MUMFORD’S FORMAL REPENTANCE STATEMENT TO THE BODY OF CHRIST The below mentioned example of Bob Mumford must be followed by local Charismatic Leaders if the Church is to receive and acknowledge them as Orthodox men of God. The following is the text of the Mumford apology: In 1974 Jack Hayford and two other brothers expressed concern about the concepts of discipleship. Others also gave similar counsel. While it was not my intention to be willful, I ignored their input to my own hurt and the injury of others. This statement of apology has two known motivations. First, I feel as though I have offended the Lord Himself, resulting in his resistance and continued conviction. Second, I am deeply convinced that only by stating the truth can those who have been adversely affected be healed and released. The following statement represents my personal convictions and I do not presume to speak for any other person. The independent part of the charismatic renewal was, in my opinion, much in need of the principles I taught in the early ‘70s, namely spiritual authority, discipleship and shepherding care. The absence of those needed biblical guidelines and loss of personal consecration were evident at that time. Predictably, the extremes and injuries began to appear where they always do, that is, in the widening gap between what was taught(orthodoxy or right doctrine) and what was actually happening(orthopraxy or right practice). The distortion and self serving application were wrong and injurious. Accountability, personal training under the guidance of another, and effective pastoral care are needed biblical concepts. True spiritual maturity will require that they be preserved. These biblical realities must also carry the limits indicated by the New Testament. However, to my personal pain and chagrin, these particular emphases very easily lent themselves to an unhealthy submission resulting in perverse and unbiblical obedience to human leaders. Many of these abuses occurred within the sphere of my own responsibility. For the injury and shame caused to people, families and the larger body of Christ, I repent with sorrow and ask for your forgiveness. May I personally encourage everyone directly affected by these doctrines to re-examine how they are presently being applied. We all need the courage to take whatever steps necessary to return to a Christ-centered life. Bob Mumford San Rafael, California January-February 1990 Ministries Today Magazine written by Jamie Buckingham THE CALL TO LOCAL CHURCH LEADERS “Seeing discipleship distorted was the greatest pain in my life.” -- Bob Mumford I call upon the leadership of the denominational and the non-denominational churches to deny theses men access to your pulpits and the influence of your church members until they are prepared to acknowledge ‘‘the injury and shame caused to people, families and the larger body of Christ’’. Leaders like the Reverend Dr. Peter Morgan, Dr. D.A. Tony Williamson, Reverend Dr. Donald Stewart, Richard McCaw, defrocked Pastor Bobby Wilmot, Cass Brown, Rev. Al Miller and Dr. Barry Davidson from Family Life Ministries fame must be brought to give an account to the Body of Christ for these excesses. Again I say to Barry: How far do you want me to take this? They are cult leaders adept in using mind control and authoritarian abuse and regardless of their socio-economic status and high media profile they should be treated accordingly. For years they have distorted the doctrines of spiritual authority, discipleship and shepherding care and unlike Bob Mumford as far as I am aware they have never publicly repented of them. The necessary checks and balances in the New Testament with regards to “not lording it over God’s heritage” have been consistently ignored by leading men in the local Charismatic Movement for years. They are guilty of authoritarian abuse and mind control employed by the classical cults {See I Peter 5:2-3, and Cultwatch}. Mind control is a dishonest influence placed covertly on cult members by the cult. Mind control techniques are a suit of psychological techniques that cult leaders and church leaders use in an attempt to control their members. The very essence of Charismatic Witchcraft is control {See Steve Lambert Th.D Charismatic Captivation and Charismatic Witchcraft on the Internet}. Lambert is himself a Charismatic leader and a well respected figure in the United States regarding cults with over 30 years of experience in the Charismatic Movement. While I consider myself an evangelical theologian I must whole heartedly concur with Lambert and others regarding the Charismatic Movement and its international impact for this is my studied personal and professional opinion as a theologian for I have examined these men and studied their doctrinal excesses and practices for over 30 years as I have interfaced with Charismania in Jamaica. I would invite investigative journalists to check out the Charismatic Movement, its leading men, their doctrines and excesses as well as the psycho-social and economic impact of the Movement in light of the allegations of the recent investment schemes and Pentecostal as well as Neo-Pentecostal church members who end up in psychiatric wards as a result of authoritarian abuse and the