Archived Letters ... Archived from 10/97 - 11/01
to the "Deception In The Church" Web Page
Following are some letters that I hope will encourage you like they have encouraged me. I have hundreds more as our web site receives many pieces of e-mail each day. I have been saving e-mails related to the site for a long time so I decided to give you a sampling of what I have stored and keep adding more as I go. For the latest letters to DITC, check here.
Thank you SO much for addressing these issues on a Web page. This stuff IS real and it IS infectious...... I'm glad that you had the patience to put a page on the Net about it!God Bless You!
M.B.
DITC,I think that you have done a great thing with your web site on the Brownsville Revival..... I want to commend you.
Also, I wanted to tell you that more deception than just the Brownsville Assembly revival is occurring in Pensacola. You see, I am the product of a 10 year struggle with Pentecostalism from the UPC- perspective. My mother attends the United Pentecostal Church (The Pentecostals of P...) in P.... I grew up in this faith, and dismissed it when I was 20. When I cut my hair, started wearing pants, and other various "worldly" things, my mother disowned me. Her own flesh and blood. I was attending E... University at the time and making fantastic grades. I wasn't involved with drugs or anything detrimental to my well-being. I simply dismissed the Pentecostal faith in search of what was really out there.
I don't have a whole lot of time now, but can send you a more detailed story as to the trauma I have experienced since my dismissal of the Pentecostal faith. My life has truly suffered- and I reject any charismatic faith that tries to control the lives and thoughts of its believers.
Let me know what you think. I am starting to write a book of my experience. Thank you!
R.M.
I, too was a Catholic (born again, etc.) for many years. What I realize now is that I was in denial for so long - trying to torture the scriptures into an unrecognizable form in order to accommodate so many teachings; the rest, I just took on 'faith' that those who told me those things were smarter, better educated, etc. Finally, I could no longer handle the intellectual dishonesty involved: either the Bible was the source of authority, or a man was. The choice was obvious, but painful. Looking back, I can understand the deception, but cannot abide the schizophrenic state Catholicism creates in a person, assuming one can even discern what the true teaching about salvation is! I recommend Dave Hunt's book The Woman Rides a Beast for ALL Catholics. If after reading you are still convinced by all the pompous, holiness leading to bondage, then I would ask you to do some soul searching. Just know there IS a cure for the inner turmoil caused by such a break between what your mind tells you and what your head has been convinced is true: it's called repentance and turning away, looking for the TRUE source of freedom and peace that only the Living, Risen Lord ALONE can bring. Thanks for starting/continuing this very important discussion. If it only gets one to think, and think HONESTLY in light of scripture and common sense, it will be worth it! God Bless!!E.B.
Dear DITCCould you please subscribe me to your newsletter. God bless you and all your family. Thank you for your work in the discernment ministries and your help as well as others in helping to keep us informed of what you think is and is not of
God.Thank you and God bless you
Love D.
Thanks for your web site on the "Third Wave", "Catholicism", and "Apostasy". You may also want to considering linking:www.pro-gospel.org/article-menu.html (Proclaiming the Gospel [to Catholics])
www.tyndale.edu/BOOKLETS/e-c.html (Dr. Couch on Evan. & Catholics Together)I just got back from a fantastic three-day conference with Dr. Tommy Ice, Dr. Mal Couch & Mike Gendron (the first two have one or more articles on your web site). Your web site is more than timely!
In the love of the coming Lamb,
V.P.
I received your e-mail via E. & S. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. A year ago I left my church (AOG) because of this counterfeit revival. I had been attending there for fourteen years, and it was very hard to leave, as it had been a part of my life for so long. I was the Children's Church Superintendent and loved teaching the children. For two years I sat on the fence watching the church that I loved becoming more and more, a circus act. I tried to accept the weird manifestations, listening to my Pastor telling us to get more, more, more. I started to feel pretty lonely at the church services, refusing to go to the front to get filled with more of the "Spirit". Friends started to ask why I wasn't going out to the front, I just told them I didn't feel I needed to. At that time I still wasn't sure whether what was happening was of God, or not. I felt like a second class Christian, a fraud, as I couldn't rejoice at what my friends where calling a great move of God. How could my spirit rejoice in services where the Word of God was hardly preached, when a woman runs away from the Pastor, on all fours, shouting no more, no more, and the pastor chasing her saying give her more Lord, give her more. Where people scream as if demon possessed, while others are clucking, and flapping like chickens, people standing in trances, for hours, not hearing one word preached, etc.... As Christians, in my experience, we are to accepting of what our Pastors/Leaders say. I lesson I had to learn the hard way. I forsook the warnings of God, that He placed in His Word and listened to man instead. We were told, by the Pastor, to just accept things, but the Word of God says we must test the spirits. There are so many contradictions of God's Word in this counterfeit revival. We as Christians have no excuse. God has given us His Word and His Holy Spirit, it is up to us to put on the full armor of God. Just prior to leaving the church, friends of mine who had left their fellowship, because of the movement, showed my parents and my husband and I, a video which totally opened our eyes to this deception. That was when we decided to get off the fence and do something about it. We could not continue to live a lie. Our Pastor was in the process of leaving our church to Pastor another church, so we decided to wait and speak to our New Pastor about what we felt. My parents got to speak to him first. When dad told him that he didn't believe this move was from God and the reason why he felt like this, the Pastor become extremely angry. He started personalizing his attack, saying what did my father ever do for the kingdom of God (this was from a Pastor who had known dad less than two weeks). (By the way dad was one of the people who established our local assembly, and who has led a lot of people to the Lord.) He than, after some more nasty remarks, told dad & mum to leave the church. To go to a "dead" church, as he put it, and not to make contact with anyone from our Assembly. All this from a man who is suppose to nurture God's flock. This in itself shows me there is no balance when it comes to this movement. I had arrived at the tail end of all this, I could hear the shouting as I got out of my car. The Pastor's wife was coming out of the door, and I wondered what was going on. As the Pastor come out the door he saw me and come up to me and warned me not to listen to my father, as my father would lead me astray, he then walked off to his car. Mum and dad never returned to the church, they started attending a Spirit filled Baptist church. Because my husband who was away at the time, asked me to stay till he came back, I stayed on another two weeks, than rang my husband saying that I could not stay till he got back as thing were just to far gone. The sermons preached were just brainwashing. We were told not to watch or read anything that was against the Revival. We were told that God was cleaning out the church of people who had the "Goliath" spirit in them. We were told that even the people sitting next to us could be the enemy. That even the sweet lady who you've known for years and who's been in ministry and everyone likes her. She could be an enemy of God. This type of brainwashing went on for the time I was there, and I know that this has continued since I have left the church. We now attend the same church as my parents attend. The pastor there is against this counterfeit revival. Some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have also left the church. We are still witnessing to some in our old Assembly. Last month another family we have been feeding information to, left this counterfeit revival. Praise God. So while the door is still open we will continue to feed information to people deceived. If there is a possibility of plucking even one more person, out of this deception it will be worth it.Yours in Christ
P.W.
Hello from the UK, surfed in via a link from Cross & Word. Myself & my wife left a charismatic fellowship when Toronto hit. We have had a steep learning curve since then . Will write more if get the chance.Keep up the good work,
God bless
T. & S. G.
Dear Brother in Christ,As I was browsing the internet looking for information on Robert Tilton, I came upon your site. There is a man in Boise Idaho that used to be the Music Minister at Tilton's church. His name is Mike Trent and his church is the "Word of Life". Most of his sermons and bible studies if not all are copies of Robert Tilton stuff. To make a long story short, I lost my family to this Tilton Clone as they said that I was not a Christian. They also preached money and power. It has been over 15 months since my wife left and almost a year since she has divorced me. It is sad that these "super apostles" are doing the devil's work without even being aware. Each day I continue to pray for my former wife that she will be set free from the bondage that she has allowed herself to get into because of the love of money. Please join me in prayer that the Lord Jesus through his Holy Spirit will open the eyes of all these wounded sheep that are deceived through clever speech.
Love in Christ,
A believer named J.
Dear DITC,Received your e-mail dated .... I understand that your articles come from several sources, and do not originate from "DITC". I had been reading the article "Misplaced Faith", by B. M. Rocine, and was interested in having background information about this author. Education is a part of this background information. If you do not have any information, I will look for another source. I am also concerned about the influence that the "third wave" is having on many Christians. One of my sisters has been drawn into this, but she does not respond to Biblical arguments, she relies upon her feelings. As Christians, rather than relying upon the words of men, we should check out everything with the Bible, as did the Bereans with Paul (Acts 17:11).
In Christ,
G. E. S.
Hi DITCI was inspired by your web site for DITC. You may be interested in having a look at mine, as the story contained therein is an example of my silent ministry through my music. I could not have done this without Him.
Regards
J. B.
DITC,Thank you for the information on the KCM. I saw it on the internet and was encouraged that it was all information and not slander. Some ministries out a personal twist to their message, but you kept it objective. I highly respect that as it keeps it profession without an ax to grind. It was a confirmation of what I crawled out of 2 years ago. I can truly say "I was lost but now am found, was blind but NOW I see."
Thanks again and may God bless the works of your ministry.
M.F.
Dear DITCThank you for sending me issues of Deception in the Church Newsletter. I appreciate it.
B.
Hello! I wonder if it's possible to be on your e-mail list. Thank you for good information on the web. I'm glad for all information I can get.Thank You and greetings in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
from K. A., Sweden.
DITC, while I get a great deal of wonderful info from your web site page, I wondered if you are also putting out a "snail mail" newsletter. If so, may I subscribe to it? If there is a fee, please tell me.B. W.
DITC,I stumbled upon your web sight through another family member's bookmark. I was very impressed and so grateful that there are others who feel the same way as I do regarding scripture, the state of the church, and the holy spirit. I feel so alone sometimes, battling against so much false doctrine and foolishness! I came out of a well known church that is now steeped in the doctrines of the "Toronto Blessing". I left long before this happened, but could see spiritual disaster already brewing when I left 10 years ago.
DITC has the ONLY doctrinal statement I have ever seen that is not just human apologetics but all scripture. That impressed me the most!
I'd just like to offer a word of encouragement and thanks and let you know I will pray for you.
Love in Jesus,
L. M.
Dear DITC,I was searching the internet for information about a "separate" baptism called the baptism of fire....this is supposedly in addition to the baptism of repentance and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I came across your web page when I looked up a different gospel. I will be sharing some of this information with other like minded believers as those sold out to Brownsville are not interested.
I find it amazing the far reaching impact this false doctrine has had. You are in Guam? and I am in ....
Be lifted up in the name of Christ!
A. A.
I THANK YOU FOR AN INTERESTING SITE ON THE CURRENT TROUBLE IN THE CHURCH. BEING A DEACON IN A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH IN FLA. NOT TO FAR FROM BROWNSVILLE MY FIRST PRIORITY IS TO TEST ALL THINGS THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR INPUT IN A VERY HARD SEARCH FOR TRUTH.S. K.
Dear DITC,Keep it up.......keep me on your list..........and sometime, take a look at THE GREAT DREAM.
Psalm 35:27
Brother D.
Dear DITC,Thank you so much for your very informative site. I have been studying and searching for over 3 years now about this counterfeit revival. First, I live in A.... It is 30 miles out of S.... I have been saved for 18 years. We have continually prayed for this area. Pleading, asking, practically begging God for revival. I have been to a Rodney Howard Browne meeting. I have seen the laughing, experienced it myself. Changed churches searching, ever searching for that brass ring. I always seemed to be on the outside looking in. Never a part of the "new thing". Thank God for that! Since I signed on to the internet, over a year ago, I have been steadily coming to the truth. Or coming back to the truth. Please don't think that people are not being touched or changed. We are. There are 5 families, including my own, that have left the institutional church and started to home church just to get back to the basics. We want to know Jesus and what the word says. Not some movement or experience. We have all come out of charismatic churches in our area. Most of us have been at the same churches over this 18 year period. We were "raised" on Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, etc... Now we just basically want to chill and decompress. In July of 1997, there was a meeting held by the Kenneth Hagin Ministries at the S... F... Church in C.... I couldn't go, but my former Pastor did. I watched the streaming videos from the Rhema web site. I saw my Pastor and his wife receive "impartation" and be slain in the spirit. Kenneth Hagin called it the "spirit of knowing and seeing". (go figure?) Over the internet! How spooky is that?! Kenneth Hagin said that he had a vision and the next great revival was to start there, in St.Louis, and move east. That is where we live. We were so excited. Finally, God had decided to visit the midwest. (like He was never there, duh!) But, when we began to question our Pastor about his crazy doctrines (not even coming close to the Word of God, some new revelation every service, flat out heresy), and his "I'm the senior Pastor I rule!" mentality, we were shunned. Now with the help of your site, Hank Hannegraff, and others the scales are falling off. Take it from a Midwesterner, we are hungry. Not for religion, but for Jesus. We are going back to the book and studying. We do not want to be weighed and found wanting. They can keep Toronto, Brownsville, and every other movement. We want Jesus. Again thank you. Pray for the Midwest. There is a revival taking place but not the one Mr. Hagin expected.
B. T.
just would like to commend you and others, if any, on the marvelous work you've done on this web site. thanks for giving us access to the various articles. thanks for contending for the truth and standing against apostasy. feel free to visit my church's web site at: ...agape,
c c.
Dearest DITC:Thank you so much for responding quickly. Can you please tell me what are some of the unfortunate consequences of these missions that went to your area? I was involved in Vineyard in 85. Got out and studied with Walter Martin (apologetics). Many friends stayed and continue to suffer from the aftermath. I hope to use your information to lovingly reach them with the truth. A dear friend of mine (former Wimber missionary) was deeply involved with Frisbee and Wimber. I know that she experienced some disgruntledness with them...I hope that the information can explain some of the problems and help repair the hurt. Yet another friend stays in the Vineyard and is quite defensive-ascribes to the eliteism-and has such a twisted way of reading scripture, her whole life is upside down. For example, I tried to share "Christianity in Crisis" H. Hannegraff with her and there is a real close-mindedness with the usual "heresy hunter" attitude.
This is such a pain in my heart to see this. Meanwhile I am grateful for your articles and appreciate your courage and hard work.
May God keep you,
C. A.
I really enjoyed your page on Word-faith. I have ten years of history within the word-faith movement and was ordained through Buddy Harrison (FCF). I first left the church I was attending three years ago because it was manipulative and controlling, among other things. But I did not see any error within it's teachings. I began to attend an old time full gospel holiness church for two years until the church I had originally attended was brought down by greed and left 60 people wounded. I went back to help in the healing process and could not believe the "heresy" I was now hearing. I had been out long enough and exposed to the truth that the lie was obvious. The pastor preached on Easter of 97' "You don't have to repent in order to be saved...no where under the new covenant does it say that you have to repent in order to be saved, it says you must believe and confess to be saved." That was my wife's last service there and I left shortly thereafter. I spent much of the last year researching the doctrinal heresy. Last week I got unto the net for the first time and have found many pages like yours that point out the same heresies i have seen. Thank you for your boldness. I am enclosing a paper I wrote which is not about the heresies, as much as about the greed. Thought you may like to see it. If you can use it to help anyone feel free.d.c.
I am just new to the Internet and to this site. This site seems to be a wonderful site for discernment and counter-cult ministry particularly about the deception present in the charismatic and neo-charismatic movement. Many thanks for providing valuable information on this area. I was in need and looking for this kind of information since a long time. May God bless you and use you much in the time to come to glorify only His holy name.G.S.
Hi!
I got to this page from a link someone had at the RYM Ligonier Forum. It has been very helpful as I had been looking for info on Toronto and Brownsville.I think it interesting that people from these places say everyone who questions them are mean-spirited critics. From your site and the links you provide, most are very polite and concerned that people not be deceived. It has been very enlightening. Keep up the good work encouraging people to go by God's word and to not be overly impressed with experience. And to watch what kind of experience they're getting!
I too find it hard to believe the Holy Spirit, who is holy, would cause people to act in such "unholy" ways!
Thanks again!
G.
God bless you for the work that you are doing for the glory of our Lord. My heart aches for those that are being led astray by the wolves. I have good Christian friends that listen to the teachings of Hinn and Parsley. Please pray for them that the Holy Spirit would show them the deception of these liars and deceivers. N.P.
9:36 AM, Tuesday Morning, Sunny & Windy Central California MorningTo my brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings!
May the grace of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.A friend of mine gave me the Deception In The Church Web site address and I am amazed what the Lord has led me to. All the bizarre and demonic stuff on the Kundalini / Toronto Blessing just got confirmed to me again, that is, God has shown me once more what a lie it is and how your web site materials reinforce what I have researched. I have been researching this stuff for four years and many people think I am crazy and/or divisive. I
would like to get as many books as possible as well as video and audio info...I'd like to put together an apologetics seminar for the Central Coast of California to warn and help people regarding this issue of So-called
"Blessing".My heart breaks for so many people who have been literally 'damaged' and 'ruined' by the church endorsing this stuff. It's all over and getting worse. Even yoga in the church is a booming thing now. Last year I held a
seminar exposing the dangers of yoga and it's influence in the church and that afternoon, my wife was confronted and assaulted by a demon possessed women in a local park here. Satan is not happy about us exposing his lies,
but we will continue to do so more fervently. More importantly, our desire is to preach the everlasting gospel to the people here and show them practically that they have been led away from the Only true God-the Jesus of
the Holy Bible, and the Spirit of Truth.Isn't it interesting how Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Cor.11:4..."or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received...". Sad and grievous for the Berean to comprehend how far this delusion has gone/come.
PLEASE HELP US!
How can I order the books and get ALL the materials on your web site? Do you have an order form or a materials bank so I can purchase them. Can I get all the "Toronto Blessing" Articles together in a binder or ...how do I go about getting them. Do I have your permission to download/print them.Antii Huima's articles...does the author have a book or compilation that I can buy? The Kundalini comparison stuff is incredible and would be very useful.
Please let me know ASAP. I'd like to get the seminar going ASAP. I have waited too long and feel that I have grieved the Lord in my hesitation.
Sincerely, C. L.
Assistant Pastor
(A church in) San Luis ObispoLittle children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21
Thank you for the incredible site. :) I've been doing research on the "Third Wave" for several months and your site ties everything in together. I'm very impressed with the articles and links you have. I will recommend this site to
friends.
L.
DITC,What a joy to find your web site. I have been sending copies of my letter to Watchman Fellowship to a lot of ministries across the country. I had a terrible experience at a local Vineyard church. I took my complaint all the way to Todd Hunter in California. To no avail. Abuses in the Vineyard church are devastating to people. I have
met one woman already and know of several more from this one church in Birmingham, AL. Thank you for caring. I really did think I was the only one for the longest time. I have become very interested in Apologetics over the last 3 years since my being "thrown-out" of the Vineyard and called evil names. Lies were told about me
after I was gone. It was horrible treatment from a "so called" pastor. And he is allowed to continue devouring the flock.R. F. S.
I really like your web site. It has a lot of useful articles and helps. May I suggest a book that the Lord has used to get us (our family) out of the Charismatic movement which we were in for 10 years. As I was reading it, I was so convicted of the truth in it that I (the wife) could not go back to that church again. I read it to my husband and he
also agreed. The book is by John MacArthur and it's called Charismatic Chaos. Recently, I gave the book to a couple whose husband is an associate pastor in a Vineyard church and another couple whose husband is the deacon in the church we left. The former couple is seriously investigating the claims of the book and is seeing the error of the Charismatic movement. I haven't heard from the latter yet. It is an excellent book as it addresses these issues and more: Signs & Wonders; Speaking in Tongues; Health and Wealth Gospel; Charismatic Televangelism; Does God Still Speak Today? Well, that's all I wanted to say. Pray that God will use us to reach those who are in bondage to the thinking of the Charismatic teachings as we speak the truth in love to them. God bless you all.
In Christ, M.C.
I found your web site and am most grateful to see that the Lord has blessed you with much discernment. I was amazed and pleased to find several topics, etc., that I have been working on as well. I am the pastor of a small mission church congregation here on a bayou in Louisiana. You may find out more about us through our web pages. I have been a missionary pastor (Southern Baptist) for over 25 years. South Louisiana is culturally dominated by the Roman Catholic religion. My wife and I are missionaries to Roman Catholics, and this mission-type church was established to bring the true Gospel of God's grace to the Roman Catholics and Episcopalians of our area. Our congregation publicly confronted one of the endorsers of the ECT on February 10, 1995. For this, we have been locked out of our own building, our funds have been confiscated, and our ministry cut off from outside support. All of this has been done to our people by other "Baptists" who do not live here! In any event, we are blessed in a strange sort of way, yes? Our church continues in the Lord's work, meeting in
homes for worship and Bible study. Since many of the things you post are useful to us in our ministry, I want to link your site to our web site. Is this OK with you? Thank you for being faithful in the Lord's work.
J. M."Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely... but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel."
(Philippians 1:15-17)
Please include me in your listings for your newsletters. You have revealed so much to me from your web site and I would like to continue learning through you. Thank you for a wealth of information and may God bless your
ministry.
With thanks
S.
I don't know who you people are, or why you do what you do, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you for exposing the duplicity and manipulation in these people and organizations. I am one of many "victims" of these people, married to a woman who is a total believer in the power of the snake oil they sell. Is there no limit to the gullibility of people in this world?
C.A.
Thank you so much for having the courage to write about the things going on from within the church that are gravely affecting Christians. It seems whenever I turn on the tv and see evangelists preaching (especially on TBN), it is not the Word of God, it is "Send me a faith seed so God will give you lots of money and heal you of any disease.... and God doesn't want anyone to be poor... and give us 2000 dollars from your credit card even though you don't have it to give... etc." with bible verses thrown at the vulnerable viewer that have been so tortured and
so taken out of context, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. So anyway, I just wanted to encourage you and let you know you have a wonderful, and very helpful web site. Its so refreshing to see others who seek and love God for who He and what He has done for us rather than what we can get out of Him.
In Christ, M.
Hi. My name is R. and I attend an Assemblies of God church in .... In the past week I have been doing a lot of research on movements like word of faith, latter rain, revival movements, and I have become some what alarmed. I have always considered my church very biblical and discerning. But as I have been doing research I am learning what a huge effect these movements, past and present, have had on my church. I am 16 years old and involved
very much in our youth, and I have found out that, at least my youth pastor, endorses Brownsville as authentic and he was concerned when I bought a book called "Counterfeit Revival" and read it in front of him. That is when I learned that he approved of these movements and he he and another in leadership gave me the impression that I should not be worried about it. I told him that I was just reading it to gain discernment against things like the word-faith movement. At this point he points out that in some ways (maybe positive confession) he considers himself word-faith. I dropped the conversation at that because I had not done enough research to really say any more. I really think that my pastor and others in my congregation are ignorant of how bad some of these teachings really are and I am very frightened because at this present time we are open to deception. Our senior pastor who is held to be a very respected and discerning man, is gone in Europe on his first vacation since he started his ministry and will not be back till the end of summer. He has left the other pastors in charge. My biggest concern at this time is this: He has left our music pastor in charge of our evening services. He is a good hearted person, but has no real experience in the pulpit. I know for a fact that he does not have adequate discernment because when my brother mentioned the name of Benny Hinn to him, he said he is one of the "Good Ones." This music pastor is starting a series of sermons based strictly on a book called "Revival Glory" by Ruth Ward Heifler and I am very alarmed. I have heard that she supports the recent revival movements also. Could you give me any information on this woman and her book. I plan on trying to research her but I have not come up with much yet except what was on your site. Do you think that her connection with these revival leaders is enough for me to approach my pastors about it? I am not sure what to do. If I find out the worst about her what should I do? I really respect my pastors and I am not sure how to handle all this. I would be so grateful for any information and
advice you can give me. Thank you so much.
