This is someone who runs a "discernment" radio show who decided to email me and warn me about
Leonard Sweet. When I looked at his sources I realized he was regurgitating the same old ODM's that claim to do research yet, most often use each other as sources... and when traced back to the original source, these people have most often taken that quote or "statement" out of context and created a new context to build their straw man argument. Notice how quick he is to attack others (me in this case) and claim he is being slandered? I often wonder if these people are mentally imbalanced... I have no doubt they are spiritually sick with the spirit of religion. That may sound harsh, but I also believe them to be sincere and brothers and sisters in Christ who greatly need our prayer and love in hopes to turn them from their destructive ways. Considering the source and whom he has as sources... I would say that you are doing God's work... Not sure I want to say whose work this person is doing... sad to say he is or was in the same denomination as me (which ironically, makes him a heretic according to some of the very people he uses as sources!) I have had some of the same kind of people send stuff to my pastor about me... oh and BTW I am not a pastor. = ) James Sundquist gave me permission to post his emails... I prayed about doing it as it also shows his accusations... but then realized that if anyone really looks at them, they will see what I say is true. Here is also a link to
Leonard Sweet's response to his critics. While I have only had a chance to talk to Leonard Sweet over email and Facebook, I found him to be a very nice person. I found his books of interest though I may disagree with him at times. I had to laugh about the accusation that Leonard Sweet is "emerging" as he is not. Many in emerging read his books and like his views, yet, Sweet has made it clear he is not emerging. I do feel sad though that someone is out there attacking Sweet though.
I found it weird that also Rick Warren is tossed in on the accusations against Sweet. While I many no agree fully with Rick Warrens ways of church growth, I have not found much in the things this person states. I left that movement for other reasons, but to accuse it of destroying churches is... well... you can fill in the blank there. I almost becomes comical when I interact with these people. They are predictable and I can almost state exactly what they will say next... and James Sundquist was no different. So, I post this to give warning of people who are divisive and argumentative... that claim to take the bible literal yet pick and choose things as to what they will believe... like not being divisive. Again, please pray for James, that God blesses him abundantly in the Way of Christ Jesus.
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From: James Sundquist [mailto:rock.salt@verizon.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 6:05 AM
To: iggy@wwdb.org
Subject: How Leonard Sweet Corrupts Scripture and Former Roman Catholic Priest Richard Bennett video Exposing Sweet and Emerging Church news release
Dear Pastor Iggy,
I saw your blog. I once was a member of the Vineyard in CA where Ken Gulliksen was pastor and where Keith Green attended.
I noticed your blog talks about Leonard Sweet.
So I invite you to consider the following alert regarding Leonard Sweet. The complete report should be out in a few weeks.
Kindest regards in Christ,
James Sundquist
***
Dear President Robin Baker, Dean, Faculty and Administration of George Fox University and fellow defenders of The Faith,
Please be alerted to the following news release concerning Leonard Sweet vs. Scripture:
&
Also, I invite you to hear former Roman Catholic priest (22 years) Richard Bennett, President and Founder of Berean Beacon video exposing Leonard Sweet and Emerging Church:
Richard Bennett, who also taught at Multnomah Bible College (now also becoming increasingly mystical) will be sounding the alarm on His Holy Hill later this month when he releases his DVD on the Mystic Plague in the Church. Having been a Roman Catholic priest for 22 years, he knows as much as anyone about the false teachings of the very Roman Catholic mystics that Leonard Sweet so admirably quotes. Richard Bennett is shocked that Christians leaders would promote the very heretics he just escaped from.
I also invite you to consider Pastor Bob DeWaay's new book comparing Emerging Church to Scripture at:
In Leonard Sweet's response (http://www.leonardsweet.com/response.php) to online discernment ministries who are simply good Bereans searching the Scriptures to see if "these things (Sweet's teachings) "be true", Leonard Sweet attacks these defenders of the faith, but gives absolutely no Scriptural refutation, as the Apostle Paul requires, and ODMs have done, as I document in the websites enclosed in this letter. I remind Mr. Sweet that slanderers and those who bear false witness against a brother will not enter the Kingdom of God.
In this response Leonard Sweet uses Colossians Chapter 3 to defend his own teaching and philosophy. But Colossians refutes the very Colossian Heresy that Sweet espouses:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
In other words mixing Eastern and Western philosophy, exactly what Sweet's Cosmic Christ (and Rick Warren) and many Emerging Leaders promote. Many scholars confirm that gnosticism, mysticism and a higher spiritual formation experience and its variations is what the Colossian heresy was referring.
See:
Sweet further states in his response to defenders of the Faith:
"Jesus did not come to make us divine. Jesus came to show us how to be authentically what God made us to be--human. Because of the culture in
which we live, I have encouraged the daily ritual of starting the day by standing in front of a mirror and saying: "God is God and I am not.""
It is true that God did not come to make us divine, but which Scripture (that Sweet can't cite) teaches that Jesus came to teach us how to be authentically
more human? This is completely heretical! Jesus did not come to teach use how to be more human but appease his Father's wrath through the
substitutionary atonement, and to crucify the old human (man) and become a New Creation, that many of Sweet's friends and colleagues renounce in the
Emerging Church Movement.
