THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
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Showing posts with label Legalism/Judaizers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Legalism/Judaizers. Show all posts
CHRISTIAN "HEBRAIC ROOTS" SEDER DESTROYS DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN OLD & NEW COVENANTS; MINIMIZES JESUS AS MESSIAH; RE-INTRODUCES LEGALISM, POWERLESS RELIGIOUS RITUALS ADDING THE OLD COVENANT BACK INTO TO THE GOSPEL DURING HOLY WEEK? THE HEBRAIC MESSIANIC MOVEMENT ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE GULLIBLE CHRISTIANS WITH EXTRANEOUS AND IRRELEVANT RITUALS & SYMBOLISMS
SEDER CONDUCTED BY ARI HAUBEN OF CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES:
Ari was raised in a traditional Reform Jewish home near Philadelphia.
He celebrated the Jewish holidays, attended Hebrew school, had a Bar
Mitzvah, and participated in Jewish camps and other traditional
activities. Despite all of this, he never really believed God was real.
In his early 20’s, Ari asked his Rabbi what he thought was going to
happen to him personally when he died. His response was that he didn’t
know. Ari was floored that the Rabbi didn’t have an answer for his own
self. Ari, therefore, began to question everything. Looking for answers
and truth, he began to examine Eastern philosophy, however, through the
love and witness of many believers, he came to the realization that “if
God was real”, it meant that he was a sinner in need of atonement and
forgiveness.
Because of his upbringing, Ari believed that Jesus and Judaism were
“opposites at their cores.” Thankfully, the two came together when he
prayed to receive Jesus as his Jewish Messiah on April 6, 1997. That day
he read the New Testament for the first time. Ari cried out to the Lord
and believed that He sent Jesus as the sacrifice in his place. And his
very first prayer (after salvation) was telling God that he was sorry he
had hated His name.
Soon after Ari’s profession of faith in
Jesus as Messiah, he had a growing burden for the lost. In addition to
sharing his faith as a Higher Education Administrator for over 10 years,
his passion for reaching both Jews and non-Jews led him to serve
full-time with two other ministries sharing the Good News with the
Jewish people.
Now on staff with Chosen People Ministries,
Ari’s desire is to help educate and equip believers to share about the
miracle of forgiveness of sin.
Ari is married to Karen, a Jewish believer, and today they have three precious daughters Rachel, Liya, and Talia.
EMERGING CHURCH THAT WANTS TO BE "PURPOSE DRIVEN" CODIFYING "SOUL BONDAGE" FOR ITS MEMBERS
Job 22:6-"For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing."
Job 24:3-"They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge."
Job 24:9-"Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor."
Ezekiel 18:12-"If he has oppressed the poor and needy, Robbed by violence, Not restored the pledge, Lifted his eyes to the idols, Or committed abomination;"
Galatians 2:21-"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Mark 7:7-"And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 5:37-"But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." James 5:12-"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."
MEMBERSHIP 2.0.1 REVISION:
(EXPECT MORE REVISIONS IN DAYS TO COME
AS THE LORD DIRECTS)
UNBIBLICAL CONSCIENCE BINDING PLEDGE #1 OF 6
(FORMERLY COVENANT 1 OF 6): OATH: "I WILL BE A 'FUNCTIONING' MEMBER"; AN "INACTIVE MEMBER IS THE ULTIMATE OXYMORON"
SERMON OF OCTOBER 26, 2014: PASTOR TUTEN OF LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH, BEAR, DELAWARE MODIFIES LAST WEEK'S SERMON POINTS, CLAIMING AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PLANNING THAT:
1) HE NEVER MEANT TO USE THE TERM "COVENANT" SIGNING, BUT RATHER HE MEANT "PLEDGE" SIGNING. HOWEVER, ONLINE DICTIONARIES DEFINE PLEDGE AS MORE SERIOUS, INVOLVING GUARANTIES AND/OR WARRANTIES OF PERFORMANCE. IN THE CASE OF LIBERTY BAPTIST IT IMPLIES A:
CONDITIONAL MEMBERSHIP; ENFORCING SPIRITUAL EUGENICS TO RID THE CHURCH OF NON COMPLIANT PARTS
SEE: http://www.yourdictionary.com/pledge EXCERPTS: The definition of a pledge is something held as security on a contract, a promise, or a person who is in a trial period before joining an organization. Pledge is defined as to give something as security for a loan, promise, make an agreement, or accept a potential membership.