R.
Folks,
I am so grateful for the stand you take. I have been on the "Way" since 1981 and in 1983 I read Florence Bulle's book "God wants you rich" and other enticing doctrines. Since then I have a real quest for "true-truth". R.
C. Sproul is one of my favorite authors along with Chuck Colson and many many others. My passion now, is to know God, to love Him and to enjoy Him forever............ Please keep me up to date on deception in the church.
I will do my best to stand behind, alongside and with you in fervent prayer.
Kind regards, D.
Dear DITC,Thank God for giving you your commitment to the Word of God. Your website has been a lifeline for me since leaving a "laughing revival" infected church in 1996. At the time I did not know what in the world was happening. It would take hours to describe the horrible destruction caused in my life and the lives of other believers in that congregation who ate the poison fruit of that movement. In fact, Matthew 7:16 (Ye shall know them by their fruits, do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?) was instrumental in helping me discern the fruits of the errors being taught there. I had to take a good, hard look at my life, and honestly admit the fruit I was bearing was the exact opposite of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith...." And not just me, either, the whole group, most of whom were wildly "praising God and laughing like maniacs, and falling down like bowling pins" had the same evil fruit in their lives.... Instead of being built up in love, gentleness, kindness, with bowels of mercy toward each other, speaking the TRUTH in LOVE, there was more coldness, meanspiritedness, competition, clique-ishness, false doctrine, greed, gross sin, manipulation, etc. than I ever hope to encounter on the "outside world" of the unsaved. The phony unity of accepting every doctrine (no matter how blatantly unscriptural) was rampant; but let one meek sheep timidly question that any doctrine did not seem to line up with God's Word, and that sheep would be branded a "Pharisee." I could go on and on, but I won't. I simply mention these things in case any reader might relate to similar experiences. When I returned to the pure water of the unwrested WORD and the unfeigned LOVE of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He saved me from depression, demon-oppression, discouragement and despair. I can now truly say "The LORD is my Shepherd" and "SURELY goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...." The Good Shepherd knows how to deliver His sheep. As for the false shepherds, read Ezekiel chapter 34, for the truth about the endtime shepherds who are abusing God's little flock.
Anyway, thank God for you, DITC. We live in a time when "men will not endure sound doctrine" but will heap to themselves teachers who will say what their itching ears want to hear... (e.g. I can be healthy and wealthy, sacrifice nothing, be entertained, have my flesh pampered, suit myself and do it in a huge crowd of others just like me, which must mean it is of God, right? I mean, with ALL these others, and all these rich, successful pastors, it must be the TRUTH, right?) I believe our God is calling His people OUT of these false churches, and DITC can continue to be of great use, if you continue to speak the truth in love (you can't have one without the other, in God's view). It is hard to stand alone against the floodtide of false teachings and demonic powers, but "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us...."
Hebr:13:13: Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing his reproach." It is for God's people, His sheep that "know His voice" to follow HIM, no matter what the cost (family, friendships, church socialization, prestige, or whatever...).
Sorry if this was too long-winded but I truly wanted to offer you a word of encouragment. Keep pressing toward the mark and know that there are some who desperately need to hear the truth right now.
The Lord grant you His peace,
R.
Hi. I have conversed through e-mail with your organization and have found your resources very helpful. If you want you may post this testimony and my e-mail address. Perhaps it will encourage those going through the same trials and help them realize that they are not alone:My name is R. and I am 16 years old. I have been saved for almost a year now and have been attending an Assemblies of God church for most of this time. I got very involved in this church and other than school, and my own time with God, it was the biggest part of my life.
About two months ago my senior pastor left on a two month vacation and left the rest of the pastoral staff in charge. After our senior pastor left our music pastor anounced that he was to be teaching from a book about revival called, "Revival Glory" by Ruth ward Heflin. Ruth Ward Heflin is one of the leaders of the Brownsville revival. Since there was no head pastor in charge I knew I would have to be extra-discerning. I read this book and found out that it was thoroughly heretical and full of Gnosticism.
I had great respect for my leaders and was hoping that this was an isolated event. I did some more research and gave a presentation before our Bible College president. I showed him many quotes from the book. I told him that because of the fact that this book denies Christ's physical coming that it must be rejected. When I reached for my Bible to prove to him that Christ will come back in a physical coming he told me to stop, and I was told that I had a chip on my soldier. The meeting was cut short by him and not much was accomplished.
I started to do alot of research on Latter Rain theology after this because I was suspicious that this book was not an isolated event. I found out the worst. I learned that our music pastor was embracing the whole Latter Rain theology and the third wave movement. I also learned the effect of the Word/Faith movement upon our church. A guest pastor gave a false Word/Faith teaching on the atonement that was way off, and one of our youth leaders was using and recommending Paul Yonggi Cho's book, "The Fourth Dimension." The more research I did, the more frightening things I learned about my church.
I wrote a letter to another pastor laying out my concerns and asking him to read the book. This letter went unanswered.
During this two month period while I watched deception creep into my church, I felt very helpless. It seemed as if there was not much I could do. I stopped attending alot of the services and would sit alone reading the Bible outside the church while I was waiting for my mom and my brother and sister. Of course, I still considered this church my family, but I felt increasingly alienated from the them as I heard them boasting about the coming revival, and extra-biblical teachings were becoming more common.
After attending one of the Sunday night services that was being led by this music pastor I witnessed what could only be called a pure Latter Rain service, and an attempt at man made revival on this pastor's part. At this point I realized the great danger that our church was in and how fast this could spread through the whole church. I had two choices: either watch these teachings go unchecked, or to speak out directly against it. To have held my peace would have been sin.
I wrote a 10 page paper about my concerns for the church and my reasons for being concerned. I laid out my concerns in a respectful and straight forward manner. On a Sunday morning I handed out this paper to most of the pastoral staff and a few in youth leadership. While handing out this paper in the church foyer I was approached by our music pastor and another pastor. I was commanded not to hand out this paper. I tried to politely communicate my reasons for doing this. But I was not allowed to speak and was labeled as: divisive, out-of-order, having a bad spirit, and having a bad attitude. I politely disagreed and went on my way.
A week later I found out that our senior pastor was back early. My youth pastor arranged a meeting with me after the 6:00 service that night. After the service I had a rather fruitful discussion with my youth pastor about my concerns and he seemed very open to discussion and learning more.
The real shocker came from our senior pastor. I have always deeply respected him and I was pretty sure that he would hear me out and see the error in what was going on. That night he already had told me before my discussion with my youth pastor that my problem was that I listen to Hank Hannegraff.(I listen to his radio program, but have not used him as a resource in my research. I know that alot of discerning chiristians are totally disregarded because they might listen to somenone that is controversial, especially Hanegraaff) During the discussion with my youth pastor my senior pastor sat down next to me and joined in the discussion. He told me that my research on the the Faith movement is garbage and is false. He became rather irritated when I pulled out a list of Word/Faith quotes and told him I could prove that the Faith movement is heretical and told him to read. In his anger he grabbed the quotes out of my hand and slammed them on the table out of my reach. He then began accussing me of having a rebellious spirit. Seeing that the conversation was degenerating and that he was becoming very angry, and I have heard testimonies of angry pastors getting physical, I reached for my binder and papers and was about to stand up and leave. He grabbed me and held me in place so that he could continue in his accusations. I did not become angry, but told him that he has no authority to physically handle me. I stood up, told him that I would no longer be attending his church, and left to call my mom to get a ride home. I told my brother to meet me in front of the church where I would be waiting in a few minutes.
What happened next was totally unwarranted and has upset me very much. This senior pastor approached my 15 year old brother who had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the concerns I had expressed and had NOTHING to do with any of this. This pastor told him that a mere 16 year old like I could not possibly know the Bible like him and that I was raising my hand against the Lord's anointed. He went on to criticize me and yelled at my brother threatening to make him leave the church, my brother's only place he has to go where he can see his friends and feel accepted. When I found my brother he was crying tears and was very upset. I could barely express in words how much of a low-blow this was, and how upset I am. I could care less if this pastor did harm to me, but he attacked my brother who had absolutely nothing to do with any of these things that happened. If someone would have told me two months ago that my pastors were capable of these type of things, I would have laughed and walked away. But now, people's true colors are shown.
I am writing this so that people will know that they are not alone in their stand for truth, and that they are not alone in their trials. It can be very hard to face the fact that someone you respect can be involved in something false, but NO ONE is above the test of God's word, and correction. As God's chosen people, we must learn to say with boldness:
"To the Law and to the Testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn."
Peace be with God's people.
R.D.
Thank you for the incredible site. :) I've been doing reseearch on the "Third Wave" for several months and your site ties everything in together. I'm very impressed with the articles and links you have. I will recommend this site to friends.
L.
I really like your website. It has a lot of useful articles and helps. May I suggest a book that the Lord has used to get us (our family) out of the Charismatic movement which we were in for 10 years. As I was reading it, I was so convicted of the truth in it that I (the wife) could not go back to that church again. I read it to my husband and he
also agreed. The book is by John MacArthur and it's called Charismatic Chaos. Recently, I gave the book to a couple whose husband is an associate pastor in a Vineyard church and another couple whose husband is the deacon in the church we left. The former couple is seriously investigating the claims of the book and is seeing the error of the Charismatic movement. I haven't heard from the latter yet. It is an excellent book as it addresses these issues and more: Signs & Wonders; Speaking in Tonques; Health and Wealth Gospel; Charismatic Televangelism; Does God Still Speak Today? Well, that's all I wanted to say. Pray that God will use us to reach those who are in bondage to the thinking of the Charismatic teachings as we speak the truth in love to them. God bless you all.
In Christ,
M.C.
Dear DITC:I have been in the charismatic/Pentecostal experience for over 25 years, but feel that a lot of error has crept into the church -- especially some "apostolic" churches I recently visited that preach that we are God. I was saved by reading the Bible and got my initial doctrinal training from Campus Crusade for Christ, plus Bible and Baptist
churches, so I feel a good basis was laid.I have asked God to show me exactly what errors I may have picked up, to give me the strength to renounce them, and to center me on the pure fundamentals of the faith -- alone. Right now, I feel a great shaking taking place in my life. I am scared, but also sense a great excitement because I know, ultimately, the truth will set me free.
I am a man of the Word, a believer in Christ's blood sacrifice and do not (any more) seek "experiences" to validate my Christianity, so I have nothing to fear from reading your material, even criticisms of "faith" teachers I have come to know and love. I want more than anything else to re-base my life on the pure, unadulterated basis of our salvation.
Pray that God will divest me of any error I have picked up along the way and place me squarely on the ground of revealed truth in His Word.
God bless,
J.C.
Greetings, wanted to drop a note saying what a great site you have. Keep standing against the apostasy. I know all those involved in writing these articles are going to rescue many people out before it is too late. I believe the Lord has shown me that the lines are drawn and getting wider to where they will be a chasm no one will be able to cross over to, they will be cemented in the strong delusion by their own choice. Isn't strange that the 80's the church's main concern was the cults. In the 90's it has become the Church itself (at least some portions). ...
God bless.
M.O.
I have been browsing through your great site and I Thank God for letting me find it. Reading the e-mails you have received, I find that we are not alone in the experinces that we have gone through with these false leaders and
"pastors". My wife and I come from Baptists congregations in Guadalajara, but we were unsatisfied by the way that we were serving the Lord, just sitting in our pews, not really doing anything. A friend of my wife invited us to her church where the leader and his wife had just returned from Toronto and the movement was in full swing. We were taken aback by the so called "spirtual manifestations", but decided to stay and see what this was all about. You could say that we tried to take the good parts and examined everything else under the light of the Scriptures, which caused quite a bit of doubts, but the worshiping really lifted our spirits, so we stayed on for six months, after which we moved to Aguascalientes. On recomendation of this leader, we went to a church led by one of his disciples, and then our troubles really began! We thought that all these troubles were caused by our sins (That's what this disciple would tell us) or that we didn't let his helpers into our private life to check on us to see what was
wrong. We even went to a Benny Hinn Show in Mexico City!! Soon afterward, he started attacking us from the pulpit because we wouldn't knuckle under to his preachings (we didn't laugh, or fall down, or throw our shoes
while lying on the floor, etc.), so we left. People from this church would not talk to us because he said quite a lot of things about us. We finally found a church that preaches according to the Scriptures and examines everything according to it, Thank God for his Mercy! Well, to end this long letter, These so called "leaders" have a knack for
the show but they are really hurting a lot of people and soon there will be a reckoning to pay.Thank you for your time and God Bless you all!!
Avantel
J.G.N.
I truly believe that God led me to your site.I had been out of church for a long time when a friend invited me to attend an AOG church with her. I had been watching TBN and trying to find my way back. All of the things you
mention were operating in this church...I had no experience with such things and had been a fairly lazy Christian so it was so easy to believe the Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, etc and etc. teachings especially after standing in church one night, having an unknown person simply touch my head lightly and being knocked down as if by a bolt of lightning...I remember thinking this had to be God...when I look back on it I realize that I would experience little warning bells going off, but rather than realize it was The Holy Spirit trying to show me the errors, I started thinking there was something wrong with me that I could not recieve the "word" I was being fed. After a year there, I finally realized that I was not hungry for "MORE OF GOD" as those in that Church put it, I was in fact starving to death spiritually. I found a good Bible teacher and am making progress in undoing the damage...having found your site, I am appalled at what I was in and I need to ask, since I participated in this stuff what do I need to do to make certain that I am welland truely rid of this? Thank you
D.H.
Dear brothers in Jesus Christ, ShalomThe peace of the Lord be with you always. This letter is for let you know our ministrie here in Puebla, Mexico. We would like to have folloship with you. My name is F.N.L. We are pastors here, I would like you visiting mi Website, and you can see our ministrie, we are full time ministries. The time is short, the end is near, Jesus Christ is coming soon ¡Maranatha¡ Please contac with us soon, We are working alone, and we have some churches here in Mexico. Check our job, thank you.
Sincerity
In Jesus
Pastor F. and C. N.
Hi DITC,
I just took a look at your new site - terrific. Really excellent. And i know it's being well used - when i checked this week's site logs for my site, your site was referring the second greatest number of hits, next to AltaVista! BTW, thanks for the links.
God bless
T.
Cross+Word
You have an EXCELLENT site here, I want to encourage you to continue your work here. It's so needed! I'm passing the web address on to my friends, concerned Christians who are grieving about the state of the church today. Thanks for all you're doing and God bless you richly. Keep telling the truth. God is pleased.C. D.
I appreciate your site and your hard work very much! I pray God opens the eyes of these poor sheep who are following these decievers ... Thanks again!A.S.
Your articles gave me strength not to accept the false doctrines and practices of the so called "Third Wave Preachers". Though their teachings and practices are now being done here in Saudi Arabia... It's nice to know that materials and Biblical guidelines are available from you.Please include me in your e-mailing lists.
God Bless,
B.B.
Hello,I love your web site, it is teaching me so much ...
Thanks,
M.M.
... In a world where many people in the church will fall for just about anything, I am looking at some of the things that "we" have fallen for... Faith movement, holy laughter, esp. I was at one service in my area where a worship band was to come and minister. They came and there music was really good. Then, when it came time for the Word to be preached (By the lead singer), they were too "drunk". The teacher almost fell down another
musician was trying to operate the overheads for the message and he couldn't do it. The other musician was in the 1st row of pews laughing and rolling on the floor. They were calling their CD's "drinking music" and equating the Holy Spirit to margarita's and Long Island Tea's, etc I heard that they finally got to the message and it was good, but by then, I had left. It struck me as so irreverent I could no longer sit there.M.N.
I was so pleased to see a site like this on the web. My friend and I were researching a certain movement in the Charismatic movement that has us concerned...anyhow...I just wanted to say thank you and tell you in response
the emails that I read on your site that were negative that God is not afraid of our questions, neither does he expect us to believe without hard evidence...Jesus reappeared to his disciples for that very reason....so thank you for standing up and questioning.
Sincerely,
H.H.
Hi,I was so pleased to find your web site while looking for articles by Albert James Dager as I'm studying up on the Manifest Sons of God and related abberations of the Gospel. I will be back for more ...
In Christ,
L.E.
I've found your web site and have been immensely satisfied by its contents. Would you direct me to, or give me more info on information concerning E.W. Kenyon. Also Ruth Kenyon Houseworth (Daughter) and the interview in 1982. I want to know EVERYTHING about this deception. Thank you.Yours for ChristDear friend,
Rev. T.J.D.
Thank you ... from a believer in IndiaThank you for your reply and advice.I really appreciate that you took time to reply to my mail ... May God bless you and the ministry you are doing.I will visit your website periodically for more information.
Regards
J.G.
... Thanks for your website people are looking for all these signs and wonders and different techniques. We are surely in the last days.Looking Up In Christ,
K.
Dear DITC,I was going to a church that had this counterfiet revival. When I first saw it happen I had a check in my spirit. I thought it was really strange. At the time I had just gotten saved, and didn't know a lot about the scriptures. Although I felt it wasn't right I thought they knew what they were doing. I really wanted to be apart of it because I wanted to be closer to God and do His will. But after awhile I thought "maybe I'm not really saved," because I wouldn't fall down. (Unless I did it myself, which I have repented from). That is really scary in a church if you feel there is something wrong with you because you don't fall. Sad to say, but if they don't repent, and change their teachings they will be held accountible.
IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE READING THIS THAT AGREE'S WITH THE REVIVIAL, PLEASE READ THIS NEXT LINE. Can you honestly say you think this is of God? I think you are just like me, and feel if you don't fall people will talk about you. Please just ask God to forgive you, and move on to more important things like the bible, and seeing souls saved. I am not judging you, but I have been there and I know how you really feel inside. Since I left the church I started going to a church ... that really teaches the word of God like it is. I sometimes feel like I did when I was a new christian. I just cant get enough of the Word of God. I just want to LEARN more and more. It used to be when I would come home from church, I would be irritable and nervous. Now I am TRUELY REFRESHED! There is nothing like the Word of God. Seeing souls saved is TRUE REVIVAL! By the way, this website is awsome. Thanks for putting it on. I will pray for your ministry. God Bless.
M.H.
DEAR DITC,I LEFT MY HOME CHURCH OF 25 YEARS ONE YEAR AGO BECAUSE OF OUR NEW PASTOR'S MOVE DEEPER & DEEPER INTO THE WAGNER/DEERE/JOYNER TEACHINGS. ED SILVOSO HAS BEEN TO THE CHURCH TWICE OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS WITH HIS CONFERENCE ALONG WITH GEORGE OTIS, JR. & OTHERS. MANY HAVE LEFT THIS CHURCH (+600), AND MANY HAVE COME IN FOR THE SIGNS & WONDERS, CREATING GREAT DIVISION IN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. THE PASTOR IS CALLING A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE QUESTION "WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH ED SILVOSO?" ... COULD YOU GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS & OVERVIEW ON THIS? I HAVE SEARCHED YOUR SITE & FOUND SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION, BUT WOULD APPRECIATE MORE SPECIFICS IF YOU CAN SUPPLY THEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WEBSITE!
IN CHRIST,
D.J.
Thanks for your site! I found reading the emails from other believers very inspirational my story reads much like them I was saved in RHEMA, Johannesburg south Africa about 13 years ago and innocently entered into the deception, with Toronto and Brownsville and the visits by Howard Browne. During this time I started to question what I really believed and it lead me back to the word.Its seem so strange that the bible is full of warnings about deception yet no one wants to listen to truth, everyone is after a word or an experience. My new church is currently has two guest ministers (Jacob Prasch & Bill Randles) it has been refreshing to hear these men and the truth that they bring. I pray that many of my old friends would listen to them but as soon as deception is pointed out they say "they are too critical and judgmental". My mother in law thinks I have joined a cult and leading her daughter astray.
Its very hard to explain to people who do want to hear, yet they will put with all the lies of the money preachers etc. Please can you put me on you mailing list.
Yours in Christ
P.H.
South Africa
Thanks for the e-mail explaining your stand. I never doubted for a minute that you are not dealing with people like ... in scriptural ways. Your web site attests to that, your willingness to publish other peoples work like Tricia Tillin and Paw Creek minstries attest to that and your willingness to open yourself up for that kind of abuse as people like ... dish out - proves to me your care for those who still seek in this ever increasing division of spirit and soul. May the Lord bless you with wisdom, courage and spiritual understanding in all situations that arise, ever discerning the sheep from the wolves is my prayer for you and all in like ministry.U.
Hello,My name is T.Y. and I have visited your webite deceptioninthechurch.com/ I had no idea about some things that have been said and the beliefs of some of our Countries foremost evangelist and teachers. Your site is informative and helpful to me, as I stick with the word of God and am concerned about christians being led astray into "another gospel" and doctrines that are unbiblical. Thank you once again for informing christians of this.
Blessings in the name of Jesus,
T.Y.
Hi DITC,This is the first time I'm writing to you after browsing your great site for almost a year now ... I do want to finally (!) complement you on your site. I have checked it daily for almost a year now and have found it very helpful and enlightening. I teach an adult Bible class at a Baptist church in ... Texas. When approaching the topic in my class I have been very surprised that 99% of the members have not even heard of Hagan, Copeland or Cho. This is great on the one hand - "being innocent as doves", but I still like to "innoculate" people with a heads-up on the potential dangers. I usually wait until the topic is appropriate, i.e. when studying the gifts of the Spirit, or Christian fiances, etc. at which time I can bring in potential doctrinal errors that are in the Church today. Unfortunately I think some teachers have become unbalanced and "shrill", letting their attacks against this great deception consume them. I think it would be a big mistake for the average Bible teacher to constantly week after week dwell on the subject. In a corporate Church setting I believe in a positive approach, i.e. consistently teaching solid doctrine
and noting bad doctrine as appropriate. When certain members seem to be supporting a doctrinal error I refute (hopefully tactfully!) the error in class (since a public misstatement requires a public rebuke) but then I try to meet with the individual one on one to better discern where they are coming from and to see if we can seach the Scriptures together.Anyway, I consider your site very balanced and again want to thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely,
J.H.
Hello Brothers and Sisters,I just want to thank you for your dedication to our Lord--I am very encouraged by all the material that you present on the "Third Wave." I have learned much from the DITC website. Unfortunately, the church I attend has been
infiltrated by Toronto Blessing. There was a small split and the followers of the TB will be starting there own church. I was able to print some of the articles on website and distribute them to warn my pastors about the dangers of this so called blessing. I would like to be added to your mailing list for the newsletter. Thank
you and may our gracious God continue to bless your ministry!!Your Brother in Christ,
W.S. <><
PRAISE THE LORD MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,THE LORD HAS BLESS ME TO OPEN THE CHURCH HERE IN ... TEXAS AND I NEED THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS, MY HEART IS BROKEN BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE CAME IN AND BEGAIN SPEAKING THUS SAITH THE LORD AND IN THE PROCESS IT SEPRATED THE CHURCH IT CAUSE US TO HAVE TO MOVE FROM WHERE WE WERE;THE LORD HAS BLESS US WITH ANOTHER TEMP.PLACE TO HAVE SERVICE STARTING MARCH 1,2000.THE LORD HAS SPOKE TO US FOR US TO REBUILD, MY HUSBAND AND MY CHILDREN, I HAVE TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBLITY ON MYSELF AS A LEADER.PLEASE LET MY FELLOW MINISTERS KNOW THAT IT CAN HAPPEN.,WE ARE ONLY 6 MOS.OLD I DONT KNOW ALL OF GOD'S PLAN FAR MY LIFE BUT I AM LEARNING MORE AND MORE HOW TO TRUST HIM. PLEASE BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR DECEPTION IN OUR CHURCHES TO GROW WORSE AND WORSE AS THE TIME GOES ON.
