What Would You Say To Me If I Told You…

August 10, 2012 | By: Stephen Black

This post is merely a small critique on Clark Whitten’s “Pure Grace” book and his doctrines that led to the closing of Exodus International and the “revelation” Alan Chambers suffers under. Unfortunately, this "revelation" of Chambers now promotes "gay Christianity" for practicing homosexuals.

Many have asked how Exodus could close and Alan Chambers become so gay affirming? In 2007 through 2012, I witnessed the new “grace” message being shared by Alan’s mentor, pastor and who was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Exodus. It was Clark Whitten who propagated his teachings on what he calls “Pure Grace” on all who attended Exodus conferences during these years. I have provided a very simple critique of this book just based on the Introduction and Chapter 1 which can be found online. So much more can be said concerning the rest of the book and thus I highly recommend as a counterpoint to read Dr. Michael Brown’s book: Hyper-Grace. I also highly recommend reading the post on: "Perverting Grace" as most of the red flags are from Clark Whitten.

So...What would you say to me, if I told you: I have a new revelation about the grace of God that the Church for hundreds of years had missed? This new revelation of grace is called PURE GRACE and I have a book for you to read! I have a teaching of pure grace and we are on a threshold of a new reformation that will impact the world beyond what the Protestant Reformation accomplished.

What would you say to me? ^[1] What if I told you that everything would make sense if you would just receive “my” new revelation? Just receive my new revelations of PURE GRACE:

What if I told you that you are way too conscious of sin, and way too unconscious of God’s grace. And you need to receive this: Jesus did not die to modify your behavior! What would you say? ^[2]

What would you say to me if I told you: If you are a Christian, you are not required to confess your sins to God in order to be forgiven because you are already forgiven. Wouldn't you like your time to be freed up in stopping all those prayers asking for forgiveness? (Clark Whitten has repeatedly communicated in Exodus leadership meetings that 1 John 1:9 is not written to Christians). What would you say? ^[3]

What if I told you that repentance is not the work of the Holy Spirit convicting of sin. Matter of fact, what if I told you that the Holy Spirit coming to convict you of sin is a grotesque misrepresentation of repentance and that it was heathenish. What would you say? ^[4]

What would you say to me, if I told you that God is not angry at all anymore, that all His anger was satisfied and extinguished on His dear Son. Therefore, there is no reason for you to do anything, that God is simply not moved by your works of any kind. What would you say to me? ^[5]

What would you say to me, if I told you that if you do good works or bad things it doesn’t matter. What would you say to me if I told you that if you try to do good things for God you are a legalist? What if I tried to convince you using Gal. 3 that if you try doing good things and be obedient to God and compared it to circumcision from Gal. 3, that you are putting yourself under the law… What would you say to me? ^[6]

What if I were to tell you that sin is merely a violation of friendship—relationship—not a violation of the law of God? And I continue to tell you that anyone who clings to a mixture of grace and honoring God’s law doesn’t trust the power of love to transform a soul. When you sin it does nothing to your relationship with God because nothing separates you from the love of God, you are in the New Covenant. What would you say to me? ^[7]

What if I were to tell that I have a new divine revelation of the grace of God that will transform the Church greater than Luther or Calvin. What if I were to tell you that God is going to use me to usher in the greatest reformation of the Church ever, that it is the age of Grace, -- “PURE GRACE” an Uncontaminated Grace! What if I were to tell you that all the people in the Church are living in a pig pen of legalism, and I am going to be used of God to set them free! What would you say to me? ^[8]

The Church is filled with legalism. You are saved by grace, therefore, stop worrying about sin, you are a saint. Saints can sin, but are free under grace. Sinners are not free yet they do good works. Under this new divine revelation of grace, you are free to sin because you are a Saint. The Church tells you to die daily, that is legalism. What would you say to me? ^[9]

The Bible is a rule book is what the Church is telling you. The Holy Spirit comes to live in you but, He comes to convict you of sin, so you better stay clean or God will zap you! You better fear God and keep His commandments! Isn't this terrible? After all, Jesus did not die to modify your behavior. “I am justified, I am being sanctified, and I will be glorified is a lie. It is religious nonsense.” What would you say to me? ^[9]

I hope you would correct me and tell me that I am teaching heresy because you love me.

