February 10, 1993

Dear board of elders at SHCC,

Upon attending SHCC for a year and a half, hearing the teachings on Sunday nights during the month of September 1992, attending the SHCC-sponsored "Concert of Prayer" at First Baptist "on the hill" in November 1992, reading several books by people who closely associate with the teachings/teachers I heard at SHCC, and speaking with three SHCC pastors about my concerns, I have confirmed and concluded that there is a growing "Third Wave" influence at SHCC. I perceive that this influence is harmful to the growth of the Body of Christ (Eph.4:13,15) at SHCC, and therefore has "crossed the line" of tolerance for me, to the point of forcing me to seek another congregation in the Body of Christ where I can serve without the counter-edifying atmosphere created by "the Third Wave" influence.

This "Third Wave" influence has manifested itself at SHCC in three main false teachings:

1) "BINDING TERRITORIAL SPIRITS" AS A PRECURSOR TO EVANGELISM

While the existence of "territorial spirits" is uncontested by me, and I recognize the earnest desire to see a city turn to God as a godly desire, the teaching that it is the church's role to "bind/take authority over territorial spirits" as a precursor to preaching the gospel (evangelism) in a city, in order to "take the city for Christ" (a.k.a. "revival", "church growth"), is false; that without such "binding," evangelism is relatively useless! This teaching is not based on the explicit teaching from Sola Scriptura, but on the experiences/perceptions of men (e.g. C. Peter Wagner, Ed Silvoso, John Dawson, Larry Lea), especially in observing the recent "revival" in mystical Argentina. This false teaching is unhealthy for the Body of Christ at SHCC.

2) "UNITY" REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE BINDING

I do recognize that when "unity in the Body of Christ" is talked about among SHCC leadership, it is a "unity" among "evangelicals," a "unity" that excludes liberals, and the Roman Catholic Church. However, tacked on to the aforementioned "binding" teaching has been the teaching that unless the Body of Christ in a city is "unified," such "binding" of territorial spirits will not be effective. Not only is this false "unity" teaching missing from the pages of the Bible, but it inevitably leads to compromising sound doctrine in order to preserve a false, outward appearance of the "unity" that is required (according to the teaching) for effective "binding," and it also promotes a misunderstanding among immature Christians as to what the Bible actually teaches on the subject of "unity" (Eph.4:3,13). The false "unity" teaching is therefore unhealthy for the Body of Christ at SHCC.

3) "THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS HERE, BUT NOT YET"

Closely linked with the "binding territorial spirits" teaching is a growingly popular misunderstanding of the kingdom of God, that "the kingdom is here, but not yet," based on the teachings of George Eldon Ladd of Fuller Theological Seminary. This teaching basically says that when Jesus came about 2000 years ago to the earth, His mission was to "inaugurate" the kingdom of God in some way, which He did (according to the teaching), and that upon His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, Jesus presently (contrary to what Matt.19:28, 25:31, Rev.3:21 teach) reigns as a king on His throne, even through the Church, a Church that can "build/extend the kingdom" (language missing from the Bible) and "take authority over the terrirorial spirits" (a practice foreign to Scripture). This "kingdom here, but not yet" teaching is founded upon "Covenant [non-Dispensational] Theology," which 1) promotes a misunderstanding as to the purpose of Christ's original mission (and therefore message) at His first coming, which was to national Israel only (Isaiah 49:1-6, Matt.15:24), and 2) promotes constant misuse and abuse of the Old Testament (e.g. 2Chr.7:14). This is not good for the Body of Christ at SHCC.

In addition to "the Thrid Wave" influence at SHCC, there is one other problem:

PROPOSED "UNITY" WITH THOSE WHO MISUSE 2ND COMING/MILLENNIUM PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE, APPLYING THEM FOR "NOW"

Closely related to the misunderstanding of the kingdom of God is a phenomenon that was observed by me at the November 8, 1992, [David Bryant-led] "Concert of Prayer," at First Baptist Church on the hill [San Jose, CA]. While Christians gathering together to live out the "unity" they already have "in the Spirit (Eph.4:3) is wonderful (especially when racial barriers and personal hurts among pastors towards one another are healed in the process), and corporate prayer to God in Jesus' name according to His will is Biblical, what was not Biblical that night, and therefore unhealthy for the portion of the Body of Christ that witnessed the meeting, was the constant tendency among at least 2/3 of the speakers/prayer leaders to refer either directly or indirectly to a Scripture that deals specifically with Jesus' personal second coming (e.g. Revelation 22:17-20) and the Millennium following (e.g. Psalm 72:5-11), and apply a pre-2nd coming meaning/fulfillment to it (see attached table). I seriously doubt that the Holy Spirit was pleased to hear the Word He inspired and preserved (even via martyrs) for thousands of years twisted again and again and again by men who claim to be representatives of "a movement of God," men who are only harming the Body of Christ by twisting the Scriptures, which only inhibits people from correctly understanding the Word of God by which they can know God. The mid/late-November teaching series at Sunday Night SHCC on the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ was an appropriate response to the "Concert of Prayer." But what about those Christians who attended the "Concert of Prayer" but don't attend SHCC? - many of them probably live in a perverse atmosphere created by the same men who twisted the Scriptures that night, who SHCC is attempting to "have unity with" (i.e. tolerate their false teachings), even giving the appearance of and/or condoning/agreeing with them. It is exceedingly wicked and evil to misrepresent Jesus to the extent that those men did that night. To ignore, excuse, or justify such misuse of the Bible is wrong also. This stuff is not good for the Body of Christ.

These false teachings are unhealthy for the Body of Christ at SHCC. I did my job by speaking with three SHCC pastors about these issues to confirm my impressions of the direction SHCC leadership is going. I have no future in ministry at a church that succumbs to and/or tolerates these winds of doctrine that harm the Body of Christ and therefore cross my line of tolerant disagreements among brethren with which I have "the unity of the Spirit" with. It is my prayer that the direction that SHCC leadership is currently going is only temporary - that this will blow over soon. Also, I recognize that the Christians that I fellowship with at the College Plus group are (for the most part) innocent of the false teachings and hopefully always will be. I regret that I will not be fellowshipping with them as much.

It will undoubtedly be said that I have been taken captive by the devil to do his will to cause division in the Body of Christ, and that God is using the fear of false doctrine to keep me from joining "the faithful remnant" God is preparing to "take the city" (p.66, Life Encounter Seminar booklet, by Ed Silvoso). The only thing I know to do though is to note those who have caused divisions (as evidenced by my leaving SHCC) via their false teachings (and contrary to the doctrine I have learned from Sola Scriptura via the Holy Spirit), and to leave SHCC to join another congregation where these winds of false doctrine are absent.

 Carl Widrig Jr.

Appendix

Nov. 8, 1992 San Jose, CA "Concert of Prayer" Scriptures directly/indirectly referred to by speakers/prayer leaders, including Tony Williams, Greg Babish, Fred Wilson, Cesar Buitrago, David Sawkins, Abraham Poon, Doug Wyse, Kenny Foreman, David Bryant, Peter Wilkes

The One Hope of the Gospel