PASTOR; B.H.
DITC...
Excellent! Thanks! (Dear Saint, Don't believe what they say! Rebuttal to the Believer's Voice Of Victory "Q&A" Section, 10/99 by Sandy Simpson, 1999)L.H.
I enjoy your website and your doctrinal and spiritual insight. God bless you!!! ...T.
Please check into (more) penacostal revivial ministries. My ex pastor went to this minster school. Now he out to round up ALL the hurt sheep he ever had bring em back to corral them up under his control. And PLEASE Pray for Me and My Household. I used to be cought up in penacostalism, it took me two year to get out of it and two more years to recover from the Stuff. Now they want me back. This church is like the "Hotel California" You can check out anytime you like But you can never leave!Signed Bro M.M.
Dear DITC,We couldn't agree more with you on the great deception. I am currently working on Cell Churches, the Hegelian dialectic, accountability, shepherding movements, etc and your site is very helpful ...
Sincerely,
D.M.
Dear DITCThank you so very much for the articles in your magazine. In volume 4 Issue 4 you made mention of a video "The many faces of Benny Hinn" & "Benny Hinn - Possessed by Devils" are we able to buy these thru your ministry?
In Christ
M.G.
Australia
Greetings in the name of Jesus!I have been coming to this site for almost a year now and has been an eye opening year for me. I have been able to read, study and then test all that have learned. As a result, the blinds have come off and I can truly see all that is happening around me. It has brought me freedom and then grief on the other end. Grief because so many people I know are swallowing this deception that is happening and will continue until Jesus returns for the true believers have remained faithful to Him ... Thanks for this site. I pray it will be successful and be fruitful.
D.R.
Dear DITC Webmaster,I am sorry to bother you again. I am reading through all of your articles--my husband and I are in a church that
has bought wholesale into several of these movements--The Toronto Un-Blessing (heh,heh), The Third Wave, Word of Faith--WE ARE IN A CULT!!!Both of us are born again believers in Jesus Christ, from a non-Charismatic background...long story how we got
sucked into this thing. We knew better...our daughter had just been diagnosed Schizophrenic...we were shattered,
vulnerable...we've been in it for two years.I see the deception, but my husband doesn't. However, he has agreed to read your articles, if I print them out ...
Thanks for taking the stand you have.
B.R.
Hello,Great webpage! ...
By the way, we live in ... FL and the Toronto Blessing was transported to the Tabernacle (Jamie Buckingham's Church). We do not attend it, but attended some of the meetings. OH MY!!!
Just in case there are claims from the proponents of the Toronto Blessing of great revival, thousands receiving Christ here, nothing of the sort has happened. The nonChristian community remains untouched by it. It sucked in
a lot of church goers, that's all.Thanks for your GREAT work exposing this stuff.
B.R.
Dear SirThis is a great website and a welcome breath of spiritual life at the point when I was beginning to think that the church at large had finally lost its head and its heart, and the testomony of Jesus had largely been lost. It's good and reassuring to know that bible-loving Christians are alive and well now we have entered in the twenty-first century.
Very illuminating and thought-provoking articles. I especially liked Tricia Tillin's "Doctrines of Demons" series, which confirms much of what I have been thinking over the last 3 years since I left the church establishment. At least I know now where to go to get wholesome biblical teaching.
Keep up this life-changing and life-saving work.
AY
MAY GOD BLESS ALL WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS MINISTRYE.A.
After reading some of the material on your site, and going to the bible about it, i can see that I definately made the right decision to leave K.T.I was attending an evening certificate of their bible school, and after going though all the notes, and from memory about some of the things I remember the tutors talking about, i did the right thing.
I need to find a safe church here in London.
I went to one the other Sunday, and thought all was fine till they had a water baptism, straight after which a "marking with the cross" ceremony (I thought I was back in a catholic church!), followed by a "babtism in the holy spirit", at which point I walked out.
Do you have any lists of churches over here that I can look at?
I'll obviously check them against the bible anyway, but it might be good if you do know of any.
Thanks
J.
Dear DITC,I have really enjoyed your site, I look at your site on a daily basis. I am in a crash course I feel in learning everything I can about the false teachings and revivals that are going on.
We are not immune even where we live, Alaska. We are getting everything and its really thick. Just last night at the one and only charmastic church in town (by the way we left it several months ago) they sponsored Jessie Duplantis. I saw and heard him preach a few years ago at the same church and our gut feelings about him were not good. My question is this....Do you have any info on him that we can read or research ourselves? The church by the way was standing room only and its the second largest church in town. Many friends went and loved him, it personally felt like vomiting.
Another person I have great concern about is Tommy Tenney who wrote the book "The God Chasers," what do you know about him? We felt very uneasy with this guy when the pastor for over 5 weeks pushed his book to the point he bought the over hundred books, it was a required reading. The pastor has totally shifted gears, he's said that this one book had totally changed his life and he wanted everyone to read it. Well, I just found out the pastor has invited him up in July, oh how we are grieved. We need some concrete evidence on this guy. Can you help?
One last question, do you know what this kind of healing is called. Where for instance you fell down and hurt your wrist. Well, you don't know if its sprained or broken. So another person would take your wrist and Speak the wrist,"Wrist sprained?'' And if you could release your fingers between theirs it wasn't broken. Then you would speak,"Wrist broken" and your fingers would not be released from theirs. This kind of healing was said, that the spoken word is very powerful. Again my gut instinct is to say this is new age healing practices but I dont know want it is called. Have you heard of this type of healing before?
Sorry I got long-winded here. I truly appreciate you and your valuable resources. Thank you for doing this and keep up the good work, you are touching a lot of people with your talents here. Gob bless you,
M.G.
Thank you sooooo much!D.
Just a note to let you know I have browsed your site. Also, I like, appreciate your attitude.W.J.
Thank you, I don't know who you are but thank you.I left the church for a while over some very hurtful things, when I repented I went back (years later)to be reconsiled it seemed everything was changing...I couldn't put my finger on it but as time went on it seemed I
was out of sync.My home group leader was doing a hocus pocus with the scriptures, open the book and wherever it falls open is thus saith the Lord to you right now. (Before I got saved I used to divine things the same way)
I didn't trust Benny Hinn, and others, then the pastor confessed to sin and stepped down, the man taking His place, from Rhema, a Word of Faith guy...
We are out of there, and now I'm distributing truth as the Lord directs, any info on Biblomancy would be helpful. Until He comes Shalom.
B.
Dear DITC,Praise the Lord for your wonderful website, and the awesome work that you do! I could not even express what blessings and deliverance have come from finding and reading articles from the site. I have written to the discussion area before, and I thank you for responding personally through e-mail.
By the mercy and grace of God, and through the help of the website, and a fervent search and reading of scripture, I have come to completely renounce any involvement with the Charismatic Movement, including "private prayer
language". Hallelujah!!!!! What revelation!I must tell you that this is a complete miracle (maybe not according to Scriptural miracles, Ha! But definitely to me!), because I was a full-blown Charismatic!
EVERY day, I am amazed at the mercy of God, because He pulled my husband and me from this deadly, poisonous, confusing, sticky, and alluring (to the naive and inexperienced) spiderweb called the Charismatic Movement. As the Word says "He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!"
Being on the outside now, I realize what evil masterplan the enemy has in all this. It looks so good, but is so bad. A way may seem right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. The promises made, the abuse for not "believing",
the brainwashing, the impressive "signs" made it virtually impossible to break free. But with God all things are possible.Even now, our Lord having broken me free, I am told (whether face to face, or behind my back) that I am seriously confused, delusioned, not walking in the Word of God, a cancer, an immature believer, "out in the other camp" and the like! Praise God! "For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
Having friends that are in the charismatic world, I want to be able to minister the truth to them as the Lord leads and permits. I am praying fervently for them, and already the Lord has delivered four different people from this deadly mess. Praise His Name! We are not sure about one particular scripture, namely John 20: 22, when Jesus breathed on the disciples and said "Receive the Holy Spirit". Of course the Spirit was poured out on them in Acts 2, and that's where my dilemma is. I know there is a perfect explanation for this unique situation, but at this point I am not perceiving it. I know Charismatics will say that the situation in Acts 2 is the "subsequent" experience to salvation, because "the disciples already had received the Holy Spirit". I know that their explanation is not true, but I have to have scriptural reasoning and evidence to be able to convince them that we are baptized in/by the Holy Spirit at conversion. They will use John 20:22 to contradict me.
Can you help? I so appreciate your wisdom and knowledge of the scripture, and believe that you are a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. I realize we are all human, and may not know everything, but from my acquaintance with your writings, I discern the Lord's wisdom and insight in you. I have been greatly blessed by your writings, especially "Letters to the 7 churches".
May God bless you in all your hard labor for Him. Whatever you have to go through, it is all worth it, for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In Christ's love,
E.H.
enjoyed your website ...K.
Dear DITC,Just finished reading your truly excellent article on Copeland and Word-Faith.The mother of my daughter-in-law and a dear Christian sister recently died of cancer and yet there were those in the church (small segment) who literally tried to barrel their way into the room with the news that "she is healed." They gave her Charles Capps books. All this was truly done in love and concern for her...but it was not truth. All Word-Faith denies one of the most basic principles of true Christianity - that God is sovereign and not subject to us and our words but rather that we are subject to Him and His Word. And that we can trust in Him - no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in - for He is the "lord of the hills and the lord of the valleys (OT)". Thank you for the article.
B.W.
Hi!I was just reading some of the email that you get and saw the typical negative responses (i.e. accusatory, lacking love, full of hate...). You state that you respond to these types of email and I was just wondering if you ever get a reply back from your responses to those who send such letters?
I was involved in a Pentecostal/Charismatic church for eight years before finally leaving due to the control of the pastor. Since my depature from charismatic/pentecostal circles (and, yes, I was accused of everything under the sun...e.g. deceived away by the devil, under the influence of seducing spirits...) I have been able to honestly revise a lot of the Charismatic teachings and found them at odds with Scripture.
God bless you for your diligent work.
Your brother in Christ,
B.S.
Thank you for your web site. It is sorely needed. Scripture speaks of God sending the world a strong delusion in the last days, and for a while it was hard for me to see how the AntiChrist could deceive the entire world, however after seeing what is going on in Toronto and Florida, etc. I guess it won't be to hard for the antichrist to come to power. People that believe the Holy Spirit can make a person "lose control" and "bark", crawl around on all fours, howl, laugh uncontrollably, etc. are already deceived. The church in America needs to get back to Gods' standard, His Holy Word. Paul told the Corinthians to do all things decently and in order. The filth that going on in Toronto is not of the Holy Spirit. I for one would not want to be in Benny Hinn's, Copeland's, Parsley's shoes on judgement day. Keep up the good work.Yours in Christ,
J.T.
I wrote you before and said that i love your web site. But i never said that my wife is into the revival thing (hook, line, and sinker). My wife and i use to go to this church that is into all the manifations that you see in brownville. but i always felt uneasy about the whole thing because i felt like i did not fit in, nor did i want to fit in,lol. My wife and i got into a big fight the last sunday we went together because there we an hour of praise and worship, 25 min of preaching and then a rodney howard browne thing hit the place for about 20 min. well its a long story but i go to my own church (aog) and the pastor there is into the word a lot and wants the rest of the church to be also. and my wife still goes to the other church. I feel alone in this matter because no one want to see my view. its refresing to read your web site What do you do when your wife is being blinded by this false teaching. she will not back down but i CAN NOT back down. will i have to go now but write me back if you can, byeRKH
Good site!Have recommended to my church newsletter at www.methodist.org.sg but we have a situation where some of the members are "influenced by charismatism" and sad to say abandoning reason in falling for the traps and snares by such authors / visiting preachers / speakers...
N.
Well.it wasn't easy to read your material, but very informative and helpful-thanx!:-) ...InHim,
RGN
Hello. I really loved your website, particularly the information on the Word-Faith movement. A few months ago, I returned some cassette albums to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries. The albums, the Blood Covenant and Receive your Inheritance were filled to the brim of the "Jesus died spiritually", "Jesus went to hell for 3 days" doctrines, and how Jesus stopped being God until he was reborn. This is PURE Gnoticism. I also have been reading a book by John F. MacArthur, Jr. called "Charismatic Chaos" which also talks about the dangers of the Word-Faith movement.But how do you tell someone who is caught up in this movement that it is tantamount to name-it-and-claim-it mysticism and witchcraft? I know lots of Christians in the Word churches who would be highly offended. What do I say to them?
Yours In Christ Jesus,
A. :-)
Hi,I appreciate your website information which I am yet to sit and thoroughly read and re-read. I am a Kenyan studying in US and together with my husband have been terribly disturbed by some teachings on TBN. What is of even more concern to us is the ease with which certain 'teachers' seem to captivate and just obsess 'us' as Christians. Benny Hinn is scheduled for a crusade in Kenya, and I would appreciate any information other than what you have on the site to best prepare us to discuss some issues with our friends and relatives as we go home for Christmas. Could you also furnish me with more information about yourself and why you do what you do?
N.M.
Greetings in our beloved Lord Jesus Christ,At first look there was great caution in viewing your site. I have been looking for a site with the straight forward, strong TRUTH. I can not say that I have "found" it, yet the information you supply is a lot. I have not been able to even read a small amount as of it yet. What little I have read seems to be right on.
There is where I still use caution, I have seen many sites that appear "right" with the truth at first. Yet the more I read them the less they witness truth. I am a Spirit-filled Christian who has been most disillusioned by the
sensationalism and emotionalism that so many seem to think is truth. I have been in "Four-square" fellowships, AOG, etc. It is what finally lead me to home church for the same reason I home school. The negative peer pressure in the Body of Christ. To look at the numbers of sins tolerated within the church, the number of adultery, fornication, etc. are not that much smaller than that of the world. Where is the righteousness we are to claim to the world? Where is the light and truth we are to uphold to the unsaved? We have become a stench in the nose of our enemies, they mock our unrighteousness and unfaithfulness and we are blind to it. We perceive their mocking as against our God because we are blind to our own sin. If judgement does come to this nation it will be because of the unholiness of the church and not that of the world. For our God knows the world is sinful, it is the unclean church that brings judgement.I look forward to learning more from your site and am praying I will not be disappointed.
His servant,
Rev. E.J.
I am thankful to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ that he has protected me from the deception that is prevelant in
the "church" today. I have been blessed these past 20 years to have teachers and brothers and siters in the Lord that see how this deception is hurting not only the "Body of Christ" but our witness to the world. I am thankful that there are web sites that proclaim the truth and warn people of the dangers of a faith that is based on signs and wonders.H.D.
Please add me to your newsletter list. my email is .... Thank you so much. I read one of your newletters on the oneness tradition. I got caught up in it and am now returning to my home church. Thank you for your healing pages.T.L.
To whom it may concern,I am so thrilled to finally have found you guys again. After you closed or moved from the old site, I was searching
frantically..but found ya again!! I pray for God's continual blessing upno this ministry, and hope that it flourishes for
another 2000 years. May God richly bless you all for your tireless efforts in sharing the REAL truth with millions of
surfers, regardless of the consequences. Now I have 2 simple questions:1. How long will I have to wait for the newsletter?
2. How often is the site updated?Again, rich blessings from Almighty God unto you all at DITC!!
B.L.
Loved it. Glad to see a site that actually takes a stand for what is RIGHT, and not just what is popular or commonly accepted within the "church". Ever thought about having a chat channel on IRC? I am an IRCop on a
christian server and could help ya out. You can even put a java chat client on your website. Keep in touch.Take care and God bless!!
S.
Praise the Lord for this ministry!!!I'm an ex-Word of Faith Movement "addict". For years all I did was eat, sleep, breathe Word of Faith stuff. Somehow I never felt fulfilled, plus there was always that subtle feeling of being inferior. Of just not getting it, of not having enough faith, of there being more. I followed every method and formula that was taught, but somehow never quite "got" it. Thank God, I didn't.
The Lord moved us out of a word of faith church a little over a year ago, and I started studying on my own. Through this studying I found that I could have a relationship with the Lord that is personal, instead of based on following formulas and methods. I learned that Faith is not a force, as I had been taught, but trust and belief and reliance upon My Heavenly Father, who reveals Himself through His Word. Shortly after we left the word of faith world, I almost got sucked into the Prophetic Movement, but the Lord started to pull me away from it, before I was too deeply involved. I also have been in services where people (including Mark and Janet Brazee, who on the video with Kenneth Hagin's "sermon" on being drunk in the "spirit" were the two people in the front row, who slithered out of their chairs simultaneously)were plastered to the floor, unable to utter anything that made sense, and everyone is laughing or screaming or shaking or running or drunk. I remember sitting there feeling very sober, and not involved, yet also sort of intoxicated. I didn't understand the contradicting feelings. I do now. The soberness was definitely the Lord. The intoxicating thing some other spirit. I can personally testify that this power is very strong and persuavive, especially when you're told it's the "Holy Ghost", and "just flow with it". I didn't realize until 2 weeks ago, when the Lord led me to DITC, that I had been so deceived in all these areas, and that the "funny" feelings and reservations I had had, were not my lack of faith, but the Holy Spirit's warning signals!!! How naive I was!
It IS important to expose all error and heresy!! The Lord has me talking to all kinds of people to show them the truth of the scripture. I don't care if those people think I'm wrong or have lost it, I just can't bear the thought of them not knowing the truth. "Thy Word is truth", Jesus said. (Jn 17:17) We must snatch others from the fire.
I pray for God's grace and mercy upon your life! You are very much loved and appreciated, and I pray the insults of people don't tear you down. You are blessed, because You are being persecuted for our Lord's Name sake! That's an honor.
R.
Dear Brethren,Thank you for your information regarding Benny Hinn. My parents and I are at odds regarding this "ministry". After I spent 6 hours making copies and reading the information all it did was confirm to me that I wasn't hearing
things when that Denver Crusade was aired (my father taped it and I watched its disturbing presentation).That episode had confirmed that this man was not of God. It was like a red flag. My parents are hooked onto this like glue. They think God gave him a gift and he is the only one who was privileged to have it. They won't hear
or read anything I have to say about it.I went to one of those crusades down in NY and all I can tell you is that this so-called annointing felt like someone was hypnotizing me, as if someone was sucking my brain right out of my head. The second time I went and "fell
under the spell" it knocked me on my butt and to this day I had no idea what it was. I can testify to you that it was not of God.Yet my parents, like many others, are uneducated, have language and vocabulary problems. They misunderstand what is being said when the more sophisticated speakers speak. Benny Hinn uses basic English and they feel
they understand it. Unfortunately, there are many like my parents with language and understanding difficulties as well as their ability to make educated and discerning choices.I would like it if you could inform me of any current "chats" regarding Benny Hinn and his movement.
One other thing, I would like to see if the people who claim are healed and would like to see confirmed testimony from their doctors. So far to this date I hear no news or reports of feedback regarding those who claimed to be
healed. My parents and I would like to know why isn't the national media moving in to "witness" these so called healings and report back to the public its validity?Thank you for your investigations. I have been investigating this for myself for two years now and now have come to terms and it is conclusive that this movement can only bring ill to all its followers.
Sincerely yours,
B.J.
... Saturday, while asking Jesus to forgive me for my own personal heresy....the door bell rang and there stood a man witnessing from house to house. We started talking about this very subject and come to find out he was a former student of REHMA, who is also searching out the scriptural truth also.Talk about an answer to prayer. They will be having a bible study this Weds. night. I plan to go, but I will never, never, never take anyone's word for it anymore unless it is backed up by sound Biblical doctrine.
Last Monday night at my house of worship (This caused me to stand back and gasp in horror!) the ladies had poured a bottle of anointing oil on a table and proclaimed the presence of the Lord was in that piece of furniture!!!!! They were all swooning and it caused one to prophesy. (supposedly). All of this has really gone too far and will continue to get out of hand.
Our church has allowed a group from Paul Yoggi Cho's (not spelled correctly) church to practice their services. Our pastor has went to Osteen's conferences in Texas. The list goes on and on. The church, especially the
AOG is getting so entrenched in this cult. Pray for me because my husband does not see it and anything I say cannot open his eyes. He was raised in this church. The adults are getting more and more out there. It is going
to take God to help him see, until then, I am stuck there. I want to be a submissive wife.Thanks again
C.W.
Thanks for the reply and encouragement. It's really true that prayer may be the only way to reach these people. It's so sad. And very sad to hear that it's also in Guam. Keep up the good work. May the Lord bless you for it.
Honolulu
Dear Bro. Sandy,
Thank you for your website! I look forward to reading "What's New" and taking your "Quizzes"...God richly bless you for ministering to His sheep in these last days.
E.K.
Well...I just wanted to say thank you....back in November I wrote about seeing Benny Hinn and being involved with someone who was...well...he was also involved with Rodney Howard Browne and the toronto blessing
movement.....It took a lot of prayer and pain to let go... but back in March I DID IT!!! I am recovering from the memories,....and praying for him....he called two weeks ago to tell me he was getting married to a girl who was a
new Christian....she has only know him for two months and does not know what she is getting in to......I pray the Holy Spirit opens her eyes before it is too late.........:( I have since read extensively about the Faith Movement
teachers and others who frequent TBN....I am now more knowlegeable and grateful for this experience so that I can now witness to others about the dangers of such a subtle twisting of the truth....It frightens me to know that even an educated person who loves the Lord can be decieved. Keep up Gods work and thanks again....God bless! :)
P.
Dear Sandy Simpson,
Just a note to thank you for the 'Benny' update. I encourage you to keep posting about these wolves because when you send me that email, I forward it to friends and aquaintances on my email list. I have lost more friends that way! Because they don't really want to offend me, they don't block me from sending it to them. I just forwarded this recent one to a Baptist Missionary who just 'loves and respects' Benny because she went to one of his crusades and that wolf said it wasn't him doing all this, it was the Lord. Since he gave the Lord credit, that convinced her he must be a genuine man of God! Mind boggling!!! So many are now asleep at the switch. May God Bless you and your Ministry even more - Thank you
D.S. in Ont. Canada. (near Toronto) I never go near that bunch at the Airport.
Thank you for STANDING FOR THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am a co-moderator and co-writer (prophetic news stuff) and we regularily have to fight those that support the doctrine of Hinn, Copeland and others. Your site helps give us some bullets of truth to use in the face of such demonic doctrine (not all of it but some sure is).
Thank you again.
A.
I want to thank you for the prompt response. You have been more than helpful to us. I hope that the information will help get some of the more gullible ones out of harm's way. They just don't seem to listen to good council even
when they know something is wrong.We just returned from a convention in Northern Illinois where a "Signs and Wonders Prophet" was breaking bread with the congregation to receive "gold teeth.". Needless to say we interrupted the service and then walked out. It's everywhere but we are going to do our best to reveal as much of it as we can to whoever will hear us.
