After the very revealing two-part report on ‘A Current Affair’, Phil Pringle’s followers were soon doing ‘damage control’ on his behalf. Taking a look at a few of the comments and addressing them biblically, we check out Pringle’s good friend, David Hall, lead pastor of Lifepoint Church Adelaide, taking to Instagram in support:
Donna and I love Pastor @philpringle & @chrisapringle!!Anyone in our church that watches any tabloid news programs, I urge you to know when trash is put out on TV. Pastor Phil has been preaching Jesus, moving in the Holy Ghost, building the church and has been a man of total integrity in this nation for 40+ years! He might have a great house, and so he should, he’s been building God’s house for four decades.Has written many high selling books, has written many songs that have been recorded and sung globally. One of my heroes! (Link)
Let’s break that comment down:
‘Pastor Phil has been preaching Jesus, moving in the Holy Ghost, building the church and has been a man of total integrity in this nation for 40+ years!’
“For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.” Titus 1:7
‘He might have a great house, and so he should’:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
‘He’s been building God’s house for decades’:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
He ‘has written many high selling books, has written many songs that have been recorded and sung globally’:
“I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” Psalm 75:4-5
Defending the indefensible in the name of God by claiming he’s entitled to a multi-million dollar home? He’s been building God’s house for decades? Really? This is why Jesus calls false leaders like Pringle, ‘lawless ones’. Jesus has made it plain that when he judges them, he will say:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23
Now it’s interesting to note the next ‘important’ comment left on David Hall’s Instagram post. Hillsong leader Brian Houston also commented about David Hall’s ‘loyalty’ and aligned himself with Phil Pringle, by suggesting if Phil ‘suffers’, Brian Houston does too:
“I love your SPOKEN loyalty @davidhall1981 – It’s one of your many strong points. Cut one, we all bleed. @philpringle
David Hall responds to Brian Houston – and no, David, Australia does not love Brian Houston:
davidhall1981 @brianchouston thanks Pastor Brian! You’ve taken all the hits for us….. Australia loves you!!!!
This is Jim Jones group-think, a ‘kool-aid’ mentality discerning Christians must warn others to stay away from. Both C3 Church Global and Hillsong have been compared to cults, and it’s well known that cult leaders ‘always call on the loyalty of people, never their integrity’. People must remain loyal to their leader whatever scandal surrounds them. A reminder of the culture created by this ‘führerprinzip’.
- They are openly pushing for unity in the visible church with men who are Word of Faith Heretics and/or Modalists or worse.
- They’re reorganizing churches so that they are community resource distribution centers rather than places where sound Biblical doctrine is taught and proclaimed.
- Their leaders have zero accountability to the people in the congregation. But, the people are accountable to the leaders for accomplishing the vision that they cast. (Link)
The following lecture from Ps. Chris Rosebrough will enlighten our readers as to what really is going on:
Resistance Is Futile: You Will Be Assimilated Into The Community.
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”. Proverbs 13:20
To make the situation rather more disturbing, an senior leader under the C3 banner, Dave Gilpin from Hope City, Church, Sheffield, suggested the following to Ps. David Hall:
“You are the BEST David Hall. Can you PLEASE do us a favour and do a diversionary thing right now…. like preach in a thong this Sunday? PLEASE!”
Now it goes without saying that Dave Gilpin is a very funny man – some of the contributors here at CWC have actually heard him ‘preach’ at C3 years ago, where he regaled his audience with a sermon titled ‘Man Boobs and Human Rights’, his sermon notes taken from a book he wrote back in 2012.
In light of the above review (and his comment on Instagram), there’s no doubt that Dave Gilpin’s qualifications to actually pastor a church fall far short of that required by 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and he’s probably better off getting gigs as a comedian at pubs in Sheffield!
On a much more serious note, after the reports of sexual abuse and paedophilia cover-up at both Hillsong and C3 Church Global, the comment is not even remotely funny. In fact, it’s almost ‘creepy’ that a much older pastor would suggest to a young ‘hipster’ pastor that he ‘preach in a thong this Sunday’. What pastor in their right mind would even think that? Where is the moral compass in that statement?
“When Christianity believes the Bible to be the living word of God, but pastors are so heavily utilising popular online opinion, where does modern Christianity end up? I’ll tell you where: tweeting and posting on social media that Paster Such-and-Such is a true inspiration and a man/woman of God, that’s where. It doesn’t have to be true. It doesn’t even have to be thoughtful. It certainly isn’t Biblical. This is an example of modern religion at its most cheap and superficial.” (Link)
The body of Christ needs to call them to repentance now:
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Source: David Hall, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/B3CR8jPBNcm/. Published October 1, 2019. (Accessed October 1, 2019.)
Email all comments and questions to c3churchwatch@hotmail.com
“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16
Categories: Uncategorized