01
Nov 04
Promise Keepers
P.O. Box 103001
Denver, CO 80250-3001
To the President, CEO, and
Board of Directors:
I have been a strong
supporter of Promise Keepers since Almighty God shook me out of my spiritual
slumber at the Denton, Texas conference on June 11th, 1994. I have given money and have encouraged many
men to go, knowing some would be saved, many would be encouraged and well
instructed on how to live a godly life for the right reasons.
Along the way, I have prayed
for the leadership of PK, knowing no ministry or leader is invulnerable to
error or deception. There have been a
couple times that I wrote about some questionable comments or activities, and
was pleased to get solid answers.
2004 brought new concerns
that have not been addressed adequately (from my perspective) and, instead,
seem to be growing as 2005 draws near.
PK has put Ted Haggard on
the speakers list for next year. This
is most disconcerting. It is possible
that you have Mr. Haggard’s signature on a statement of faith and consider that
adequate, not knowing or perhaps not caring about what he has been teaching
over the years. It is possible – and
beyond disappointing – that you know all about Mr. Haggard’s Open Theism, new
Apostle/Prophet views, and his close association with the New Apostolic
Reformation.
I prayerfully ask you to
carefully consider Ted Haggard’s teaching, views, and associates – test them
against the Holy Word of God and call on Mr. Haggard to repent or be dropped
from your speakers list.
Here, for your
consideration, are a few references that ought to cause concern with any
well-grounded disciple of Christ Jesus:
Ted Haggard has not been as
out in the open as his long-term colleague C. Peter Wagner (both of whom are
followers of Robert Schuller ) , but a careful reading of various
reports reveal much about which to be concerned.
On this site, of the Wagner Leadership Institute, Haggard is listed as an Officer of the institute - which is presided over by C. Peter Wagner.
http://www.wagnerleadership.org/im_new_to_wli.phtml
This link reports the recent
appearance of Robert Schuller at the NAE, under the supervision of Haggard: http://op.50megs.com/ditc/naeschuller.html
At this link is a flyer from
1999 showing Haggard as one of many "prophets" featured at a
conference: http://www.prophetic.net/glory.htm
Here is a quote from Ted
Haggard, from his prayer on May 12th, 2002 at the National School of
Prophets’ seminar Mobilizing the Prophetic, in Colorado Spring:
"Father, I thank you for those who have the office of
either a prophet or a prophetess or have a strong flow in the prophetic. And
Lord Jesus, we as a group of pastors, many in this room apostolic pastors, we
release, we bless, we confirm the calling of the prophet - the calling of the
prophetess - the calling of the prophetic, and we welcome it into the global
church of the world. ... And Lord God, we all love you so much and we thank you
for the restoration of the apostolic and the prophetic in the local church
congregation and in the global church so that we can do explosive ministry. In
Jesus' name, Amen."
Can there be any doubt that
Haggard is, at best, confused or deceived, about God’s Word? At worst – and in light of his chosen
associates – he is an intentional, willing accomplice in the spreading of
heresy and the attempted destruction of the true church.
"Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Eph 5:11)
If Ted Haggard does not
publicly repent of his false teachings and bogus prophecies, PK must not allow
him to be a speaker. If he does not
repent and PK puts him on a platform, it's over between PK and me. Rather than encourage another thousand or so
men to attend and support PK, I will encourage men to boycott PK and pray for
you to repent.
I pray for this ministry to be true to the written Word of God and not seek to be man pleasers. (Gal 1:10)
Stuart
L. Brogden
15010
Prairie Rose
Houston,
TX 77070
21
Nov 04
Promise Keepers
ATTN: Dr. Gordon England
P.O. Box 103001
Denver, CO 80250-3001
Dear brother Gordon,
Once again, I thank you for
the kindness of calling me to discuss my concerns about Ted Haggard. Our conversation was a blessing from our
Lord and I thank Him for the true brotherhood we have.
I have been praying and
researching, and asking others to pray for me as I strive to seek truth and
God's perspective, and for PK - that ya’ll seek the same. Be assured this is not about simple personal
preference. I take no pleasure in this,
as I know we must make disciples of men and have actively supported Promise
Keepers for 10 years. My objective and
desire is to seek truth and Biblical reconciliation.
If you personally do not consider the issues raised herein to be serious enough to pursue, I respectfully request this letter be passed on to Mr. Fortson and the Board of Directors for their consideration.
A couple of observations:
While I appreciate your long-term friendship with Mr. Haggard and the respect
you have for his position with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE),
these two items have very little influence on my perspective. The opinions of men, though they be godly
men, do not stand in the way of testing a man’s teaching in light of
Scripture. It is my firm belief that
men who claim to teach God’s Truth should have their teachings examined by
every true believer who hears or reads them.
