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Cecil Andrews, 29 Edengrove Park, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AZ, Northern Ireland Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL - takeheed@aol.com WEBSITE - http://www.takeheed.net Quick Links - Home - Assorted Articles - Audio/Video - Ministry Newsletters - Words of Wisdom |
Elim Christian Centre
“One Fluitt out of the Eagle’s Nest”
Just about
this time last year [August 2008] the badly misnamed ‘Healing Revival’ in
Lakeland, Florida was about to enter its death throes. The so-called anointed
healer, Todd Bentley, would shortly be exposed as a drunken adulterer. Just a
few weeks earlier on 23rd June 2008 a group of some 17
self-appointed ‘Apostles’ and ‘Prophets’ had made their way to Lakeland to take
part in a ridiculous ‘commissioning service’ for both Mr Bentley and his soon
to be forsaken and divorced wife Shonnah. A helpful account of this farcical
event can be found on the web site of ‘Let Us Reason Ministries’ on
http://letusreason.org/Latrain54.htm
One of the
supposed ‘Prophets’ identified in this report was Dr Clarice Fluitt –
this is what she said when it came her turn to ‘prophesy’ over Todd Bentley –
“Hallelujah!
For the word of the Lord would say, Behold the vanguard. Behold the tugboat
that is cutting through the ice of religious traditions--the cruel, hard
things. The understanding of the mind of men will now bow to the reality of the
revelation of the finished work of
Mike
Oppenheimer of ‘Let Us Reason Ministries’ and who compiled this report then
astutely commented –
“I don’t think there is any
dispute that this prophesy is about as far off as one can get. If anyone can
make an excuse for this or any of their statements (spoken as
‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’) then they need to check if they are in the
faith”.
So just
who is Dr Clarice Fluitt? Well a visit to her ministry web site on http://www.claricefluitt.org/index.html
is certainly informative about both her and the ministry. From the section
headed Résumé we learn a number of disquieting facts as follows -
1. We learn
that Dr Fluitt is referred to as ‘Bishop’ Clarice Fluitt. Faithful
and discerning Christians know that, according to the clear instruction
contained in God’s Word, only men are sanctioned by God to occupy the important
overseeing role of ‘Bishop’ or ‘Elder’ in Christ’s Church.
A portion
from a short article on ‘Women Preachers’ that I have on file sums up
the biblical prohibition quite succinctly as follows –
It is clear that, in the 1st century, God placed
certain restrictions upon women in many assembly and local church activities.
But many brethren today are not content with 1st century proscriptions and want
expanding roles for women in local churches in areas clearly designated as
"Men Only". The questions are (1) whether or
not "we" or God have posted the "No Women Allowed" sign and
(2) should these respective functions be respected or looked upon as curious
instructions from another era that can be cast aside? The answer to these
questions will depend upon whether one's "hermeneutic" is objectively
or subjectively based. From those restrictions set by God there should be no
deviation and for them there should be no apology. And while it is true
that some restrictions "we" have placed on women have more to do with
tradition than Truth, let's be careful that we do not rush impulsively into
change and confuse the two.
Women in pulpits and as elders in local churches are
as foreign to God's design for the local congregation as priests from the tribe
of Judah would have been during Moses' day and for the same reason: God specified from which tribe he wanted the
priests to come (Hebrews 7: 11-14) and he has also been specific regarding the
gender from which he wants elders and preachers. Cultural changes and all
of the hermeneutical manipulation we might engage in won't change that a bit.
If the principles in 1 Corinthians 14 do not apply today and restrict women
from preaching and teaching in our assemblies, then are those in chapter 7
regarding marriage, divorce and remarriage likewise to be ignored? And if we
can somehow circumvent 1 Timothy 3: 1-7 and Titus 1: 5-9 and allow women to
serve as elders, why can't we ignore Paul's charge in 2 Timothy 4: 2 and preach
whatever message we feel like?
From
another article that I have on file the author writes –
‘Not only have men relinquished their God-given
responsibilities in the home and other places, but also in the Church… Why did
Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of Christ, tell Timothy that he did not allow
a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence? [“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But
I suffer not [do not allow] a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over
[dominate] the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:11-12). And, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto
them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the
law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for
it is a shame for women to speak in the church….The things that I write unto you are the commandments
of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:34-37)]…
Why are the
qualifications for overseers [episkopos],
elders [presbuteros], and
deacons [diakonos], as set
forth in 1 Timothy and Titus, clearly those
for men? … We do not realize how the prevalent and
centuries-old apostasy has affected the thinking and the interpretation and
application of scriptural truths even in conservative churches… Truth is
truth even if nobody believes it; and error is error even if everybody believes
it… The head of the man is Christ and the head of the woman is man—not
Christ. Women are not to speak or teach in the church or exercise authority
over a man.’