Thank you again
J. & P. J. In Jesus Name
Dear fellow saints at DITC,(I am sending you an article that was sent) to me by an acquaintance, who likes what's going on at the Brownsville "revival". I thought it might be of interest to you, although you already may have received it through a different source. Reading it made me ill, and I grieve for people who are so deceived to believe this is God at work. Their intents, on the surface, seem so noble and godly, as they say they are seeking God, but they don't realize they are
elevating themselves instead. Amazing also is the emphasis on the Holy Spirit, instead of on Christ and His saving grace. Let us not stop praying for these folks. We are thankful for sites like yours, who dare to speak the truth, and we're contending in the faith with you. You are a blessing, and we pray for you. May God's grace and perseverance work abundantly in and through your lives, as you seek to serve only Him.Blessings to you. In Christ's love,
E.H. (Acts 17:11)
Greetings in Christ Jesus,I read you page, and wanted to share something with you. I was saved nearly three years ago. Before this time, I was a practicing witch, and goddess worshiper. Since being saved, I have been drawn to the Revival movements and I have had a very uneasy feeling about the whole thing. Something just touched that part of me that discernment told me was the same spirit source I used to call on when drawing down the goddess. I have only been to two services where this "movement of God" was present, and both times, rather than feeling the Holy Spirit, I was uneasy and could not let go and worship like everyone else was. Instead I sat as an outside observer, feeling like something was not right.
After reading your site, I know what it is! That discernment that said the spirit was the same as I used to call on in paganism was right. I just know it, and I know it by one thing, "the river."
The river is a major imagery in paganism, and goddess worship. The goddess is the goddess of the river. Doesn't even Revelation say that the great whore will rise out of the river? While I was reading your page, an old
pagan chant that I used to sing when raising a cone of power came upon me "The river is flowing, flowing and going the river is flowing, flowing to the sea." This was a chant we used to raise the cone of power (being filled with spirits, charged, etc.). We would chant this chant over and over as a mantra, leading into other chants such as "we all come from the goddess and to her we shall return, like a river returns to the sea." River imagery was
EVERYWHERE!What you are seeing at Brownsville and Toronto and other churches across the globe (many in my county here in Ga.) is a raising of a cone of power using a mantra. In pagan circles, spirits of the North, South, East and West are called upon. We called upon the elements of earth, air, water and fire (notice how these elements are present in many of these "revivals" as well?). We chanted and danced to reach a trance like state where we would be
empowered from the gods and goddesses.This is what is going on in the "revivals." The names are different, but the elements are the same. Any pagan will tell you that the "lord and lady" are called many names, but they are all the same. Some pagans call their lord
Jesus and their goddess Mary, but they are not worshiping Our Jesus, who is Savior and Lord, but a false Jesus.The connections are too similar to be coincidental. THIS is why I have been both drawn to this, and repelled by this at once. Satan knows my weakness, but God has given me the gift of discernment.
I was once at a church that was in "revival" I went up front to have hands laid upon me, and a clear voice told me "Do not let them lay hands on you." And then I felt a clear indication that I was to move. I did, and right as I
did, three women fell where I had been standing. I left that church never to return.The other time I felt this way, was at a Joyce Meyer Conference in Atlanta at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (yes Earl Paulk's church). Joyce was supposed to have two teaching sessions that day, but when I arrived at noon,
Joyce had not even begun to preach. People were falling out all over the place. Everytime Joyce would pickup her Bible to start the lesson, she would start laughing, and speaking in tongues, and then she would act like she was swimming across the platform. Everyone was hooping and hollering, and people were falling out. I am a Spirit-filled believer, but I felt NOTHING. I tried to get with it, and couldn't. When Joyce did finally preach that
afternoon, it was dead, and far from the anointed preaching we had been promised, but everyone else in the place seemed mesmerized! ...Anyway, just wanted to share this, and say God Bless you for your ministry.
In Christ,
D. H. V.
Dear Sandy,I greet you from South Africa and appreciate your fine work. Recently, I was sent a report you had done on that evil man, Benny Hinn. "Jesus Christ Slated To Star With Benny Hinn ... IN PERSON! by Sandy Simpson, 4/2/00". Also enclosed was an e-mail from "H", suggesting a search into Kim Clement. To this end I can supply "invaluable" background information on his evil ministry and associates. I am a follower of Christ, and preaching His Gospel is my mission. I am prepared to supply you with my background details, should you so desire.
Briefly, I am now staying in South Africa and also was during the Kim Clement years and my early walk with the Lord. I got to know him and his wife, Jayne, on a very intimate basis and was introduced to them by her parents, Fred and Nellie Roberts. I was deeply involved in Business transactions with the whole family.
Ironically, it was Kim who led me to the Lord. However, I received the "empty cross" Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, not the fraud Kim was selling.
Please fell free to write me if you feel my information can assist you.
In His Service,
B.R.
Browsed your web site this is beauty personafied. Please keep up the good work and truth love in JESUS
to all. W.A.
Dear Fellow Christians:
Thank you for your tremendous work. I live in Malta in the Mediterranean, and the church is very young here but invariably the third wave has arrived - and that through some of my best friends. I have been unsuccessful in my trying to show them error, but without your web site I would not have been so well equipped in my argument.
Now the Alpha course has arrived at the Anglican church where my mother attends, and I would be very grateful if you could give some more background information as to its errors in detail. I hear it is very ecumenical and originates from third wave doctrine. But beyond that I am not sure.
Thank you again. May God richly bless all of you.
In His name,
B.P.
Thank you for your website. The articles have helped me tremendously. In Singapore where I live, there are many vibrant churches. Unfortunately there are also excesses. Some of the false teachings permeate across all
denominations including my church. The truths sated in your website has helped me check and test many of these false teachings and new fads.
Regards,
P.C.
Dear Sir,I just recently stumbled across your web site and am in agreement with what I have seen thus far. I am writing to ask if you have heard Paul Crouch's statement that "in similar ways Jesus Christ was a communist"? (In reference to his recent visits with the communist Chinese) What is your input? Personally I was shocked - this is a whole new level. What an easy set up for the "church" to slid into the belief that communism is "ok" because Jesus taught the same prinicpals and was a communist himself! Does anyone else see the pattern developing here....Church
deception, false doctrines, antichrist, globalism, one-world religion????????? Just curious to get your opinion on this if you have the time.Thanks!
KW
Dear Fellow Christians:
Thank you for your tremendous work. I live in Malta in the Mediterranean, and the church is very young here but invariably the third wave has arrived - and that through some of my best friends. I have been unsuccessful in my trying to show them error, but without your web site I would not have been so well equipped in my argument. Now the Alpha course has arrived at the Anglican church where my ... attends, and I would be very grateful if you could give some more background information as to its errors in detail. I hear it is very ecumenical and originates from third wave doctrine. But beyond that I am not sure. Thank you again. May God richly bless all of you.
In His name,
B. P.
Browsed your web site ... this is beauty personafied ... please keep up the good work and truth .. love in JESUS
to all.
W.
Hello. I have recently run across your site, and after reading about the various prophets you mentioned, I am wondering if you have any information about a couple of prophets who have been to our church in the past couple of years ... I appreciate your web site, and I'm not one to just take what everyone says, even you, and run with it, but it does raise areas of concern and has caused me to go back to the scriptures and question if indeed we have been in an "Emporer's New Clothes" type situation. Thank you.
J.
Appreciate your work. Our church leaders (local) have been to Toronto, Brownsville, some deliverance conference in Denver and now off to "study" deliverance in India. Do you know anything about the Denver or India seminars? There has been a lot of criticism from the pulpit concerning "Counterfeit Revival"- hersey- unpardonable sin, etc. Everything down is demonized- mostly outward manisestations with little inner work- about an inch deep and three miles wide. Do you have any info at all about the India Deliverance Studies- supposedly a
group of people are going over there for training in demons and deliverance. Thanks for any help you can give me.
F.J.H.
Dear Sandy,I greet you from South Africa and appreciate your fine work. Recently, I was sent a report you had done on that evil man, Benny Hinn. "Jesus Christ Slated To Star With Benny Hinn ... IN PERSON! by Sandy Simpson, 4/2/00". I am a follower of Christ, and preaching His Gospel is my mission. I am prepared to supply you with my background details, should you so desire. Briefly, I am now staying in South Africa and also was during the Kim Clement years and my early walk with the Lord. I got to know him and his wife, Jayne, on a very intimate basis ... Ironically, it was Kim who led me to the Lord. However, I received the "empty cross" Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, not the fraud Kim was selling. Please fell free to write me if you feel my information can assist you.
In His Service,
B.R.
Hello,
I was blessed to run across your site. Keep up the great work and standing for the Truth!
Blessings!
A.D.
Dear DITC,I am very happy and delighted to get your website. Lot's of questions that I would like to know were found in your articles. Now I would say I can now boldly say that your articles help me to stand against thses growing false
practices of our church here in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Some of these are "slain in the spirit", holy laughter, and speaking in tongues. Praise God, to your wonderful website, I know more are beeing reached to correct what the devil has wronged in Christian Churches... (1) At the moment, I am on a personal research abour REBECCA BROWN, (Curse Theory). Although I haven't read her book, But I can say that I have a discernment that the book is wrong so as the author. Please give me a background information about the author and the book. (2) MORRIS CERRULLO, the guy who made a prophsey (Y2K) of the doomsday that never came. I consider him as a false prophet, based on what DEUTERONMY 18 said. Could please tell me if this guy is still worth believing. He is still has a strong following here in Jeddah.
Looking forward to hear from you soon.
God Bless,
B.A.B.
Greetings in Christ Jesus,I read you page, and wanted to share something with you. I was saved nearly three years ago. Before this time, I was a practicing witch, and goddess worshiper. Since being saved, I have been drawn to the Revival movements and I have had a very uneasy feeling about the whole thing. Something just touched that part of me that discernment told me was the same spirit source I used to call on when drawing down the goddess. I have only been to two services where this "movement of God" was present, and both times, rather than feeling the Holy Spirit, I was uneasy and could not let go and worship like everyone else was. Instead I sat as an outside observer, feeling like something was not right.
After reading your site, I know what it is! That discernment that said the spirit was the same as I used to call on in paganism was right. I just know t, and I know it by one thing, "the river."
The river is a major imagery in paganism, and goddess worship. The goddess is the goddess of the river. Doesn't even Revelation say that the great whore will rise out of the river? While I was reading your page, an old
pagan chant that I used to sing when raising a cone of power came upon me "The river is flowing, flowing and going the river is flowing, flowing to the sea." This was a chant we used to raise the cone of power (being filled with spirits, charged, etc.). We would chant this chant over and over as a mantra, leading into other chants such as "we all come from the goddess and to her we shall return, like a river returns to the sea." River imagery was
EVERYWHERE!What you are seeing at Brownsville and Toronto and other churches across the globe (many in my county here in Ga.) is a raising of a cone of power using a mantra. In pagan circles, spirits of the North, South, East and West are called upon. We called upon the elements of earth, air, water and fire (notice how these elements are present in many of these "revivals" as well?). We chanted and danced to reach a trance like state where we would be
empowered from the gods and goddesses.This is what is going on in the "revivals." The names are different, but the elements are the same. Any pagan will tell you that the "lord and lady" are called many names, but they are all the same. Some pagans call their lord
Jesus and their goddess Mary, but they are not worshiping Our Jesus, who is Savior and Lord, but a false Jesus.The connections are too similar to be coincidental. THIS is why I have been both drawn to this, and repelled by this at once. Satan knows my weakness, but God has given me the gift of discernment.
I was once at a church that was in "revival" I went up front to have hands laid upon me, and a clear voice told me "Do not let them lay hands on you." And then I felt a clear indication that I was to move. I did, and right as I
did, three women fell where I had been standing. I left that church never to return.The other time I felt this way, was at a Joyce Meyer Conference in Atlanta at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (yes Earl Paulk's church). Joyce was supposed to have two teaching sessions that day, but when I arrived at noon,
Joyce had not even begun to preach. People were falling out all over the place. Everytime Joyce would pickup her Bible to start the lesson, she would start laughing, and speaking in tongues, and then she would act like she was swimming across the platform. Everyone was hooping and hollering, and people were falling out. I am a Spirit-filled believer, but I felt NOTHING. I tried to get with it, and couldn't. When Joyce did finally preach that
afternoon, it was dead, and far from the anointed preaching we had been promised, but everyone else in the place seemed mesmerized! One spectacular thing happened that day. Joyce said this woman had taken this picture of the church as she was leaving on her digital camera, and had taken it three times, and each time it was the same. They showed it on the projection screens. It showed the sky opened up and a beam of light shining right on
the sanctuary. Joyce said this was proof of the anointing that was on that place that day. It was amazing, even miraculous, but somewhere in my mind, I could not help but think it was all staged.Anyway, just wanted to share this, and say God Bless you for your ministry.
In Christ,
D.H.V.
Dear fellow saints at DITC,This was sent to me by an acquaintance, who likes what's going on at the Brownsville "revival". I thought it might be of interest to you, although you already may have received it through a different source. Reading it made me ill, and I grieve for people who are so deceived to believe this is God at work. Their intents, on the surface, seem so noble and godly, as they say they are seeking God, but they don't realize they are elevating themselves instead. Amazing also is the emphasis on the Holy Spirit, instead of on Christ and His saving grace. Let us not stop praying
for these folks. We are thankful for sites like yours, who dare to speak the truth, and we're contending in the faith with you. You are a blessing, and we pray for you. May God's grace and perseverance work abundantly in and through your lives, as you seek to serve only Him.Blessings to you. In Christ's love,
E.H. (Acts 17:11)
I want to thank you for the prompt response. You have been more than helpful to us. I hope that the information will help get some of the more gullible ones out of harm's way. They just don't seem to listen to good council even
when they know something is wrong.We just returned from a convention in Northern Illinois where a "Signs and Wonders Prophet" was breaking bread with the congregation to receive "gold teeth.". Needless to say we interrupted the service and then walked out. It's everywhere but we are going to do our best to reveal as much of it as we can to whoever will hear us.
Thank you again
J. & P. J. In Jesus Name
Thank you for STANDING FOR THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am a co-moderator and co-writer (prophetic news stuff) and we regularily have to fight those that support the doctrine of Hinn, Copeland and others. Your site helps give us some bullets of truth to use in the face of such demonic doctrine (not all of it but some sure is).
Thank you again.
A.
Dear Sandy Simpson,
Just a note to thank you for the 'Benny' update. I encourage you to keep posting about these wolves because when you send me that email, I forward it to friends and aquaintances on my email list. I have lost more friends that way! Because they don't really want to offend me, they don't block me from sending it to them. I just forwarded this recent one to a Baptist Missionary who just 'loves and respects' Benny because she went to one of his crusades and that wolf said it wasn't him doing all this, it was the Lord. Since he gave the Lord credit, that convinced her he must be a genuine man of God! Mind boggling!!! So many are now asleep at the switch. May God Bless you and your Ministry even more -
Thank you - D.S. in Burlington, Ont. Canada. (near Toronto)
I never go near that bunch at the Airport.
Well...I just wanted to say thank you....back in November I wrote about seeing Benny Hinn and being involved with someone who was...well...he was also involved with Rodney Howard Browne and the toronto blessing
movement.....It took a lot of prayer and pain to let go... but back in March I DID IT!!! I am recovering from the memories,....and praying for him....he called two weeks ago to tell me he was getting married to a girl who was a
new Christian....she has only know him for two months and does not know what she is getting in to......I pray the Holy Spirit opens her eyes before it is too late.........:( I have since read extensively about the Faith Movement
teachers and others who frequent TBN....I am now more knowlegeable and grateful for this experience so that I can now witness to others about the dangers of such a subtle twisting of the truth....It frightens me to know that even an educated person who loves the Lord can be decieved. Keep up Gods work and thanks again....God bless! :)P.
Dear Bro. Sandy,
Thank you for your website! I look forward to reading "What's New" and taking your "Quizzes". I have just finished reading a book "Jesus was a Jew" by Arnold Fruchtenbaum and am now reading his "The Footsteps of the Messiah" a study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. His website is http://www.ariel.org he is a colleague of Jacob Prasch. Thought you might like to visit his website. God richly bless you for ministering to His sheep in these last days.E.K.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Thanks for all the work in putting this site together. I was updating my research on Kenneth Copeland & found your site. Great list on recent Copeland articles. I gave Mike O (I assume you know him) my list of Copeland articles last year and it looks like it may have helped in his article on his site. ...Thanks.
From Honolulu
Please add me to your email list. I am very interested in this since we have family members that tend to believe in Benny Hinns ministry and also that of M. Scott Peck and others. The emails I have read and the articles on your page have been very encouraging.
Thank You
Dear Brethren,Thank you for your information regarding Benny Hinn. My parents and I are at odds regarding this "ministry". After I spent 6 hours making copies and reading the information all it did was confirm to me that I wasn't hearing
things when that Denver Crusade was aired (my father taped it and I watched its disturbing presentation).That episode had confirmed that this man was not of God. It was like a red flag. My parents are hooked onto this like glue. They think God gave him a gift and he is the only one who was privileged to have it. They won't hear or read anything I have to say about it.
I went to one of those crusades down in NY and all I can tell you is that this so-called annointing felt like someone was hypnotizing me, as if someone was sucking my brain right out of my head. The second time I went and "fell
under the spell" it knocked me on my butt and to this day I had no idea what it was. I can testify to you that it was not of God.Yet my parents, like many others, are uneducated, have language and vocabulary problems. They misunderstand what is being said when the more sophisticated speakers speak. Benny Hinn uses basic English and they feel they understand it. Unfortunately, there are many like my parents with language and understanding difficulties as well as their ability to make educated and discerning choices.
I would like it if you could inform me of any current "chats" regarding Benny Hinn and his movement.
One other thing, I would like to see if the people who claim are healed and would like to see confirmed testimony from their doctors. So far to this date I hear no news or reports of feedback regarding those who claimed to be
healed. My parents and I would like to know why isn't the national media moving in to "witness" these so called healings and report back to the public its validity?Thank you for your investigations. I have been investigating this for myself for two years now and now have come to terms and it is conclusive that this movement can only bring ill to all its followers.
Sincerely yours,
B.J., Framingham, MA
Hi! I just want you to know what a GREAT website you have!!!! Very Very informative!!! Please add me to your newsletter list. Thanks and God Bless You!!!
AWESOME information!I am finding more & more Arnold Murray followers in Christian chat rooms recently & I was glad to read your info here from CRI on him. I find their hateful demeanors very interesting when you refute their doctrines; they resort very quickly to hateful rudeness & name calling (real LOVING & gentle)!
I also found your Benny Hinn info real interesting. I had never paid a whole ot of attn. to him & his ministry (but was ALWAYS leary of it!!) - One night many months ago I was watching tbn & decided to tune in to one of
his shows & I was literally SCARED watching that episode. I saw him get out of control (as he said the Lord just "took over him" with this "anointing") & said that he literally couldn't contain the power he was given. He was
growling a few times & hissing like a snake as he spoke... he'd carry his "s's" a long time in a hissing fashion! (I immediately knew this was NOT OF GOD - he was anointed alright, but NOT by the God I KNOW & serve!).
He then walked right up to the camera & pointed in it saying "if anyone speaks against this my ministry or my anointing right now, a curse be on you" He literally (not in God's name either, his own) cursed anyone that would
denegrate his anointing that night!. KNOWING there is power in our words (by the spirit realm) I went on to share that demonic display with others, but called on the protection of JESUS Christ. I KNEW what I saw was demonic; my spirit just knew this was ungodly. I DO like some (ok, FEW) ministers on TBN..... I DO think they do some good for the Lord..but I just cannot figure out why they are so deceived by these types of people. (I think it has to do with the NEED for signs & wonders more than operating solely by faith)....I'm just seeing so much FALSITY going around & it seems the MORE people get away from the SIMPLICITY of the GOSPEL, doctrinal trouble comes right behind it. It seems the MORE man studies the Bible, the FARTHER AWAY from truth he gets! What happened to the simple message of the gospel unto salvation? It seems the simplicity isn't enough or that they think it doesn't hold any power! But the message of the cross we are told IS THE POWER unto salvation! see more people (so called Christians) being swept away by all these wild teachers w/ a "new word" all the time. SCARY!
But it only shows me that God is RIGHT AGAIN in His prophecy; the apostacy is here & MANY will leave the faith. (I question if they ever truly knew God to begin with)!?. (1 John 2:19). At any rate, I love your web site & intend to search out more from it. THANKS alot!
Zq =0)
Hi, Sandy,I posted your open letter to/about Hinn on a board for ministers in my denomination. Man, did I get hammered! My rep there is none too solid, for questioning Brownsville, Toronto, etc., and for posting that stuff about Christ coming to Hinn's crusades, but when I posted your last, there were calls for my ouster, etc.
I am really finding this gadfly ministry not to be all that appealing. :-)
C.F.
Just reading your site, and remembering a verse I found the other night:On judgement day many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.' --Matthew 7:22-23 (NLT)
To me, the people described by Christ in this verse sound just like many of the "Word Faith" movement teachers, preachers, etc. Truly a falling away...
I am one of the few who is convinced that, as was spoken even by Christ, in the end times there would be no "world revival" but rather that many, even some of the elect, will (possibly) "fall away" from the faith. The things I have read on your website all the more confirm the truth of the Word of God.
Keep up the great work!
In His Majesty's Service,jdb
I have enjoyed reading your newletters online. Please set me up to receive them. Thank you and may the Lord continue to show you the truth in this ever darkening world...
Hi!
I just wanted to say "thanks" for the URLs you gave me regarding photos of the Pope. I just learned about your website a few days ago and spent most of my day today "glued" to it! Keep up the good work!
Dear Ditc,
Thanks firstly for your website, the resources are excellent and help me up here in the highlands of Scotland to expose that which opposed to God.
Keep the Faith
D.L.
Sandy, I found your website recently and want to THANK You for the love in your heart to the brethren that are deceived, and to God for obeying his word.
S.F.
You are my favorite apologetics on the net - thank you for an excellent site!!! :) S.K.
Dear sirs,I'm not sure whether you already know this, but you may be interested to know that the New Zealand Assemblies of God have published a statement saying "We have not, are not and do not intend to be associated with this organisation [Benny Hinn's ministry] in the future.". This was published in Issue 18, 2000 of the Challenge Weekly Christian Newspaper, and can be found on their web site at http://challengeweekly.co.nz/Iss18.htm . This takes you to Issue 18, and you can scroll down to the article "AOG distance themselves from Benny Hinn".
By the way, thank you so much for your ministry - I have been a believer for 15 years, and only realised there was "something rotten in the state of AOG" - ha ha - after a lengthy absence from church life. This and other discernment ministries have confirmed that there was a reason for this unease, and I am trying, with the Lord's help, to get back to His pure word. Thank you, again and again, for your courage and dedication to your calling. He will reward you for it! although I'm sure you already know that!
God bless you
J.C.
As an elder in my church, I find your site absolutely invaluable for much needed information. Ecumenism is such a poison. Even in the church in which I serve, I see this creeping monster is beginning to have an effect. I am hoping that, with the position that the Lord has placed me in, I am able to bring proper information to the leadership, so as to help them discern the many faces of ecumenism. When truth begins to grey, the light dims, and darkness falls. Standing on the absolutes of the Masters revealed Word has never been popular, but who says popularity should be our guiding light? God bless you truly, as you walk in the Grace He has bestowed upon you.
B.A.
AD FINEM FIDELIS
I thank God that he used the various discernment and apologetics ministries to open my eyes and return me to the teaching that I first learned and love. But now I'm having serious problems communicating with my spouse because God hasn't revealed it to her yet and she refuses to receive anything that teaches against the doctrines of the Word-Faith Movement, Benny Hinn, Tithing ...
Thank you so very much for teaching truth. I have been caught up far too many years in religious deception. It is so refreshing to hear clear, precise truth...not hints of "what should be" or "what should not be", but truth plain and simple. I wrote you one time before about alternative medicine but have been feeling as of late, that I need to
elaborate a bit on the subject and give you a bird's eye view of my testimony, which involves Alternative Medicine.I am hoping you might post this in your email section for others to read. The reason being is that I see many Christians that have come out of the third wave deception in the church, but are still entangled with a very subtle and ingenious deception called Alternative Medicine. This one can not only "kill the soul" but it can kill the body as well.