I do not accept without question what my pastors – whom I love dearly –
say, nor what my favorite authors write.
Please note: I am not
questioning Haggard’s salvation, nor denying that much of what he says is
edifying and truthful. But it is does
appear to me that he has a demonstrated track record of also teaching heresy
and supporting those who do likewise.
Mr. Haggard hangs out with false prophets, he thanks God for false
prophets, and – most disturbingly – he brings these “wolfs” into his own flock!
Following is a sample of his
teachings and views and activities that I believe require close scrutiny and
much prayer, as well as a personal confrontation with him by Promise Keepers:
·
His enthusiastic
endorsement of Tommy Tenney’s book, “The God Chasers”, for starters: “This
is a marvelous book on the wonderful dangers of knowing God. The God Chasers is exciting, intense,
unsettling and challenging. Tommy holds
no punches, as he pleads with us to become desperate and determined in our
pursuit of God.” I personally
do not know any mature Christian who believes Tenney’s anti-Trinitarian views
or this particular book ought to be pursued or endorsed.
·
Mr. Haggard maintains
close relationships with folk who have well-established reputations for being
false prophets and false teachers. He
is listed as a member of the C. Peter Wagner’s Wagner Leadership Institute
– along with Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, Dutch Sheets, Tommy Tenney, and others
(http://www.wagnerleadership.org/). This outfit teaches such things as the “Apostolic
Realignment Empowers Transition: This course discusses the necessary role (sic) and responsibilities of Apostles that
will enables churches to transition into apostolic churches. To identify and discuss some of the
challenges and pitfalls that hinder as well as the practical steps and mindset
changes that must be addressed to facilitate God's New Order.” Haggard has appeared with and taught next to
such questionable characters for many years, being listed as a speaker at the National
School of Prophets - along with
Wagner, Sheets, Mike Bickle, Rick Joyner and others – in 1999 and 2000. (http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain22.htm)
·
The 1999 conference of
the National School of Prophets took place in late January at Haggard’s
church. At this conference, Cindy
Jacobs declared, “Bourbon Street will have new wine. And the Lord says, ‘I’m going to send my
young people, my young Elijahs, to these streets — and they’re gonna heal
transvestites, and they’re gonna have sex-change operations just like that. I’m
gonna give them what they need. I’m gonna be their lover.’” At this link - http://www.equip.org/free/DF400.pdf
- you can read other outrageous comments, including some from Bill Hamon at
this conference.
·
Haggard opened his
church up to Dutch Sheets, who brought the National School of the Prophets -
Mobilizing the Prophetic Office Conference to New Life Church on May 12,
2002. Sheets is one of the Elijah List
“prophets” that make outrageous claims as a matter of daily life. Subscribe to it (http://www.elijahlist.com/) for a week or
two to get a taste of his theology.
·
At this same
conference, Haggard prayed, "Father, I thank you for those who have the
office of either a prophet or a prophetess or have a strong flow in the
prophetic. And Lord Jesus, we as a
group of pastors, many in this room apostolic pastors, we release, we bless, we
confirm the calling of the prophet - the calling of the prophetess - the
calling of the prophetic, and we welcome it into the global church of the world.
... And Lord God, we all love you so much and we thank you for the restoration
of the apostolic and the prophetic in the local church congregation and in the
global church so that we can do explosive ministry. In Jesus' name, Amen." This appears to clearly document Haggard’s
views on modern apostles and prophets and their roles in the church. Yet Haggard’s own prophetic announcements
regarding prayer for Saddaam Hussein to leave Iraq proved false. (http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/intercession/haggard0301.asp
and http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1359
which documents in his own words his continued relationships with C. Peter
Wagner, Church Pierce, and the International Coalition of Apostles.)
·
In March of 2003,
Haggard appeared at the Northwest Intercessors' Conference held at City
Bible Church in Portland, Oregon – along with David Yonggi Cho, Cindy Jacobs,
and Chuck Pierce. (http://www.cnnw.com/events_calendar/march2k3.html) Cho is widely heralded by new age “prophets”
but teaches man-centered, Shamanistic heresies under the guise of Christianity:
“You create the presence of Jesus with your mouth.... He is bound by your
lips and by your words...." (The
Fourth Dimension, Cho, p.83)
·
In a magazine article
in which Haggard is encouraging his church to pray and engage in missions, he
claims to have been given a vision from the Lord (which may be a true
statement) and recommends books by C. Peter Wagner and George Otis. (http://www.missionfrontiers.org/1993/0708/ja938.htm)
·
As President of the
NAE, Haggard hosted Robert Schuller at that association’s annual meeting in
February of this year. Schuller’s view is
perhaps best summed up by a statement he made in a Time magazine interview in
1985 – “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under
the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human
personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the
often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people
aware of their lost and sinful condition." There’s no evidence that Schuller has repented of this
anti-Biblical view of the Gospel. On
his “Hour of Power” show on Nov 9, 2003, Schuller said, “Yes, God is alive
and He is in every single human being!”
