergs? I’m going to need a reference I don’t have my “New Hollywood Translation” handy. Fast forward to 7:25 in the video and find out exactly who Matt Higa’s spiritual mentor is, he tells us he is sitting right there in the audience with them, none other than “Daniel Kikawa” the author of the 1994 book “Perpetuated in Righteousness”. Wow!
At 14:00 through the video, I believe that’s possibly Daniel Kikawa himself sitting in his chair as the rest of the crowd is singing around him in Hawaiian. Daniels picture can be found here on the Aloha Ke Akua website.
OK, so this stuff may have been slipped into the Foursquare convention unbeknownst to Foursquare or maybe it is being openly taught at some Four square and New Hope churches in Hawaii. I do not know but only what a few friends of mine are saying. Rumors are just those, rumors. I prefer to use facts so instead of guessing or only sidetracking and complaining, let’s say we just stick to the facts?
Facts are good, OK. Go to the bottom of the same webpage with Daniel Kikawa’s picture (Aloha Ke Akua website.) and lets start there. Who really endorses Daniel Kikawa and supports him and allows him to teach and spread around this myth in our beloved churches? We get our first clue here. It appear the entire website is being endorsed by; Libby Carolan IMPACT Center – University of the Nations. Ok, who is this?
Hmm, now I don’t know who Libby Carolan is but the University of the Nations (UofN) is the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) missionary training center in Kona, Hawaii. I have been going to a Calvary Chapel for the past 25 years and while we don’t let Daniel Kikawa preach or sell his books there, we do know who YWAM is. Danny Lehman who is the YWAM Director in Honolulu YWAM has been a personal friend of mine and a pillar of the Calvary Chapel Hawaii movement. Many of us are all very familiar with YWAM and UofN. Maybe it’s all just a mistake that it seems YWAM/UofN is promoting Daniel Kikawa? Well the webpage tells us to click over to the “about” page so let’s go there and see what this “Aloha Ke Akua” is really all about.
When we get to the ABOUT page of the Aloha Ke Akua website (Daniel Kikawa) we scroll down to find several endorsements. (Hey there’s Leon Siu! He and his wife Malia were my neighbors in Aiea a really long time ago).
Aha, ok so if we keep looking and we start to find several more YWAM endorsements. On the Advisory Board of Aloha Ke Akua ministries we find none other than JOHN DAWSON / PRESIDENT OF YWAM, and TOM HALLAS / YWAMS FIELD DIRECTOR both advising and endorsing Mr Kikawa.
Why is this and exactly how deep does this rabbit hole go? Is there just nothing to see here and is this just another guilt by association argument like Bud and Bill keep trying to tell me? By even mentioning this will I be asked to leave Calvary Chapel like what happened to Mike Oppenheimer?
Now, before everyone gets all excited here or too overly emotional that our sacred cows have been offended, lets try to stay on point, “order in the court” as they say. What we are talking about is simply this.
During the first weekend of June of 2016, in front of 3000 Bible believing Christians at a foursquare convention in Honolulu, Our God was profanely referred to by the names Io, Lono, Ku and Kane. Go back and watch the video again. That’s why I have the original video linked. That’s exactly what Matt Higa pastor of New Hope Kauai says. It’s at 3 minutes 50 seconds where Matt Higa tells 3 thousand people “Io is Jehovah God and the trinity is Lono, Kane and Ku”. Matt Higa then references a scene from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as his proof. Go watch it again. That’s what he says.
This is why people don’t want to go to our churches nowadays and I can’t blame them. People know when their logic and sensibilities are being assaulted.
Matt, if you get forwarded my blog and read this you are welcome to contact me. If you got something you would like to say, go right ahead please explain yourself. I try to not make things personal and can really be a fun guy to hang out with but whatever man, you have several choices.
Ignore me, hope i go away (i do typically get bored with things quickly and often move along so this might be your best bet, however you will still have to answer to the One whose name you continue to profane)
Defend yourself. This would certainly be the most entertaining option but I prefer #3.
Try to get the video removed then lie about it but i really don’t recommend that. Too many witnesses already.
I don’t have a dog in this fight. Matt you go ahead and do whatever seems right in your own eyes. I predict #1 will work just fine for both of us… (i still prefer 3) Anyway, moving right along.
