Tag Archives: Pharisees

Brian Houston calls Christian pastors “intellectual pride-filled Pharisees” & “evil people”

21 Sunday Sep 2014

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Brian Houston Hillsong theo-jelly-cal

“It is better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt, yes or no, Brian Houston?”

It is not uncommon to hear Brian Houston, his leadership, and Hillsong’s adoring fans telling people, “judge not lest you be judged”, and “if you are without sin, cast the first stone”. And Hillsong would say that their movement never “demonizes” Christians for questioning the powers that be. At least up until now….

Brian Houston recently tweeted the following,

Leaders goal: Toughen up and lead when the heat is on; yet stay authentic and transparent. Better days are coming!

Source: Brian Houston, @BrianCHouston, Twitter, https://twitter.com/BrianCHouston/status/500981890208129024, Published 5:26 AM – 17 Aug 2014. (Accessed 10/09/2014.)

proof_Twitter-BHAuthenticTransparentLeadersGoal_19-09-2014

Live your life in a transparent & authentic way. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear & nothing to lose!

Source: Brian Houston, @BrianCHouston, Twitter,https://twitter.com/BrianCHouston/status/497431278049062912, Published 10:17 AM, 07/08/2014. (Accessed 10/08/2014.)

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Leadership doesn’t bully. – doesn’t manipulate – doesn’t ‘control’ – & doesn’t crush or diminish others! Leadership leads!

Source: Brian Houston, @BrianCHouston, Twitter, https://twitter.com/BrianCHouston/status/512647263483887616, 18/09/2014 10:00AM. (Accessed 20/09/2014.)

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Let’s see how Brian Houston went.

UNFATHOMABLE IGNORANCE 

It’s astounding to think that someone like Brian Houston can sit on an annual salary of $300,000 a year and operate out of such willful ignorance.

Brian Houston Responds To The Steve West Media Saga

Not only that, our most recent articles looked at how far removed Hillsong is from the orthodox Christian faith. The first article below is a report on how Hillsong wrote the song ‘This I believe’. The second article is a testimony of someone’s experience at Hillsong explaning how they discovered their rich historical Christian faith once they left the Hillsong bubble.

Mega-fail: Mega-church hiding under mega-rock

“I was a Christless, creedless, and clueless Christian in Hillsong”: A testimony of God’s grace.

With all this in mind, we can begin to understand where Brian Houston is speaking from.

 THE ‘DEMONIZING’ INTENSIFIES:

Below, Brian Houston tweeted lyrics from his church’s latest song, “This I Believe”.

proof_01Twitter-CreedyBrian_17-09-2014

A commenter, Matt Rollings responded to Brian Houston’s tweet.

 Words matter. You do know modalists affirm the same, right?

Source: Matt Rollings, @Matt_Rollings, Twitter, https://twitter.com/matt_rollings/status/512196877391917056, 4:10 AM – 17 Sep 2014. (Accessed 20/09/2014.)

Matt Rollings summed up our thoughts exactly on the issue of this song. Furthermore, Rollings bought Pastor Christ Rosebrough from Kongsvinger Lutheran Church into the discussion, also an apologist for his radio show Fighting for the Faith.

So what was Houston’s response to Matt Rollings?

proof_07BrianUsesADictionary_19-09-2014

Rollings obviously replied to Brian Houston. And Brian Houston responded with this:

proof_03bTwitter-BriansWords_19-09-2014

If you aren’t laughing now at least you should be raising your eyebrows with this comment. Brian, yes, you can find the word ‘modalism’ in both the Oxford Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. And you most definitely find the definition of modalism in Christian encyclopedias or systematic theology books.

Obviously ‘the great white shark’ Houston felt out of his league and started chomping and thrashing around on Twitter.

proof_03Twitter-BrianInsultsMatt_17-09-2014

It is important to notice the words he used around “pharisaical”. Pride? Well, obviously. But intellectual? Being intellectual makes you a Pharisee? Weren’t the Pharisees false teachers who loved to parade a form of godliness (in a similar way before Brian Houston removed all his shocking comments from this Twitter conversation)?

