Romans 19:9-10, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
I
am so disappointed in Campus Church at PCC. They have set me at nought
as their Christian brother. There is no love or second chances at Campus
Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC). Their shameful pastors
adamantly refuse to work with me to make peace. They don't want to
reconcile. They couldn't care less if I have a church family. They clearly
don't walk close to the Lord. People just want to be loved.
I mailed a letter to Pastor Jeff Redlin (their senior pastor at Campus Church) on June 17, 2022. He totally ignored me. So one month later I sent a second letter on July 21, 2022, this time to all the pastors of Campus Church, and also a copy to Pensacola Christian College (to make sure they were aware of the situation). Again, I was totally ignored by everyone, even though my letters were as sweet, humble and kind as could be. I have literally begged like a dog three times already to come back to Campus Church, but they refuse. That is so sad and unchristian.
So after being ignored for SIX WEEKS, I finally got tired and lashed out on social media about PCC's refusal to communicate with me. Pastor Redlin finally replied to tell me that I am not welcomed at Campus Church. In hindsight, it is clear to me now that they were hoping I'd get angry at them, so they'd have an excuse to get rid of me. Their reply was essentially: “You're forgiven but go jump off a bridge because we don't care about you as a hurting human being. You've offended us!” Proverbs 18:19, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” This Bible verse speaks of carnally-minded men, not Spirit-filled believers (Ephesians 4:28-32). For TELLING THE TRUTH, Jeff Redlin hates me now.
Proverbs 18:23, “The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.” I have never been paid a single penny for my 20 years of hard work on my website ministry, but Pastor Redlin has been paid millions of dollars, and is now getting paid a 6-digit salary as senior pastor of Campus Church. He is a rich man! So although I have used entreaties, as you will read in a moment; Redlin has answered roughly to me every step of the way, not once showing any compassion, love or expressing his willingness to give me a second chance or make peace in this ongoing matter. It sadly looks like the Lord will have to finally settle this at the Judgment Seat Of Christ, and deal with Jeff Redlin's arrogance, lack of forgiving spirit and hatred. 1st Corinthians 11:31, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
I promised Pastor Redlin not to paste his reply online, so I won't. But I can paste mine! Even after Pastor Redlin cruelly told me to go away permanently, banning me from attending Campus Church at PCC, here is the heartfelt response that I sent him, so everyone can see my sincerity, God's great heart of love and pureness of heart in this delicate matter. God is my witness, that when I compiled this email, I had no idea that I would decide later to post it online. I made that decisions 15 minutes ago...
Dear Pastor Redlin,
Thank you so very much for responding. I love you in the Lord! God knows that I love everyone at PCC. I was very sincere in all I said in my letters. I do so much need to attend Campus Church. I don't have a church family in Pensacola. I felt like I fit in and belonged at Campus Church when I attended last summer. The truth is that I cannot attend any church without seeing and hearing things with which I disagree. The best church I have found in Pensacola is Campus Church. I sincerely regret the way I have foolishly handled things. I am realizing at age 55 that I need to lighten up, because I cannot help people if I am against everybody. And moreover, I need spiritual guidance, fellowship with believers and a pastor myself, which I do not have now. I am tired of being just me against the world. I need Christian friends. I know you preach a free grace Gospel. On a particular Sunday, you preached on Hebrews 4:10-11 about resting in Christ, and I was so proud of you (humbly said).
Something that I have learned to do a long time ago, is to separate my preaching from my personal feelings. Although harsh in my preaching at times, I have nothing but love in my heart toward you, everyone at PCC and the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam (where I attended for one year). God knows that I sincerely admire you and want to attend Campus Church, and have no ill intent. My harsh words are just a hurting man crying out to be loved and accepted. I know I can be intimidating to some people with my harsh words online, which is not my intention, but it is just my neck pain and hurting soul speaking. I am really a sweet, kind and loving person. I know I have immaturities that I need the Lord to help me work on. I am mostly to blame pastor in all of this, far more than you. I have to stop expecting people to respond that way that I would, because we are all different. Dr. Hyles taught me that some of the most bitter people he has known, were at one time also the most sincere people. It was their sincerity that caused them to become bitter, when things didn't work out the way they sincerely wanted. That is certainly true of me.
I love playing musical instruments (ukulele, pedal steel guitar, Hawaiian steel guitar, guitar and 5-string banjo). Musicians tend to be emotional people, which is what draws me to music. God knows that I want to do better. I would like to put this all behind us. I am asking you very sincerely and humbly, please, to give me permission to attend Campus Church. I will keep quiet and cause no conflict. I will never speak one word against you or any PCC leadership to anyone, which is something that I have always practiced at every church I have attended. I always brag on a pastor, always. God knows that I just want to be a blessing to Campus Church and PCC, and be nice to everyone.