noun
the condition of being given or held as security for a contract, payment, etc.: a thing held in pledge
a person or thing given or held as security for the performance of a contract, as a guarantee of faith, etc.; something pawned; hostage
a token or earnest
a drinking to someone's health to express good will or allegiance; toast
a promise or agreement
something promised, esp. money to be contributed in regular payments
☆ a person undergoing a trial period before formal initiation into a fraternity, sorority, etc.
to present as security or guarantee, esp. for the repayment of a loan; pawn
to drink a toast to
to bind by a promise or agreement
to promise to give: to pledge allegiance, pledge money to a fund
☆
to accept tentative membership in (a fraternity, etc.)
to accept as a pledge ()
2) "PLEDGE" MAKING IS SCRIPTURAL, BUT "COVENANT" MAKING IS NOT, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE INSTANCES OF BOTH IN SCRIPTURE; PLEDGES BEING USED IN A MOSTLY NEGATIVE OR PEJORATIVE WAY, EQUATING IT TO SWEARING.
3) HE NEVER INTENDED TO ERADICATE EXISTING MEMBERSHIPS, BUT ONLY TO MAKE THEM BETTER UNDER VERSION 2.0., WHEREIN YOU GET TO CARRY OUT THE ORDERS FROM THE LEADERS, IN A TOP DOWN PYRAMID OF AUTHORITY.
4) CHURCH MEMBERS ARE NOT TO THINK OF THEMSELVES AS BEING ON A CRUISE SHIP, BUT A BATTLESHIP (OBSOLETE). IRRELEVANT TO TODAY'S UNREGENERATE WHO SEE THE CHURCH AS MOSTLY COWARDLY, NON-DOCTRINAL, NON-CONFRONTATIONAL, NOT OFFENSIVE, WHICH ARE THE SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EMERGING CHURCH.
5) YOU MAY NOT CRITICIZE LEADERSHIP; YOU MUST SUBSUME YOUR INDIVIDUALITY TO THE FASCIST/SOCIALIST COLLECTIVE, WHETHER IT BE IN THE CHURCH OR IN THE COMMUNITY. 6) YOU WILL FIND THAT THE CHURCH IS NOTHING LIKE IT USED TO BE AFTER IMPLEMENTING THE WARREN/HYBELS/DRUCKER BUSINESS MODEL. 7) YOU CAN KEEP THE SIX (6) PLEDGES YOU SIGN; YOU DON'T HAVE TO TURN THEM IN TO LEADERSHIP. HOWEVER, WE WILL MAINTAIN A DATABASE ON YOU, TAKING NOTE OF EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND DO, FOR OUR BENEFIT AND THAT OF GOVERNMENT. SO DON'T BE "DIVISIVE" BY SHEDDING LIGHT ON OUR APOSTASY AND HERESY. THAT COULD DESTROY THE "CONSENSUS" WE HAVE BUILT WITH THE WORLD AND OUR EXPANSION PLANS FUNDED BY GOVERNMENT MATCHING MONIES. (UNBIBLICAL).
IS THIS WHAT "BATTLESHIP" MEMBERSHIP IS LIKE? WHERE IS THE BATTLE BEING WAGED THEN? 1 Corinthians 14:8-"For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?"
CREATING AN UNFORGETTABLE EMOTIONAL CHURCH "EXPERIENCE" FOR THE COMMUNITY,
BUT MINUS THE GOSPEL
PANDERING TO THE UNREGENERATE
WITH CARNIVAL STYLE EVENTS ONLY TO HELP THEM
"CROSS THE PROPERTY LINE" OF THE CHURCH.
2 Corinthians 6:14-"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"
SINGING "BREAK EVERY CHAIN"
BUT THEN PUTTING YOU IN CHAINS???
This Sunday, October 26, 2014, pastor George Tuten "treated" those in attendance with his ROCK STYLE/REPETITIVE singing and guitar playing, (Matthew 6:7), not with traditional songs or hymns, but with some of the worst contemporary music in existence. In this case, they were songs by Chris Tomlin (as last week), Matt Redman, and one by Tasha Cobbs' "Break Every Chain".