By the way Brian, nothing is ever ‘deleted’ permanently from the internet i.e. your ‘deleted comments’, you do realize that? We found them as easily as we found ‘modalism’ in the dictionary. Just saying.

proof_07BrianUsesADictionary_19-09-2014

In response to @BrianCHouston, Matt Rollings introduces Prof. Nathan Busenitz (Instructor of Theology. B.A. M.Div. Th.M – The Masters Seminary) into the ring…

“religious people?” As a pastor are you not familiar with church history? HT Source: Matt Rollings, @Matt_Rollings, Twitter, https://twitter.com/matt_rollings/status/512247653078286336, 7:32AM, 17/09/2014. (Accessed 20/09/2014.)

Ps Chris Rosebrough joined the ‘conversation’ to help explain to Brian Houston exactly what Modalism is, Matt having alerting Chris in the twitter stream as to what Houston had said earlier.

proof_06ChrisLecturedByMatt_19-09-2014

BECAUSE HILLSONG IS OPEN TO “CONVERSATION”…

It appears about this point in time, Brian Houston blocked Matt Rollings from commenting on his wall. In response, Matt put out these tweets:

 Brian, you have blocked me. I can’t respond to you. Please please!!! pick up a theology text book.

proof_04bTwitter-BrianBlockingMatt_21-09-2014

Source: Matt Rollings, @Matt_Rollings, Twitter, https://twitter.com/matt_rollings/status/512267540177776640, 8:51AM, 17/09/2014. (Accessed 20/09/2014.)

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But the conversation did not stop there. This, from the Pulpit and Pen blog site:

P&P Transcript: Brian Houston Asks if Modalism is a “Made Up Word”

The following is a transcript of a segment from Thursday’s Pulpit & Pen Program.

Brian Houston, pastor of the Hillsong United – whatever it is – “church,” had a conversation with one of my friends, Matt, from Canada “eh.” On Twitter, Brian said, “I believe in God the father, I believe in Christ the Son, I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe all three are one.” This is Hillsong’s attempt to say, “Hey! We have a theology! We’re not watered-down and all about worship music!” And so, he’s going to show his theological prowess by affirming the Holy Trinity, and the way he phrased it left open room for interpretation. Matt says to him, “Words matter. You do know that modalists affirm the same, right?” Like, “You know that modalists can actually agree with that, right?”

So what do you think Brian Houston said? Now, he has like 354,000 people following him on Twitter. Yes, three hundred and fifty-four thousand people following him on twitter. Probably, when you count churches and people and followers throughout the world, we’re talking about a huge number of people look to this man for spiritual guidance. I’m not talking about some podunk pastor from Goober Town Arkansas (yes, there is a Goober Town, Arkansas) or Possum Grape or Bald Knob or some place like that in the middle the country. We’re talking about a huge international so-called “church.” Here’s the main guru. What do you think was [Houston’s] response when Matt was like, “Could you be more specific? Modalists agree with this.”

This is his response… This is his response; “Are you one of those religious people who make up words?” He says, “Not even a dictionary has the word modalist in it.”

Listen, if you’re a layperson I understand you may be like, “You guys are snobs, just because he doesn’t know a word.” Listen, if you’re layperson, if you don’t understand… I’m glad you listen to the Pulpit & Pen Program because you need to know what this means. But if you’re a pastor and you don’t know what the word means, get educated. A leader of worldwide movement and you don’t know what modalism is? Why are you the leader of a worldwide movement bounding off towards anything, let alone heresy? How did Brian Houston become a pastor? When Brian Houston became a pastor, did he look a lot like the guy that should have preached that night and they accidentally put him behind the podium instead? Is there a body double? Is he a Manchurian candidate?

He doesn’t know what modalism is, so he actually looks it up and he says “there are no definitions available in the dictionary for modalism?” He said [to Matt], “I don’t even see the definition anywhere? Did you mean medalist or modelist?” And then, finally his response was to (of course) block him for being one of “those religious snobs who throw around big words” like “modalist” – three syllables, for crying out loud. It’s three syllables.