For the record the Hawaiians did not worship “One God” or a triune God either, but a plethora of deities, demigods and goddesses. This “Lono and Kane is really Jesus and the Holy Spirit” nonsense must sound just as silly to the Hawaiians of the old religion just as much as we believers of the one true and living God. Here is an image which includes a few more of the Hawaiian deities and demigods of old. I don’t see my favorite Hawaiian Superman “Maui” on there, so safe to say there are even more gods than this mentioned in the old Hawaiian religion.
No trinity here!
Now I have friends that are routine blasphemers and all sorts of other hell raisers & I still love them and respect their constitutional right to blaspheme and raise hell but i won’t let you bring it in my home or my church. Yes, in America you can still worship any deity or demigod or angel or your own self or a stuffed animal or whatever it is that floats your proverbial canoe. Just to be clear I am not hating/condemning/judging anyone. Just for the record, I support having weird friends and enjoy all my friendships, especially my friendships with those who don’t believe exactly the way I do. They are the ones who make me think the hardest!
What I am doing is holding the churches accountable. The churches that claim to be the holders of God’s Word and God teachings and take our children from us on Sunday and Friday nights and fill them full of these heretical myths need to be more careful and more discerning. Who is vetting these teachers we allow onto our pulpits? Anyone?
Since this problem doesn’t seem to be going away, this is what I think we need. First of all from Foursquare and New Hope. and last from Calvary Chapel. I would just like some clarity on the Aloha Ke Akua movement.
For me YWAM is being perfectly clear. They DO ENDORSE Aloha Ke Akua and Daniel Kikawa. YWAM corporately doesn’t need to explain anything.
So I couldn’t help myself. I have known Danny Lehman for years and have his cellular number so before I would write something I might later regret I thought I would just give him a call. I just finished speaking with him and basically the long and short of it is this. Danny Lehman said;
Danny Kikawa is his friend but he doesn’t agree with everything Kikawa has said or written and can not personally vouch for him.
I have weird friends too and Danny Lehman is always fun to talk to. I told Danny I disagree with him on several positions he made during the phone call but overall he and I see eye to eye on several other things. Iron sharpens iron and hopefully Danny Lehman remains open to talking with me again in the future.
Now can Foursquare, New Hope and Calvary Chapel please do the same? Just say Aloha Ke Akua YES/NO. You can even just tweet it if you want. This should not be so hard.
Last thing I want to say is that Hawaii is a small place and the churches are even smaller. I know Leon Siu, Danny Lehman and several pastors in several churches and I count them all as nice people who were very friendly to me so I can not and don’t want to be rude to them in return. All I am looking for is clarity and some accountability.
Finally, I am not a bible teacher but would like to offer up one bible verse for Daniel Kikawa and Matt Higa who so affectionately like to identify themselves with the Jews. Take a lesson from us. One thing we learned a long time ago was this.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
I can’t say thank you enough to David Barton for this video. At 1:45 in the video he teaches the “7 cultural mountains” which is a troublesome dominionist concept NOT found in the bible.
In the past, David Barton was always very careful not to teach this stuff himself as he knew how explosive and divisive this could become for his millions of gullible followers and book buyers.
Up until a few days ago only a sound clip existed of Barton teaching this stuff but no video was available, that is until now.
While in the past there was possibly some room for debate, any objective person could clearly see that David Bartons “Wallbuilders” were deeply connected to dominionist reconstructionists and New Apostolic Reformists such as Rick Joyner, Raphael Cruz and Lance Wallnau.
Thanks to Right Wing Watch Blog for finding this little gem. It appears as the leaven is spreading throughout the church, false teachers are getting ever bolder.
There is a reason this garbage only appeals to Americans. How many books do you think these hacks like Glen Beck and David Barton sell in the rest of the world?
This is becoming a full blown new cult in America! The truth is more important than politics. I really don’t want to regurgitate whats already been said on this topic but for my friends, please, Do your own research gang. Many Christian discernment and apologetics ministries are warning that these people are very dangerous as I have referenced in my previous post, Christian Dominionists, the Road to Holocaust and Brussels Belgium Terror Attacks
I will add another link to Discernment Ministries, Inc., They have done a remarkable job summarizing things here in this article, 7 Mountain Politics and Theology
The rabbit hole gets deep quick so put on your galoshes and prepare to be enlightened. Don’t be too surprised when you find some of our favorite ministries and churches jumping into the emerging dominionist bandwagon.
Rick Green, partner with David Barton’s Wallbuilders recently came through Honolulu and spoke at a few churches.