This is called the new paradigm of doing church, i.e., it's not about you, who may already be saved, but to attract the unregenerate with the vile filth of today's ecumenical, Catholic leaning contemporary "Christian"musicians, who have worldly associations.
In case you are not familiar with the above three musicians, here's something you should know about them, after reading:
Tomlin is a former staff member of Austin Stone Community Church in Texas, which holds the emerging church philosophy. It has an extremely weak doctrinal statement that allows the widest possible ecumenical relationships. Its objective is not just to preach the gospel to lost souls but to “redeem” the city of Austin, which is defnitely not what the apostles sought to do in the Roman Empire. Tomlin has a close association with Roman Catholicism. Catholic Matt Maher wrote Tomlin’s hit song “Your Grace Is Enough,” and Maher and Tomlin co-wrote “Crown Him (Mastery)” and “Your Grace Is Enough.” Maher’s goal with his music is to unite “evangelicals” with Roman Catholicism. He says, “The arms of St Peter’s are really big” (“Catholic rocker Matt Maher fnds cross-over appeal among evangelicals,” Religion News Service, May 17, 2013). He says that God has called him “to write music with Protestants and be in ministry with them,” and, “What’s fantastic about it is we’re all Christians from different denominations and we’re learning to understand each other.” Tomlin invited Roman Catholic Audrey Assad to perform on his 2009 Christmas tour and album and sang her song “Winter Snow” as a duet. Tomlin supports the Worship Central training school sponsored by Alpha International, the radically ecumenical charismatic organization that was birthed from the “laughing revival” at Holy Trinity Brompton in London. Tere is a Roman Catholic arm of Alpha. Tomlin says, “Worship Central is an important and much needed training ground for today’s leaders. When it comes to leading the church, we need each other, and Worship Central is a wonderful place to connect” (www.worshipcentral.org). Chris Tomlin, “the king of worship music,” is using his music to build the one-world “church,” and nothing could be more unscriptural and spiritually dangerous. Matt Redman:
Matt Redman is one the most infuential names in the contemporary worship movement. He supports the Worship Central training school sponsored by Alpha International, the radically ecumenical charismatic organization that was birthed from the “laughing revival” at Holy Trinity Brompton, London, England. Matt Redman’s radical ecumenism and spiritual carelessness is evident in that he is scheduled to participate in the National Worship Leader Conference in 2011. A prominent speaker at the conference is Leonard Sweet who promotes a wide variety of New Age heresies. He calls his universalist-tinged doctrine New Light and “quantum spirituality” and “the Christ consciousness” and describes it in terms of “the union of the human with the divine” which is the “center feature of all the world’s religions” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 235). He defnes the New Light as “a structure of human becoming, a channeling of Christ energies through mind body experience” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 70). Sweet says that “New Light pastors” hold the doctrine of “embodiment of God in the very substance of creation” (p. 124). In Carpe Mañana, Sweet says that the earth is as much a part of the body of Christ as humans and that humanity and the earth constitutes “a cosmic body of Christ” (p. 124). Sweet says that some of the “New Light leaders” that have infuenced his thinking are Matthew Fox, M. Scott Peck, Willis Harman, and Ken Wilber. These are prominent New Agers who believe in the divinity of man, as we have documented in the book The New Age Tower of Babel. Sweet has endorsed The Shack. In October 2010 Redman participated in the David Crowder Band’s Fantastical Church Music Conference at Baylor University. There he joined hands with Rob Bell, who denies the infallible inspiration of Scripture, believes practically everyone will be saved, denies the eternal judgment of hell, and mocks the gospel of salvation through the blood of Christ. Tasha Cobbs:
http://tashacobbs.org/about/; Excerpts: "More than an artist, Tasha Cobbs is an innovative tool of influence with a passion for mentorship. Resulting from this passion came the launch of the iLead Escape (www.theiLeadEscape.com), a global ministry mentorship program that aids 2,000 mentees in sharpening the knowledge and execution of their gifts. In addition to this program, Tasha extended the reach of her mentorship with her debut book, WORSHIP 101, a manual that revisits the basics of worship. On Monday, October 13th, 2014, thousands from near and far gathered for the live recording of her sophomore project with Motown Gospel/Universal CMG as she documented a body of work, that although done in the same vein of GRACE, will certainly stand alone because of its progressive and crossover approach." Singing at Women Thou Art Loosed 2012 “Break Every Chain":
Kim Walker Smith "Break Every Chain" - MorningStar Ministries:
Trunk or Treat Family Night; They Took Food & Candy, Then Left Without The Gospel?