Pastor David Cloud in his ‘Encyclopedia
of the Bible and Christianity’ in the section headed ‘Women Preachers’ wrote
the following on page 460 –
‘These facts are evidence
of the apostasy of the hour. Men and women in the world, having rejected Bible
truth, are confused about the most basic things… Sadly the church is always
affected by society: thus the rebellion of women in the world is causing
similar problems in the churches and we find women demanding leadership roles
in many Christian groups. The Bible speaks too clearly on this subject for
there to be any confusion… Men and women were made for different roles. The New
Testament affirms that men are to be the leaders in the home, church and state.
Women were not created to rule these divine institutions, men were… In the
church, according to the Bible, no woman is qualified to be a pastor or deacon
or in any other leadership position over men. Who says? God says! [1st
Timothy 2:11-14; 1st Corinthians 14: 34-37]. How could a woman
possibly be a pastor when she is forbidden to teach or to have any authority
over men? Women can only be pastors if they openily disobey the Bible’s
teaching’.
Some of the immeasurable damage that can be inflicted upon the cause of
Christ by scripture-defying female ‘Bishops’ is well illustrated by
these two examples.
1. Posted to our website www.takeheed.net under the heading of ‘Video
Viewing’ there is a debate on the subject of ‘Gay Christians’ between
a local evangelical minister and a female, lesbian ‘Bishop’.
2.
On this link http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090708/u-s-episcopal-head-opens-triennial-convention-with-crisis-talk/index.html
you can read the opening address given to the Episcopal Church on 8th
July by the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. In that address she
stated ‘The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with
the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of
us alone can be in right relationship with God’. The scope of just how
much damage such heresy can engender is shown by the warm welcome that her
remarks received from another female, gay, ‘church leader’ called Candace
Chellow-Hodge and you can view her welcome for these remarks on http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/sexandgender/1648/bishop_sends_shockwave,_slaying_the_sacred_cow_of_individual_salvation_%5Bincludes_an_online_comic%5D/
Incidentally, this lesbian ‘church leader’, Candace Chellow-Hodge, featured
prominently in my article from a few years back called ‘Philip Yancey:
turning the grace of God into lasciviousness’ and that article can be
viewed on http://www.takeheed.net/Assorted_Articles/Contemporary/Yancey_lasciviousness.htm
2. Then from the Résumé we learn
that ‘Bishop Fluitt moves
predominately and powerfully in the office of a prophet’. We have already learned that Mrs Fluitt has no
biblical sanction to style herself as ‘Bishop’ and from God’s Word we
can see clearly that today no one, whether male or female should term his or
herself as being a ‘prophet’. Whilst in correspondence with someone last
year on this very topic I wrote the following-
The foundation of the Christian church rests partly
upon God’s revelation given through Old Testament Prophets and New Testament
Apostles but supremely on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ – Paul
wrote earlier in Ephesians 2:20 of “the household of God [that’s the Church] … built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone”. In a building you only have one foundation so today we no longer
have apostles or prophets but pastors/evangelists/elders who preach and teach “the apostles’ doctrine” [see Acts 2:42 ].
A couple of articles that I found helpful on this whole subject of
modern-day so-called ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ are located on
http://www.mydoctrine.com/Apostles.HTM
and
http://www.mydoctrine.com/Prophets.HTM
3. Finally from the Résumé we learn ‘she is fluent in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit…
who continuously brings "revelation" from the throne room of God’. God’s ‘revelation’
ended with the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and the completion of His
inspired written Word [see Hebrews 1:1-2 and Revelation
Moving
then to the History of C.E.O section of Mrs Fluitt’s website we learn
some other interesting facts such as –
1. According
to this section ‘In 1971, the
late Kathryn Kuhlman laid hands and imparted a healing ministry to Bishop
Clarice. Since that time incredible healings and supernatural power have been
continually evidenced in her ministry’.
Any
claimed contact with Kathryn Kuhlman should be a matter of great concern for
discerning Christians.
The
‘conservative’ Pentecostal ministry in America of Pastor Joseph Chambers known
as ‘Paw Creek Ministries’ has an enlightening and revealing article on http://www.pawcreek.org/articles/pna/THeCharismaticStrangeFire.htm
part of which reads
‘One of the most subtle actions of the Antichrist
spirit has been the rise of the Charismatic movement. Only a few very
discerning saints of God understood the "Charismatic renewal." as
they called it at its beginning. It appeared so harmless, even exciting, that
the old line ministers and many Catholics were receiving the infilling of the
Holy Ghost and revival was coming to multitudes of people. Being a Pentecostal
since 1952, I attended some of their first Full Gospel Businessmen’s meetings.