In 1992 I was attending a Foursquare Pentecostal Church. My prayer partner and I gathered at this church 2-3 times a week at 6:30 A.M. to pray. My prayer partner, who rarely ever said anything negative about anything or anybody, mentioned that she was feeling uneasy about the fact that our pastor and his wife, as well as 3/4 of the congregation were going to a practitioner of kinesology for medical help. He called himself "doctor" but he was not a doctor by any means. We learned later that anyone can receive a certificate to practice kinesology/reflexology by watching an hour long video explaining how to muscle test. They also encouraged the congregation to go to him for any type of medical help/cure from ingrown toe nails to cancer!!
I suggested to my prayer partner that we do a thorough research of kiniseology, reflexology, herbology, homeopathic practices, iridology,chiropractic, etc. And so began our very lengthy secular and Christian study of such practices. At first I could not find anything Christian on the subject, but I found plenty from the secular world. I wish I had time to relay to you all that I found out, but time nor space on this email does not allow me to do so. I will give you a few examples, however.
I checked out many books from our library and began the research. One very large book published by a well known natural food/vitamin magazine really caught my eye. Not only was it touting the praises of all of the above practices, but when I was done reading it, I laid it down on the table, bottom side up and what stared back at me gave me a chill. There in front of me was the upside down goat's head pentagram, sign of the devil. There was no writing on or about the symbol, just the symbol itself. That would be enough to clue any Christian in as to the danger of the book's contents. Within the book was all the wonderful accolades about vitamins, herbs and all of the above listed practices. It seemed harmless enough. Not!
We were able to obtain the video by which kiniseogy practitioners learn and receive their certificate of practice. We were shocked. The muscle test for diagnosis of disease is done by having the practitioner press down on your outstretched arm while you resist upwards. In the other hand, he places anthing from sugar to vitamins to herbs. By pushing down on one arm, the "patient" resisting and pushing upward, and depending upon how quickly or how far your arm drops, a diagnosis for the "patient" is done. I found out through my research, that
practitioners almost always diagnose women with yeast infection and children with borderline diabetes and parsites "that cannot be seen under a microscope". My pastor's wife and children were no different. The women are always put on a diet free from all carbohydrates, i.e. breads, grains, potatoes, sugar, etc. If followed, the women lose a lot of weight and begin to look like they have been ill for a very long time.The practitioner surrogate tests childen by placing them on the parent's lap or the parent's back if parent is lying down. Then the practitioner pushes against the arm or leg of the parent while the parent resists and based on this, a diagnosis is made for the children. First of all, there is no anatomical connection between muscle resistance and
diagnosis of disease in the parent. Even further fetched is the fact that there is absolutely no anatomical connection between the parent and the child. The practitioners believe that there is an "energy force" that flows between parent and child.There is so much I would like to share, but it has to be limited in this email so I will hurry along with my story. In the midst of my secular research on the above listed practices, one of the elders of the church who led a personal group that my husband and I had joined, decided to "practice" kinisiogy on me after I had voiced a concern about it. He said anyone can do it. He placed sugar in my right hand and I put it up against my chest. He told me to hold out my left arm and resist while he pushed down and I was pushing upward. I was amazed as my arm fell
limply at my side, but I was feeling quite uneasy about all of this. It was about this time, that I found the first "hints" in Christian circles that these practices are witchcraft and believers should not be involved. I read a book that had one little blip in one little chapter that said we must repent if we have ever had any involvement in the above mentioned witchcrafts. I felt so relieved that there were other Christians out there somewhere that knew the truth about these practices. The book didn't go into any detail and though elated with joy that were other believers out there that saw the fallacy of Alternative Medicine, they didn't go into any explanation of why.My prayer partner and I went to one of the church elders with our research. Surprisingly enough, he said he had his own doubts about the practice and requested the reams of information we had collected on the subjects. Months past. In the meantime, I found a book on the subject written by two Christian doctors and then I found a book called "Can You Trust Your Doctor" by John Ankerburg. I was overwhelmed with joy to obtain and read these books. I would recommend that every Christian read "Can You Trust Your Doctor" . I know it is only obtainable from John Ankerburg Ministries and he can be found on the web. I had tried later to obtain it from various Christian book stores and distributors and it was not obtainable at that time.
Within the chapter of "Iridolgy" in the above book, it was mentioned that a team of doctors sent a lady to several practicing iridologists. She had been examined and she, as well as the medical doctors, knew exactly what was right and what was wrong with her physically. She received eight different diagnosises, none of which were correct. An iridogy practitioner, "reads" the iris of your eye. There is absolutely no anatomical connection between the iris of your eye and any other part of your body. It is nothing more than fortune telling, reading tea leaves or palm reading.
I could go on and on, but to let you know what happened, I must conclude this email. We (prayer partner and elder) approached the pastor of the Foursuare Church with these facts. We gave him all of the information, books, pamphlets, research, etc. that we had. We also gave this same material to the remaining elders and church council members. The pastor was very angry. He kicked the elder that had doubts and questions about the practice out of the church immediately and told him to find someone else to "submit to". The pastor then called his district manager/supervisor, and he was informed by him to formally kick us all out. We received a letter of formal dismissal shortly thereafter telling us that the only way we could be reinstated back into the grace of the church was to call the elders and submit to whatever they required, and that the "medical" question was not ever to be brought up again....that whatever medical practice a person, including a pastor, chooses to accept and use, was no one elses' business.
That happened in 1993 and actually was the very best thing that could ever happened to me. Since leaving that church, and over a period of time, my eyes have been opened to so much deception in the churches. I'm sure I could not have seen the truth if I had still been attending that church, warming a pew, and listening to whatever whim and deception that was being served up in church for the day.
Before we were kicked out of the church, my sincere prayer was "Lead me into truth". Little did I know that I was about to embark on quite a journey, but the Lord is faithful to bring anyone into truth who seeks Him and seeks truth. I am requesting audience with you on the email because, as I stated, I see people coming out of the false third wave deceptions, but still deeply caught up in Alternative Medicine. Every church in our town if full of members who are practicing Alternative Medicine. It seems more rampant in fundamental/Pentecostal churches in
fact.The misconception lies in the fact, I believe, that they do not connect Alternative Medicine with witchcraft. It is a clever deception. I have heard many say, including myself years ago, "This is good for you...it makes you healthier, and it is natural, and the Bible says that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, so we should do whatever we can to make our bodies healthier, etc." What a deception! There are thousands of documented cases that relay deaths because people did not go to a proper medical doctor (who know what anatomically connects to each other!!!) and/or took herbs that caused violent reactions and sometimes death. The worst of it though, is the spiritual deception.
Christians are practicing witchcraft and don't even know it. Please try to get the word out on these practices. If you can, read "Can You Trust Your Doctor". It is an awesome revealing of the witchcraft involved in Alternative Medicine. Thank you so much for reading this and thank you again for taking a strong stance against error and deception.
S.B.
Hi!
... I want to tell you you have a WONDERFUL website. I access it practically everyday!
K.L.
Dear sirs
I came across your page and couldn't agree more with you. I was very sick and I still am sick even after ten years have passed About ten years ago I asked the Lord to heal me so I could work and support my family. I was a new christain at the time and I expected that the Lord would heal me instantly when he didn't I became very confused. Then I ran into the Copeland people on tv and thought so thats what I have to do just confess the word and believe and recieve. So I told the Lord that I was going to search the word and find every verse on healing and then I was going to use the word to get healed. I thought to myself the Lord is not a liar he will have to heal me. I didnt realize it at the time but with out knowing it I was tring to blackmail the Lord with his own word. So I made up my mind to do this and I told the lord about it in prayer. Two days later I had just arrived home and was to tired to get out of the car because I was so sick I wasn't even thinking about the Lord I was just sitting there. Then all the sudden a voice spoke to me very clearly. I dont know how i knew but I knew instantly that it was the Lord. He said. [ are you useing my word to get you own way? Are you a pharisee? Am I your puppet on a sting? I will heal you but in my own way and my own time. Be patiant.] The Lord set me straight that day about the gab and grab club. All I can say is thank you Lord and he must have his own reasons for me being sick. bye
L.
We still attend an A of G church, plan to have a session with our new pastor, who has already stated from the pulpit that he would rather see someone painting a Sunday school room than doing "carpet time". Our former pastor had been to Brownsville a number of times and his ministry begain to change, finally to the point that he left the church and we were for months searching for the right pastor. I was raised A of G and my husband was Presbyterian, joining A of G prior to our marriage. It USED TO BE a good church; however, I have seen many videos and read things from David Wilkerson, pastor of A of G Times Square Church in New York City - he is clear spoken on using a spirit of discernment and following ONLY the Bible as a model for the Church - it is obvious he is opposed to the Toronto thing - in fact, tapes we have of some of his sermons, he especially asked for prayer as he was planning to preach the same message the next week at A of G headquarters in Springfield, Mo - we do not give our tithes to the church, but donate where we know NONE of the money will go to our church headquarters. If they are not brave enough to take a stand on this, I believe there will be a split in the A
of G (and there should be, as so many are being deceived). We truly believe that since they "received not the love of the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness" the Lord is truly sending a strong delusion that many may believe the lie and be damned. We will no doubt leave the A of G over this - we have dear friends missionaries for 38 years in Brazil that are so into Cho's teachings and are starting to use the "cell" method, and many "slain in the Spirit" manifestations are active in their churches there. These are people that have known and served the Lord Jesus for many years, not even of the A of G movement, but have fallen into total deception. The lady has been my dearest friend since we were 11 yrs. old and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute - her husband made a remark to us, last time they stayed with us in the U.S. that "people of Brazil are so poor, you HAVE to preach a prosperity gospel to bring them in", and we disagreed - as we are to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We are sick at heart - good friends of ours have left their A of G church in a town near us (he was on the board) - their new young pastor has brought in "worship teams" from Brownsville a number of times, he allows no piano or organ music - all is keyboard, guitar and drums, he keeps the ladies of the church busy making "banners" which are strategically placed in the sanctuary - the whole thing is so bizarre. I have lost some wonderful friends because of this - many subscribe to Charisma magazine and they told me, "it's OK to disagree, but you shouldn't campagain against them, just because you don't agree with them", but I told him if the watchman sees a clear danger and does not warn "their blood will I require at your hand", so we will continue to lose friends of many years - to our sorrow. Others that have seen the error have been labelled as having "committed the unpardonable sin", etc. and people are warned to stay away from you if you speak a word against all this. I do know one of the gifts of the Spirit is a gift of tongues; however, I no longer believe one must "speak in tongues" as evidence that you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and I'm sure the A of G won't want me around if I believe that. The Bible says not all have every gift, it is clear on that, and I hadn't seen it before, but do now - I choose to believe and trust the Word of God if I (we) have NO friends left at all - God's love and acceptance is more important to us than man's acceptance. I just ordered a copy of Charismatic Chaos - I truly feel sorry for those that do not know there is a TRUE gift of languages through the Holy Spirit - but the Holy Spirit is a gentlemen and all is to be done decently and in order - this craziness has brought reproach upon the true beauty of God's precious Spirit that draws us to Him and empowers us to become witnesses for Him. May God Bless Your Work - we want to know more and get literature that might help us lead others out of this deception.
Sincerely In
Christ,
G & N C.
Good job on the site. Thanks for all your work, it is needed, badly. The Great Deception was usually seen as
arriving outside the church...and it arrived so gradually and insidiously...but, all of a sudden one has to say: " wait a minute!!!...what is all this crazy, self- directed nonsense trying to engulf us?" It really is here, now. Somewhat startling to realize and face the truth: the church has become virtually useless. Trust God, not these festering remains-whew!!!T.S.
Dear Friend in Christ,Just wanted to say that your website is really good. God bless you.
A brother in the Lord
Dear Sandy,Thank you for your website. It has helped me tremendously. Please continue with what you are doing.
I would like to request your help/advice on a certain matter. It seems to me that my church is slowly but surely leaning towards the Third Wave. We have a couple of elders who seem to think that that is the only way for the
church to grow. Lately the talk is about receiving and speaking the "rhema" of God's Word rather than just learning the "logos" of God's Word. Apparently that is the way to bring life to God's Word. Only the rhema can
change lives, heal the sick, etc. It is something that Paul Choggi Cho and a host of other Third Wave teachers are advocating. One of our elders sent an e-mail to some of us, attaching a message from Paul Chonggi Cho on the power of the "rhema". ... I am somewhat uncomfortable about this trend of emphasing the "rhema". Please offer your views on this, which I would appreciate very much.Thank you.
regards,
P.
Singapore
Sandy,God bless you for your work! I have read several of your articles, and they are very well written and thorough. Our church has a large group of Hinnites, whom I hope to enlighten (carefully, and in love), soon. We have a new pastor, who is not a Hinnite (praise God!), and he has asked me to compile some written material on Hinn. With your permission, I'd like to print out one or more of your articles for him to use.
I was watching Benny last year (Oct 27, 1999), and he was interviewing his brother Willie. Trying to make the point that "no one man can handle the glory" (or words to that effect), he made the statement that God did not kill Uzzah (the man who steadied the ark and was killed as a result) -- it was the glory! My wife and I looked it up. II Sam 6:7. Sure enough. God killed Uzzah. One of the clearest cases of 100% disagreement with scripture I've ever seen. BTW, Benny didn't correct his brother, but acted (I think) surprised, saying he always thought God
killed Uzzah, etc. Seemed happy to be "corrected" by Willie, though. Just more proof of these guys' absolute disregard for the truth of God's word. Here's a link to the video on Benny's site (it's still there!), if you're interested. http://www.bhmm.org/media/1999-10-27-56.ram The part about the "glory" starts around 16 minutes into it.T.M.
Dear Bereans!!Please would you be kind enough to send me your newsletter by e mail - 'Deception in the Church'. Praise God for your faithfulness.
Yours in His Grace,
C.S.
Please Please send me your newsletter. Thanks so much for stepping out and speaking so courageously.
S.
Please let me know when this site has been updated. Thank you. I also wanted to thank you for your website. I was drowning in the "river" at brownsville and I found your site and started studying God's word for myself and I repented and asked God to forgive me but I learned a valuable lesson about how easy it is to be led astray but now I am afraid to go to a church for fear of being decieved again. Please pray that God will heal me of my shame.
L.P.
Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours and your's in abundance. Amen. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter, but I can't remember if I already did so ... Thank you; and may God's richest blessings be overflowing in your life for His glory for His Son's sake. Amen.Yours in Christ Jesus,
L.F.
DITC,I love your website! I have recently come out of the word of faith movement and need to find a church that knows how deceptive the WOF movement is. Two weeks ago I moved to ... How can I find a good church?
Thanks,
S.S.
God Bless you and holy buckets. Been able to minister to several about the deceptions I understand of late. I would like to "Subscribe" to e-Newsletter and all postings you send out. Very thankful for your labor of love to expose and teach in these times.
S.F.
Dear PastorMy name is H.C. and I am a young man aged twenty three. Please send me booklets of your christian materials at the above-mentioned address and you can send my friend as who is named T.M. and his postal address is: ... HARARE, ZIMBABWE. Thank you so much. Please reply me.
Yours
H.C.
I want to thank you, for the information. It has been a big help. I was wondering if you were aware of the Victory Outreach World Conference 2000 at the Long Beach sports arena California, Aug, 21 thu 26th, 2000 Benny Hinn will be speaking at this conference I attend Victory Outreach and I was shock! when I was told that Benny Hinn would be one of the speakers. I e-mail V.O. and I am disapointed by the response read the copy..In Christ JESUS
A.C.
Thanks for the information, Sandy. I am very glad that I have reached your site, it is very good. Blessings, and may the Lord keep His protecting hand over you and yours.Kind regards,
M.G.
This past week, a friend of mine went to a charismatic conference in Atlanta Ga. and came back w/ a feather. Said Mrs. Benny Hinn had a feather and that this is a new manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Have you heard about this? Cannot find any information on this new manifestation ;-)!? Any info you could share would be appreciated.
S.C.
Dear DITC,I want you to know that I appreciate your work. I read your email about the lady who was involved in witchcraft. I could relate to her in so many ways. I, as well, was drawn to satanism as a youth. Much of what I have seen and heard about the counterfiet revivals has reminded me of Satan's work. It truly concerns me. I know so many people that I care about who are getting caught up in the madness. In nearby towns where I live there are people seeing angel feathers falling from the ceiling and people getting gold teeth. I truly don't understand how people believe this is from the Lord. I have read Paul Yongi Cho's book the fourth dimension and felt that I was being drawn back towards the same feelings I had before when I was drawn to Satan. I am afraid for all the Christians who believe that these conterfiet revivals are from the Lord. I pray that God will open their eyes to the deception and that discerning Christians will continue to take a stand.
In Christ, LEW
Hello, thank you for your ministry and fantastic webpage! I have definitely benefited from it. ... Thanks you for your time.In Him,
G.R.
A while ago I emailed you about a specific quote made by Pat Robertson, and how it shouldn't have been attributed to him. I've looked at your web page again and it appears you have removed it. Well done! Thank you for showing your trustworthyness (which is why I'm emailing you).I do recommended that you read the CRI statement on Pat Robertson for their full comments (as I recommended in a past email) ... CRI does not agree with the "words of knowledge", just as you do not.
http://www.equip.org/free/DR175.htm I just thought you might like to read it.Anyway, on to the real reason I'm emailing you. First, let me thank you for the web site! I've used much of your information lately. My church has endorsed a trip to the Benny Hinn Miracle Crusade in Worchester, MA, and I've begun a discussion with the Junior Pastor about judging his ministry. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade the pastoral staff to cancel the trip. Again, thank you! ...
God bless,
B.
God bless. You website is wonderful! I was wondering. Is there any update on the Benny Hinn prophecy that Jesus was going to appear at one of his crusades? It is amazing to me that this obviously false prophecy has not caused a huge uproar among Christians. Thanks for all you are doing for the Body of Christ.E.H.
Dear Pastor Simpson,Thank you for your new article of 8/14 on "Third Wave Neo-Pragmatism - Christianity's New Witchcraft?" ... WELL DONE! So many good people have fallen for this experiential movement away from God's Word here in Chico, CA. I have shared your article with those who will still listen. THANK YOU... I hope you will build on this as the Lord leads.
Love in Christ,
D.J.
Please include me in your subscription list. I first came to your site via a link from waltermartin.org, and I believe you have much useful information to offer.C.B.
Dear Sandy Simpson -Your articles and research are excellent; your collection of resources formidable. I have been doing some examination of the Alpha Course recently and it's a scary thing, especially when being so blithely told by my church-going friends (and some ministers) that another one is starting and I should sign up, yadda yadda. How does one refuse in such a way as to prompt a discussion, instead of provoking their defenses? is it just as simple as saying "I was attending a course a couple of years ago, but didn't get past the fourth session"...? Would very much like some thoughts on this. As is, the moment I learn of a church's promotion of the Alpha Course, I turn right off. Consequently I'm left without much choice as to where I can worship. It seems to be everywhere I look. I'm holding the first cell group meeting in my home tomorrow evening, called "...". It is based entirely on the Bible, with no doctrinal slant towards any denomination. The only materials besides the Bible we're using is a ...daily devotional by Alan Cairns, called "Footprints of Faith", and a "Compact Survey of the Bible" (author's name presently escapes me). I'm putting forth a challenge to all of us attending - to take home with them and stick to a calendar of daily Scripture readings that will cover the whole Bible by next year. But, .. I digress. I would appreciate whatever input and leads with which you might furnish me - the maiden meeting is about the Alpha Course and its danger to Christian and non-Christian alike.
Thank you in advance for your reply and assistance. Once more, great site. :)
K.F.
Victoria, BC... I've gone to so many churches, and I can't remember one that didn't have a glowing report for the Alpha Course. echhh!!! like being surrounded by the BORG. "we will assimilate you...." OY!How about you, Sandy? Beautiful site design, by the way. :)
K.
Thanks and God bless you,a sister in Sweden
G.J.
... I've already recommended the site to two other people, and will probably continue to spread the word. It is really informative about this subject, and I have a LOT of friends who have been deceived by the Toronto blessing, Benny Hinn, etc. It is amazing what people will believe when they abandon the supreme authority of Scripture in favor of experience.
K.H.
I want to thank you for your efforts to open God's people's eyes to the deception that is so widespread.Although I was raised in a sound Christian home and heard the Bible read every evening, I still was caught up in the deception of the TBN/Kenneth Copeland prosperity gospel. But then some bad circumstances happened in my life and I lost everything financially.
I hung on to my "faith" for a long time, but finally recognized the lie I had believed. Only I couldn't distinguish where the lie was. I honestly began to believe the Bible was a lie, and was on the verge of abandoning my faith altogether.
But, desperately wanting to believe that my faith in God was not misplaced, and that the Bible was not a lie, I decided to read the New Testament through verse by verse in context and see what it actually said--IN CONTEXT. I was stunned at the way I had accepted verses out of context strung with other verses out of context, which had spun a completely "different" gospel than the one in the New Testament.
My faith in the truth and infallibility of the Bible, and my love and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord, Savior, and everything I need and will ever need was restored.
I RUN when I see "signs and wonders" being promoted now. Truth promotes Jesus Christ, the cross and repentence. Deception thrives on "signs and wonders."
Yes, I believe Jesus can heal us; yes I believe that He can work miracles in our lives according to His will. But when the healings and miracles are promoted above the gospel of repentence and a life of obedience and submission to God, something is very wrong.
I have discoverd that those caught up into the Word of Faith movement are often into a kind of "Christian occultism." And their arrogance is indescribable. And, as you point out, they slam their mind shut to any comparison of their beliefs with what the Bible says.
I thank God for the financial and material crises that thrust me into my desperate quest for Truth in the Word.
Sincerely,
S.G.
I have just visited your site for the first time and would very much like to be put on your mailing list for your newsletter. My e-mail address is ... Thanks so much for your informative site---it has opened my eyes already to a number of thing that are going on in my church (A.G.), so please subscribe me for your "Deception In The Church" newsletter.
S.P.
Hi. I regularly check your site for new bits of info. I just wanted to send some greetings and best wishes to your ministry and to give you encouragement.I fully support your cause and no one is more aware than I about the falseness in our churches today. I am particularly interested in your stance on Benny Hinn and am in full agreement. I don't see why so many thousands follow this man and his dodgy teachings.
My wife and I know first hand the deception that exists as we were savagely dealt with and kicked out of a church for disagreeing with the Toronto Blessing movement. That's why we'd like to encourage you.
All the best. Your brother in Christ,
L.S.
You have a great web site. Keep up the good and much needed work exposing falsehood. God bless you!!
And put me on your e-mail list.
Thanks, M.C.
Greetings in the name of Jesus! I very much want to subscribe to your newsletter, thank-you for making it available, I've been deeply ministered to by your website. My E-address is ... & I eagerly look forward to your letters! Thanks, love, in Christ, A.