TUTEN DOSEN'T SAY IF THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED OR EVEN TRACTS GIVEN OUT WITH THE FREEBIES. WHY?Tuten doesn't say if the gospel was preached, tracts given out, or witnessing occurred. Why?
Tuten doesn't say if the gospel was preached, tracts given out, or anyone witnessed.
"Everyone is welcome to join us Saturday, October 25 at 6pm! Children and families are invited to our 1st ever “Trunk or Treat” at LBC."
HOW "SAFE" IS THIS TO YOUR ETERNAL SOUL?
"Trunk or Treat is a safe environment where children can walk to over 30 decorated vehicles and collect candy. This event also includes the following activities FREE: hayride, food, photo booth, campfire and marshmallows, fire truck, a visit from the Chick-fil-A cow (6:00-6:30), games and lots more.
We look forward to seeing YOU there. Oh, and don’t forget to wear your costumes!"
(LIKE WE DO INSIDE THE CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, HA HA)
Lynn & Sarah Leslie of Crossroad, link below: "Oaths and covenants are a new form of legalism entering the church like a flood. They require more of us than Scripture requires. It is a horrible new form of bondage, accomplished in the name of a new church for the 21st century. This is a “transformation” not a “reformation.” It would return the church to the dark ages of oppressive State Church. This movement did not arise from God, but from the rapacious desires of evil men."
Dr. Robert Klenck, an orthopedic surgeon, has been speaking out at conferences around the country about the origination of this new covenant agenda. He explains that Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose-Driven Church, has sold over a million copies and that over 150,000 pastors and church leaders have been trained in his model. Rick Warren was mentored by Peter Drucker, a corporate management guru with strong ties to the New Age/New World Order. Drucker “influenced the start and growth of Saddleback Church.” Drucker has dedicated much effort into bringing the church into conformance with the “systems” model of governance, which is known as Total Quality Management in the corporate world. In this model, parishioners are “customers.” The focus shifts to “outcomes” which means that people will have to be held “accountable” for “performance.” Certain rewards (“rights”) and “responsibilities” accompany these outcomes, and a small group structure like cell groups is a perfect way to ensure that people are meeting these “outcomes.” These “outcomes” or expectations are driven by people, not by the Lord or His Word. By implication, if one doesn’t meet the “outcomes,” there may be “penalties”.
Drucker is a communitarian, which is a modern “communist” who has effectually distanced their views from the old communists. In his communitarian model of governance, the State is in reality the only leg of the stool. The Corporate and the Church subsume their identities and comfortably merge with State into one comprehensive “system” of governance for mankind. Drucker’s ideas gave rise to the faith-based institution movement of the last decade.
It is not uncommon, therefore, to find that faith-based, government-financed “covenant” churches are requiring even more of their members. Members at one such church in Pennsylvania must participate in daily e-mails from the pastor, evening worship several nights a week, daily intercession activities, cell group activities, and up to 5 hours per week of “community service” in any of over a dozen state-funded, community-based “ministries.” Churches like this one have become “centers” for State charity work. They then become “accountable” to the “State” for the monies that they receive. When one signs an oath to uphold the covenant of this type of church, they are also agreeing to uphold the State/Church relationship!
The new oaths and covenants put a pressure on church people – a pressure that comes, not from God but from man. Peer orientation, fear factors, and the demands to conform or meet expectations prevail. The focus is on self-mastery, not God-directed discipline. Some will do the bare minimum just to “get by.” For others, good deeds that were formerly done in secret, arising out of love and compassion, are now done openly and boldly so that leaders will see and approve.
Oaths and covenants are a new form of legalism entering the church like a flood. They require more of us than Scripture requires. It is a horrible new form of bondage, accomplished in the name of a new church for the 21st century. This is a “transformation” not a “reformation.” It would return the church to the dark ages of oppressive State Church. This movement did not arise from God, but from the rapacious desires of evil men.
