The HuffPost article “Christian Lawmakers Group Blames Satan After Twitter Poll Goes Badly Awry” describes yet another example of the Christian Right’s blindness to what should be obvious to those who are biblically literate. We, the blessed, the holy, won’t see the obvious miscarriages of justice fully condoned by those +90% Christian legislators as the cause of people telling them ‘no’ to more ‘Christian’ legislators; corruption, hypocrisy, and the obfuscation of justice are not the cause—Satan is. How convenient for us that no self-reflection is necessary—just posture appropriately. I’ll outline a few of the problems strongly associated with the blame-shifting common in Christian belief today, outline a few ways how the shifters obfuscate and confuse matters to keep themselves in power and in-the-chips, and describe a few other costs of our complaisance.
The world of the ‘Christian’ Right is haunted by demons who are the ethereal cause to all human malady providing cover for what in reality is human choice inspired by a terrible theology. What if the spiritual links of the Apostles of the Right aren’t to that which we believe they’re connected? Satan has but to plant the simple idea in a relatively few ‘spiritually connected’ influential people to spread the word that is not ‘not our fault’ as to whatever happens as a result as of the many ideas about how we use force to bring about Revival and Christ’s Return. This approach to the Great Commission allows its adherents to dodge personal responsibility abrogating choice and common sense when things go bad—just blame a demon—while taking credit for ‘doing God’s Will’ when things are perceived to be going well. (What, and who, defines what ‘going well’ means? Scripture is not enough now, so says an apostle.)
Such is the theology which dominates the ‘Christian’ teaching behind those who back the ‘Chosen One’ as it also empowers those who lay hands, in a very devout public display, upon the president. These pious displays are efficacious in swaying the simple who cannot place two and two to figure God values truth—as the truth—over appearances. (Sincerity doesn’t cut it as a test; it should be obvious as to why.) A considerable number of psychological studies have shown that it is extremely difficult, at best, to look at an unknown person’s behavior at that time and tell with reasonable certainty that they are not lying to you. (Even with neuroimaging-based lie detection.) This is where ‘track records’ over time and motive (what stands to be gained) in determining if someone can be trusted should be employed by the faithful so that they won’t be fooled by the swindlers who’ve persuaded the masses to embrace ‘cheap grace’ as the highest value of Christian practice.
The Christian Majority who’ve ignorantly bought into the new apostolic system, as swayed by the new masters, figure those who oppose the chosen liar are themselves demonic; the fact that he lies constantly without any remorse is inconsequential, his flagrant abuse of power is justified simply because our accepted authorities tell us this is so. The investment made is huge and there is much to be gained and lost. The theology exemplified in the video about (Apostle) Paula White is what I found to be the most telling as to why the Christian Right endorses a sociopath to bring about a ‘greater good.’ They have it in their heads that they are in control of history and they are going to make things happen by declaration. Word-Faith (an established theology) is fully embedded, coupled with a perverse belief that the secular state of Israel is central to ‘end-time’ events—now morphing from the pre-millennial ‘Left-Behind’ prophetic mindset, to the ‘post-millennial’ paradigm the new apostolics endorse today—in full commitment to doing God’s work by using force to bring about the events required, according to certain interpretive structure, so that Christ may return. If the plans of the holy are opposed and fail to bear the expected fruit, the declarations were apparently nullified by the lack of faith in people like me who identify as Christian but have failed to submit to God’s Will embodied in today’s apostles—and we can blame Satan as well. Blame-shifting is a very important belief and behavior to provide cover for failed declarations and to those who teach this doctrine. To this I ask, ‘Where in the Bible does it teach that we ought make declarations, using the force of faith, to bring about God’s Will in history’? Let’s examine that claim…
The best argument the Word-Faith (and their progeny, the New Apostolic) folks have lies in a certain interpretation of Mark 11:23-24 in which Jesus states that if you believe in whatever you are asking for you will receive it. A couple of questions come to mind: Who controls history? If God, then does He either inform His apostles on earth of what His current plans are and how they should declare (in order to make real) God’s desired reality and bring about its existence by force, intrigue, or outright deception (as they are doing with Trump.) If man, as allegedly guided by God’s various desires, so the ‘righteous’ shall be God’s instruments to bring about the ultimate end whenever His instruments finally get around to doing, using the force of faith, what they should have be doing all along. (Is there really an appreciable difference between the two above options?) The Word-Faith theology, its godfather Kenneth Copeland (an extremely rich and arrogant old swindler,) places man at the forefront of history, in both the above options, as it is Copeland’s teaching that even God uses the force of faith to make stuff happen. (That’s right, there is a force apart from and bigger than God.) Paula White, pastor of Donald Trump, the one who led our Underlord of Lies to the Cross, makes declarations over reality. Is this how Jesus taught us to pray? ‘Give us our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others’ is not an appeal to power but to submission. Jesus prayed, ‘not my will but Thy Will.’ Copeland, White, Johnson, and others throughout the popular church do not teach submission as the Bible teaches; they teach us that words have power—and when those words fail, they must have something or someone to blame. The theology of declaration is set by these men and women who have set themselves above the rest as authorities, and we now believe is ‘Christian.’ The course of history now hangs upon our words and our (lack of) faith.