Hi,I found your website while searching for information on Benny Hinn. My church has a series of tapes a literature from his ministry and while I have not seen them, I've read alarming reports on his apostasy (I'm an avid surfer). I'm trying to get enough information before I lay it downbefore my pastor, to make sure those tapes and literature are disposed of. I've brought it up with him nonchalantly once, asking him what he thought of false prophets. He told me, he knew of many differences in opinions but he would reject such teachings only if they contradicted
the fundamental beliefs of Christians (RCs excluded), eg. Jesus is not God. He believes even false prophets may be saved if they truly repented, and I agree with him on this. But I also do believe that God would never affirm these false prophets by giving them leadership in His ministries ever. Otherwise, how would Christians know if he says really is from God?Very much interested in all things like these, only because I remain sceptical in in many of these "spiritual" revivals and practices, I search regularly for more information, aside from checking with my Bible, of course. I'd accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was quite young and I can say from hindsight, He has worked His way in my life in many little ways. ...
Its sites like yours that allow people like to me check up on information like these, and I appreciate the work you put into this. I pray that God will use you to provide only the right information. I've not gone into ALL of the pages here, but as in other websites like this, I guess I might find some opinions somewhat different from mine, but for
what its worth, I believe that there are certain answers that we will never get, until we see Him on that day.Anyway, thanks for reading, I know the mail's kinda long, but I just wanted to write to encourage you in your ministry. And oh yes, please put me on your newsletter's subscription list.
God bless you.
T.F.
All I can say is "God Bless You" for this website. I'll be praying for your Ministry - at last a real one. Its so lonely and hard to stand up for the TRUTH when you know all you will get is rubbish by the very people that you love and are trying to protect. My prayer for a long time has been "Please Lord Jesus, come back quickly!" It hurts so much when you see ones that you have invested so much time and energy into being pulled away from their Saviour by these demonic vultures whose only concern is how they can bleed out of these people.I'm working in the Lutheran Church and to see even the "Pastors" get sucked into this stuff you wonder how the sheep are ever going to survive to the end of the race. And above all else God's Holy name is being defiled.
Again, God Bless You & I'll be praying for you.
G.V.
To Whom it may concern;I am from (Canada). My husband and I have been involved with (a certain church and pastors). We were in (Canada), before arriving in ... to what seemed a calling from God to come and help plant a church in .... Our leaders in ... church are pastor ....
My husband and I left (the aforementioned church) in May/ 00. I began to doubt my own salvation, and the Lord lead me to read Galatians. I soon discovered Ezekiel 8,9,10,11,12 - 20. I was in a rebellious house. I was devistated to see the amount of deception that I was in. Thank God I am free. That my salvation is from grace, to from my works. I have been under the faith movement, positive confession (power in your words), dominion, etc. I found a number of websites, and have found your site to be very insiteful. I have come to understand more now what Charasmatic Witchcraft is all about. I understand Peter Wagners teaching on Intercessory Prayer, and Unity, and spiritual mapping, I have received all of this teaching, laying on of hands, prophecy, and even believe myself to have to gift of prophesy. Now everything I believed is being stripped. The Lord showed me in his word the white-wall - with the whole in it, and the door that represented all the occultic activity, in fact I had a dream about it before I found it in Ezekiel.
So I still believe in the Holy Spirit, and that He directs us into all truth, and I thank God that He has spared me from the great wrath that is soon going to come, which some christians believe is the great outpouring of the spirit of god's glory. We are entering the great tribulation - great deception and woe unto the shepherds who do not feed the sheep!
I am so thankful for the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I just pray always that I hear his voice, and the voice of a stranger I do not hear.
L.P.
Hello,I just found your website today.
I just want to thank you for not only exposing a lot of the scams in the church today but for encouraging non-believers to become Christian. (There was a big box on the first screen that loaded on my computer including verses from Romans, etc.)
I just heard of these "feathers" for the first time from your online poll. I have met others online who have told me about some kind of laughter services that have been going on for years now. What will be next?!
I have bookmarked your site and will return to find out more about what you do.
Thanks -
D.C.
Just a word of thanks for your great website. I have been visiting regularly. I appreciate the work you have been doing, and thought I'd just say "Thanks", and ask you to keep up the good job!Yours in Christ,
M.G.
It's been a while since I've written, but I wanted to make an observation. Our church is approximately 54 miles west of Brownsville Assembly of God and our women are constantly attending one seminar after another. It has become an all consuming obsession. Running after this speaker and that speaker who has the latest word from God. All of these seminars have a fee anywhere from 25 dollars to over 200 hundred dollars depending on lodging and meals. They have even formed into their own little clicks or shall I say factions. If you do not join in you are not really accepted by this group and left out on the fringes.These women say they are going after God, but they are searching out man, plain and simple. Mostly everything I have learned about our Lord has come through the Holy Spirit revealing his word to me on a One on One basis, alone during my study time in his word. There is very little love and a lot of snubbing and whispering between some of them. They were appalled when I asked who a particular speaker was because I had never heard of her, (not to discredit anyone's testimony) but I tell you who I have heard of and that is Jesus Christ the Redeemer, God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
What ever happened to reaching out to others and being a servant? These seminars seem to be self seeking and self glorifying. They seem to be little pep rallies aimed at constantly concentrating on ourselves instead of Christ. Flesh gratification.
I write this because I am angry and very very concerned for all these people being swept away by all these teachings. They want the glory more than they want God. This scares me. They get so angry if you contradict them.
Anyway, thank you for listening and may God richly bless you,
C.W.
Dear Sandy: I've been checking out your website for awhile now and I want to tell you how much I've learned from it. Keep up the great work! My family was part of a charismatic church that got real unbalanced. The Lord used your website (and some other factors) to help us find a better, more biblical place to worship and serve.I found an article about a battle going on among spiritual warfare types vs. traditional evangelicals. I thought Peter Wagner's comments were interesting -- he seems kind of defensive! Notice, too, that he defends his particular
take on spiritual warfare by saying, "it's more effective" -- not, is it true to Scripture.Anyway, maybe you've seen this already, but here's the link...
May God bless you and strengthen your efforts. -- In Christ, N.B.
G'Day
Read some of your letters and thought that I'd offer some support as opposed to the other more negative stuff that you do get. I like others who have written to you have been delivered out of the Word of Faith (Latter Rain) cult. God deprorgrammed me.I have trouble in Adelaide where I live as the WoF, Latter Rain Teachings, manipulation etc have taken over much of the Pentecostal Churches here. Being a Pentecostal I find it hard to 'settle' in non-Pentecostal Churches (they have their humanistic problems too, just as the pentes have the occultic problems). If you read any of my material you'l see that my beliefs open me up for attack and opposition. But then that's life if one chooses to stand for the truth.
Your materal is great, don't let the Pharisees extinguish the flame.
Cheers
R.
Just caught part of Rod Parsleys Best of Dom 2000 on TBN. Shambach tells another one of his tall tales about someone going to a hospitol in NJ and raising a trauma patient from the dead. I know there is not a ready answer
for this but how much futher down the road of nonsense can these TBN types go? It just astound me to observe this fraud going on and on and on.I guess its just a sign of the times. This charismania surely is affecting even
mainlind denominations. I live in an area where there is hardly a Baptist church anywhere around that doesnt dabble with certain aspects of this new way of worship. Seems like old time traditional worship style is out the
window. I am not against change but this obvious put on and show really does turn me off. A.W.
I was wondering if you could give me any information on the Prophesy Club. People such as Bill Deagle, Dr. Mark Andrews, Al Cuppett, Jim Ammerman? My daughter and son-in-law have fled for their lives to the Netherlands because these guys have convinced them that America is going to be bombed by China and
Russia. We had 10 days notice that they were leaving along with our 3 grandchildren. If you have any information as to their false prophesy I would really appreciate it. Our daughter is a Christian but has been plagued with fear.Thank you,
D.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR CARING ABOUT THE LOST, DECEIVED, IGNORANT AND PROUD
SINNERS. I THANK YOU!!! xxx M.G.
Dearly beloved,My name is P.W.. I am 40 years old and I have a family of five (my wife, two sons, one baby girl and myself). I have served in ..., Mexico for nearly all of my adult life. My father's mission organization, ..., is a non-profit organization loosely associated with the independent ... Churches.
At one point, I became entangled in the "Restoration" branch of the Latter Rain movement. By God's grace it only lasted a couple of years until I left it, but it has left a mark on me for the rest of my life. I have spent many hours warning and counseling others concerning the dangers involved. Many of have been helped in their search but it hasn't been easy.
I have come to the point in my life where my financial burden has made it impossible to afford many materials that could be extremely useful to this ministry, yours among them. For this reason, I am embolden to request the following from you: If you have any hard copy materials, tapes, etc. that are demos, slightly used or damaged (or even new for that matter)that you would be willing to donate, we can provide a tax-deductible receipt. Please let me know if there is any possibility
By the way, Internet service continues to be inaccessible to most of us in NW Mexico, due to the phone company's monopoly as the only provider. Please pray that God would provide us with inexpensive Internet access.
God bless,
P.W.
Received your book answers today it is a very informative book. I just love all the wonderful biblical info in it . I thank you very much for it. Miss you in the chat rooms , i don't go in much anymore to much evil in there.can't stand the things my LORD are called in there. still i will watch for you in there again tks very much for the book, may GOD bless you and your family. will write again soon F.
Praise the Lord, some fellow servants to labor with for the truth!
T.R.
Thank you DITC for your response regarding being slain in the Spirit. I agree (that it is an) occult use ... slaying persons in the spirit. I have also heard of persons being "prayed for or prayed over" by "teachers or preemminent leaders" in the New Age/occult arena only to be either physically picked up and literally thrown across a room for several feet or knocked to the ground. I have also heard this exact type of phenomanon on occasion from charismatic circles. Let me conclude by saying thank you for your ministry. I am a 32 year old man who has been involved with the whole Word/Faith charismatic movement since I was 12. So I pretty much know the names involved and I thought I knew what they were about. I realize many from the Word/Faith cry don't touch the Lord's anointed. But there comes a point when blaring and blatant teaching, that just simply is not in line with God's Word and Jesus's teaching, must be shown for what it is, deception. Else we will not give ourselves to the love of the truth and God will send us strong delusion instead. God bless you folks. Keep up the good work.R. H.
My former church of which my wife is still a member is moving further and further into these new movements of recent years. What was formerly a small baptist church has grown into a non-denominational megachurch in .... I left not long after receiving my ministers license (which I returned) because I began to see more and more things in line with authoritian leadership based on a strong charismatic personality, subtle spiritual abuse, tithing being preached based on Malachi 3, and more emphasis on experiencial based worship. I heard the influence of a lot of the word faith teachings there and they endorse Benny Hinn on their web site. ...org Now they're having the likes of Tommy Tenney, Bart Pierce of the Rock Church in Baltimore and Joseph Garlington as guess speakers drawing huge crowds from all over the place. My wife adamately refuses to hear anything I say about the error of this movement and thinks everything I say and every resource I use including your site is straight from the pit of hell. I know I'm standing on the truth of his word but this is destroying my marriage. Ephesians 5 and similar verses mean nothing to her because she doesn't believe or trust what I say. After all a mega church with all these people coming in can't be wrong in her mind. She believes God is moving in it and what I know is coming from
the devil and that everything I do in the name of the Lord is hypocritical. She believes that what I stand for in relation to these movements is dividing our marriage. I know the opposite is true. This has been going on for almost a year. Can you help me?
W.L.
Several years ago, my wife and I came into some extra money. Not alot, but some extra. At that time, we were new to the Hinn crusade and although I found him questionable on some things, we sent a donation to him which was for us sizeable. All of a sudden, we were on his love list. We got a call and a personal invitation to have supper with him at one of his crusades in a neighboring state. So, we accepted.The day finally came when we were to meet with him. We were taken by security personnel to a private room where we met 20-30 others who were there by special arrangement. I wore my JC Penney suit and my wife was modestly dressed. Hinn came out in his Italian suit, Rolex, gold, etc. His entire persona was fake.
And all along, I thought the man wanted to meet us for something special. He did.
He wanted a jet airplane... a new 'vision' of the Lord. He wanted all of us to put seed money down on it. Most of the people in the room pulled out their checkbooks and started writing immediately. We felt personally embarrassed, and we did not expect to have the 'squeeze' put on us. We were modest people who had sent a check to that man enough to buy 4-5 of those Italian suits (if you know how much they cost, you'll figure it was several thousand at least). We simply didn't have significant sums to give, but I wrote a check anyway so as not to be embarrassed.
What did Hinn do? He took each check, read the amounts out loud to all others and let us all get 'compared' to one another. I was disgusted. All he cared about was money. He did not spend time with any of us, as we had been told. As soon as the money was collected, he had to leave the room.
I have never given to him again, or to any other major mission or ministry, and I never will. Instead, I find a poor man locally who needs help, and I assist that man/woman/family. At least I know the money is helping someone to have a meal and a warm blanket, instead of a Rolex and an Italian suit and a jet plane.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I have carried it for at least 5 years.
(Name Witheld)
Dear DITCGod Be Blessed and may all praise Jesus Christ, the One and Only Savior.
I read with great interest your website and found it encourageing and supportive of the leading of God in my own life.
Years ago I was caught up in this movement, very involved and adding to it. God led me away from it, letting me know something wasn't right, not to mention the emptiness it produced.
It seemed Jesus got smaller and smaller in my eyes and heart which we know isn't right. The Holy Spirit was the focus, Jesus an avenue for building our own "kingdoms".
After a while and seeking God, there was a weekend inparticular I stayed in my room for both days, seeking God and God Alone. I refused the manifestations of "gifts", for I operated in a few, and stayed before God. After going to bed feeling empty and lost, I was awaken at 3am on Monday morning and saw as it were in a vision my church, a thick cloud of heaviness and the congregation full of misery and as it were, dead in their ways. The words "Charisamtic Witchcraft" came to me and an incredible understanding of it. As soon as that had occured came the single word "Jesus" to me, and the heaviness and oppression I had felt for sometime, and the heaviness I felt with the first part of that vision was gone, and I felt alive and joyful.
After that I tried to speak to a few in the church and made no progress. Three times God had me say a word about "Only Jesus" and all three times it was interrupted by a false spirit or a leader. The last time I was interrupted the Real Holy Spirit spoke to me to leave and not return. Since then, as I knew by God it would, this church has continually gone downhill.
Much I could say, but I thank God for His Truth and Forgiveness, and for your website. I know it is difficult to maintain the Word of God in the face of so much adversity as I am sure comes against you.
As for those of this movement who speak death to any and all that come against it, they prophesy against themselves. Surely they know a man shall reap what he sows.
To God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son be the Glory and Dominion forever and ever. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Sincerely, D.S.
My name is D. and I am a norvegian ( 30 years old ). I hope my english is readable and I will try to be short and consis.I just wanna engourage you with my testemoni and hope for some comforting words back.
I was a charismatic for about 10 years ( classic pentacostal in the beginning ) in the end I was a true disiple of Hagin, Hinn and Copeland etc.1990 -2000. I read the books and practised.
I found some of you "heresy hunters" on internett and I can't explain what happened, rationally. But suddenly I realized that my faith was a great fake. My life and my faith was ruined. I do belive that it was the good work
of the Spirit of God.I experiensed a huge "hunger" to find the truth. I read the bible and I read a lot of classic christian litterature. And thanks to God, he opened my eyes so that I could see Jesus on the cross, dying for me. I now realize that the
healtandwealth religion is fake and all the manifestations and feelings were not true and not from God. Now I live for God by the faith in Christ in andold fashioned christian way.I do have a good relationship with my wife, we are standing together in this, thank God for that! I have good relationship with God ( by Christ ) and I have a good relationship with my self. But, now one else but God ( and
my wife and a good apologetic friend of mine which has helped my a lot ) understands me.I can speak with other christians and we can use the same words, but we put different things in the same words. We are not on the same channel. After speaking to christians, after beeing examined about my knew kind of faith (
you know, I don't have much to offer people anymore, only forgivenes for their sins and a cup of coffe. Well, of course, eternal life, but it seems more important to have it all in this world ), I am the one feeling lausy. Am I wrong? Is there really so much deception in the church? I have one comfort and that is the gospel of Christ saying that I have it all in Christ, whatever I need to be or do to be saved or blessed. So I cling my self to the cross and speaks to my self: God has in the end spoken to us trough his son. Thats it, there will be no more "prophets" from God, we have it all in the bible.But I think so often, why bother, nobody is listening, and I don't think everybody has an apologetic ministry, because it is the toughest ministry of them all. But I long for fellowship with people who don't wanna build big
churches or have a global apostolic ministry. Sometimes, like now, I feel so "homesick" that I could cry. Think about that day when we stand in front of God. Then we will understand that it was really worth it. I love God, I love his son and I don't wanna miss heaven for the hole world.Thanks fore sharing my frustration, and keep up the good work. I have been helped by you "heresy hunters" and I love you for the work and for the prise you are paying. God bless you.
Regards, Mr. D.
Thanks for your website. Obviously God must want me to take a look at this website because it is my 3rd time visiting and the 1st 2 times, I more or less read and dismissed most of what I read after mulling over it for several days. My heart was more inclined to say that anyone who spent time trying to expose others were not acting out of love or that would not be the action of Jesus. So, I threw all the information I printed and decided to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and teach me.Anyway, I have a couple of questions: My best friend who is SDA tells me that I am in error by attending church on Sunday. She says that we are to uphold the Sabbath on Saturday and the Lord is coming for His remnant people and Sunday worshippers are not in that group. I have done a lot of research and have been praying for guidance in this area. Each time I pray and read the Word I am led to Romans, Galatians or Hebrew and there is always a message to say how we are saved by faith in Jesus and not by the law. What does your study of the Word tell christians about observance of the Sabbath. At times, I think I try to exhaust each question to feel more satisfied that I have come to the truth. Other believers can sometimes enlighten you.
I have been asked recently if I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and do I speak in tongues. I have on several occasions in praying ask the Lord to baptize me in the Holy Spirit and give me the gifts of tongues and interpretation as well as the gift of prophecy. I haven't really done much study on these subjects yet to be comfortable one way or the other. Can you help me with scriptures and your beliefs on this.
One last question: I have been reading a book and several articles on the Blood of Jesus. Based on these books the bottom line is that the Blood is our weapon against satan and his evil spirits. I do believe that there is much power in the Blood of Jesus and again wanted to get another believers view on this subject.
This time visiting your site I have been able to recognize a different quality of your work and I do believe that it is not a coincidence that I am visiting this site again. Do you have information on the following preachers:
T.D.JAKES; CREFLO DOLLAR; BISHOP NEIL ELLIS; JOYCE MEYER; BISHOP EDDIE
L. LONGI have watched them on TBN which I now do much, much less than I used to as I began to feel that a lot of the things were false. I think the Holy Spirit took me out of that mindset and took me to His Word. Obviously because of the false teachings that I was exposed to. In any event, I am just curious to know your views on these people as some have been guest speakers at my church.
Thanks much
Your sister in Christ
J.
HiI accidently found your website...I read most of the articles on that website, I am sooo shocked!! I was right, I knew that B. Hinn was fraud because he was way too flashy...same with people on TBN, too flashy! too premputous. Clearly, not right with Father in Heaven!
I attended Ruth Helfin's weekend campmeeting last summer...Many times I didn't feel right in Spirit that I become involved at the front where I got "healing" I felt so ashamed in reading those articles about her. I regret!!
I haven't seen a webpage that you list trustworthy preachers that preach TRUTH, nothing but TRUTH. I am interested in knowing which preachers are trustworthy because I had bought many good books but I want to be sure that I had bought right books. For example, I have books by Derek Prince, Mashah Chevah, John MacArthur, Swinoll, Wigglesworth, Sumrall, John Hagee, et cetera. If they are not listed on "trustworthy" list, then I would want to burn them because I don't want Father judge me for listening to false prophets!!
one question, is it wise to have a ministry named after the "founder"? For example, billy graham ministries, kenneth copeland ministries, john hagee ministries, etc...what is the right way to name a web ministry. I truly believe that Father in Heaven is calling me to set up one so I can spread the TRUTH to deaf people all over the world. I had set up a website which is still under construction. Weird thing is that I was making a progress pretty well until I decided to name it after myself...reason is that in deaf culture, the deaf people easily remember a person's name rather than a fancy name, that is why I named my future ministry after myself. But now lately, I didn't find any time to work on the website anymore, too busy or Father stopped inspiring me due to that name being after me, not Him. After reading the article on K.Copeland "why would he want to name after himself..etc" It made me realize that I might be doing the wrong way, I sure don't want to become a false prophet or teacher!!! By the way, I am deaf myself...I sense a very serious calling that He wants me to teach my deaf community the TRUTH and I certainly want to do the RIGHT way!! To be honest, (in my view) I believe about 98% of deaf people all over the world doesn't know Jesus at all, less than one percent of deaf people are true Christians, the rest of 1 percent are "pseudo-Christians"...That is why I kept getting so strong impression from Lord Almighty that He wants me to start a web ministry with all videos with American Sign Language translations of Truth (very large percentage of deaf people dont like to read so signed Bible would be very effective)
I really WANT TO LEARN much more about the deception in churches!!! I repeatedly asked Father Almighty to grant me the gifts of the Holy Spirit so I want to do the right way as He leads me and I sure want to share His Glory to bless people. I want to stay completely humble. That's why I am asking you to teach me to do the right thing without becoming a false prophet or teacher. I just cant believe that there are preachers with guts to be false prophet or teachers...I dare not to become one because I KNOW FATHER ALMIGHTY WILL J*U*D*G*E* the false prophet/teachers VERY SEVERELY!!!
Reason I say this is that Father in Heaven has given me the verses in prayer...He gave me verses from Ezekiel 3:17-21 (paraphrased...it was long so for arguement's sake, I simply wanted to make a point) "I have made you watchman for the house of Israel...whatever happens to the people that you didn't warn, then I will hold you responsible"
It burned an impression on my heart and mind that He clearly gave me a high calling and big responsiblity...so I would not DARE betray His calling by becoming greedy and selfish. All I want to have my people to come to Jesus as He called them to come to Jesus through me, that's all I want because I want to see at least 1/3 of my deaf community in New Jerusalem celebrating with Father, Son, and Spirit forever, that is my goal. Please show me how to do the right way by completely be in TRUTH, nothing but TRUTH to spread Good News in His Glory, not mine!
Love in Christ Jesus
P.
Dear Sandy Simpson,I greatly enjoyed reading your articles about Benny Hinn. They were informative and uplifting to read. Keep up the good work! Keep persevering for the our precious faith!!
G :)
Dear Sir ...My name is JJ and I live in the Netherlands. I have just visited your site, especially that which concerns the word-faith movement, the "toronto Blessing", and many other preachers which are involved. I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ and am earnestly seeking after God's truth through His word by His Holy Spirit and in His name. I have been involved in what you would call the Toronto thing, which has swept through holland aswell. And it's been only a short while ago since I had "some" evidence put before me which states that preachers from this movement are false prophets and even practising satanists.
By having seen this evidence I have gone in pursuit of more trustworthy information. Having gone through my bible testing many things through His word, I have tried to be faithful to His word in how to go about this pursuit of mine. I must even be able to test these statements and accusations made against such men. Therefore, the reason I am hoping to find hard evidence so as to warn other fellow believers who may be misled by these preachers and their teachings. A couple of years ago, if anybody might have dared to say anything about these men and their ministry I believe I would either immediately disregard the warning or even rebuke and correct them out of my ignornance. Because it is repeatedly preached in defense of those men "don't touch the Lord's anointed!" Leaving a heavy impression on all those in the church that if you do touch the "Lord's anointed" you will be cursed by God Himself.