IS THERE A BIBLICAL MANDATE FOR
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP COVENANT AGREEMENTS?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR PASTOR SPENT 5 WEEKS EXPLAINING THE NEED FOR YOU TO SIGN ONTO A "CONTRACTUAL" RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND THE CHURCH LEADERSHIP?
HERE'S A CHURCH THAT IS ABOUT TO IMPLEMENT A SIX MONTH PLAN TO GET YOU TO DO THAT, WITH THE GULLIBLE SIGNING NO LESS THAN SIX (6) SEPARATE DOCUMENTSTO BIND YOUR CONSCIENCE, VIOLATING NOT ONLY SCRIPTURE, BUT ALSO REVISING CHURCH HISTORY:
THEY DIDN'T SIGN WRITTEN MEMBERSHIP COVENANTS
AT PENTECOST
Matthew 20:25-28-"But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave ---just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Galatians 5: 1-6-"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love."
JUST LIKE MICROSOFT ANNOUNCING:
THE NEWEST, COOLEST, MOST ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEM HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED; THE OLD OPERATING SYSTEM WILL NO LONGER BE SUPPORTED
THOUGHT YOU HAD MEMBERSHIP IN PERPETUITY? WRONG!
HE WANTS TO BE YOUR LEADER, NOT YOUR SHEPHERD
BY ERASING YOUR OLD MEMBERSHIP AND STARTING OVER;
JUST BECAUSE HE AND THE BOARD THINK THEY ARE WISER THAN
CHRISTIANS WHO CAME BEFORE THEM; THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE ON HOW TO BE A MEMBER SINCE PENTECOST!!! SIGN NOW, THERE'S A PRICE INCREASE TOMORROW!!! DON'T QUESTION, ACT NOW!!!
GEORGE W. TUTEN III, PASTOR OF:
LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH, BEAR, DELAWARE WILL LOAD YOU WITH GUILT AND SHAME IF YOU DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO:
While crowds of protesters in the Middle East are clamoring for freedom from oppressive dictatorships, it appears that some Christians who live in the land of the free are being coerced into signing membership covenants based on a Moses Model of Old Covenant “rule”. Perhaps without realizing it, these brothers and sisters in Christ are renouncing Paul’s teaching to the Galatians and reverting to Old Testament law, which we believe is being imposed on them by their church leadership. This is a hybrid form of Christianity that the Apostle Paul warned against.
RED FLAG #1 – Faulty Theology Regarding the Bride of Christ
RED FLAG #2 – Elder / Parental Authority
RED FLAG #3 – Mandatory Small Group Participation
RED FLAG #4 – Non-members Must Submit to Elder Authority and Discipline
RED FLAG #5 – Disenrollment and Leaving
As our loyal readers know, Derek Prince and Bob Mumford publicly apologized for the abusive practices of the Shepherding Movement. Sadly, another generation has arisen that has no knowledge of Shepherding aka “Discipleship”. We fear that they are the “target market” of these hyper-authoritarian churches. After all, what age group will knowingly enter into a relationship with a church leader who is their “parental authority”?
EXCERPTS: Covenantal nomism is a centerpiece in the theology of the NPP. Quoting Sanders, Guy Waters gives this definition:
One enters the covenant by baptism…. Once one enters the covenant, then membership provides salvation. Obedience to (or repentance for a transgression of) a specific set of commandments keeps one in the covenantal relationship, while repeated or heinous transgression removes one from membership.[4]
Under covenantal nomism one is placed in the covenant through the grace of God (although baptism is necessary). One does not earn a place in the covenant through works (except the work of baptism). However to maintain one’s position in the covenant requires obedience to the laws of the covenant. One enters the covenant by faith but stays in by works. Jack Hughes is correct when he notes,
The similarities to Roman Catholic theology are very striking. Roman Catholic theology teaches that infant baptism places one into the “covenant community” and as long as that person continues to observe the sacraments, he will preserve himself and be saved. That is legalism, salvation by works.
This video was of a recent service at The Cross Baptist Church which is a new church plant in Fort Worth, Texas. In an effort to take membership seriously, a new member class preceded a covenant signing ceremony.