Please forgive my foolish words, I was just trying to get your attention the wrong way. In my heart, I am truly like a big teenager. I just want to be accepted and loved by other Christians. But my strong theological opinions often conflict with that desire. I know that PCC is still a growing Bible college, and there will be mistakes. When I attended Hyles-Anderson College in 1985, they had only existed for 13 years since 1972. They weren't perfect, but in hindsight, I think they were doing the best they knew how. I am so thankful for that opportunity. I also realize that Campus Church is mainly for the PCC students, and that places a greater responsibility upon church members to walk circumspectly (as you wisely said that you and other members do too). So I don't want to set any bad example for the students.
Pastor Jack Hyles used to tell us that there are more opinions per square foot at Hyles-Anderson College, than anywhere else in the world. I think he was right. I was just overwhelmed with having moved to Pensacola, living out of a suitcase, sad, feeling lonely, catching COVID-19, et cetera. I need your trust and love right now. I miss Judy and her Mom Pat and Dad Jerry. I went to visit Judy in the Hospital up in Milton one Sunday afternoon, after church, and spent a couple hours with her and her parents.
I also met Colleen at Campus Church, one of your school teachers, whom I met and miss. My 8 year old grandson on Guam, Luigi, is part of the ABEKA program, which he really likes. Colleen told me that she will likely be his teacher next year. I didn't like grade school when I was Luigi's age, but my grandson loves the ABEKA program. When my grandson reaches 18, God willing, I hope to pay his way to Bible college, and since he is already liking his ABEKA course, I think PCC would be a natural good choice for him, if that is his decision. I met several other people at Campus Church, but since it has been so long I cannot remember their names, only their faces. I also became friends with one of the security men for Campus Church, whom I met at the YMCA.
Forgive me for my harsh words pastor. I need for God to work on me to be more patient. I admit that I sometimes throw a fit with my words online to get people's attention, but it is just my way of crying out to be loved and understood. I won't type too much more, because I know you are busy. I appreciate that you took the time to respond. I miss singing along with Pastor Zacharias. He taught us some new gospel songs that I really loved. There is a spirit at PCC that is very different than the First Baptist Church of Pensacola. They preach the heresy of Lordship Salvation, being southern Baptist. On their church website they admit to leaning toward Calvinism. I love their pastor, Dave Snyder, but I cannot in good conscience attend a church that is wrong on the Gospel. So although I attended their Discovery Class and visited a few times, I cannot attend there.
I am asking, please pastor, to let me quietly attend Campus Church. I will remove (to the best of my ability) all my criticisms from social media, and regardless of what happens if I return, I won't betray your love and trust by putting them back online. I am removing things now from the internet, and will make it up to you. I want a new start, and I need you to help me by simply giving me a chance to be a part of the PCC family. I am tired in my body and soul. I have been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables lately, which has made me feel better overall. I greatly admire that you maintain an optimal weight, which I noticed right away when I attended Campus Church. I have struggled with my weight for the past 15 years, up and down like a yoyo between 225 pounds and 145 pounds...lol. I want to continue eating only healthy foods. I use my Nutri-Ninja now daily.
I am pretty much a recluse, a homebody. My neck hurts all the time, so I like to stay home, where I feel most safe. By God's grace, I live a separated life, so I don't have any worldly friends. I feel at home at Campus Church because I enjoy being around like-minded separated believers. I need fellowship at church with Christians. I know that there will be things I don't like or agree with, but that is true of every church and pastor I can think of. I want to do better. I won't disappoint you pastor. I like to visit different churches, but I need a home church where I feel like I belong. I don't have that right now.
I am so thankful that you took the time to respond. I have visited some different churches, as you mentioned, but my heart is at Campus Church. Very humbly and respectfully pastor, please allow me to attend Campus Church. I need the PCC family. I will remove all my criticisms before I return, which is only reasonable. I am going to get a lot done tonight, so you will see that I am sincere. Thank you so much, and also to Pastor Zacharias. I am sorry about all this. I cannot express in words how much your forgiveness, and letting me attend Campus Church will mean to me. Please let me know.
God bless and kindest regards,
David J. Stewart
To his utter shame, Pastor Jeff Redlin is completely ignoring me now. Real great person, huh? I think any honest person can see that I am doing my darndest to make peace with Campus Church and the PCC family, but Pastor Redlin is a cruel and cold-hearted academic type person, woefully lacking God's compassion for hurting sinners (like me). I am not the bad guy here, the shameful pastors of Campus Church and PCC leadership are to blame. How do you shame the shameless?
