By Apprising Ministries special correspondent Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised…

It’s been nearly a month since we’ve examined another speaker for the upcoming Code Orange Revival, hosted by young, Seeker-Driven pastor Steven Furtick. With this event, which is set to begin one month from today, Furtick aspires to gather a group of leaders together in order to cause an “eruption” of God’s power and movement.

The speaker lineup for this volcanic event is quite extensive, so we are examining them one by one. In previous posts, we’ve looked at LifeChurch.tv visionary Craig Groeschel, prosperity preacher Jentezen Franklin, Hillsong darling Christine Caine, and Joel Osteen’s worship leader, Israel Houghton. Most recently, we examined Stovall Weems, lead pastor at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL. Weems’ book and corresponding campaign, Awakening, seems to promote not only works-righteousness, but hails experience over and above the truth of the objective Word of God.

Weems also runs with a Word-Faith crowd, as one of his more notable friends is Pastor Robert Morris, whose now well-known shill is to preach that one’s finances are cursed until 10% of it to has been given to the local church. Morris has not only preached at Weems’ church, but has also brought his The Blessed Life sermon series to Newspring Church, where Perry Noble pastors. Rick Warren has also invited Morris onto his stage, so we can see that this pitch must be a profitable one indeed.

But this post is not about Robert Morris, it is about Ed Young, Jr., lead pastor of Fellowship Church (of the SBC). Young preaches the same abominations as Morris and will be preaching at Morris’ Gateway Church at the All Access conference in March 2012, along with Craig Groeschel, Christine Caine, Priscilla Shirer and Morris himself.

Indeed that speaker lineup promises a weekend of prosperity, and perhaps even a touch of mysticism with the inclusion of Shirer. Young has taken his preaching on finances to the extreme, even going so far recently as to issue his congregation a “money-back guarantee” on their tithe if God failed to come through with blessing.
Source: FBCJax Watchdog

In the above video, Ed Young, Jr. declares,

“Here’s the deal: this is the ‘God challenge’. This is a money-back guarantee, is what I’m sayin’. In other words, we have 7 weekends from now until the end of the year. And I’m going to ask you to sign up. If God does not bless your life and show up in huge ways, we’ll give you God’s money back.[scant applause]. I’ll say it again. I know it’s hard to believe, a church doing this. You do this for seven weeks, make sure you participate in a way that we can track it in our financial office, we’ll give you God’s money, ha ha, did you get that, God’s money, back!” (Online source)

Actually, Ed, it’s not difficult to believe that a “church” like yours would do this, considering the master, Robert Morris, did the exact same thing earlier this year. This “money-back guarantee” usually comes on the heels of a classic Scripture-twist in order to bully the congregation into coughing-up tithing a mandatory 10% of their income to their local circus church. The typical go-to passage for this teaching is Malachi 3.

The reader may recall the recent post entitled Which One of These is Just Like the Other?, wherein it was demonstrated that even “conservative Bible teacher” and Gospel Coalition member James MacDonald has resorted to teaching this passage, as well as 1 Kings 17:8-16, out of context as a means of funding Harvest Bible Chapel’s latest financial campaign. Of course, even MacDonald hasn’t yet gone so far as to guarantee a refund of “God’s money.”

Ed Young, Jr., however, focuses quite often on money, and last year stooped so low as to request of his congregation that they offer him their checking account routing numbers. But he has one other inappropriate emphasis….sex. Back in 2008, Young was one of the first mega-church pastors to summon his congregation to a “sex challenge.” Perhaps the reader is familiar with Young’s antics during this sermon series, as he actually preached a sermon from a bed that had been placed on the stage.

Well, three years later, Young is at it again, this time bringing about “life change” with his latest book, The Sexpirament. Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t the same life change that is spoken about in the holy Word of God?

Sexperiment Locations from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

And all of God’s people said…ew.

TheSexperiment.com from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

The book description on Amazon tells us that, “while society has taken sex too far, the church hasn’t taken it far enough” (Online Source). What has happened to the priorities of the pastor when he finds it necessary to dwell on these temporary themes rather than to dedicate his ministry to the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

Money and sex, two of the church’s favorite topics apparently. And interestingly enough, two of the world’s favorite topics as well! Sin, wrath, and judgment, followed by a message of grace and forgiveness and submission to a holy God, well, that’s just boring! Such discussion could never draw a crowd! It does indeed seem that “sex sells,” both on television and in the church.
The list of reasons why one should avoid Ed Young, Jr. could go on and on. Many were mentioned or discussed in this post, as we began to understand Young’s C3 Global initiative. C3 Global itself was examined in further detail here, and the reader may reference that if he so wishes.

Young has preached such “relevant” sermon series as “Swagger Jacker” wherein he exhorts his audience to claim their “Godfidence.” Absurdities like this, along with alliances and friendships with the likes of Joel Osteen, promotion of and participation in various Hillsong conferences…all of these activities and more seem to place Ed Young, Jr. firmly into the camp of preachers who have misused and abused the title of ‘pastor.’ And they seem to confirm any suspicions one may have regarding Young’s propensity toward Word-Faith doctrine.

Yet, isn’t that the recurring theme that we are seeing with these various Code Orange Revival speakers? This theme of the heretical Word-Faith movement ought to cause one to begin to question seriously just what kind of “eruption” is going to take place next month. The reader would do well to remember that also among Furtick’s list of scheduled speakers are the “young, restless and reformed” Acts 29 pastor and Gospel Coalition council member Matt Chandler as well as fellow Gospel Coalition council member James MacDonald of Walk in the Word and Harvest Bible Chapel fame.

Both of these men will also be speaking at Perry Noble’s Newspring Leadership Conference in 2012. And surely the reader is aware that MacDonald has invited Oneness Pentecostal and Word-Faith heretic T.D. Jakes to participate in next year’s Elephant Room 2 conference. And, not surprisingly, Steven Furtick announced earlier this month that T.D. Jakes also would be headlining at his Code Orange Revival. So once again we must ask, especially of MacDonald and Chandler, two supposedly conservative and reformed pastors: Why?

Why would you agree time and again to share a stage and a platform with men and women who preach not just a weak gospel, but a false one? The members of your local and extended flocks deserve an explanation from the men they no doubt trust and respect.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)

SEE ALSO:

Steven Furtick’s 12 Days of Revival
“Code Orange” Speaker Craig Groeschel
“Code Orange” Speaker Christine Caine
“Code Orange” Speaker Jentezen Franklin
“Code Orange” Speaker Israel Houghton
“Code Orange” Speaker Stovall Weems