Who is Zac Poonen????

aloejamb · #1 Apr 29, '05, 10:32 am

There is a church in Ohio that my brother in law belongs to. In this church, he claims that the community of brothers walk in the spirit and not in the flesh, therefore they do not hardly ever sin... (BTW this is not listed on the website but according to BIL, this is their belief) They do not call themselves Protestants, or Fundamentalist...only Bible christians who have found the path few will find. The church's website is this www.thechurchatkent.org but looks like it is under some construction. There is an offshoot of this church in the Michigan area that my BIL will attend and their website is www.forsakeall.com . Read the link about "what a christian is..."
Zac Poonen is someone who my BIL and his wife constantly refer to (and I believe my BIL called him "apostle-like".) . Is anyone familiar with this man's teachings? Info and thoughts please?!

Milliardo · #2 Apr 29, '05, 10:36 am

Well, it's nothing new that I've seen, at least so far as their teaching is concerned. Every Fundamentalist congregation seems to have those teachings you speak of. They do not call themselves Protestant or Fundamentalist, only by the generic term "Christian". It's as if they have a lock on that term, and only they can use it (and every Fundamentalist church thinks that way as well).

urquhart · #3 Apr 29, '05, 10:41 am

Here is a link to Zac Poonen's family's home page. Click Zac's link and there are quite a few articles available to read.

http://poonen.org/index.html

cestusdei · #4 Apr 29, '05, 12:17 pm

There is a branch of Protestantism that says once sanctified always sanctified. Usually it is small groups since they can't tolerate each other for long. They deny they are sinners since they are saved. Some become libertines and argue that whatever they do isn't sin anymore. Most take the route of condemning all other sinners as not really "christian". Only they are the true Christians.

I notice a lot about money in the first article. Wow what a surprise! It is just another of the 30,000 or so Bible only churches out there.

JRQ · #5 Aug 1, '08, 1:14 pm

As a Catholic, I have listened to numerous Zac Poonen sermons online, (Everything he has ever done is either posted on his website for free, or charges a nominal costs for his books), saw him speak live on two occasions, and met him once.

He is not Catholic, but I find his sermons and teachings very enlightened, clearly coming from a man anointed by the Holy spirit. He is more Catholic than most Catholics I know, given his passion for Christ's love, and sharing the gospel.

I just felt inclined to share my opinion of the man, and would encourage anyone to listen to his teachings, even if they don't agree with every little thing he says.

norrisonian · #6 Sep 27, '08, 7:03 pm

Milliardo said "every fundamentalist congregation" and Zac Poonen is not nor does he have a fundamentalist congregation!

I have listened to many of his sermons and I have never heard him talk about the things that Aloejamb spoke of 3 years ago.

And Cestusdei said, "There is a branch of Protestantism that says once sanctified always sanctified." From what I've heard, Zac Poonen does NOT believe in this belief. And he/she wrote, "I notice a lot about money in the first article. Wow what a surprise! It is just another of the 30,000 or so Bible only churches out there."

I must address this, Cestusdei did not read the entire article or he/she would have known that Zac Poonen does NOT endorse any type of compuslory giving to his church. He doesn't even believe that tithing is in the New Testament but he DOES believe that "being a cheerful giver" is the way for christians to give to the whatever church they belong to.

God bless,
Lisa

fbl9 · #7 Sep 27, '08, 8:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRQ

As a Catholic, I have listened to numerous Zac Poonen sermons online, (Everything he has ever done is either posted on his website for free, or charges a nominal costs for his books), saw him speak live on two occasions, and met him once.

He is not Catholic, but I find his sermons and teachings very enlightened, clearly coming from a man anointed by the Holy spirit. He is more Catholic than most Catholics I know, given his passion for Christ's love, and sharing the gospel.

I just felt inclined to share my opinion of the man, and would encourage anyone to listen to his teachings, even if they don't agree with every little thing he says.

that is most unfortunate that he is not catholic:however if you were to ask him the answer would be yes cause he beleives that they(his group) by being non-denominational are universal(catholic)no matter how good or enlightned he seems sooner or later his true beleifs will come out,,many of which will leave one wondering what the hck..myself i have heard some very good things come from some non catholic persons;the same person then turns around and says the catholic church is a whore...for that matter even the JW's have some good teachings and zeal for sharing "truth"

emjosknr · #8 Oct 11, '08, 7:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by norrisonian

Milliardo said "every fundamentalist congregation" and Zac Poonen is not nor does he have a fundamentalist congregation!

I have listened to many of his sermons and I have never heard him talk about the things that Aloejamb spoke of 3 years ago.

And Cestusdei said, "There is a branch of Protestantism that says once sanctified always sanctified." From what I've heard, Zac Poonen does NOT believe in this belief. And he/she wrote, "I notice a lot about money in the first article. Wow what a surprise! It is just another of the 30,000 or so Bible only churches out there."

