This is a bit of a follow up to the earlier Apprising Ministries post Apprising Ministries And The Supposed New Pharisaism where I told you about a new ebook, subtitled How Spiritual Bullies Attack The Church. Therein Bill Slabaugh, for $12.95 a pop, will tell you that the church now faces “a  new level of intensity  when  it  comes  to spiritual abuse and  bullying.” And what do you know, I find myself among “several  national  organizations, websites,  newsletters,  and  radio broadcasts” who “have turned their  sights  on  the  church  and  have  attacked  Christian leaders and other faithful believers.”

In addition to myself, we find Slabaugh also considers my friends Lighthouse Trails Research and James Sundquist, director of Rock Salt Publishing to be among the unbelievers who comprise these alleged new “pit bull” Pharisees. So quick we are, opines Slabaugh, with the “derides” in our “wicked” use of “relentless attack” in our “witch hunt” even employing “pitchforks and torches” along with our master strategy of “doublethink/doubletalk that attempts to dominate and control someone else’s ministry.” My, I guess we really do need to be grateful now that Bill Slabaugh has taken the time to try and make a profit show us the better way, no.

With this all in mind now, and by his permission, I publish the following public response from James Sundquist via an email to Slabaugh’s former church. I have also written an email to the Aphesis Group, as has Sundquist which you’ll see below, inquiring if Bill Slabaugh represents them; but we did not even receive the courtesy of a return email:

Dear Pastor Kurt Staeubel, Pastor Dick Hege, & Elders and Members of Coeur D’Alene Bible Church,

I was informed by your webmaster that Bill Slabaugh is no longer your Senior Pastor and has moved to Emmett, Idaho. So he would no longer be subject to church discipline of your local church. However, for purposes of warning the sheep, his potential attempt to secure references of letters of recommendation from your church, and the church at large wherever he might go, and to the members of the Church at large who will purchase his book or hear him speak at a church or conference, I am biblically mandated to respond to his charges against me as well as my publisher Southwest Radio whom he has also falsely accused.

What follows, are the exact published words by Mr. Slabaugh me in his new book: The New Pharisaism:

Here is his quote about me on page 146;

“It’s not that the Pharisee who derides another person should not be rebuked; rather their reaction to the rebuke reveals the true condition of the heart. Likewise, their reaction to a scriptural response reveals their true intent. Lynda Graybeal of Renovaré found herself in the tenuous position of having to respond to the relentless attack by pit bull Pharisaism. Even though she graciously and scripturally responded to the accusations, her response was taken apart line-by-line, shredded, and put back together in typical Pharisaical fashion to make her words mean what they wanted them to mean. I will not go into the wicked pharisaical details of the correspondence, but you may check the footnote if you would like to read it.

It’s not like the tactics of the New Pharisaism resemble spiritual blackmail because the Pharisees want everyone to know what they are doing. Nor is it like paying protection money to the spiritual mob bosses because the Pharisees seek the downfall of the ministry. It is very much like trying to rally the public to pick up their pitchforks and torches and join the witch hunt. One of the tragedies of our postmodern culture is that a person can maintain a good reputation until someone makes some kind of an accusation. Sadly, people who know the person well and thought of him or her as a person of integrity tend to believe the accusation; otherwise, why would the accusation even be made?

You might remember Ray Donovan who was Secretary of Labor in the Reagan Administration. He was falsely accused of corruption by political opponents. After he was acquitted of any wrong doing he held a press conference. When asked how he felt about being exonerated and about the office that he had once held he responded, “Which office do I go to, to get my reputation back?” Once a ministries’ Just be prepared to feel soiled and dirtied if you pull up the webpage. It’s just one more example of the Pharisaical doublethink/doubletalk that attempts to dominate and control someone else’s ministry. And through their blogs and websites, they make sure that the Christian public is very much aware of the alleged evil.” 33

The Tactics of the New Pharisaism ~ 146 ~ THE NEW PHARISAISM © 2010 Bill Slabaugh http://www.thenewpharisaism.com/

It was Lynda Grabeal that threatened me with legal action (i.e., lawsuit) for exposing simply what Richard Foster was teaching and who he promoted….can’t help but wonder why she didn’t threaten Ray too? This is the Christian response of Lynda Graybeal, that Bill Slabaugh referred too. Note he never wrote a shred of proof that I did not tell the truth. So what is it I said about Richard Foster that was not true? So what am I supposed to do with a false teacher? Remain silent?

On the bottom of his website he states after his 2010 copyright:

“This copyright pertains to the entire Web Site. No portion may be duplicated in any way.”