I now realise that it is out of fear that no one dares make any accusation against one of these men, not even testing whether what they say is the truth according to God's word, but believing everything they say. No longer is the Bible the authority but of the doctrines of these men. I have no problem naming these preachers by name when warning fellowbelievers about them and their teaching, but to be able to I need a more trustworthy evidence as to really unmask these preachers and their teaching before some "unbelieving" eyes and ears. A lot of people in our church in Eindhoven the Netherlands will have much difficulty in accepting what they will hear about these preachers. My hope is to stir up some concern in you, and I would be most grateful for any advice on how to proceed with this matter of warning people in the church about this movement that is so widespread throughout the world.Also, if you could possibly tell me where I can find good trustworthy and Bible based evidence concerning the unmasking of these preachers and their doctrines.May God be with you always in Jesus' name
JJ
Hello:I have recently been logging onto this website and find it so filled with valuable information, I cannot thank you enough. My church now is so involved and intrigued with Toronto and stand by it to the gold teeth. Even I was caught up with it for a brief moment because my husband got some gold teeth in his mouth also but, I have always thought in my spirit that God gave me the spirit of discernment very fully in my life, I am not easily swayed but this time I was but just for a brief moment. But then, a lot of things just did not feel good, they sent our teenagers over to Toronto, they came back hyped up but that leaves after a while then they go back to hanging out in the hallways of the church while service is going on.
I didn't say anything to anyone, I just did my own studying and didn't find at first to call this evil because I wasn't sure if it was from God or not, I know satan is also a deceiver but, I cannot dismiss it either as a false movement/new age creeping in.
I am convinced now it doesn't line up as sound doctrine should, that's all I will say on it because of the people falling to the floor and making noises that are not of God.
Thanks for being out there, people need to hear the truth in these last days of deception.C&R E
Shalom!!!
Hello from Washington State!Thank you for the tremendous work you put into the Benny Hinn website. It is proving to be a fabulous resource for me as I am researching his heretical theology and practice.
Thanks again!
-->JO
I have just come across your web page which a friend gave me and I am really grateful and thank God for that.I have been in a church in UK, the UPC, United Pentecostal Church and I have been very discouraged to the point of leaving christianity and go back to the world. Their doctrine is all false and deception. Too much emphasis on what you wear, how you dress etc. etc. ... They have refuse to let me take communion as they wanted me to get baptised again. I have been baptised in a pentecostal church in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
However, my family still goes to that church and they are blinded by this cult. Can you please direct me to some information about the truth behind the UPC doctrine. I can show them to my family so that they can read and see the truth about this sect. Please help me as i am going to loose my family very soon. I saw something very brief
mention about UPC from the "God Chasers" extract, but have you got articles about this cult. Please pray for this cult as many many others are getting deceived and it is such a tragedy.God bless
E
Hi; do you have any information on this group? The Lord has me paired up with a friend at work that is almost a fanatic as a Jesus only Pentecostal and it really grieves my soul to hear him speak of God as a far away deity or speak of Jesus as a formula. The speak in tongues and baptized in Jesus name or your not saved.
I wish I could snatch him out of it but Jesus never attacked the religious spirits in His day, and I watch him every day just go along without a clue about real salvation and freedom in Christ.
Thanks for your wonderful resources on your web site,it has been a big help.Best regards, LH
Shalom, I live in Israel.
I have been a believe in Yeshua for some time now. I am getting increasingly concerned here of the endless stream of "anointed teachers" that are being imported here. I'm Jewish and I enjoy the Charismatic expression of worship but I can't seem to escape a doctrine that's coming that somehow doesn't sit right in my mind. I've seen people "slain" but they were dead. All this talk of armies and war is very relevant here but it's so glib when you don't face the immediacy of the possibility of real death. It seems that the believers are looking for anything to anaesthetise themselves from the regular day to day existence whereas I've seen the unbelievers run a mile when all they wanted was some spirituality. Help! Maybe you'll just say to read your website more thoroughly.
But I feel like I'm caught here.thanks.
Thanks a lot for your excellent site. I am a deeply concerned penticostal/charismatic Christian. I live in South Africa and I am deeply concerned at the rate in which the teachings of Hinn, Hagin, etc spread. There is hardly churches left (Pentecostal) that do not run after strange manifestations. I am also interested in the current happenings in Nigeria ("Prophet TB Joshua") As I was also involved in these false teachings I feel an urgent need to warn the body of Christ. Do you know where I can get more information regarding the true and false "gifts of the spirit" as well as "true and false tongues" and more info regarding TB Joshua. Our Christian bookstores are packed with books on these false teachings and it is almost impossible to find biblical sound information. It is also very difficult to import books from the USA - firstly due to our weak currency and secondly nobody seems to be interested enough to help as the books on the false teachings are selling like hot cake. That is why I was so delighted to find your web site, but I am desperately looking for more information if you can perhaps direct me to some other sites.God bless
LF
Charisma Mag. Issue – Apr. 2001
Rick Joyner articleHello DITC Ministries. I have appreciated your work and research concerning all things Word of Faith (WOF) / charismatic and the dangers of that theology. It is because of your research you folks did that I wanted to send some info on a Charisma magazine article about Rick Joyner and his claim as a prophet of the Lord. The magazine is the recent April 2001 issue. I send this information not knowing whether you have come across it yourselves, so if you have you can disregard this email. I won’t go into everything outlined in the article but I
was amazed on 2 particular aspects in the article that I will only share here. Page 65, lower right hand paragraph, the article states that Mr. Joyner says prophetic experiences are merely tools God uses to illuminate scripture and the scripture sited as an example of this is Acts 10:9-16. First of all, the account in Acts shows that Peter went into a trance, God was instructing him not prophesying to him. Peter simply needed correction in his view of the
Gentile nations and peoples in regards to salvation. Secondly, if God uses prophecy to illuminate scripture as Mr. Joyner believes then there are two problems with this. First of all such thinking damages what we read in 2
Timothy 3:15-17. It is scripture itself which instructs us and gives us the eternal standard of doctrine to live by. It is scripture in and of itself which rebukes and corrects us, therefore it is scripture which has priority over all spiritual experience, happenings and spiritually spoken words such as prophecy. It is by scripture that we test prophecy and a prophet not the other way around. Scripture illuminates prophecy to test it for truth or deception, prophecy can not illuminate scripture. In addition to this, Paul writes that where there be prophecy it shall fail, ( 1 Cor. 13:8 ). Further, Jesus says that His Word endures forever though heaven and earth should pass away, ( Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33 ). This being the case, how is it then that that which fails illuminates that which endures forever, that which never fails? No where in scripture that I am aware of is prophecy given the elevated authority over the foundational authority of the written word. 2 Peter 1:20 says, “ prophecy of the scripture “, not scripture of the prophecy or of any prophecy. Prophecy is made subject to the authority of scripture. However on page 64 of the article, lower right hand column, Mr. Joyner states that he believes that
prophetic revelation is not for the purpose of establishing doctrine and that the scriptures deserve to be considered infallible. So it makes me wonder where exactly he stands on holy scripture in its relation to the prophetic or any other spiritual experience. My second and last point concerns how he conducts his practice of the prophetic, ( pgs. 64 & 65 center columns ). What is presented in the article, at least as I read it, is Mr. Joyner basically allows people to come up to say “ a word “ or prophecy over someone. As it is stated in the article, the situation is literally a trial and error method for becoming or learning to become a prophet. As I have been taught and read scripture, no man or woman learned to be a prophet. We might as well pick up the practice of reading palms and crystal balls to give a person direction in life or a “ word “ for their life. Miss Cleo anyone? God speaks to a person and specifically tells that person exactly what message is to be told to another person or a group of people. There simply is no guess work or trial and error. It isn’t “ well lets see what God would have me say to you or over your life and if it doesn’t quite add up well I missed it but we can forgive and try again until our ability to “prophecy” , ( or to predict really ), becomes more honed and accurate “. Mr. Joyner says of his church that we want to provide an atmosphere where people can make mistakes without fear of condemnation. Wow. Learning to become a prophet. Learning by trial and error how to become 100% accurate and then not to do that on just one occasion but every occasion that would call for a prophecy to be spoken forth. Scripture
doesn’t give that standard and method concerning prophets and prophecy. The prophet and the spoken prophecy is simply right or wrong and meant to be understood, ( 2 Peter 1:20,21 ), concerning what God specifically was relaying to His people. In scripture, the prophet and prophecy was never indicated or
even hinted at to be a trial and error method. God spoke and did so clearly. The prophet was not supposed to make guess work of the prophecy because all he really did was to be the messenger of the message. The true prophets of the Lord have already spoken in the written word of holy scripture. If people are truly so hungry for the word of the Lord then we need to open the Bible and read it. At any rate I could talk of other particulars in the article but these will suffice for an email message. I have sent a similar email to the magazine as well. How they receive it of course is anybodys guess. Well I thank you folks for lending me your time and I hope you continued blessing and success in your efforts for the Lord.RH
Dear DITC~
I just watched an HBO (I don't usually watch anything on HBO, but...) on Benny Hinn. It showed actual footage of his "healing" crusades. I was so overcome by emotions of horror and disbelief that i went online to reserach
this stuff.
You see, I am 24-years old, and since my conversion, I have been a member of church that is very Biblical (it's called the Orthodox Presbyterian Church - no, not the liberal kind). I have enjoyed loads of great teaching, Bible studies, accountability, church discipline, sound doctrine, and preaching and counseling from pastors who have all been schooled thoroughly in the Word. All my Christian friends are committed to living righteous, obedient lives by the grace of God, and to studying the Word of God all the time and to evangelism. To be honest, the whole
charasmatic/Pentecostal movement has always been very foreign to me. My church is very traditional with reverent, beautiful worship services focused on the preaching of the Word, singing, and prayer to our Lord.
So, for me to see that something so outrageous is actually happening shocked me. I have never seen anything like what was on that TV set. I was so upset. After surfing your website, I was horrified to see what is going on in the
world. I thought, where is the preaching of the Word amid all this chaos? Where is the beautiful gospel of life, and preaching about God's character, Hell, repentance, faith, adoption, and justification? Well, I just thank you
so much for all the hard work you put into the site. It opened my eyes. I now see that false prophets are alive and well. I enjoyed the writing style, that was almost humorous at points. May the Lord bless your work.
In Christ,
DG
NJ When I found your website a few days ago it was the first time I had found anybody who shared my gut feelings about this kind of stuff. I have been in these types of churches for 12 years and the one I'm in now (AoG) is getting more and more off track and into the Toronto and Brownsville type of things. The problem is I just don't know where to go from here. I'm in Peoria, Illinois, about two and a half hours south of Chicago. I realize that you are in Hawaii, but if you can give me any kind of guidance, I would be grateful. I have children ... I'm very concerned that they be taught what's right.Sincerely,
A.A.
Another one called out from the deception. Seeking truth. Thank you for the work you do.
D.E.
Dear DITC:Hopefully, I will get this email completed and sent soon. My Internet connection keeps dropping off every few minutes this evening and it's probably due to the fact that someone dosen't desire me to have a connection to your site. The remainder of this email should bear out as to why.
I have visited your site on a few occasions over the past few months, most specifically as a result of looking for further information on Brownsville. I have been to Brownsville about 5 or 6 times. I believe my intent in searching the web for Brownsville or related material was to give me a link back to what I had experienced in my past visits. I have probably experienced most everything that I had read about that occurs at Brownsville, that was described by various accounts within the content of your site. Tonight, as I was channel surfing, I saw Steve Hill on one of the local religious channels and it peaked my interest to visit your site again.
Your site has given me a different and very skeptical view of those events that occurred when I visited Brownsville now. Some how, I do believe I may have been duped and I am very discouraged by it like some cruel joke could have been played on me.
However, I am grateful for finding your site. I believe nothing happens by chance and I found this site while looking, what appears now, to be 180 degrees in the opposite direction.
I am grateful that you post your positions and I do believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life so that He could be a sacrifice for my sins (which is nothing I can do about on my own!), His blood was shed of me and He died a cruel death at the hands of merciless men on my behalf, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and He arose on the 3rd day, and ascended to the Father shortly thereafter, and He will be returning soon. Jesus is my savior!
Do you have any suggestions for someone like myself who has to deal with these former experiences?
Sincerely,
A.H.
Dear Sandy,I just read through a few of the FAQ's at DITC. NOW I know why I didn't fall down when I was touched by an evangelist a couple years ago. I was at a Pentecostal Tent meeting the one time, & in their church another. I didn't feel the presence of God, even though everyone was "wired" w/emotion. I thought something was wrong w/me at the time. I'm glad God used it to teach me to worship joyfully w/upraised hands, & protected me from the occult influences I had touched as a teenager. Something just didn't "feel" right about them. Now I know why. I'm glad I found your site, the Sword of the Spirit Apologetics site, & Jacob Prasch's site. I e-mail warnings & info from all of these sites to my friends. A good cure for christian blindness is a bucket full of cold truth. The shock isn't usually appreciated, but the eventual wake-up is. Once the words have been sent, God can go to work on them. Then it's their choice to listen, or eventually get drowned in their precious "River". Thank you for all of the info.
Christ's Love,
D.F.
I am thankful for your web site. I study God's Word a lot and try to soak up what it actually says and not try to force what I've been taught to fit where it doesn't. Because of this, I am shunned a lot by mainstream Christians. They think when I question why they believe as they do, that I'm somehow ridiculing them. When all I want is for them to show me their reasoning so that I may learn from them. Just asking questions is taking things too far in most Christian groups. I have come across a lot of teaching that was new to me at first, but I have a good foundation in the Word and feel I should at least consider what others have come across or learned from the Word of God. And then line it up with the Word and let the chips fall where they may.I can not find a church that meets my need to dig deep into the Word of God. I got the distinct impression that you and those whom you are a part of would probably welcome me. Thank you for making me feel like I belong again. I agree with the essentials of the Christian faith as do you. And God has given me such a desire to dig deeper that I tend to make others uncomfortable with what I will allow myself to consider. But the absolute standard for me in my belief will always be the Word of God.
Keep up the great work!
L.
We are members of a local chuch that has made claims of gold fillings. We spoke with the pastor, to let him know we were against it. He would not listen, we then went to our State Overseer, an elder over the churches in our state. We have recieved no support. Just last night we were up against members coming at us because we said we did'nt believe in this. We believe it is nothing more than witchcraft. We left the church for about a year we felt God wanted us out for awhile, plus we had to protect our children from this. Then about the same time my husband & I felt led to go back to stand up to this. We have been back for about 5 months. God has truly given us strength for this battle.Not only has our Church started this garbage, but now our pastor has admitted to an affair. Guess it IS a wicked & adulterous generation that seeketh a sign.
How do we reach these people ? Some of them are our family, I don't want to loose them. I don't want Satan to win this battle. I don't want to give up my church, but if it comes to leaving, I'm willing to do what God wants. I have taken some things from this web sight to show them. Is this all I can do ?
Please pray for us.
M. B.
The Lord brought me out of the Word Faith Movement by: 1 isolating me for nearly a year while He filled me with the Word and 2, by opening my eyes and letting me see the truth of the deception by his grace. Since then I have spoken out against the false teachers and false prophets and you talk about being stoned!! But what the Lord taught me was these False Teachers are looked on as gods by their followers and these deceived sheep must be dealt with in love and mercy, but nevertheless, the truth MUST be spoken and the risk of being 'unpopular' is high yet honorable. So I commend you're work and pray that through your ministry God will use you to reach many many others. God Bless, E.L.
I agree! Expose the wacky...... then preach the Truth!
P.E.
I and my husband were members of eagle mountain church assoc. With kenneth copeland. For two years. My spirit is grieved by what I have discovered in the Word about their teachings. I feel so foolish for believing it. We have been robbed. Satan has been allowed entrance into my family. I almost had a mental break down a couple of weeks ago. I asked GOD to show me what was real, and he has. Please believe me when I tell you how sad it is that they are robbing GOD's children. People are giving them every dime they have too. We were told if we didn't, that we were not protected from the enemy. I actually feared for the lives of my family when we left the place. I want people to know how they controlled our minds. Please help.D.T.
HelloMy name is J.C. and I live in Durbanville, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. I have had Internet for almost two years and have never really used it because it seemed to contain mostly the same secular info that causes me to stop watching TV and tuning in to radio stations.
That was until about three weeks ago when I discovered that there are excellent websites like yours and like www.bibleguide.com of Prof Johan Malan in my own country that are valiantly exposing all the deception that
God's bride is being subjected to in these end times.I thank God for allowing his loyal followers to still use a small part of the media and the Internet for exposing the lies and deception of so many wolves in sheeps' clothing that are empowered by Satan himself to try to destroy the flock. Praise Him that grace always abounds - even on the Internet!
Regards
J.C.
Thank you very much!! Our church is in it big time and I don't think things are going to change. We go occasionally but basically our relationship is over. I plan on warning the rest of the people that are still in the church. I may just go to take notes. We had a disagreement the last time that Toronto prophetess Shirley Smith spoke. Thank You!!S.O.
I have appreciated the scope and depth of your web page. I also appreciate your efforts at staying faithful to the Scriptures above all else. You truly seem to want to let the Scriptures speak for themselves, rather than placing the burden of your convictions upon the Scriptures.Concerning your doctrinal statement, you have supplied several verses to demonstrate that salvation is by grace through faith. In keeping with that thought, I have attached the sermon I preached last Sunday morning concerning this very subject. God has certainly been gracious enough to provide the same pattern throughout the entirety of His Word.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to respond. And you are free to use the provided sermon in any way you see fit.
John 17:17, "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth."
J.I.
DITC,So, thankful for your quick response. My friend that sent this to me needs to hear this so I forwarded it to her. Nita (Edwards) is definitely deceived, what a bunch of hogwash as you said WAY OFF. Most Christian's are not familiar with Gnostic, you are correct that's what I would call it. For many years I have known about the different people you mention on you website and there teaching and beliefs. So, good to see someone exposing them for what they are, pagans, sorcerers, false prophets, and most are not born again Christians plus money grabbers. Sometimes you think you are the only on that understands what these people are about and what they are up to. They are evil and need to be exposed for what they are. False! Thanks again for the great website and I have pass it on to all my friends which are few since I speak out against this stuff. Last, I have learned to find out the history of the different movements and that helps to explain to others the deception of these Ministries and how they gotten off track.
S., Houston Tx.
I praise the Lord for the awesome work uou are doing for Him. Sorry that I didn't find your site long ago! J.P.
After having read your article on discernment at work in the church, I would have to briefly tell you of an experience that I had encountered about a year and a half ago. It was in a church that, I believe goes along with all the hoopla of the Toronto Blessing as well as the Brownsville crowd. Naturally this church has somewhat closer ties with the Word of Faith movement. At any rate, when I started to question some things that were going on there, I was informed that I didn't go along with their vision for their church and I would be better off going to another church. I did not openly (publicly) confront them but went in secret to the pastor. He informed me that they had met (in their tribunal), and decided that what I was questioning them about was not in conformity to their vision. At that point I was asked to leave. I wonder though, because I was about to ask whether or not the pastors wife was on the payroll as an assistant pastor. That would have startled some in their congregation. Another thing I confronted was corrupt versions of the Bible being sold in their bookstore. A pastor has tremendous responsibility to ensure that newly saved converts get the truth and not out of corrupt versions of the Bible. Another issue was their form of music which is more like a hard rock band rather than something more pleasing to God, and I am sure that God is not deaf. Their ministry to youth is something to be desired, since when do we have to meet kids where they are at in order to minister Christ to them. Put on rock concerts for them I do not believe is a very good atmosphere for ministry. At any rate I believe the pastor wanted me out of there before I exposed what was going on. The congregation are good people who are being decieved. Yet when one makes mention of these things we are close to being told to shut-up. So much for their openness to the gift of discernment. No the pastor there does not want to be questioned about anything where they compromise the Word of God, even the Bereans went home and searched the Scriptures, Acts 17:11. There is much more involved here but I wanted to send you some form of encouragement as far as the article you wrote. You were right on so, keep on being, right on...Numbers 6:24-26...Brother R...
Dear SandyThank you very much for your prompt reply.
One of our reporters, a devout Christian, attended several of Joshua's services and even interviewed him. Most of his reports about Joshua were positive, shared by several pastors and Christian leaders taking flight loads of people to Lagos.
I recently saw a video by a South African preacher, Naas (Ignatius) le Roux, who exposes the Toronto Blessing movement and puts the Third Wave Movement in context. A lot of South African believers, like myself, are not aware of this (Third Wave, etc). Now I can see the similarities in Joshua's services!
I plan an article (based on more research) about this phenomenon and would like to use some of the background information on your website.
Some facts about TB Joshua, you might find interesting:
* His name is Temitope Bolegun.
* He doesn't answer questions about his background or himself.
* There are rumours that he grew up as a Muslim and that he isolated himself for 16 years, before he started his church.
* Asked about this, he says one must look at his ministry/services to see who he is.
* He believes sin causes illness.
* If someone is healed and become ill again, it is because the person has sinned again.
* He has no church council, elders or deacons. He says this would limit the grace of God that works through him.
* He prays over handkerchiefs, photographs and other personal belongings and ask people to take it home with them. Also over little bags of water, which are hand out at the church. According to one of his workers, these bags can also heal people.
* There were also reports that Joshua refers to the water in the bags as the ''blood of Christ'' and that people must suck on it.Regards
K.B.
Dear Sir/MadamThank you for your prompt reply. Will get onto that straight away.
Would also like to thank you for the ditc website!!! It has proved invaluable for me researching these false prophets. I have Christian friends who have become involved with the ministries of Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey, Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley, Morris Cerullo.....just to name a few. When I was told about these teachers I did not have a clue about them and it was only by God's grace that another Christian friend of mine told me that they were false teachers so I decided to do some research on them and found your website.
What is really scary is that many eyes are shut to the insidious nature of these false preachers. What is even more scary is when these preachers are exposed and you gently point out that what they are preaching is not the true gospel of Jesus Christ, they usually refuse point blank to listen to the Word of God and often excuse the behaviour of these corrupt preachers. It is almost like these preachers have a hold over them or have brain washed them into twisting the Scriptures to suit themselves.
There are only a few ministries that are willing to take a stand and speak up for the gospel. Who will not ignore and turn a blind eye to these false preachers. Most Christians are afraid that the finger will be pointed back at them and they will be told "who are they to judge". Jesus, Paul, James were not afraid to speak up about false preachers and so we should not be afraid as long as we cling to God's Word and speak His truth.
PRAISE THE LORD for your ministry and I pray that you will always have the courage and the conviction to expose these false leaders.
Yours in Christ Jesus
S. <><
Dear Brother in ChristOh how wonderful to have found your web site, it has turned my world upside down. I am going through a extremely trying time, I feel shell shocked and totally alone. I find almost all my support from your web site and others. With out the information and encouragement of the letters you receive form people like me, I might think I am totally lost or possessed, to think the way I do, especially that no one else, except my husband feels the same I do.
My experience begins, when I was growing up in World Wide Church of God in South Africa. My father not being a believer and heavily into masonry, allowed my mother to take me to church. As a teenager I was extremely rebellious, and was severely condemned by fellow members. This drove me out of the church, and I gave up on God!
I married a Taiwanese when I was 19, and moved to Taiwan. I went through a really hard time here, I am an extremely shy person, and I locked myself up, and isolated myself from the world. All the time calling to God.
My mother in the mean time left the WWCG and joined the charismatic movement
It sounded like the real thing, the way she explained it, so I went, I hated it, I wanted to leave, but I kept going back.
I truly found the Lord there, I was saved, baptized there, and even "received the baptism in the holy spirit¨. But strangely enough never had a manifestation. My mother among others felt I just was not spiritual enough!
I found a really good church in Taiwan, charismatic but more into the apostle profit thing the pastor and missionaries were South African.