mind games of these and other church leaders. Let me conclude by a quotation from Bob Mumford himself regarding the excesses and imbalances of the Charismatic Movement in the above mentioned apology: ”May I personally encourage everyone directly affected by these doctrines to re-examine how they are presently being applied. We all need the courage to take whatever steps necessary to return to a Christ-centered life”. Labelled and Dismissed Furthermore, understand and appreciate that it was only after Jesus outlined the qualitative differences between the good shepherd, the stranger, the hireling and the thief that his detractors among the Jews particularly in leadership labeled and dismissed him as false, mad and demon possessed. Labeling is a propaganda technique employed widely by authoritarian leadership who never provide incontestable facts but Jesus’ listeners could think for themselves and countered with the summary declaration and question: ‘These are not the words of a demonized man. Can a demon possessed man open the eyes of the blind?” {See John 10:vv.1-18 and especially vv.19-21}. Trust me it has been my privilege to use my Face Book page to “open the eyes of those blinded” because of the socio-economic statuses enjoyed by these men who would intimidate the ignorant with their doctorates, their mind control techniques and doctrinal excesses. One thing I am not lacking in is courage. These men are so devious that they will go as far as using a so called Christian Psychiatrist who refuses to listen to “the presenting case of their client explained in their own words and even neglects to conduct a mental assessment” just to be able to find scientific evidence to support their claims. Fortunately, I sat for eight weeks at the feet of the head of the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Wendel Able and his outstanding student/trainers when I worked as a Substance Abuse Counsellor and am myself formally trained with respect to Abnormal Psychology and have valuable clinical and pastoral experience from a therapeutic community and the exposure amassed at the Detox Unit during my training and over thirty years of ministry. For the records I was one among three who completed my course as I was allowed, what I consider the unique privilege, to sit with doctors in training, Masters and PhD. students in Clinical Psychology and Social Work. To the glory of God I completed this course with distinction with an over 90% average. I actually topped the class with respect to my clinical insights and assessments. Furthermore, once in my youthful confusion I asked two mental health nurses with over ten years of clinical experience regarding the state of my mental health in the person of Howard Gough and the late Alrick Sutherland who reassured me that my mental health was intact. If the above mentioned Charismatic and Evangelical men cannot prove the propaganda they have spread in the media let me reassure them that their deliberations are regarded as slander of title and malicious falsehood and I am neither overawed nor intimidated by the likes of you and your cronies. If I have to walk alone in dealing with these issues I am prepared to. Brethren, I ask again: How far do you want me to take this? Are you going to resolve these issues amicably or will it continue for an ultimate showdown? Observant Christian leaders I personally invite you to intervene for the stink which is coming will make what happened to the televangelists in the eighties look like a Sunday school picnic when God disciplines his own. GLAD TIDINGS OPEN BIBLE CHURCH For today says the LORD the light will arise and you will open wide, wide, wide your eyes as you see clear, clear sign of the return of Christ in the skies and ah , ah I do not speak a lie, I do not speak a lie for my word comes to test and to try . Listen , listen and understand says God for in these days , in these days the apostles and the prophets in your midst will arise, will arise and even though some will despise, ah even though some will tell lies hear me , hear me these are different, different days, different days for the return of Christ approaches and I see much, much reproach upon my house, I see much, much reproach on my house for I will bring down and I will cast to the ground, many, many, many who label and dismiss my servants as false, who label and dismiss my servants as false. Listen some of them will come into this pulpit to label and to dismiss my servants as false but listen to me carefully says the LORD, listen to me carefully for the days of Ananias and Saphira, ah for the days of Ananias and Saphira for I have lit a bright, bright fire and hear me well says the LORD hear me well, hear me well for my heart , my heart aches for the men in my house who would deceive, who would deceive my people says God, be discerning and know , be discerning and know for I come to show, for I come to show my plan and my purpose and I intend to handle a few rough, rough, rough. Sunday, November 1999 Publicly delivered Prior to the Message: The Bewitchment of the Church now renamed: The Advancing Kingdom: Engaging the Powers.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:58:26 +0000
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