Clark Whitten has mentored and has been Alan Chambers’ pastor for many years. Alan said of Clark Whitten's Pure Grace teaching that it was a revelation that surpassed the reformation of the Church. It is this teaching that has now given a segue to gay Christianity where Alan Chambers could tell a group of unrepentant homosexuals that they are going to spend eternity together.

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Footnotes from Whitten’s Book and Scripture that Help Clarify the Heresy.

[1] – “I believe the Body of Christ is on the threshold of a new reformation that will impact the world beyond what the Protestant Reformation accomplished.” Pure Grace, page 21, 1^st paragraph, 2^nd sentence. Alan Chambers audio of introducing Clark Whitten and his book on “Pure Grace Sunday” at Grace Church Orlando on March 25, 2012. “It is a very very special day… but because God has unveiled something that has been veiled for hundreds and hundreds of years and it is the message of grace… it is THE most important message on the planet.” (http://www.graceorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Message-03-25-12-2.mp3)

(Heb. 13:9, 1 John 4:1, Eph. 4:14, Rom. 16:17, Col. 2:8)

[2] – Pure Grace, page 17, paragraph 3 (Matt. 16:24-25, Luke 9:23-24, Luke 14:27, John 12:23-25)

[3] – Pure Grace, page 18, paragraph 1 (Prov. 28:13, Psa. 51, Matt. 6:12, Luke 11:4, 1 John 1:8-10, James 5:16, 1 Cor. 11:31, Acts 24:16)

[4] – Pure Grace, page 18, paragraph 3 (John 16:7-15, Heb. 12:5-9, Hebrews 4:12-13, John 14:26, Prov 24:24-25, 2 Cor 7:8-11, Ezra 9:6, Luke 18:13-14, Acts 5:1-11)

[5] – Pure Grace, page 18, paragraph 4 (James 1:20, Rom. 1:18, Mark 3:4-5, Eph. 5:6-7, Col. 3:5-7, Heb. 11:6, Matt. 25:14-46, James 1:22, Luke 6:46)

[6] – Pure Grace, page 18, paragraph 5, also page 19, paragraphs 1 and 2. (revisit all the verses).

[7] – Pure Grace, page 19, paragraph 3 (Matt. 7:13-28, Luke 6:46-49, John 14:15, John 14:21-24, James 1:21-22)

[8] – Pure Grace, page 21, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3. (God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble).

[9] – Pure Grace, page 32, paragraph 1 thru the end. (Ecc. 12:9-14, Matt. 10:28, Phil. 2:12, Rev. 14:6-7)

ENDORSEMENTS

The empowerment and further deception of this distorted and false message of grace is also due to the surprising endorsements of this book “Pure Grace.” I want to give the benefit of doubt to some of the leaders, perhaps they did not actually read the book? Perhaps they merely endorsed Clark Whitten because of past relationships within the Church? However, for whatever reason, it is tragic that this book is endorsed at all below, and by such influential people in the Church. This is truly grievous.

Here is the surprising and disturbing list of endorsements:

Jack Taylor, Dimensions Ministries

James Robison, Founder, LIFE Outreach International, Fort Worth, Texas

Wayne Drain, Senior Pastor, Fellowship of Christians

Alan Chambers, Failed Former President of Exodus International

Mark Rutland, Former President, Oral Roberts University

Robert Morris, Senior Pastor, Gateway Church - Southlake, Texas, Author of The Blessed Life

David Loveless, Former Lead Pastor, Discovery Church, Orlando, Florida

Brady Boyd, Pastor, New Life Church, Author of Fear No Evil

Jimmy Evans, Founder and CEO, Marriage Today, Senior Pastor, Trinity Fellowship Church