I am sharing my email to be transparent, realizing that some web visitors may criticize me. I DIDN'T edit anything in my preceding email, I have shared it here exactly as it was sent to Pastor Jeff Redlin. I admit that I have foolishly handled this matter. I should have quietly left Campus Church in 2021 to take a break for a couple months, keeping my opinions to myself, so that I wouldn't have burned my bridges. I like Campus Church, even though I see problems with their leadership. I made some friends at Campus Church last year, whom I miss and wanted to see them again. I am emotionally torn between the fundamentalist preacher in me; and being a normal guy with a broken life and hurting soul who wants to be a part of a church family. It gets confusing sometimes! Of all the churches in Pensacola, I still think Campus Church is the best, because they preach a solid free grace Gospel. I don't agree with their false teaching that “repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of behavior,” because it can mislead people to doubt their salvation by looking at people's behavior instead of God's grace.
Having said that, I am attending a small Baptist church now (I won't mention the name to avoid my enemies costing me another church), but their pastors endorse Billy Graham, Adrian Rogers and won't preach against the damnable heresies of Lordship Salvation and False Repentance. It is mostly old people and I feel lonely there. Campus Church has thousands of people, umpteen families, where I felt like I fit in best. Unfortunately, Jeff Redlin is not a nice man, who holds grudges and despises me for preaching against him. THE TRUTH is that a brother offended is harder to be won than a great city. I have apologized umpteen times to Pastor Redlin, and offered (and still am offering) to do whatever they require to make peace with the PCC family. I know I have a big mouth (that's the Baptist preacher in me), but I also have a big forgiving heart, and I CAN let things go, if Jeff Redlin will humble himself to do the same.
I will gladly remove all my criticisms against the PCC family, but ONLY IF THEY agree to forgive me so that I can come back to Campus Church. That has always been my offer to them. I don't feel that it would be right for me just to criticize them on social media, without giving them a chance to make peace, if they want it. But they need to do what I have done, humble themselves, so that we can work things out. I am offering a peaceful compromise. Their haughty godlike overinflated image of themselves needs to stop! Talk about misplaced egos and petty prejudices! I am not being the jerk, I am the only guy trying to make peace in this matter. I know I have immaturities, which God needs to help me grow out of; but I am a truth-teller, for which I make no apologies. Really, PCC need to get over themselves. Their secular success has gone to their heads. They simply cannot handle criticism at PCC.
I don't regret the things I have preached online against Pastor Redlin, Campus Church and PCC. They ought not be sinfully bidding Godspeed to the hellbound Bob Jones University cult (with their damnable Lordship Salvation, Calvinism, Devil's Bibles and wrong repentance). They ought not be associating behavior modification with the Gospel. And they sure as hell need to work on how they treat new visitors to Campus Church! Pastor Redlin never should have scolded a 54 year old man for desiring to remarry after 15 years of being divorced. That was so cruel, and cut to my heart.
And if he would have replied to my email in a timely manner, instead of ignoring me for 10 days in July of 2021, he wouldn't have felt pressured after church on a Sunday morning to embarrass me in front of his lovely wife. I'll never understand how a classy woman like her married a bum like Jeff Redlin. Go figure! I have told the truth. Campus Church and PCC leadership have mistreated me horribly. They have an intolerant authoritarian attitude toward people, smashing and ostracizing anyone who dares to question and stand up to them! I did just that, and now they despise me for it. I will be The Dark Knight (Batman), blamed and hated for being the hero who saved Gotham City, again. Folks, telling the truth is dirty business!!! I am one of the most hated, falsely slandered and attacked preachers in America, because I speak my mind. If you never want to be criticized—be nothing, do nothing, stand for nothing!!!
Campus Church and PCC with all their sanctimonious proprieties, cultural snobbery and academic coldness, freak out when someone like me uses words like “fuddrucker,” “a$$hole” and other colorful terms, which my grandmother rightly called “silly words” (for which Jeff Redlin berated me in his last email). Yet, while condemning me for using such words, they shamelessly and wickedly bid Godspeed to the accursed Bob Jones University camp, who are doing more harm to corrupt Baptist churches today than any institution in the world! Talk about being penny wise and dollar foolish! Kindly said, Pastor Redlin has his priorities WRONG! He has gone to great lengths to hurt, condemn and ostracize me from Campus Church, while wholeheartedly embracing the infidels at the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam (the accursed BJU camp). Ecumenism is the deadly enemy of every Baptist church in the world! No Sir, we cannot get along with anyone who is preaching Lordship Salvation, and who wickedly bids Godspeed to Dr. John MacArthur (as Harvest Baptist Church on Guam and BJU does in Greenville, South Carolina). RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!! Somebody needs to speak with authority.