I must address this, Cestusdei did not read the entire article or he/she would have known that Zac Poonen does NOT endorse any type of compuslory giving to his church. He doesn't even believe that tithing is in the New Testament but he DOES believe that "being a cheerful giver" is the way for christians to give to the whatever church they belong to.

God bless,
Lisa

thank you very much,lisa.what yuy said is very coorrect

emjosknr · #9 Oct 11, '08, 7:15 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by fbl9

that is most unfortunate that he is not catholic:however if you were to ask him the answer would be yes cause he beleives that they(his group) by being non-denominational are universal(catholic)no matter how good or enlightned he seems sooner or later his true beleifs will come out,,many of which will leave one wondering what the hck..myself i have heard some very good things come from some non catholic persons;the same person then turns around and says the catholic church is a whore...for that matter even the JW's have some good teachings and zeal for sharing "truth"

i have read some of his books and influenced me a lot and i can say convincingly that his teachings in no way changed my catholic faith

vakugal · #10 Dec 20, '08, 11:29 am

I would like to share the website of the 'home' fellowship of Zac Poonen. http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/home_page.php
It has messages by him.
Regarding money, there is message on youtube, it is split into many parts, the starting thread is
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Glgw47...E4CAE6&index=5
also there is a note on the website on finance http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/finances.php

hope this helps.

yours because of Jesus.

Vinay Joseph · #11 Dec 22, '08, 4:16 pm

I know Zac Personally. A true disciple of Jesus Christ who is functioning in the office of an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have known him now for a little over 2 years. There are three things about him I have noticed

1. He has no fear of man
2. He does not love money
3. He is indeed a slave to Jesus Christ.

His focus is on the new covenant life

I have been really blessed by his ministry

Vinay

maxus · #12 Feb 14, '09, 6:24 pm

Zac Poonen provides a lot of excellent material on his website. The key is to simply refer to the Bible. Zac Poonen emphasizes that one must always consult the Bible and also the context of any scripture.

There is so much material on his website (CFC India) that it is helpful to find a place to begin. You might want to browse through the video and audio sermons and pick a subject where you have an interest.

You may want to consider reading two outstanding books by Pope Benedict. A great book on the Trinity was written before he was Pope - that is 'The God of Jesus Christ'. The only book he completed since becoming Pope is really outstanding - 'Jesus of Nazareth'. In the foreword, Pope Benedict stated that he was not writing as from the Magisterium of the Church, but as one who was seeking the face of the Lord.

Books are great ... but the Bible is the best of all. If you would like a great overview on Saint Peter, read the gospel of Mark,followed by chapters 1-12 of the Acts of the Apostles,then the two letters of Saint Peter. In one of those letters, he says, "as we know Jesus better, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life."

Blessings,

maxus

zarqun · #13 Aug 15, '09, 9:12 am

I wonder how many of those who answered here has really met Zac Poonen. Here are some facts about him.

1) Met Zac Poonen nearly two decades ago. Even stayed with one of his elders at Da Costa Sq.

2) Found them to hyper-judgemental. A bruised reed will probably be broken further. I have worked with ministries that help former drug addicts and prostitutes, among others. In Zac Poonen's church, little goes beyond recrimination for smoking or drinking. In their cloistered world, it is impossible for a reformed prostitute or drug addict to find fellowship there.

3) "Different Jesus": Almost all ther Christians believe in another Jesus, a fake one. Thus, they are unsaved and condemned for eternal damnation. Ask Zac himself whether this is true. I have heard him sermonize that He will not tolerate any theological discussions on bible interpretations, including the one below.

4) The Cult Syndrome: Almost everyone who has been in awe of Zac preaches along lines like "Uncle Zac said this, or Uncle Zac said that." To me, Zac Poonen's CFC was nothing short of a cult, or were at least its members subsribing to a cult personality.

5) Penchant for lawsuits. Publish anything Zac and you will land in court. He may take the example of Paul in defending himself against Nero, but did Jesus sue the Pharisees of His day? One lawsuit got mired in comical relief because Zac's toady objected to the other party's use of a Hindu lawyer.

6) The main topic of any conversation with the CFC lot is about the length of a woman's hair. If you argue about it, you believe in a "different Jesus," meaning you are NOT a believer. Zac Poonen's sons married US women and hence there may be some changes to his harsh stances. www.poonen.org carried the family album once (just the sons and Zac and Anne), but after his sons got married, the link goes to CFC India. Maybe, they may have to grow their hair longer to fit his long-held theology in order to appear on his album. Maybe, the mere sight of them may harm Zac's witness (see below)

7) Dating for Christians was not desirable, and strongly discouraged for believers in India. It may be bad for your witnessing. It's ok for believers abroad. This is also stated in his book on marriage - Sex, Love and Marriage. Check up an old copy and see for yourselves. You have a license to date like his sons if you live in America. Marriages at CFC used to be facilitated by elders (arranged marriage)

8) Only Zac Poonen's intepretation of the scripture is correct. Any other theological deviation is tantanmount to believing in another Jesus. You will be thrown out summarily for discussing any topic contrary to his beliefs. Ask evangelists around bangalore.