While I was visiting my mom, I was watching a Benny Hinn broadcast, where he cursed anyone who spoke out against his ministry.
I had just started reading the bible that time, and had just finished reading where it says never curse anyone!
I was so shocked, this lead me to search the web, and I came across your website. It totally blew my mind!!!
I only read up on the TV evangelists, but didn¡¦t go near, your teachings on the Third wave!
Until a year later, when I was so curious, about it I could die! That is when the Lord opened my eyes, I really feel like I can see for the first time in my life, and thanks to you, please keep on, you are doing such a great work.
I am sending my mother your articles, and she is stubborn, but I know the Lord will open her eyes.
Now I have the horrible task of confronting the leaders in my church! I know the response will be hard to take, especially as I am so scared of rejection! But God wants to teach me how to be resilient and I will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Love in Christ
J.C.
Taiwan
Dear Brother,I live in Arviat, Nunavut in Canada's North. The same kinds of things do happen here too; "Holy Laughter, Drunk in The Spirit, Slain in The Spirit, Casting out Demons, etc.
I am doing similar kind of ministry among the Eskimos. I am an Eskimo (Inuk) myself. I have completed two years of Bible School at Nipawin, Saskatchewan.
I am very interested and collecting as many videos as I can. Inuit (Eskimos) will watch videos but raely will take the time to read.
I am wondering if you can give me Canadian prices on all your videos listed on your web site and I can send you payment by mail.
T.K.
Canada
Just wanted ditc to know that I've belonged to the word of faith movement since the early eighties. When the principals that were taught didn't work my wife and I left and have been wondering alone for some time. We were led to believe it was our lack of faith. After the information we just recently received from your ministry
( JUST GOT ON LINE) we now see the deception in the church. It's scary because so many (I believe very sincere people) are trapped by this. All we have really ever have been taught has been through the word of faith teachers. So today my wife and I are starting new with Jesus. I pray that this deception get's exposed and that those teaching wrong doctrine repent and change. But some are choosing this path. Please put me on your e-mail list, and thanks again for standing firm in your ministry of truth. T.C.
Excellent Web site. It is the same thing I want to do one of these days. I am familiar with some of these false teachers as I live across the freeway from TBN in Santa Ana, Calif. Some of those quotes from that one TBN guy who said things like wanting to not wanting to see heratic hunter's ugly faces or that he'd kill heretic hunters if God wouldn't, made me want to march right over to TBN and split his lip with a right cross. ... Thanks for your efforts!In Christ,
M.
Dear brother,
I don't know who you are but keep up the great work you're doing!!! I know about some of the things you bring to light but after reading your material I didn't realize how bad it really was. I've been a Christian for 31 years and I've often pondered the thought as to how I could listen to Copeland, Hinn, Schambach, Paul & Jan, and others and, after 31 years, cannot give you a single verse of scripture in the Bible that they've enlightened me with. (I don't want to give you the impression that I watch these guys every day, I tune in every now and then) Haven't learned a single thing from these guys in 31 years!!!??? Either I'm crazy or they're crazy, one or the other.Let me mention one thing: I've been to Israel 4 times and lived there for a total of 2 years -- mostly in Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is a magnet for every type of oddball you can imagine. They come and go all the time. (There's a guy there now who claims to be Elijah the prophet -- you know that because he has the name "Elijah" written on his briefcase -- in English, he can't speak Hebrew you know) Christians in Jerusalem (those who live there -- not the tourists) are more savvy, more streetwise than Christians in the US or other parts of the world. They've seen it all. They can spot a false prophet in a heart beat. Here in the US Christians don't catch it. Christians in the US are "fat, fed & satisfied." Christians in Jerusalem are "lean & mean." Well, that's my observation anyway. Keep up the good work!
In His Service,
J.B.
Just wanted to let you know I enjoyed your website. I have worked for the ordertaking center of Benny Hinn ministries for (...) years ... Talking from experience the ministry IS crooked and crazy. It's sad taking calls from people who do not understand he is a fraud. Glad you all see it.....Name Witheld
(Note: In response to a request for this person to go public with their story about behind the scenes at Benny Hinn Ministries, here is their reply ...)
Sandy
I hope you understand I cannot openly write about the call center. I signed some documents when I was hired that said I could not say anything about what I did there. I'm not sure how the legal syatem works in those types of situations and I cannot afford to get myself in trouble. I will tell you the place is crooked and impersonal though. I hope you find information that will nail him someday, somehow. He will be judged though when he gets to the gates, and we know God won't be too happy with him. :-)
Name Withheld
Dear DITC,I am writing as a mature Christian woman, of good standing in her local congregation, prayer co-ordinator for pastoral ministry teams, house-group leader & etc.
I'm sure you have heard it all before.
To tell you the truth, I only began to try to find something more about what was going on when I felt a certain unease with the Alpha course, recently introduced to our church. My main concern was why were so many people objecting to it. It seemed fairly innocuous to me!! I'm way up there in the discernment stakes as you can tell.
With God's grace I stumbled upon www.banner.org and from there your own site and many others. To say I was horrified would be to put it mildly. I felt as if I had run into a brick wall, been doused with icy cold water and left for dead. I will add that our church is now in the throes of following the Transformations route and you will see why I'm in deep shock.
I have spent almost every waking minute studying and researching and digging around to equip myself with the knowledge I need to inform myself and my family to inform my minister to inform my friends to pray and read the Scriptures as never before and check for myself if this accords in my spirit.
It does!! I did a major study of the New Age movement some years ago and I was chilled to find out that the expected opposition was not wholly from the secular community but from the church itself. I admit I must have been sound asleep in the interim. My only defence is that I had not heard one quarter of the heretical teaching that is explained on these sites, so was quite unprepared to discover what I did.
I have done all of the above and now I await my minister's reaction to what I have both told him and shown him. I included references to the sites I have visited so that he can follow them up for himself. I dread that he may not take the warning seriously.
I trust God to open his eyes and draw him back from the brink.
I'm sorry this is so long but truthfully I have no one else to pour out my fears to at the moment. I don't want to look totally paranoid and I have given my family and friends the information to resolve for themselves.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this and I trust that God will continue to use you to His glory. It's lonely out here, isn't it?
Mrs. T.
THE ''TRUTH''YOU PUT ON YOUR WEB-SITE,WILL SET MANY FREE!!D.
Thank you and bless you for your wonderful website. I have found it so helpful and will definately NOT be going back to the prophesying AoG church I had considered. ... Thanks for your help.N.I.
As an new believer (almost three years), it was somewhat discouraging to see all of the false teaching in the world. However, with the help of websites like yours (your doctrine is sound) and with the help of an elder in my church, the Lord is showing me His truth that never changes.It does appear that these false teachers have an agenda for profit...and clearly they will be judged by this. Regardless, thanks for your website and please pray for my heart not to get too discouraged by these blind guide. You see, I tend to get very upset with this nonsense by these false teachers (I am the only born again believer in an extended family full of Roman Catholics). But, the Lord is helping me mature and so are you guys. Thanks.
A.M.
I enjoyed your article on the Dake Study Bible. I used it to post on a forum that I run, just a small portion concerning the quote about Jesus becomming Christ after he was 30 years old ... thank you..In Christ
Pastor M.S.
Dear Sandy,I just wanted to write and say a big Thank you and God bless you. I use to watch TBN and enjoy the teaching and preaching I saw there. However, from time to time, there would be something that just didn't quite sit right in my spirit. I attended a Bible Study that we were going through the book of Acts, When we studied about the people of Berea, I too began to search the Scriptures and it really surprised me how many church doctrines have strayed from God's Word and is the result of man's interpretation. I was raised in the Presbyterian Church PCUSA and that was bad enough. I now attend a non-denominational church. Even there, occasionally one of the phrases of the Pentecostal movement creeps in. I am glad its out of ignorance. Through prayer and subtle discussions in Bible Study and such, those things have been corrected.
I am thankful for the Deception in the Church Web page and the work you do to help expose those false doctrines that Satan is trying to bring into the church. You have a very important ministry and pray that the Lord will continue to bless you and encourage you as you share those things that are not of God's Word.
As those things that did not seem to sit right with my spirit was brought to light in the Scriptures, they have also been confirmed again by something on the DITC page. Thanks you and God bless you.
A brother in Christ
R.J.
Thank you so much for posting "How Can There Be Revival Without Repentance?"In Christ,
S.C.
Dear DITC,I am a 22 year old that is involved in ministry.When I first found your site I was honestly at first disappointed not because of your site but because I couldn't believe what I was reading.Could all of these teachings I was believing really be false? Could all these "revivals" really be false.It wasn't until I heard a very respected evangelist preach against all of these wild things going on in America that my eyes were finally opened.I can't believe I was so blinded by them,but it all goes back to GETTING IN THE WORD! The devil works with first destraction, deception, and finally destruction.I don't agree with completely everything on this site but I do agree with most. Thanks so much for all the sound doctrine and God Bless!
B.P.
Just want you to know I appreciate your stand.I have been trying to tell people this for some time.We sing gospel music and nearly every where we sing this is alot of what goes on.We will continue to minister to them this way.Sometimes a song has more to say to them than a message.Keep up the good work,as I look around I get the feeling that our time has almost come for us to go home.Praise HIS name.Just Passing Thru,
J&S
Dear Deception in the Church:I would like to know if I could reprint any of your articles or place any of them on another web site. I agree with your stand on most of your articles and I especially would like people to see your article on REPENT!! Some of the people I talk to do not know you and I thought if I could do more than just refer them to your site it might help both of our ministries.
I have been telling anyone who will listen, that we have a wake up call from God and we must see the condition of this nation and the church and we must REPENT NOW! I have also been telling people to throw out this "other gospel"(faith movement) ever since I first heard it in 1982.
I pray you will consider my request as I could use another witness to my testimony.
May the Lord bless your work,
Rev. R.B.
Benny Hinn strikes again! He prayed for my sister at his crusade a few months ago and she died last night of liver cancer. Please take him down. He is spreading false doctrine. I am very upset that he makes claims that are untrue.My sister believed what he said. I was skeptical now I am md at him for giving her false hope. I don't think God approves of that.R.H.
Thank your for your answers, I appreciate it very much.S.
Dear DITC Friends: My name is M.R.and I write a syndicated column entitled... I admire your site, and wanted to send along a column on the Prayer of Jabez which got a lot of play on the web. I am sending it in html. My email address is ... Thanks and I hope that others may be blessed by it.M.R.
You have a Great site!!!!!!!!!!!!M.
... I watch TBN sometimes because I try to hear about God since we are not currently in church. I must say, I have deep speculations about some. My husband often points out things like the almost gawdy furnishings, hair and makeup and some of the guests like Rod Parsley, Jessie Duplantis, etc and how they act. I have to admit deep inside I wonder about it all too. I have been to a Benny Hinn crusade and I have to admit I was deeply troubled when I left. I couldn't quite put my finger on it as to why but it was almost like my spirit was troubled. Several years back, I was active in a non-denom. church that claimed to be spirit-filled. The pastor was very
charismatic and put on a very good show. Slowly things started happening like the laughter movement where they allowed some guy to come in and people were acting crazy. I remember feeling awful because I could not see where it was coming from God. It was so obvious it was people just acting and reacting off one another and basically creating confusion. I also had an experience where the pastor came off in public as very friendly and loving but when I sought counseling with him one time I was treated like I was wasting his time and he preached to me a bunch of weird stuff with charts and everything. Soon after I left with a bad taste in my mouth.I know I must be rambling but please bear with me because I need guidance on what to do now. I have looked into your website and others and I am in agreeance with what is going on as far as some of the preaching going in the wrong direction.
My husband and I are trying to find a church right now. We have 3 small children and we need to be in a spiritually safe place. Can you give me some simple things to look for that might be warning signs? Are there ANY evangelists that are going in the right direction?? It seems everybody I've seen or read their books is heading in the wrong way! (Dickerson, Hinn, Parsley, etc.) We are visiting a church tomorrow that is non-denom. and quite frankly now I am worried that they may be part of all this word-faith mess. Should we just stick to a good ole Baptist church or maybe a presbyterian church instead?
Any words of advice you could give would be greatly appreciated!
K.M.
Greetings in the name of the Lord.... I would also like to share another experience that I have had recently. I have been involved in a number of Third wave, Word of Faith, and Dominion churches in the past. I initially was willfully involved until the Lord delivered me from them in a very strange way. I was ordained as a minister and also worked as a leader in women ministry as well as a youth pastor. Needless to say I have seen my share of ungodly practices and taught false doctrine myself. I even sent my seventeen year old son to Rhema Bible training center. I worked in churches and promoted that doctrine in complete ignorance. Mostly word of faith and dominion theology. I never really fell for Third Wave. I sought the Lord sincerely everyday and His faithfulness brought me to the truth.
I have since then cut all ties with those churches but it seems as though every church that I visit has some form in it. I have bee completely disappointed. Just when I think I have found a place to worship they will announce that they will be showing the transformation video, or mention the so-called current revival.
I finally found what I thought was a church that was truly biblical in every sense of the word. I would hear this pastor everyday on the radio and I couldn't believe his teaching. Everything was pointing to Jesus and he regularly
mentioned error that was in the church. As I was searching the web one day I came across a link on a Christian web site that was this mans site. After visiting his site I was thrilled. It looked so wonderful, just what I was looking for. When I called the telephone number that I got from the sight I found out that the church was right here in Jacksonville. Of course on Sunday morning I couldn't wait to go. Everything seemed so wonderful. The people were the most loving I had ever seen. The worship was beautiful, all the music was about the Lord only, There were no big shots, no open display of how great they were, no offering, it was the most incredible place I'd ever seen. The only thing that bothered me was that it appeared that the people really looked to the pastor as though he really had the final authority on the scripture. All of the books, tapes, cd's were free and you could take what you wanted. All that I saw there really could have been the closest thing to a not church. Well I took some books and videos home with me and I couldn't wait to watch them I really thought I had found a place that I had been longing for. Upon viewing the tapes that initially seemed awesome, Bro. Thomas started to say that Jesus did
not co-exist with God and that HE WAS NOT God but His son. I couldn't believe it. Isn't that the whole message of the bible, God dying for man. I can't believe that he is considered a brother. What he teaches
is the same as Jehovah witness's and Mormons. I would like to send this video to you, this time without first sending it to my sister. The name of the ministry is Midnight Cry Ministries, there are four churches started by Brother Thomas. His web site is midcry.org. Could you please check it out and let me know what you think. I have written to Brother Thomas asking him to please explain what he meant saying that I might have misunderstood him. Will let you know if I hear back from him.Please forgive the length of this letter and also the way I write. I'm not a good writer and most of the time it prevents me from responding.
Thank you so much for your time and ministry, you are greatly appreciated
C.A.B.
Dear DITC,
I was watching Rod Parsley on the morning of 10-19-01 to see what kind of heretical teachings he was spewing forth. It didn't take long for that to happen. I had an idea about where he was going on what he was preaching...the sermon was something about sowing seeds, and then God giving the increase..I thought..well, hold on..he might not mean it in the way I think. Even though, I knew he probably did. What he said was blasphemy in every way, shape, and form. I felt like telling him, "your money perish with you.." He said something along the lines of this..."Now, how many believe when you sow a smile, you get a smile? That's easy. How many believe when you sow love, you get love? When you sow joy, you get joy? Now that's easy, and y'all are getting a fuzzy religious feeling. Aww..and you see, religion will make you believe that. But now when I say this next thing, the religion in you is gonna come up and say, 'I don't know about that.' How many of you believe when you sow money, you get money?? The religion says 'I don't know', but the Holy Ghost inside of you says, 'Yes I believe that!'" Then he did a little dancing and shouting, and his basic routine of screaming deception into his microphone. How long until he is exposed? Even when I followed heretics' teachings, I knew he was a fraud..you need to devote a section on your page to Rod Parsley. Thank you.F.
Dear SandyThank you for the great newsletters - things are moving so fast now & when people say where will it? I point them to the Bible. That news is NOT well received but they can't say they did not know! ...
Maranatha!
G.
Hi
Thanks for that web site. If you want to link my story to your web page feel free! My story is below:I used to be a usher/catcher for a popular faith teacher. After seeing many moeny scams and false teachings I left the movement and I have a story to tell. TO read it just go to this website and may God bless you as I share what I have seen going on in churches today. Its the time where we have to be reading the Bible and being ready at all times for Jesus' return:
http://hometown.aol.com/dorozan/myhomepage/index.html
Take care
D.
HELLO,
I just about finished reading your web site. Almost all of it. It is very very informative. ... Thank you so much for taking the time to read this E-mail. And may God bless you and your ministry.F.
I wonder if you would like to link with me ... first you may like to read my testimony. It is on my site:http://pages.zdnet.com/jeremiah.calling/jeremiahcallingendtimes/
What happened to us in spiritual abuse is common, though ours is more tawdry, may be because I have chosen to come right out the closet'.
Your site is fab, and I am sure I could promote the cause on mine. My site covers a lot, so I don't expect you to read it all, but the testimony includes my freedom from witchcraft, and then the subsequent bondage being heaped back on me by Word Faith' and heavy shepherding and basically a loveless place...
God Bless
L.C.M.
Hi,My name is D.M.. I would like to share some information with you about Gabriel Heymans that I believe is important. You may already know about Mr. Heymans but I had never heard of him before this.
Recently Gabriel Heymans has been holding revival meetings at River of Life Church in Jacksonville North Carolina. My mother attended 2 of these services in which holy laughter and other manifestations occurred. In one of these services Gabriel Heymans advocated astral projection (out of body experiences) and actually prayed for people to receive these experiences. I have never heard of any Christian minister supporting astral projection as a
Christian experience. It amazes me that the pastor and church members were tollerant of it, even in a charismatic church. All of these services were recorded on audio tape and I will have some of the recordings soon.The following information is taken directly from Gabriel Heymans website: http://www.goldandglory.com/
Other Ministries Endorsed by Dr. Gabriel Heymans
Revival Ministries International - Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne
Word of Truth World Outreach Church - Dr. Bob Hellmann
Oasis Worship Center - Dr. Royce and Carol Wright
Faithfood.com - Home of the Anointed Christian Ministers Network
Freedom - Pastors Bob and Michelle Hart
Times of Refreshing Ministries - Pastor Gil Howard-Browne
Sword Ministries International - Warren and Kayla Hunter
Benny Hinn MinistriesD.M.
... I LOVE your site and I send many seekers to it. I get letters from different people from all over, like I am sure
you do also, and I can just point them your way as I know you have the truth on your site.THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
In His love,
N.K.
Hello;My wife and I have very recently left the roman catholic church, because of many reasons...most of which have to do with their subordination of The Word of God, to their traditions and materialism. Also the way they worship Mary the virgin mother of God. This has been very depressing to us as we had been raised in the catholic faith since birth and our families are very died in the wool catholics. When the(huge stainless-steel) statue of Mary was
paraded around our area (Joliet[Chicago], IL) sometime back, and was viewed so reverently by so many, I felt the last straw on the camel's back had been laid. I know she was the virgin mother of Jesus and I have kind regards for her in that matter, but why do the Roman Catholics raise her up so?We are in need of a REAL Christian community for us and our 3 children. Could you PLEASE give us a hint as to how we can narrow down our search at least? Our residence is in ... area.
Thanks for all your work. I find your website to be most honest and informative!
R. O.
Mr. Simpson;
I just read your page on the attacks on America, and I have to tell you brother, you hit the nail right square on the head. For a long time I have felt that the mainstream Christian churches have fallen down on the job. They have decided to appease man, and not God. Here's a good case in point that happened just this week. I listen to a Christian radio station here in Sacramento, (actually, I live in ... ) But, one of the preachers I enjoyed listening to really dismayed me. They have been trying to build a church in an exclusive neighborhood, and have met with resistance. (Big surprise, huh?) Last week, in his sermon, he declared that he now supports abortion, or actually, pro choice, which in my mind is the same thing. His reason? Pathetic, actually. He said that God has given us the right to make choices, (no argument there,) but he was using the fact that God gave Adam and Eve the choice of eating or not eating of the two forbidden trees, and I'm going, ' Come on, babies are not trees! How can one compare babies to trees, or salvation, or right and wrong?' Needless to say, I don't listen to him anymore. I expect, however, to hear all of a sudden, that he is now allowed to build his church. <sigh> Another church kowtowing to man.Mr. Simpson, I just want you to know that I appreciate people like you and Ed Decker, and Hank Hanegraaff, and pray that God will continue to bless your ministries so that the truth of God can continue to be made available to those who thirst for the truth. My only regret is that God has not at this time made it possible for me to financially support anyone at this time, but I can see that coming in the future, and believe me, when that is made possible, I fully intend to stand by you as much as I can financially. God bless you Mr. Simpson.
Your brother in Christ,
D.L.
I have read some of your articles on Benny Hinn. I agree, he is a HERETIC! What can we as Bible believing Christians do about these false teachers? I could give you some of my opinions and views, but I would like to hear your view point first. I think we will agree on many points! We MUST have a proper understanding of God's Word. "Test all things"(1 Thess. 5:21) "believe..."(1 John 4:1)J.J.
Dear Sandy,Thanks for your quick response. And thanks for your address. ... Keep up the good work. I'll be checking your site for articles each time I do research for the upcoming edition - as long as there is light!
Peace,
J.
The article by Kevin Reeves "Charismatic Cultism" told my story. I left that church in March of 2001. I'm now attending Berean classes offered by an AOG Church in ... I pray to study and show myself approved. Your site has ministered to me greatly.
Thank you,
J.G.
We need the truth even more today than ever before.Please keep sending out the truth.M.S.
God bless you guys for doing a good work. Youre on the ballJ.M.
Your articles were wonderful. It is for the same reason that I didn't watch the prayer service in Washington. I appreciate your good word at this time. How I would love to send it to every church in the ... NE area.
I also liked the message from David Wilkerson.
Be encouraged!
S.S.
Sandy,Thanks for your letter. Your venturing is correct, it is not the nation but the Church that needs to repent. I have heard a good sermon at this site. Called Terrified by Terrorism.
Thanks for your work
DL
Dear Sandy,I have thoroughly enjoyed your site!! On a personal note, I am especially glad there is at least ONE discerning man in Hawaii (Mike O, too!). I used to live there ... Thank you for the site and your gift of discernment.
Sincerely,
V.K.
Greetings from a Brit living in Germany!I just wanted to encourage you in your work. I have read some of the articles on the site, in particular the 'powerless gospel' one, and it was one of those occasions when you read something you have been thinking about
for some time. ... Just wanted to encourage you. It is nice to have the resources on the net to counteract some of the winds of doctrine around today. It may not seem to be so exciting, but keeping your nose in your NT (and OT as well!) is the only answer to avoid running aground at the new things God is supposed to be doing.Warmest regards
K.B.PS The Toronto people have a 'Pharisee test' somewhere on the net. I am pleased to say that I qualify. And I have to add, very humbly, that I think I am even more of a pharisee than you are (let the reader understand)
There are many more e-mails and I will continue to post more as I have time. If you have a letter of encouragement or a testimony you would like to share, please send it to me and I will consider posting it here.I am publishing these e-mails for the benefit of those who think they are all alone in the struggle to remain in sound doctrine and live a life pleasing to God, sometimes suffering persecution from friends, relatives and their churches. Be encouraged, dear saint! There are hundreds and thousands like you who will never hand their bodies over to deceiving spirits for a cheap thrill or a false "anointing" or agree to submit themselves to false teaching and prophesy.
Let the Holy Spirit guide your spirit through the Word of God as you continue to "trust and obey" Jesus Christ!
Sandy Simpson
DITC
2000