I love you all with Christ's unconditional love. I am sad that things have ended up this way. The sad and tragic TRUTH is that the PCC camp have chosen the accursed Bob Jones crowd over my friendship. I guess it is best that I am not allowed to return to Campus Church, since they are bidding Godspeed to the devils on Guam who promote false prophets, and are false teachers themselves.
Have you taken a listen lately to the damnable tommyrot being aired on Pacific Garden Mission's UNSHACKLED radio program? Folks, that ain't the Gospel, not even close. Harvest Baptist Church diligently promotes UNSHACKLED on their KHMG 88.1 FM radio station on Guam. I almost drove off the road at the airport one night, as I heard over Harvest's radio station a false prophet on UNSHACKLED teach that to get to Heaven, you must repent of your sin, and then continue turning away from them for the rest of your life. Dear reader, that is keeping the law (works), which is a counterfeit plan of salvation (Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 5:4). I am not doing anything wrong to preach against the PCC family for sanctioning that Satanic garbage on Guam and BJU.
Yet, Jeff Redlin refuses to let me attend Campus Church anymore for making what he called, “consequential remarks.” Well, God is going to hold Pastor Redlin accountable for his “consequential bidding Godspeed to the cult at BJU?” God is going to hold Jeff Redlin accountable for his hurtful injurious words to me, which caused me to sink into a deep depression in late 2021, which is why I criticized him and the PCC family all over social media. These people have no love or compassion, even though I kindly informed them of my chronic neck pain, neuropathic burning of my nerves, horrible constant neck tension, catching COVID-19, my broken life and loneliness. They couldn't give a rat's a$$. Jeff Redlin is LIVING LARGE! So what the hell does he care about a schmuck like me? In this sense, PCC is damn cult. It sure is. Us Four And No More!!!
God is going to hold Pastor Redlin and Timothy Zacharias accountable for playing cruel games with my heart, looking for any reason they could find to ostracize me from coming back to church. God is going to hold those ungodly men accountable for their unwillingness to let me attend church anymore, and for their mean hatred. Religious crime pays well. It is much easier not to care about someone who is pleading to be loved, than it is to try to have some empathy and sympathy. I am just a hurting man who is crying out to be loved. My mistake is that I am expecting some calloused academic type pastors, to show forth God's great love and understanding toward me in my suffering (which I have shown toward them), but they are too spiritually and emotionally immature to do so.
I still love and forgive them at PCC, I'll just have to make it on my own the best I can, skipping from church to church in hope of finding one that doesn't promote Lordship Salvation. The small Baptist church that I attend most frequently has a lot to be desired of it. I love the pastor, a younger fella, but he refuses to speak one word against false repentance. I handed him a hard copy of “I Never Knew You” by Michael P. Bowen, but I don't think he read it, because he still keeps telling everyone to start “a relationship” with Jesus to get to Heaven. That is inaccurate! Please read what Michael Bowen rightly says, exposing Pastor Joel Osteen's counterfeit plan of salvation:
Salvation, according to Joel Osteen, consists of having a “relationship” with Jesus Christ. In order to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, Osteen says we must 1) repent of sins, 2) ask Jesus into our hearts, 3) ask Him to wash us clean, and 4) “make Him” our Lord and savior. Now, according to the bible, this is not how to go to heaven. What this is, however, is a blueprint for discipleship. More accurately, what we really need is a “savior.” When you become born again through faith alone in Christ, you are automatically in a “relationship” with Jesus Christ the very instant you trust in what He did for you by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead. To say that we need a relationship with Christ is not an accurate statement. We need salvation in order to escape the wrath of God, not a “relationship.”
Osteen preaches our need for a discipleship-based relationship with Christ. Salvation is vastly different from discipleship in that discipleship requires hard work whereas salvation requires only your trust in the promise of everlasting life that Christ extends to all of us by His grace. Quite literally, Jesus saves you the instant you trust in what He did for you. Salvation is not what you do for God. Salvation is what God did for you and nothing of yourself (works) enters into the contract (Ephesians 2:8-9). Imagine you are about to buy a home. As you are about to sign the contract, you cross out the price and you insert a lower price. Will the seller of the home honor that contract? No, of course not. You have violated the terms of the contract. In the same way, a pastor who crosses out the terms of God’s contract and adds different terms to His contract, that contract is void. It will not stand.