The Shepherding Movement (sometimes called the "Discipleship Movement") was an influential and controversial movement within some British and American charismatic churches, emerging in the 1970s and early 1980s. The doctrine of the movement emphasized the "one another" passages of the New Testament, and the mentoring relationship described in 2 Timothy.
History
It began when four well-known Charismatic teachers, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Charles Simpson, and Don Basham, responded to what they saw as a moral failure in a charismatic ministry in South Florida. Witnessing this failure, the four men felt mutually vulnerable without greater accountability structures in their lives.They also felt the charismatic movement was becoming individualistic and subjective. These realizations, led them to mutually submit their lives and ministries to one another.Ern Baxter was later added to the core leadership of the group, and they became known as the "Fort Lauderdale Five."
"A less known sixth associate was John Poole. Together these individuals formed the organization that would be 'the center of one of the most violent controversies (i.e., the Discipleship/Shepherding controversy) in Protestant charismatic history,' Christian Growth Ministries (CGM), headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida."
Their relationships, and the doctrines which they began to emphasize in support and definition of these relationships, gained wide approval, as they addressed a strongly felt three-fold need of many in the burgeoning charismatic movement: greater accountability, stronger character development, and deeper relationships. Other Charismatic ministers and some Pentecostal began to submit to the authority of the Ft. Lauderdale Five. The vertical, descending, "chain-of-command" the five ministers were successful in establishing —
"was a pyramid-shaped, multi-tiered organizational structure, which had at the top echelon of the pyramid (it just so happened) none other than the Fab Five themselves, who claimed (conveniently) to be in "submission" to each other, which arrangement, they purported, acted as a fail-safe "checks and balance" system to totally preclude them from falling prey to the corruptive properties of absolute power to which, historically, so many others (albeit, less spiritual than they, of course) succumbed."
At the zenith of the pseudo-movement, "They had a national network of followers who formed pyramids of sheep and shepherds. Down through the pyramid went the orders, it was alleged, while up the same pyramid went the tithes." The relationships that were formed became known theologically as "covenant relationships." A network of cell groups were formed. Members had to be submitted to a "shepherd", who in turn was submitted to the Five or their subordinates. "...large numbers of charismatic pastors began to be shepherded by the CGM leaders, a development that went uncharted but not unnoticed. It was uncharted because these relationships were personal and not institutional, so there were never any published lists of pastors and congregations being shepherded by CGM leaders...." At its height, an estimated 100,000 adherents across the US were involved in the networks.
Some of the early leaders of the movement came out of Campus Crusade for Christ, but Crusade itself did not embrace it. Other movements influenced by the Shepherding doctrine were the Shiloh houses scattered across the USA (some of them transitioned into Calvary Chapels when they abandoned the shepherding movement ideas), International Churches of Christ, Maranatha Campus Ministries, and Great Commission International (today known as Great Commission Ministries/Great Commission Association of Churches). The movement emphasized the importance of a network of accountability within church members, with many individuals acting as personal pastors to others. In many cases, shepherding relationships existed outside the bounds of individual churches, leading to the unusual situation of a church member being accountable not to others in his/her church, but someone outside the church.
Criticism and controversy
The movement was a controversial one:
"The heat of the controversy can be captured by reading an open letter, dated June 27, 1975, from Pat Robertson to Bob Mumford. Robertson said that in a recent visit to Louisville, Kentucky, he found cultish language like"submission" rather than churches, "shepherds" not pastors, and "relationships" but not Jesus. Robertson traveled to ORU and found a twenty-year-old "shepherd" who drew tithes from fellow students as part of their submission. Robertson, drawing from Juan Carlos Ortiz's Call to Discipleship, charged the leaders with placing personal revelations (rhema) on par with Scripture. He quoted a devotee as saying, "If God Almighty spoke to me, and I knew for a certainty that it was God speaking, and if my shepherd told me to do the opposite, I would obey my shepherd."
The movement was denounced by charismatic leaders such as Pat Robertson and Demos Shakarian, and a 1975 meeting (known as "the shoot-out at the Curtis Hotel") to resolve the dispute achieved little.