He is apparently not familiar with copyright laws. First of all, if the copyright laws upheld what he states, no journalist could ever even cite him. Two, any statement he makes publicly (which he would have done by publishing his book) about any person, that person has ever right to PUBLICLY quote and refute to defend himself against libel and slander and can even legally sue him for false statements. Three, every Christian should biblically be able to be a good Berean to examine his teachings to see if they are true and be of God. If they aren’t, the Christian has every biblical mandate to expose him publicly before his own church and the church at large…the community at large for that matter.

In this regard, also please be apprised of my March 1 letter to Dr. Tim & Renee Rule, Directors of APHESIS GROUP.

March 1, 2010Dear Dr. Tim & Renee Rule,

This is a followup inquiry to my Feb 26 email to you. Please advise.

I just read that Bill Slabaugh, who indicates on his website that he is a group facilitator for APHESIS GROUP(is that your group?) on a new book by Bill Slabaugh entitled:

The New Pharisaism: How Spiritual Bullies Attack the Church

http://www.thenewpharisaism.com/

in which he quotes from Margaret Jone’s book: Not of My Making Bullying, Scapegoating and Misconduct in Mainline Churches By Margaret W. Jones, Ph.D.

I found it ironic that he attacks Southwest Radio and other ministries, because they published the very spiritual abuse of authority in churches he is accusing them of.

I found it also very disturbing that he works with you, yet promotes a website which has Deepak Chopra large banner at its head

(see: http://www.overcomebullying.org/)

Deepak Chopra will lead any willing victim into the Abyss as Ray Yungen or Warren Smith, experts on the New Age would tell you, yet Mr. Slabaugh attacks Ray Yungen, an author with Lighthouse Trails who warns the church in his books about the infiltration of New Age teachings into the church. What is wrong with that?

Mr. Stabaugh touts and recommends Margaret Jones. Here is an interview on Baptist Deception in which she stated:

“For me what was significant was that the church had been the one safe place in my life.”

This is precisely what a host of Christians in Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Churches thought!

So I have written two books on Rick Warren and documented case after case of how he and his programs have destroyed Christian brothers and sisters as well as entire churches. I know, I and many other ministries get the SOS calls and letters of the devastation Rick Warren has left in his wake through his forced covenants and going after anyone whom he calls “resisters”. It is further ironic that Mr. Stabaugh would shoot messengers and call them the New Pharisees. The Apostle Paul condemned the Pharisees three times in Galatians because they were trying to put Christians back under the law and put them back into bondage. That is precisely what Rick Warren has done and why we had to expose him for the same kind of spiritual abuse and bondage. So to Mr. Slabaugh I would say as the Apostle Paul stated: “I am now therefore the enemy because I tell you the truth?” So how is it that Dr. Jones is exempt from Mr. Slabaugh’s charges for having warned us about her journey of spiritual abuse of leaders in the church, exactly what Dr. Noah Hutchings and I have done in our books published at Southwest Radio (swrc.com)?

The Bible commands us to sound the alarm on His Holy Hill and not remain silent in the face of iniquity. That is what I and all of the ministries Mr. Slabaugh attacks are doing. He also attacks us for doing this for financial exploitation, yet he has no problem offering his book up for $. All this to find out that he too is a promoter of Rick Warren. So who is the true Pharisee (Hypocrite) here?

If Mr. Slabaugh wants to take out bullys in the church, he should have written a book on how to deal with one of the biggest bullys in the church today, that is Rick Warren. There are now at least a dozen books written by pastors, scholars and lay Christians who have been destroyed by this man. Does your ministry bring the Balm of Gilead to the host of destroyed brothers and sisters, who were simply defending the faith, left dismembered in the wake of Purpose Driven Global Peace Plan?

I know that Matthew 18 is constantly used to expel Christians…because they are not loyal to the leaders and convenants they signed in PDL of Rick Warren. But their loyalty is misplaced. Christ alone is our Good Shepherd!

My documentation of bullying in the church can be documented in my books and articles on our websites below.

I can only hope and pray that you are simply not aware of what Mr. Slabaugh is doing that you would enlist him as a group leader for Aphesis Group.

Are you sure that this is an alliance you want to keep? This appears to me to be a clear cut case of an unholy alliance. I pray that you will heed my warning about him.

Kindest regards in Christ,

James Sundquist
Director
Rock Salt Publishing
http://www.voiceoftruthradio.com/james.htm & http://rock-to-salt.cephasministry.com/

I have every right to defend myself according to Scripture. Mr. Slabaugh is a tale bearer and has born false witness against me and many fellow soldiers in Christ whom I know to be truthful and honorable Christians!!!!

I have copied Southwest Radio, Lighthouse Trails, Understanding the Times, Ken Silva, Director of Apprising Ministries.

From your website, I am encouraged to see that Scripture is your final and inerrant authority for your church. So, hopefully you will understand and heed the warning of this letter. Since you preach the Word, you will certainly know that slanderers will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven as both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John warn us in the Bible.

Sincerely in Christ,

James Sundquist
Director
Rock Salt Publishing