I get so frustrated with pastors. Even though I place THE TRUTH directly into their hands, they still get up behind the pulpit and preach heresy. Go figure! Honestly, I would have thought Pastors' Jeff Redlin and Tim Zacharias would have appreciated my website ministry, and commended me for contending for the Christian faith. But instead Pastor Redlin shamefully told me that he, and the other pastors at Campus Church, saw that I “find weaknesses in preachers” on my ministry. That really hurt my feelings; but moreover, it opened my eyes to the sad fact that the incompetent pastors of Campus Church aren't contending for the faith, because if they were they would commend, thank and honor me for doing what they ought to be doing, FIGHTING the good fight of faith. My biggest enemies aren't witches, occultists, abortionists, strippers and nudists, it is incompetent pastors like Jeff Redlin and Tim Zacharias!
Titus 1:9-14 doesn't say to hobnob with the BJU Lordship Salvation cult on Guam and elsewhere across the United States; the Bible commands to REBUKE THEM SHARPLY, that they might be sound in the faith!!! So why aren't the pastors of Campus Church REBUKING BJU SHARPLY? Why am I the only one that seems to care? Why did Jeff Redlin scold me and critique my website ministry, when I am faithfully obeying the Word of God? And yet Pastor Redlin calls my harsh remarks “consequential.” Yeah, well see about that Buddy, at the Judgment Seat Of Christ, when your head rolls and you look so stupid! Do you think God is going to be mad at me for using the word “fuddrucker” to describe Jeff Redlin; or will God be mad at Jeff Redlin for banning me from attending church because I TOLD THE TRUTH!!!
I was thinking today about how Jesus oftentimes said bizarre things that freaked people out, those who were looking for an excuse to condemn Him. John 6:54-57 and 66, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. ...From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” The pastors of Campus Church are condemning me for some harsh things I said to them. In one article I called Pastor Redlin a “prick,” for which I am sorry and I removed that word today. That wasn't very Christlike. I am just human. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me. That is why I love playing musical instruments so much, because they allow me to express myself through them.
Certainly, I am not comparing my inappropriate language at times with the eternal Words of our dear Savior. But in the same sense, many of Jesus' disciples didn't cut Him any slack. They stopped following Him because they didn't like what they were hearing come out of the Lord's mouth. In the same way, the pastors of Campus Church haven't cut me any slack at all. They were just waiting to find a reason to ban me from coming back to Campus Church. That is not fair, and certainly is not Christian. So I called Jeff Redlin a few bad words, big deal, get over it; but he is permanently banning me from attending Campus Church, when I have plainly pleaded for their love, forgiveness, understanding and help with my broken life. I truly don't think they want to help hurting people at Campus Church, which is really just a college chapel, they just want to get paid and go through the motions to keep up their public image. That is disgraceful.
People respond to hate with more hate. People respond to love with love. I have felt nothing but coldness, contempt and distrust from Jeff Redlin, even though I have shown him much of God's love. Psalms 109:4-5, “For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” Since 2002, for the past 20 years, I have humbly allowed the Holy Spirit of God to work through me day and night (for well over 50,000 hours); to help reach lost sinners, educate and feed the saints, help the churches with doctrinal information, et cetera, all for Jesus Christ through my ministry labors. Pastor Redlin gets paid a 6-digit salary, which is mind boggling! I make nothing, and I don't want anything. I have turned down donation requests umpteen times over the years, and I've always asked for people's prayers instead, which I need desperately for my ministry. So how is it that my ministry means nothing to the pastors at PCC? It is because I am contending for the faith, and my passion is preaching THE TRUTH; but they are not contending for the faith, because their passion is to make more money. They'd never admit such a horrible truth, but if the money dried up over night, they'd be packing to leave town tomorrow at PCC!
I love you all at PCC, and I do respect Pastors' Redlin and Zacharias, but respect needs to go both ways. You cannot justly demand respect from me, when you don't show me or my ministry any. I am sorry that things are the way they are. I do not hate anyone at PCC, God knows my heart. I am just tired and hurting in my soul. I simply write some of the harsh things I do to get your attention, because I am really begging to be loved as a human being. I guess that is too much too handle. Unfortunately, no one at PCC gives a damn! If you don't like what I am writing, then do something about it. All I wanted was to come back to Campus Church. I realize now that no matter what I say or do, PCC was never going to forgive or give me a second chance, because that is what cold-hearted people are like. I am who I am. Love me or hate me. Pray for my immaturities, but I will keep preaching THE TRUTH, which I know I am right about.