Leonard Sweet may very well be friends with his fellow Emergent Church leaders such as Brian McLaren and others like Rick Warren and Richard Foster (another Carl Jung promoter), but Scripture states:
"know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4
So Sweet should not be simply critiquing Brian McLaren, rather exposing his deeds of darkness and publicly marking him and other mystics as a false teachers not quoting them and promoting them and repenting of the promoting them himself and stumbling countless children of the Most High God!
Finally, Leonard Sweet gives thanks for being introduced to Joseph Campbell ("Power of Myth") disciple of occultist Carl Jung [whom Rick Warren -- a collaborator with Leonard Sweet] promotes in his SHAPE Personality Temperament Divination Profiling that I documented in my own book Who's Driving the Purpose Driven Church (Published by Southwest Radio Church swrc.com), also published in The Conservative Theological Journal at Tyndale Theological Seminary and the Journal of Biblical Apologetics, and now posted on
Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qW6aroPRx8
I find it ironic that Leonard Sweet and his colleague Rick Warren would BOTH threaten whom Rick Warren call "resisters" and "enemies of the 21st Century" and Sweet himself says "change of be changed...Reinvent yourself for the 21st Century or die." (Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in the New Millennium Culture (Zondervan, 1999), p. 74-75). If you want to find out what happens to saints in churches who do resist these change agents? Read the case studies in my second book Rick Warren's Global Peace Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace at theperfectpeaceplan.com. Both Rick Warren and Rick Warren are bitter/sweet as Scripture records sweet to the taste but bitter to the victims:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Isaiah 5:20
Sincerely in Christ,
James Sundquist
Director
Rock Salt Publishing
________________________________________
On May 29, 2010, at 11:09 AM, iggy wrote:
Thanks for the concern. I know many of the people you are using as sources and would consider them as not have their facts straight. Have you read anything by Leonard Sweet himself? If not I really recommend you do before you contribute to spreading some of the rumors you have in this email.
It looks like you may have fallen into a very divisive and hurtful segment of the “discernment” crowd who rarely have done their research. Believe me I know, some of them also have written about me…
Be blessed with God’s best,
iggy
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From: James Sundquist [mailto:rock.salt@verizon.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 10:26 AM
To: iggy
Subject: p.s. re Rick Warren & Sweet
Dear Iggy,
Most assuredly you have attacked me with an ad hominem accusation, in effect, telling me that I have born false witness and slandered Leonard Sweet. But you have yet to supply a shred of proof. So now that you have accused me, you must supply poof!
I would also like to know where Richard Bennett has born false witness?
A few more questions for you:
You asked me if I have read anything by Sweet himself. Yes his statements.
Here is a question for you:
Have you ever talked to any of the churches and members of churches that have been dismembered by the propeller of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church programs (one of Leonard Sweet's collaborators) because they resisted their church being hijacked? I have heard the documented accounts of a host of saints that have, as has Dr. Noah Hutchings, President of Southwest Radio, and Pastor Bob DeWaay in Minneapolis. Have you read Warren's collaborator Dan Sutherland's blueprint for resisters to Rick Warren's PDC and Global Peace Plan? Have you talked to Loren Davis, a missionary for a quarter of a century in Africa who has to pick up the pieces left in Warren's wake? My wife's folks Christian and Missionary Alliance Church split twice in two years and has been left shattered because of Rick Warren's blueprints. These people can read every book either Warren or Sweet have written, but your words would sound hollow to them. And they wouldn't be interested in reading and more books by destroyers of the brethren anyway. What is ultimately sad is that you as pastor would not be a good watchman on the wall to protect your flock from these men who are masquerading as servants of righteousness. Your words are not unlike the retaliation I receive from Purpose Driven Pastors who have shown virtually no compassion to those Christians that have been purpose-driven from their flocks and failed to provide proof that I have borne false witness or did they reason from Scripture to refute me. But I guess this should be of no surprise, since many of them after all are as Warren said "Fundamentalists Christians are enemies of the 21st Century"..."resisters"...haven't evolved enough...won't change as Sweet would say so they will be forced to be changed. You have only confirmed the urgency of my publishing a complete report on Leonard Sweet.
Nevertheless, it is good to know that you are a Sweet collaborator, so I will know to names names, as the Apostle Paul commands. If you defend sweet, then you are not following or obeying Jesus Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
James Sundquist
________________________________________
From: iggy [mailto:iggy@wwdb.org]
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 10:33 AM
To: 'James Sundquist'
Subject: RE: p.s. re Rick Warren & Sweet
Mr. Sundquist,
I am not playing your game. I have told you I have been a victim and then you accuse me of more.
Gossip is a sin my friend… please stop gossiping about others.
Great, name names and spread the gossip! Please! Every time you guys do so, my readership goes up and I am connected with more people doing God’s work. So please, keep naming names. It helps me in my ministry! God does great things for me and through me when I am attacked by you guys.
Go forth and bless me… I will pray for God’s blessings on you and your ministry.
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
iggy