Why bring this man to speak at any Christian organization?
·
In 1997, Haggard
opened his church to David Hogan – a self-described apostle and veteran of the
infamous Brownsville, Florida “revival” who bragged about “slaying people in
the spirit” and claimed to heal folk by waving clothes at them and yelling, “Fire!” (http://www.christianissues.com/hogan.html
and http://www.pfo.org/exploits.htm)
·
August 31-
September 6, 2004 saw the “FIRST EVER MORRIS CERULLO SCHOOL OF MINISTRY ON
PRAYER AND INTERCESSION“ in Dallas, Texas.
Featured speakers were reported to be Rick Joyner, Dutch Sheets, John
Kilpatrick, Cindy Jacobs; Tommy Tenney, Steve Hill (of Brownsville, FL infamy),
Ted Haggard, Kenneth Copeland, John Avanzini, and Mike Murdock – not to
mention Morris Cerullo himself.
Cerullo’s own web site claims, ”He received a divine, supernatural
call from God to preach at the age of fifteen when God took him into the
heavens and revealed Himself to him by a supernatural vision.” (http://www.mcwe.com/html/about_our_ministry.php)
·
The Statement of
faith on his church’s web site declares, “It is the Father’s will for
believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life.”,
and goes on to claim Isaiah 53:5 for physical healing. (http://www.newlifechurch.org/whatwebelieve/index.cfm?fuseaction=creed). It is a common thread – “Prosperity Gospel”
preachers twist spiritual messages such as Isaiah 53:5 and Mark 4:1-8,
presenting them as God’s promise of earthly wealth or health.
Why
would a disciple of Christ associate with such as these? Why would he bring these teachings into his
church? Why would a ministry of Christ,
called to make disciples of men, embrace one who teaches and associates with
such as these? I am compelled to ask,
“Does Promise Keepers accept or embrace the teaching of these men and
women?” If Haggard in 2005, who
next? All of this grieves me, as I hate
to see the ministry of PK fall away from Truth.
In
Matthew 16:5-12, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples to beware of the powerful
effect of the false doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, calling the
false doctrine “leaven”. In 1
Corinthians 5:6, Paul reminds us that even a little leaven is to be avoided.
I
contend that Ted Haggard’s statements and long-term, continued associations
with proven false prophets and teachers of heresy constitute more than “a
little leaven”. Disciples of Christ who
know Mr. Haggard personally and are rightly concerned with his demonstrated
behaviors ought to confront him in love.
As I previously told you, if Mr. Haggard repents from this long-standing
heretical behavior, I would rejoice in him being welcomed by the brethren to
speak at PK. If he denies his actions
or declares them to be God-honoring, he should be shunned by the brotherhood
(Matthew 18).
If
I am incorrect, it would be my joy to be shown evidence of this error. If these concerns are valid, I would welcome
another phone conversation or reply via email.
I cannot support a ministry that would allow a serious concern such as
this one to go unresolved.
May
the Lord God of all creation be our only Guide and Judge.
In
His grip,
(281) 514-8146 (work)
15010 Prairie Rose
Houston, TX 77070
21
Mar 05
Promise Keepers
ATTN: Dr. Gordon England
P.O. Box 103001
Denver, CO 80250-3001
Dear brother Gordon,
It’s been four months since I
wrote you a second time with additional evidence of Ted Haggard’s troublesome
doctrinal views and habits. You told me
in our phone conversation that you and PK were open to correction. We agreed that each of us would prayerfully
look into this matter and take it seriously.
I would like to hear from
you or another executive within Promise Keepers on this issue.
I have noticed PK is
promoting old books full of similar false teaching written by James Ryle some
20 years ago. Is PK going the path of
kingdom now, new apostles and prophets?
Because of these concerns, I
have stopped supporting PK financially and, while not actively campaigning
against PK, I will do nothing to promote PK unless corrective action is taken.
I do pray that PK returns to
the whole Truth of God’s Word and shakes loose the false teaching and false
teachers who are good at tickling the flesh.
This is important, for as the Lord taught His disciples in Matthew 16 to
beware of the leaven of false doctrine and Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 5 that
just a little leaven is dangerous for it affects the whole.
Earnestly contending for the
faith,
(281) 514-8146 (work)
15010 Prairie Rose
Houston, TX 77070