Is it too much to ask that we project leaders who are people that have read a theology textbook at some point in their life? Who might know what ‘modalism’ or other major heresies are? Because you can quote the creeds all day long, Nicene Creed or the Apostle’s Creed, to make yourself sound Orthodox, but you haven’t the ability to provide an apologetic against Oneness Pentecostal heretics like TD Jakes? You see, Satan hates the Trinity – he can’t stand it – and every cult under the sun attacks the Trinity (Mormonism Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc…) every single cult attacks Trinity. So you’re the leader of a movement? Was has come of us? That’s why you, sir -Brian Houston – are in the Daily Downgrade.

Source: P&P Transcript: Brian Houston Asks if Modalism is a “Made Up Word”, Pulpit and Pen, http://pulpitandpen.org/2014/09/18/pp-transcript-brian-houston-asks-if-modalism-is-a-made-up-word/. (Accessed 19/09/2014.)

Baptist Pastor Jordan Hall notified Brian Houston of winning the daily downgrade award. Brian seemed to receive the award well…

proof_05HillsongDowngradeAward_19-09-2014

In the above screen grab you can read this cheeky response from Pulpit & Pen:

The P&P staff gives our apologies. What do you mean by “evil”? We can’t find it in the dictionary. Is that a word?

Source: Pulpit & Pen, PulpitAndPen, Twitter, https://twitter.com/PulpitAndPen/status/512685576579854336, 18/09/2014 12:32 PM. (Accessed 20/09/2014.) 

Brian Houston chomped back with this comment:

proof_09DemonicChristians_18-09-2014

Right. So Jesus refers to Christian ministers and elders as heretics in Romans and Galatians… Huh? What is Brian Houston thinking? Didn’t the Apostle Paul write Romans and Galatians under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

Pulpit & Pen later followed with this comment:

 Are you sure you’re an expert on heresy to be accusing us of it? “Is Modalism a word?”

Source: Pulpit & Pen, PulpitAndPen, Twitter, https://twitter.com/PulpitAndPen/status/512708352275513344, 18/09/2014 2: 02PM. (Accessed 21/09/2014.)

Yet another twitter response to Brian Houston came from Baptist Elder Gene Clyatt:

If you’re ignorant of both theology & church history, “pastor” is not the job for you…

Source: Gene Clyatt, @Shinar_Squirrel, Twitter, https://twitter.com/Shinar_Squirrel/status/512689297724407808, 12:47 PM – 18 Sep 2014. (Accessed 21/09/2014.)

Tony Miano from Cross Encounters also weighed in and rebuked Brian Houston,

. To which savior are you referring, Brian? Jesus of the Bible, or the false Jesus of TD Jakes?//REPENT!! (Acts 20:29-30)

Source: Tony Miano, @TonyMiano, Twitter, https://twitter.com/TonyMiano/status/512955263653908480, 6:23 AM – 19 Sep 2014. (Accessed 21/09/2014.)

Now Brian likes to think of himself as being transparent. Authentic. Rising above, when under fire. So what did you think Brian Houston did when he was ‘under fire’ by Christian pastors, brothers in Christ who rightly, and with polite restraint, corrected Brian Houston’s ignorance about modalism?

What does he do? He deletes his tweets. Calls other Christian pastors demonic.
Sounds like he has the “spirit of a pioneer”.

DOCTRINE IS IMPORTANT

So why the big kerfuffle over Brian Houston’s original statement about the Trinity? In light of Brian Houston’s ‘confusion’ about the god of Islam, former Muslim Abdul Saleeb really demonstrates why it is important for Christians to understand the Trinity in this Ligonier podcast:

Opposing Foundations

We thought we would leave you something that Matt Rollings put together with his encounter with Brian Houston.

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Why Is The “Fake It Til You Make It” Joel Osteen Still Speaking At Hillsong Conferences?

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Associations

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Jesus said,

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” — Jesus, Matt 7:15.

Joel Osteen is speaking at this year’s Hillsong Conference 2013. Recentlly, Chris Rosebrough decided to tune into Joel Osteen’s 2013 easter sermon. Here is a snippet of what Joel Osteen said in his easter sermon.

“I am not a victim. I am not at a disadvantage. I am full of resurrection power! Well you say, “Joel, I don’t feel very powerful. I don’t feel very strong”. But you can’t go by what you feel, you gotta go by what you know. Your feelings may change every other hour.