"Pat Robertson banned the CGM leaders and erased all tapes that included them. Robertson used CBN to pronounce the shepherding teaching 'witchcraft' and said the only difference between the discipleship group and Jonestown was 'Kool-Aid.' Kathryn Kuhlman refused to appear together with Bob Mumford at the 1975 Conference on the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.Demos Shakarian the founder and director of FGBMFI declared the CGM leaders persona non grata. The number of voices swelled as criticism came from Dennis Bennett, Ken Sumrall, Thomas F. Zimmerman (General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God), and David duPlessis."
The Fort Lauderdale Five eventually parted company. Derek Prince and Bob Mumford both publicly distanced themselves from the teachings. Derek Prince withdrew in 1983, stating his belief that "we were guilty of the Galatian error: having begun in the Spirit, we quickly degenerated into the flesh." Bob Mumford issued a "Formal Repentance Statement to the Body of Christ" in November 1989 and was quoted as saying, "I repent. I ask forgiveness." In the same article, Mumford also acknowledged abuses that had occurred because of his teaching on submission: "...Mumford decided that he needed to publicly 'repent' of his responsibility in setting up a system where so many people were hurt by misuses of authority. 'Some families were split up and lives turned upside down,' says Mumford. 'Some of these families are still not back together.'" This emphasis resulted in “perverse and unbiblical obedience” to leaders, said Mumford.
"In his statement, Mumford admitted that he had not heeded earlier warnings about doctrinal error from Hayford and two others. "While it was not my intent to be willful," he said, "I ignored their input to my own hurt and the injury of others." ...He admitted that there had been an "unhealthy submission resulting in perverse and unbiblical obedience to human leaders." He took personal responsibility for these abuses, saying that many of them happened under his sphere of leadership."
Today
The degree to which the Shepherding Movement still exists today is unclear. While both Charles Simpson and Bob Mumford have made public statements disavowing the movement, or at least distancing themselves from it, Simpson's biography on the website of Charles Simpson Ministries highlights his co-founding of New Wine Magazine and specifically mentions Baxter, Mumford, and Prince as "notable Bible teachers" associated with the magazine. The website also lists Derek Prince Ministries and Lifechangers by Bob Mumford as "ministry allies."
David Moore's 2004 book on the Shepherding Movement takes an impartial, scholarly look at the movement, which includes interviews with all living primary and many secondary individuals.
The Shepherding Movement ideologies live on today in some groups, most notably the Korean group called University Bible Fellowship,who is currently active on over 70 US college campuses. ____________________________________________________________________ EPHESIANS 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
A PUBLIC SERMON NECESSITATES PUBLIC EXPOSURE, SINCE THE SOULS OF MANY ARE HANGING IN THE BALANCE:
PASTOR TUTEN SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS;
NOT USED TO BEING CRITIQUED
PASTOR TUTEN DEFAULTS TO "AD HOMINEM" ATTACK,
FALSE ACCUSATION, FALSE GUILT
AND MISAPPLICATION OF MATTHEW 18
IN HIS DEVILISH RESPONSE;
SHOWS NO REPENTANCE; JUST BOW DOWN TO HIM,
AS SEEN BELOW:
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
"I assume you are the author of the article that I just read that you posted relative to a sermon I delivered to our church (Liberty Baptist in Bear, Delaware) just yesterday morning. I also assume that we must have met and that you have had an opportunity to cross check your "facts" directly with me since you apparently think you know me so well that you can go directly to a blog with my picture and alleged quotes within 24 hours of said message without making even a feeble attempt to reach out to me and get clarification on what is a massive misrepresentation of me and what I am attempting to do in this sermon series. Oh, that's right - we have NEVER met and you never even attempted to follow the basic principles laid down in Matthew 18 (you know, the part that commands you to go to the one with whom you have "aught" - ALONE!) or show to me an attempt at respect. I am disgusted that you would do this. I am sure that in your mind you are completely justified but in reality you are completely wrong in your conclusions and assumptions. You don't know me and you know nothing about me so why don't you go back to the hole you crawled out of and leave me alone.
Having said that, I am NOT afraid of you nor would I shy away from an opportunity of talking TO you. So since you showed your incredible smallness by what you did, I will show you another way. If you are sincerely interested in getting clarification directly from me, I am more than willing to talk with you. My cell # is 302.438.1787.
Do the right thing, John.
George W. Tuten III - Senior and Founding Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Bear, Delaware."
