I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. C S Lewis
 

I attended Ed Young Jr.’s church back when it was called The Fellowship of Las Colinas. At that time it was a rapidly growing church in a fairly well to do suburb of Dallas. Ed and his family lived in my neighborhood (this was pre-mansion days) and we had children of similar age who occasionally played together.

 

Ed is a charming, fun-loving guy who is a delight to know on a personal level. He would be the life of any party. However, my husband and I began to have serious concerns about his theology, which developed over the course of a couple of years. Those concerns would eventually cause us to leave the church.
 

 

Here are a couple of examples. Ed always had “important” people pray up front on Sunday. These men were usually doctors, judges, television personalities, etc. One week, my husband, a physician, was asked to pray. He accepted. But he called back and said he did not want to be listed in the bulletin as a “Doctor” and did not want to be introduced as “Doctor.” Well, this caused conflict and my husband was urged to reconsider. He refused, adamantly, saying there was no place in the church for titles. We are all on equal footing under Christ. The "doctor" was allowed to pray but was never asked again.

 

Then, we became involved in a Sunday school class. But, there was a rule, which Ed refused to rescind. No one was allowed to ask questions of the teacher. His explanation and mantra was this. “If you let them ask questions, you never know what questions they will ask.” In a final conversation with his wife over this matter, I made the observation that they seemed to have little faith in either their teachers or the Holy Spirit. She had no answer.
 

 

But, perhaps the following incident will serve to clear up why they needed to have such a rule. I contend that some of their teachers were not Christians. Why? There was a nice lady who taught the kindergarten class. However, she left the church. When I saw her at a store, she told me I should come to her new church, The Unity Church. She said I would like it much better because the people were friendlier and they taught the same things! For those of you familiar with the Unity Church, you are aware that this church does not follow orthodox Christianity. This poor woman, who had been in Ed’s church for years, did not know the difference. This points to the level of teaching that occurred on a weekly basis at the church.
 

 

We left as Ed began his building campaign. He moved his family out of our community to an interim, larger home before the mansion, Miami condo and the jet. Think a house like the one owned by Mac Brunson and you get the picture.
 

 

Soon after we left, Ed was quoted in the Dallas Morning News as saying that he didn’t like to emphasize doctrine because doctrine confuses people. I wonder if doctrine also confused Ed. Yesterday, we published a copy of a statement by John Piper commenting on the problems inherent in the Reformed Movement. The following excerpt gives a reason why Ed Young Jr. is wrong on his views on doctrine.

 

 

“The danger on the other side is to say, "All that intellectual stuff, no, no, no. Doctrine, no. Intellect, no. Study, no. Experience, yes!" People who do this wind up worshipping a God of their own imagination. It feels so right, so free, and so humble because they are not getting involved in all those debates. But it isn't. It is losing a grip on reality. So we are compelled to think hard about God and the Bible”.
 

 

Ed Young Jr. has recently been criticized about his excessive lifestyle. However, Ed’s response has been tepid, at best. He claims his house “isn’t that big” (10,000 square feet which he claims that “only” about 7000 feet are heated) and that he needs the jet to fly around the world “teaching” pastors-may God preserve us!
 

 

He was invited to appear at Hillsong Church in Australia along with his friends, TD Jakes and Joel Osteen. We have written about the problems with the theology of Joel Osteen who preaches a prosperity gospel. His views deviate from orthodox Christianity. For example, he proclaimed that Mormons are Christians because they believe in Jesus. This demonstrates an appalling lack of knowledge of the Mormon theology on the nature of Christ. However, his theology has not stopped Ed Young Jr. from appearing with Osteen in church and calling him a good friend.
 

 

TD Jakes appears regularly in the pulpit at Ed’s church. I want to commend Ed for his wish to bridge the gap between the races. It has been said that Sunday is the most segregated time of the week. However, there are many orthodox Christian pastors of color so his choice of Jakes is puzzling. I have listened to Jakes and find him to be engaging, a sort of Joel Osteen of the African American church. Like Osteen, he has serious doctrinal issues.
 

 

Here is a synopsis of the issues with Jakes.
 

“He teachings and endorses Word of Faith concepts relating to guaranteed health and wealth. Although he claims to believe in the Trinity, the major problem with T. D. Jakes’ teaching centers on Trinitarian theology, which he defines in modalistic or Oneness Pentecostal terms (i.e., there is one God who exists in three manifestations or modes—not three eternal Persons). The definition according to historical Christianity is that there is one God who exists in three co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.

 

Many former members of Young’s church have been commenting on various blogs that he does not warn them of Jake’s position on these doctrinal matters. However, if one is to believe Young, when he states that doctrine “just confuses people,” then one can understand that Young does not have concerns in this area. Unfortunately, Young is leading people astray by his silence on these issues. The Bible holds teachers to a very high standard and it appears, at least to this writer that Young is falling down on the job. He should pay heed to Piper’s warning.
 

 

To end this post, we provide our readers with a video that Tom Rich, FBC Jax Watchdog (affectionately known as The Dawg) found and placed on his blog. Unfortunately, it shocked me. Ed does a “rap” about his appearance in Australia. In it he mentions Jakes and Osteen. But, what astonished me is that he performs with a big dollar sign necklace. Why? He knows he is being roundly criticized for his rich lifestyle. The Dallas Morning News and various radio and television stations are investigating him. Is this an “in-your-face”,” don’t give a darn what the world thinks” performance? If so, things do not portend well for the Christian witness of Fellowship Church. Ed seems to have gone “off reservation” and needs to repent and turn from this path he is on. Ed, I hope you are listening.

 

 

Ed Young Jr and His Weirdly Appropriate $ Necklace