What you’re up against may look bigger, stronger, more influential, more powerful, that’s okay. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. You have an advantage. It’s called resurrection power. Even though you may not feel powerful, you got to put your shoulders back and start acting like your powerful. Fake it til you make it.

Act like you’re strong. Act like you’re well able. Act like you’re more than a conqueror. Don’t go through life intimidated when you have the most powerful force in the universe on the inside.” – Joel Osteen, Lakewood Easter Sevice, http://0352182.netsolhost.com/F4F/F4F051013.mp3: 56:56, 2013.

According to Joel Osteen you have the most powerful force of the universe? According to Joel Osteen you have to “fake it til you make it”? And he decided to teach this in his sermon on Resurrection Sunday?

Jesus warns people about the leaven of false teachers like Joel Osteen.

“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” – Jesus Christ, Luke 12:1-3.

So why is Osteen teaching believers that they need to “Fake it til you make it”? Is this how Joel Osteen made it big as a ‘Pastor’ of America’s biggest church? Is Hillsong inviting a faker to speak at their conference? How can we trust Joel Osteen for what he’s worth if he’s prepared to ‘fake’? How is Brian Houston ‘championing the cause of the local church’ by inviting such a heretic to speak?

Hear Joel Osteen reviewed below:

MAY 10, 2013

FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT?

Click Here to Download this episode

Program segments:• No Mommy Rhapsody In Church

• Atheism for Lent?

• Taste of Joel Osteen’s Easter Sermon

• Two Good Sermons

Source: Fighting For The Faith, Fake It Til You Make It?, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2013/05/fake-it-til-you-make-it.html, 10/05/2013.

Houston Says Jesus Wants Our Righteousness “to exceed, or go beyond” The Pharisees?

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Books, Uncategorized

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Pharisee Houston

This article is broken up into four segments. The last segment provides the snippet of Brian Houston which the earlier segments set out to correct.

WHO IS JUST JUSTIFIED AND MADE RIGHTEOUS?

Jesus told a “parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.”

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’” Luke 18:10-12, Emphasis added.

Was the pharisee justified and made righteous by his own efforts? Do you believe they could be made righteous by their own efforts? Was it the tither that was justified? Was it the one that kept giving? Jesus continues,

“… But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:13-14, Emphasis added.

Who was made right before God in this parable? The Pharisee or the tax collector? Jesus was making the point in the parable that those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous” were in fact not. Righteousness and justification was given to the man who realised his sin and asked for God’s mercy.

THEN WHO CAN BE SAVED?

In the sermon on the mount, what did Jesus condemn the pharisees of doing that Jesus also demonstrated they did in his above parable? Jesus exposed their sin in trusting themselves in thinking “they were righteous”.

So what do you think Jesus was saying to the multitude about the Pharisees at the beginning of his sermon on the mount?

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:20

Was he telling the Jewish people to try harder than the Pharisees? Is Jesus challenging believers “not to live below the level of righteousness upheld by the Pharisees”? Was Jesus teaching the multitude to “exceed, or go beyond” the righteousness of the Pharisees?

No. Jesus’ message was against them and their false teachings. Instead, Jesus taught people to follow Him and his teachings. The scripture above was to dishearten his listeners to even bother trying to live up to the false teachers standards.

The Pharisees practiced the Law as best they could. The only issue was that the Law was designed to have people to depend on God to forgive and save man from their sins. No one in Israel could follow the Law perfectly, EXCEPT Jesus. The Pharisees and the Lawyers could not obey the law perfectly or be good all the time. Jesus kept EXPOSING the lies and hypocrisy of the false teachers who practiced the Law and believed they could follow it perfectly (Luke 18:9-14; Luke 18:18-26). When Jesus exposed the sin in the heart of the rich young ruler, one of Jesus’ apostles cried out, “Then who can be saved?” (Luke 18:26). This is where Christ wants his audience to be spiritually situated in his sermon on the mount.