They are a very entertaining and dynamic duo. Both of their names are on the Wallbuilders websites and podcasts so what one does, the other is a partner or an accomplice to. Typically Barton does the heavy teaching and book writing while Rick Green defends David Barton from critics. This is why I like to refer to Green as the consigliere. It is tongue in cheek and I mean no offense by it. I am not saying Barton and Green are in in the mafia. It is the way I prefer to describe their relationship.
I have been a subscriber to their podcast for a while. I have friends who really like them although I can’t say I am a real fan. They just lose me with their associations and arguments that just make me very uncomfortable. I will explain why.
Christian Dominionism
In a nutshell David Barton is a Christian Dominionist. There is no need for me to do a complete study on them or what they teach. Hal Lindsey has been a highly respected teacher since the 1970 book “The Late Great Planet Earth”. Hal Lindsey is one of the last of a generation of heavy duty bible teachers which includes Walter Martin and other SOLID and MORE NOBLE teachers in accordance with the book of Acts 17:11.
Dominionism, also known as “Kingdom Now” or “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) is theologically all over the map but what they all seem to agree on is this. They all want to implement a conservative “Christian” government that will rule over the rest of society at any cost and are willing to get in bed with anyone else who agrees with their new and improved, baseball, hotdog, easy to swallow frappuccino version of history, religion and politics.
Hal Lindsey and I agree, Dominionism is NOT what the Bible teaches. According to Hal Lindseys book, Dominionism eventually leads to anti-semitism which will eventually bring you face to face with heresy. It is in fact just as Hal Lindsey warned, “The Road to Holocaust”.
Before I switch gears, the NAR or Kingdom Now pied piper of our day is Lance Wallinau with his “7 mountains mandate”. Barton and Green seem to do a real good job keeping their noses clean from any direct relationships with the heretics HOWEVER.
Right Wing Watch has an audio clip of David Barton and his consigliere Rick Green AGREEING and ADVOCATING with the 7 mountains heresy taught by Lance Wallnau. The link to the audio can be found in this article here, David Barton Advocates Seven Mountains Dominionism. It appears Right Wing Watch has the evidence. If the evidence is wrong, Barton or Green are free to send me their answer directly. I would be more than happy to post their rebuttal to this otherwise clear audio.
GUILT BY ASSOCIATION?
I cant make it any easier to understand. Most of our churches teach the “End Times” will involve an anti-Christ, tribulations, a rapture, and a second coming of Jesus Christ.
Wallnau, and the Kingdom Now camp, not only reject traditional pre-milennialism, (not a heresy itself I know that) they go much further and teach that Christians need to take dominion over their areas of influence while “shaking what is happening on earth and take dominion”. They eventually go out and attack others who teach otherwise. Lance Wallinau attacks Hal Lindsey in this example. This is not what my church has taught me so it’s a bit of a surprise when I see fellow christians, pastors and many others eating this stuff up. The bible I have read and the pastors I have known have taught me to 1) study the Word of God, 2) preach the Gospel, 3) fellowship and 4) pray daily. Not any of the rest of this nonsense.
To add insult to injury now I have been personally attacked for daring to bring this up with a trusted friend. I have been accused of “slander” and not doing MY RESEARCH and have even been threatened that I am speaking out against anointed “men of God”? Are you kidding me? What is this? The Church of Scientology?
I don’t mind if we have friendships with people that believe differently than us. Please go right ahead and continue to have weird friends. I do it! Some of my best friends are into many beliefs other than traditional Christianity. I love these friends of mine, but I will not let them teach me or my children their false doctrines.
MORE QUESTIONABLE DAVID BARTON ASSOCIATIONS
These guys lose me almost right away with their silly beliefs about our founding fathers but it gets much worse. David Barton oversees Keep the Promise PAC which is supporting Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential bid into the many multiple tens of millions of dollars. Through his PAC, David Barton sponsors HUGE rallys for Ted Cruz where he appears with the devout Mormon and former Fox News blow hard Glen Beck. As a matter of fact, just a few days ago, Glen Beck announced that Ted Cruz is Fulfillment of White Horse Mormon Prophecy’. Before I continue, allow that to sink in for just a minute.
I really want to keep this short so ill just quickly point out one last video, that according to the title, “David Barton wants to disciple you”… along with his friend, the high prince of false and apostate teachers, the blasphemous health and wealth pope of prosperity Kenneth Copeland.
How many Kenneth Copeland videos do I have to watch to know this is wrong? I’ll give you the answer the number is ZERO. Go ahead and accuse me of a guilt by association fallacy or throwing the baby out with the bathwater but I don’t care. This stuff will not fly in the persecuted church or the underground church. It is for gullible Americans, nothing more.