9) The women in this church are prone to gossip. They are discouraged from working, and thus utilize their idle time with homemaking and gossip (at least from the example of one of the elders). His wife annie is a qualified doctor, but she opted to bring up her children instead. I commend her for this but see below.

10) Only the rich or wealthy somehow swirl around Poonen's teachings and companionship, and they can literally emulate his family lifestyle.

11) Their kids are discouraged from attending any sporting activity so as not to contaminate themselves with worldly thoughts (I partly agree with sheltering children from the influences of the world. Maybe Zac was right on this one).

12) The church claimed then that it was one of the two "true" churches in the world. The others around them in Bangalore just didn't cut the grade. The other example quoted to me was a Norwegian church. Later, Zac categorically denied having any ties to this Norwegian church. So, his must be the only true church left.

13) All Catholics are unsaved heretics. All Orthodox Christians are unsaved heretics. So, are most Protestants. They are believe in a different Jesus. They are not saved. That is Zac Poonen's philosophy. Ask Zac directly whether if you do not believe me. Did he once, or does he still, hold this view?

14) India is a pagan nation. The US is a Christian nation. I have lived here in the United States, met Congressman and high officials and can tell you they lament the passing of Christian values and the erosion of family institutions. It is extremely difficult to bring up children in the US along Conservative lines. The instances of divorces, debauchery, drug addiction within the church etc is simply mind-boggling. I really would not want to bring up my kids here. I have never seen this amongst the Indian churches he used to ridicule.

15) Zac Poonen does not solicit donations like many Churches do. He has inherited wealth - lots of it -- and does not need the money. Poonen and his sons were known to play table tennis and billiards in their homes since the 80s, since I came in touch with them. I have yet to meet a Middle Class Indian family that could afford both even today. They lived frugally and in style, and this is no contradiction. Yet, please remember that CFC members generally can afford sheltered lives.

16) Finally, beware of the cult of personality at the CFC. Also, Pray for India. Zac may have a lot of contempt for India, but the Lord saw it fitting to send the Apostle Thomas there 2,000 years ago

Shalom, and God Bless.

pollsfriend · #14 Aug 23, '09, 1:30 am

I somehow managed to stumble across this thread and it's ironic because I'm currently attending a series of meetings being held by Zac that are sponsored by my parents church. I don't even necessarily consider myself a Christian right now, although I have been studying Church History and leaning toward becoming Byzantine Catholic or Eastern Orthodox for a few years.

I have to say that everything I have seen from this man has been very sincere. He's a dynamic speaker and can hold my attention for literally hours. That in itself doesn't necessarily make him "right" however I will say that point number 14 in the previous post is false. I hear him explicitly state last night that there is no Christian nation on earth, the least of which is the US!

As far as his standards when it comes to outward appearance, all he had to say was dress as if Jesus was meeting you wherever you are going. If you are comfortable that what you are wearing would make you comfortable in the presence of Jesus, he will not question you on it.

This weekend his main focus has been on repentance, and once again, even though I don't necessarily consider myself a Christian, I have to say I have to respect what he has been saying. He has been pounding home the fact that if you have truly repented, you will seek to do what's right, and willfully, with the help of the Holy Spirit, turn from your previous misdeeds and live a separated life unto God.

Zac also definitely does not believe that once a person is "Saved" or "Baptized with the Holy Spirit" they are incapable of losing their salvation or sinning. He also has made that explicitly clear. He believes that a person will do their best to turn from acts of willful sin, and that if they do sin, if they repent forgiveness will come.

Zac is a good man. Maybe people should listen to his messages, or read his literature before jumping all over him and assuming things that aren't true.

zarqun · #15 Sep 10, '09, 10:28 pm

I am amazed how many will come out to defend this man. Here is a passage from the bible:

19"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. Although some have marched on to "near-perfection" as is their goal.

We have all fallen short of the glory of God. As for the reference to India being a pagan nation, and the United States being on more hallowed ground, it was mentioned in my presence by a CFC elder. No one dares contradict Zac in that church. And why the injuction against dating in India while it is ok for Christians in the United States to do so? Read Love, Sex and Marriage, unless it has been revised.

I am sure he will quote cultural contexts but Solomon in his Songs itself mentioned about desiring to be with a woman he loved.

Can you ask Zac over the "true" state of other churches? Whether they believe in another Jesus as I have personally heard him say this repeatedly; in words and in his writings.

I am also amazed at how quickly he mentioned that there is no explicitly christian nation on earth. (It is true but he does ridicule India to a great extent). Does he keep tabs on his public profile or does any of minions do the slave work for him.

Also, can anyone bring up the number of times where a "believer" keeps quoting Zac instead of the bible?

To me, it seems like there is a cult personality going on here.

I am also amazed that he is being defended at a Catholic forum. Maybe Zac has softened up, or changed for the better.