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Let's recall these eight steps. On a
website called Church Transitions, they're
listed:
As you can see, the eight step programme reads
like a manipulation manuel. Until the fourth step,
total secrecy is required in the process. Very carefully you
have to plant stuff with your key
leaders, and when you've done that you can
share (initiate) all members after which
you simply implement (do it).
Of course, when the fifth step is activated,
this is where the action begins. And there's a lot
of action in Drachten. The Bethel Church allready
has key leaders that continually go to
Willow Creek and Saddleback with a frequency
similar to that of Roman Bishops visiting the
Vatikan. They allways come back with material and
impressive success stories. The implementation of
the programms is in full swing.
The inevitable Sixth Step was activated january
30th, 2006. It was time to "deal with the
opposition". Away with the foundation, so
it seems. Rick
Warren is quoted in this context as saying:
But when you define the vision, you’re
choosing who leaves. You say, “But Rick,
they’re pillars of the church.” Now you know
what pillars are. Pillars are people who hold
things up.
There's something wrong with this statement. The
literal meaning of the word "Pastor" is
shepherd. Pastors are told to "feed
the flock of God which is among you". But
the above statement shows a shepherd that doesn't
even care about the sheep at all. When they hold
things up, you must choose that they leave.
Regardless of their identity as a sheep of the
flock of God which is among you.
Obviously we are very interested in witnessing
just how the Purpose Driven Movement "deals
with the opposition". We can read reports
from all over the world containing tragic stories
about true Christians who are forced to leave a
congregation where they have been all their life.
Rick Warren calls them "old
pillars"...
The Bethel church has not yet a name for them.
But they surely activated step six on January
30th, 2006. Members of the Bethel church were
invited on that monday evening to a presentation
entitled "Rick Warren... Where does the
critique come from?" Questions could be asked
as well.
Your's truly went to the evening and witnessed
with open mouth how the unbiblical reasonings, and
even untruths were poured out over the heads of
the believers who attended the evening. Displaying
that he didn't forget his psychology study,
Bottenbley did his best to convince the audience
how Rick Warren could never possibly be a false
teacher. But in the same time, he seems to have
forgotten some crucial elements of his theological
study as we will notice further on. Or did he
unwillingly show the big gap between the two
studies?
The evening itself was held in the Youth's
Quarters of the Bethel Complex, located in the
Industrial zone of Drachten. The small hall is
called (translated) "Nuff Space" but was
quickly filled with well over 150 people. It was
obvious, that the staff didn't expect that much
worried believers which was later confirmed as
Bottenbley said he only had expected about 50
people...
Not all people came because they were worried
about Rick Warren and his teachings, though. One
person, when asked what he thought about "the
critique from Bible believing Christians",
answered: "The question is: do we have to
look at it just like these Bible believing
Christians?" And it seems like there was
a "Rick Warren fanclub" as well,
cheering out loud from time to time as if they
were on a football game rather then a congregation
of concerned believers.
The evening was opened by Bottenbley. He told
the congregation that he was going to have a long
speech, after which questions could be asked. That
speech was long, indeed. By the time he was
finished, most people were exhausted.
The speech itself was very interesting.
Although it is very painfull to hear a "Bible
believing" Christian defending a system of
New Age apostacy, it was a revealing event.
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