I wanted to be a part of anything God was doing. Never, not
one time, did I sense a true move of God, but left every meeting where
they claimed God was moving confused and troubled. The Spirit of God in me
constantly witnessed that something was wrong, but I certainly did not
understand what was wrong at that time… My experiences with the Charismatic
world have been enough to prove to me the bankrupt foundations of this movement.
The majority of the Pentecostal churches have been destroyed by this Antichrist
movement within our midst. It apparently started with individuals like Kathryn
Kuhlman. Our article entitled "Kathryn Kuhlman And Her Spirit Guide" proves beyond measure her
foul influence. She was pro-Catholic to the core and started the slide within
Pentecostal ranks in the direction of
The article
mentioned “Kathryn Kuhlman and her spirit guide”
is well worth a visit as it gives fascinating detail on the ecumenism
and occultism that heavily marked the ‘ministry’ of Kathryn Kuhlman. It can
be accessed on http://www.pawcreek.org/end-times/kathryn-kuhlman
As a
‘non-Pentecostal’ I would not see ‘eye to eye’ with everything that Pastor
Chambers writes but I do acknowledge him as a brother in Christ who has
exercised helpful public discernment, not only with Kathryn Kuhlman, but also
on matters such as the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’ and ‘Pensacola Revival’
deceptions.
Pastor
Chambers has also been very helpful in exposing the dangers and deceptions
associated with Benny Hinn and of course he, Benny Hinn, also claimed
occultic/posthumous contact with Kathryn Kuhlman whilst visiting her grave.
Details of this bizarre claim can be read in the article on the following link http://www.pfo.org/bhnecro.htm
Several
years ago Benny Hinn visited Belfast and in an email from a member of the
public I was informed, although I have not personally verified this, that
Pastor Brian Madden of the Elim Christian Centre in Belfast, who are hosting
this visit by Mrs Fluitt, was apparently active in encouraging people to attend
the Benny Hinn meeting – in the light of all this interconnectedness [Fluitt/Kuhlman/Hinn]
that probable promotion of Benny Hinn by Pastor Madden really wouldn’t
seem very surprising. A large number of helpful articles about Benny Hinn can
be accessed on http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/bhinn.html
This
claimed connection to Kathryn Kuhlman should serve as a warning to avoid
Clarice Fluitt!
2. Then according
to the History of C.E.O section of Mrs Fluitt’s website we learn that ‘Bishop Clarice was ordained in 1982 through World
Ministry Fellowship in which Kenneth Copeland and Hilton Sutton prophesied
God's favour and power over her’.
Any
claimed contact with Kenneth Copeland should be a matter of great concern for
discerning Christians.
A large
selection of helpful articles identifying the false teachings and heresies of
Kenneth Copeland and others associated with the ‘Word of Faith’ movement can be
accessed on http://www.cephasministry.com/index_word_of_faith.html
However, what
particularly struck me about this portion from the History of C.E.O section
was the expression of how ‘Kenneth Copeland… prophesied God’s favour and
power over her’. In the mid 1990’s when I was researching and speaking on
the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing/Laughing Revival’ one of the main
‘players’ in that diabolical deception was Rodney Howard Browne – and guess
who, in the run-up to that deception, ‘prophesied God’s favour and power
over him’ – none other than Kenneth Copeland!
This
claimed connection to Kathryn Kuhlman should serve as a warning to avoid
Clarice Fluitt!
By way of
conclusion I want to refer back to the Todd Bentley influence that I mentioned
at the beginning of this article. I have already mentioned Pastor Brian Madden
who is in charge of the Elim Christian Centre that plans to host this visit by Mrs
Fluitt. Pastor Madden personally visited the Todd Bentley happenings in
I wrote extensively
about these events and that article can be accessed on Healing
Revival Radio Debate
Finally, perhaps you’re puzzled
by the phrase in the title of this article that reads –
“One Fluitt out of the
Eagle’s Nest”
This is a
parody of a movie title from some years back that read ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’. My reason for incorporating it
into the title of my article is based on this portion from the Résumé section
of Mrs Fluitt’s website where we read –
‘Bishop Clarice Fluitt and her husband George are
co-founders and co-pastors of the Eagle's Nest World Prayer and Training Center
of Monroe, Louisiana.’
At the
very end of this article I have also copied a current promotion from Mrs
Fluitt’s website that again mentions the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ connection.
The movie, ‘One Flew Over The
Cuckoo’s Nest’ dealt with the bizarre and sometimes humorous goings-on in a
mental asylum. The likelihood of bizarre goings on, as happened in the movie,
happening also when Clarice Fluitt starts to ‘minister’ in Belfast should not
be discounted, but for sure, they will not be in the least bit humorous, as
they will do nothing to glorify the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ –
these will be meetings most definitely to avoid!
Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’
Ministries