This proves at a minimum a severe lack of discernment from David Barton. Maybe someone else can find the stomach to dig through the trash and find a gem or two or a smoking gun in these Kenneth Copeland videos but I am going to move along.
These guys are at a minimum just a “little bit off” and I don’t want them or others like them (General Jerry Boykin etc cough cough) teaching me, my pastor, my wife, my friends or my kids.
THE BRUSSELS BELGIUM TERROR ATTACKS
September 11th 2001 became forever remembered as “911”. The London Subway attacks will always be remembered as “7/7”. Well it is still too early to know for sure but I have to wonder if the Brussels attacks will be remembered as “322”.
I am not one of the pre-loaded “false flag” crowd. I don’t jump to conclusions like that but the date and timing of this event does not appear to be random. As I have said many times, I am an evidence guy. Show me your evidence first. Terrorists are perfectly capable of blowing up all sorts of places including airports and subway stations, and they like using dates and times as their signatures. I am not sure when ISIS Jihadists adopted 322 as their signature but apparently it is the date they chose to attack the EU Headquarters.
Here are a few other observations I made today.
Me at the EU Building just a few blocks from Maelbeek subway station in 2011, click for full size!
I have walked down the Rue in Brussels, Belgium where the Maelbeek Subway station is that was bombed today. I knew exactly where it was. Just outside of the Maelbeek train station is the EU building. The geography is significant. This would be tantamount to bombing a subway station in Washington DC one block away from the White House or Congress.
Next, Hal Lindsey and Dave Hunt have always taught that bible prophecy would be centered around a “Revived Roman Empire” European anti christ person that would arise from inside these very buildings. I went “street view” on Google Earth and showed my wife the statue in front of the Berlaymont building, (EU Headquarters) just to the East of the Maelbeek Train station that was bombed.
Nod to Dave Hunt, “A Woman Rides the Beast”, one block away from Maelbeek Subway station bombing
1 Woman riding the beast statue, Check!
Now this is where it gets weird. ISIS theologians teach that their Mahdi will come when “the armies of Rome” attack them in Dabiq, Syria. Are ISIS jihadists attempting to rope or snare the armies of Rome into a war? Many before me have already proposed they must do exactly this or their theology crumbles.
Is what we are witnessing a bit of a competition here? The Muslims that want to be the antichrist have attacked the Romans that want to be the antichrist? Sounds like a warm up to Daniel Chapter 12 if you ask me.
Who will be the real rider on the white horse? I’ll tell you one thing it is not going to be Ted Cruz I don’t care what Glen Beck scribbles on his chalkboard!
How does it all tie together? I don’t think any of it really does except possibly in the grander picture of good versus evil. The fact of the matter and what the evidence is showing today is simply the furthest thing from what the dominionists believe! I’ll throw my hat in with Hal Lindsey on this one.
To wrap it up, and I know I have been all over the place tonight. Do you want to avoid dominionists and emergent church doctrines from creeping into our churches? Would you like to be safe from falling for bogus teachers and bringing dirty politics into our sacred sanctuaries?
I would like to suggest this. How about we do what the church did in the book of Acts. 1) continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine 2) fellowship with other believers 3) breaking of bread 4) Prayer and if I may I add #5) sharing our faith.
We don’t need anything else.
Pastors if you say “I just teach the Word of God” then mean it. We don’t want to be entertained by our churches. We want to be fed and taught and have a place of sanctuary.
Pastor Chuck Smith nailed it in one of his final warnings to the CCOF (private pastors only email list) and this document has been circulated somewhat publicly since.
2 Peter 2 says But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousnessshall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
When I read 2 Peter it says they SHALL BE and SHALL BRING not might be or might bring or possibly bring, or bring somewhere else to the church down the road, but not bring to us. It says SHALL BRING. Does everyone see the seriousness of this warning?
Be careful teachers. Be careful Christians. This is not a game. The time is short.
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
We just need Jesus. We don’t need distractions and entertainment. Our world is lost. Politics is NOT the answer to our problems. Jesus is. We should be showing our friends and family the way, not trying to get them to think our church “is cool” or relevant. Jesus is all we need.
Try sharing Ken Copeland or David Bartons books and videos with anyone in the persecuted or underground church. They will just give you blank stares. An excellent video has come out from behind the islamic curtain and the underground persecuted church. I recommend watching this one to everyone. Grab a beverage of your choice and prepare yourself for a little perspective.