JESUS VS PHARISEES

Jesus continually challenged the false teachers, leaders and prophets through His sermon on the mount. He exposed their false teachings, shows and hypocrisy (Matt 6:2; Matt 6:6; Matt 6:16). He warned people to not be like them and do the opposite to them (Matt 6:1; Matt 6:6; Mat 6:17). He is not encouraging people to exceed in the ways of the Pharisees. He is warning people not to follow them but instead follow him. Christ preached Himself. In this sermon, Jesus used the Law to point all his listeners to his teachings and to Himself.

In his sermon, the climax falls on the false teachers again. Jesus teaches about two ways, two trees, two gates and two foundations. Only one way leads to life. Only one tree offers life. Only one gate allows you to enter life and only one foundation offers true life.

Jesus associated the pharisees and their teachings (“false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves”) to the false road, the false gate, the bad trees and the bad foundations. 

Through out the gospel accounts, Jesus reveals he is The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 14:6) and The Gate (John 10:7). When Jesus told people to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing, he was actually describing a wolf disguised as a shepherd. Jesus says HE is The True Shepherd (John 10:11). He is pointing the people away from the Pharisees, their false practices and their false teachings. The only option that Jesus offered was always Himself.

The people in this sermon were left with these two options:

    1. Follow Jesus and His teachings to life. Reject the Pharisees. Or…
    2. Follow the Pharisees and their teachings to life. Reject Jesus.

This is why after hearing this controversial sermon the writer states

“the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt 7:28-29)

The Pharisees were the image of righteousness before the people. But Jesus was calling the Pharisees the “least in the kingdom of heaven” for nullifying or twisting “one of the least of these commandments” and for teaching “others to do the same”. He was reforming the people. He was rightly using the Law to bring them to despair. Who can honestly say that your own righteousness can surpass the righteousness of dedicated religious leaders? Who can honestly say that Jesus wants our own righteousness to exceed the Pharisees?

Well… Brian Houston does.

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WHAT JESUS WOULD NEVER TEACH

Houston says that Jesus teaches that “your righteousness” can “exceed, or go beyond” the righteousness of the Pharisees through all means possible (especially in  giving). He teaches “what the Pharisees did is only a starting point” and we are meant to exceed their righteousness. Houston believes that WE are to take “everything one step further.”

If Brian Houston actually believes this, any Christians should actually question if Houston is a pastor or a Christian at all. Brian Houston has missed the entire point of the New Testament, the gospel and how one becomes a Christian if he believes this.

Not only does he misquote Jesus saying, (“Jesus said we shouldn’t get angry”), Houston twists Jesus’ sermon to teach people that they can be made righteous through their efforts, especially in their tithing.

Houston then further demonstrates biblical incompetence by teaching that “You tithe because you put the Kingdom first in your life, and it is with a spirit of faith that you sow into God’s Word”. As we already have seen, tithing is not a requirement for Godly righteousness. It was of the Mosaic Law and not taught by Jesus and His disciples. Because tithing is of the Law, Brian Houston is flat out wrong saying, “You tithe… with a spirit of faith”. God rebukes Houston with this:

“Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” Galatians 3:21

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Galatians 2:21

“The law is not based on faith.” Galatians 3:12

According to Brian Houston and his beliefs, he must be an even greater Pharisee than the Apostle Paul (Acts 26:10). Paul says,

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:2-10, Emphasis ours.

We will now leave you with the Pharisee of Pharisees to teach you how “to exceed” your own righteousness. This excerpt is found in the chapter, ‘The Power of Tithing’ from Houston’s book ‘You Need More Money’.

“Exceeds

For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righeousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

Jesus said that he didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfil [sic] it. This is why the Old Testament is so relevant today. However, the challenge to believers is not to live below the level of righteousness upheld by the Pharisees – His challenge to us is to exceed, or go beyond, it.

What the Pharisees did is only a starting point. Jesus took everything one step further. For instance, one of the Ten Commandments is not to kill or murder. Jesus said we shouldn’t get angry, because that would lead us to sin.

When Jesus said that the Pharisees ought to tithe, that sets a precedent for us to go further. New Testament tithing is different to the bondage and legalism of the Old Covenant. You shouldn’t feel depressed or miserable about it. You tithe because you put the Kingdom first in your life, and it is with a spirit of faith that you sow into God’s Word.” – Brian Houston, You Need More Money, Smithfield, NSW: Alken Press, 1999, pg. 72.