ONE CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER CALVARY CHAPEL & HILLSONG CHURCH

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Feb 8, 2012 in Current Issues, Features, Word Faith

By Apprising Ministries special correspondent Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised…
This is a repost of an original article on Do Not Be Surprised…

In the post, The ONE Conference is Set to Invade Miami with a Seeker-Driven Packed Line-up, it was brought to our attention that the weekend of February 10-12 will find the Bank United Center in Miami, FL likely filled to capacity with professing Christians eager to hear a “word from the Lord.”

The problem is, while some of the scheduled speakers for this conference may be known for their watered-down, seeker-driven messages, some are even known for their propensity toward Word-Faith teaching. The line-up is as follows:

The reader will note the inclusion of Brian Houston, Carl Lentz, and Christine Caine, all of whom are involved in the Hillsong dynasty. Caine of course is no stranger to this blog. In “Code Orange” Speaker Christine Caine, we learned that, in addition to being an ordained minister, Caine is also the author of such works as A Life Unleashed: Giving Birth to Your Dreams. The product description for this book reads as follows:

Gifted communicator and Bible teacher Christine Caine reveals the steps to unleashing the potential in each of us. God has divinely created each of us with incredible potential–seeds that can grow into something significant. However, the past, current circumstances, or social conditions can cause us to forsake these seeds or allow them to lay dormant. During her 40-week pregnancy, Christine Caine discovered that conceiving, carrying, and giving birth to her daughter has much in common with actualizing our potential and realizing our dreams. In A LIFE UNLEASHED, she uses this metaphor of pregnancy to walk readers through the journey that will ultimately result in experiencing the fulfillment of our own God-given dreams. It*s a journey of both excitement and pain. In the same way women encounter nausea, restrictive dietary habits, and contractions during pregnancy, there will be challenges to overcome while giving birth to our dreams. But in due time we will see the fruit of that original seed of potential. Christine encourages readers that with continued trust in God–regardless of the obstacles–His plans and purposes will come to pass. (Online Source)

As was noted in the above mentioned post, this is typical Word Faith sentiment, “giving birth” to our dreams and “unleashing the potential” inside of us. Pastrix Caine, though a gifted communicator, seems to have difficulty handling the biblical text properly. When she took to the pulpit stage at Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church not too long ago, we heard her preach:

track with me on this point—if no other. The Bible says that after forty years, of God doing things a certain way—that He stopped doing it that way. It was supernatural; it was miraculous—for forty years He dropped food out of the sky. And they got used to the way God was doing it.

In fact [the Israelites] didn’t even need faith anymore because that was how God always showed up. That’s the kind of miracle God always did… But then the Lord said, “I’m not doing it that way anymore. It was a good way; and it sustained you, but I’m not doing it that way anymore.” The famous last words of the church: We’ve never done it that way before.

Most churches end up dying because they don’t understand the manna has ceased…we’re trying to pick up stale manna that is moldy, that has no nutritional value; that is dead, (growing applause) and we keep going back—to our creeds and our bureaucracies and our institutionalized ways of doing things—but the manna has ceased. (Online Source)

As pastor-teacher Ken Silva notes in his post Word Faith Pastrix Christine Caine Preaches Sunday Morning Service for Steven Furtick, teachings like this are “an attack upon proper doctrine and sound Biblical Christianity in favor of subjective experience.”

One does not have to look far or listen too intently to hear the espousing of Word-Faith doctrine coming from the platforms of Hillsong Church and its international campuses. Hillsong Church in Australia, led by senior pastors Brian (who will be speaking at ONE) and Bobbie Houston, is

perhaps best known for its popular worship music, regularly features the major properity preachers of the Word Faith movement at their annual heresy-fests such as Joyce Meyer, Joel and Victoria Osteen, along with Jentezen Franklin numerous times, and Oneness Pentecostal Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes. (Online Source)

With three teachers from Hillsong participating, it should not take too long to conclude, then, that there is an excellent chance that the ONE Conference will feature some of today’s best ear-tickling Word-Faith teachings. This begs the question, then, why would some of the other speakers agree to participate as well? Men like Franklin Graham, James MacDonald, Francis Chan, or even Calvary Chapel pastors Bob Coy and Pedro Garcia? Are we to believe that Calvary Chapel (CC) approves of the type of teaching that Hillsong Church espouses? Of course, we will likely hear the same old argument, that these pastors do not care where they preach so long as they can proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Okay, but what about when they offer a visibly excited and glowing endorsement?

(Online Source)

The above tweet was sent out by Pedro Garcia, pastor of Calvary Chapel: Kendall and board member of Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. According to Garcia’s biography, he was saved in a Calvary Chapel church, and so his roots and loyalty obviously extend quite deep in this movement. It seems a bit odd, and perhaps even disconcerting, to see that, not only is Garcia excited about seeing Brian Houston of Hillsong for the ONE Conference, but he will actually be handing his pulpit over to Houston on Sunday, February 12.

In fact, it seems that Garcia is also quite familiar with Christine Caine, as he was excited to welcome her for a ONE Conference Rally back in December:

(Online Source)

Pedro Garcia is no small leader within Calvary Chapel. In fact, according to his biography, Garcia has brought Calvary Chapel:Kendall to the point of becoming “one of the fastest-growing churches in the area, meeting in two campuses in Miami” (Online Source). It is difficult to imagine that a choice such as this would not have a broader impact across the Calvary Chapel organization.

Garcia, however, is not the only Calvary Chapel pastor who will be taking the stage alongside some of Hillsong’s greatest. Bob Coy, pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale is also a scheduled speaker. Coy may not have the privilege of sharing his pulpit with Brian Houston, but it is obvious that he and his church are fans of Hillsong. A quick search in their online bookstore reveals 49 items related to Hillsong. Like Pedro Garcia, Bob Coy cannot be without influence in the Calvary Chapel movement. After all, Coy’s church “has now become home to over 17,000 men and women from the tri-county area, and ranks as the eighth largest church in the country” (Online Source).

All of this is quite perplexing. Surely the heretical teachings of the Word-Faith movement are not endorsed by Calvary Chapel! To this statement it is inevitable that many would respond, “perish the thought!” So why are two very influential Calvary Chapel pastors scheduled to take the stage alongside two of Hillsong’s most popular and prominent leaders (Houston and Caine)? Why is one of these pastors, Pedro Garcia, allowing Brian Houston to fill his pulpit on a Sunday morning? Why is there no outcry from those at the top of an organization such as Calvary Chapel? When did it become okay for men who have been entrusted to teach and preach the Word of God to feed their sheep a diet of half-truths and erroneous doctrine?

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

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:
One Conference Set to Invade Miami with a Seeker-Driven Packed Lineup