If you are biblically literate and know a little about history and human nature this ‘new’ paradigm should scare you. Karl Marx and Bill Johnson, for example, share at least one thing in common, they both believe(d) that new social conditions would give birth to a new kind of man; the reality of both of these men’s philosophies is that when practiced by fallen men, which is what we are, is extreme inequality and the persecution of minorities. In Marx’s case it was the creative and independent minded who were, and still are in some places, crushed and in Johnson’s case those who are not as ‘spiritually-in-tune’ as he is must bow to him for God’s marching orders. We’ve traded one Pope for about 400 (so far) of them. Our power and sense of success is attached to them. If their words don’t come to fruit, we have been taught to blame the Devil and people like me.
What I do not see from Christian leadership is the libertarian option which withholds judgement from make specific endorsements of certain people to serve as champions and refrain from the use of force to enact some proclamation of God’s Will by some authority to instead rather live and act according to truth, mercy, and justice without perverting the same to bring about some desired result. (Maybe if our ‘Christian’ legislators (instead of blaming demons) would render righteous judgements and not tolerate lies and corruption, their poll numbers wouldn’t be so hostile?) But this would put us out of the control of history wouldn’t it? And it would put those apostles and prophets out of business.
What poisons the whole program is the certainty by which our apostles operate. How do you, the adherent, have their certainty? Does God personally speak to you and confirm what these yahoos are saying about your commitments to which you ought to commit? I doubt it. (And if you do, lucky you getting to bypass the middleman!) As I’ve argued elsewhere, the very fact that these apostles make declarations over reality and history, as if Mark 11:23-24 grants a blank check to the fulfillment of our every desire as we declare ourselves in righteous alignment with the Will of God, shows, because I do not believe they speak for God, an expectation that the faithful personally bow to that particular apostle—simply because of the disconnect between those who have a direct ‘phone line’ to God and those who do not. This is really what the new apostolic program is really all about—people exercising power over people.
Should we suppose Jesus means any desire of our heart—like a pony or a new Aston-Martin, should we believe it firmly enough—be granted? How far do we take this? The Word-Faith folks are all over the map on what constitutes a godly desire worthy of fulfillment. It seems to me that if faith really is a force (which even God uses) then once you master the power of words then what limits the ceiling of wish fulfillment? Funny enough, 35 years ago I read a book on white witchcraft (written from their perspective) which today gives me insight into ‘Christian’ Word-Faith teachings. The theologies are very similar, get the words and the names right to alter reality to your liking. (Especially amusing, is when Word-Faith folk get to talking about witchcraft, ‘satanic pregnancies’ (yes, I know she wasn’t talking literally,) Harry Potter and the like, when what they do in their declarations is the same thing witches do to change reality.) In today’s ‘Christian’ vernacular all sources of evil are demonic and territorial (leaning on a certain interpretation of Daniel 10.) What is left out is our own capacity for evil and deception without our wills being subverted by the demonic realm. In popular ‘Christian’ teaching, we the weak-willed victims need some spiritual expert to exercise the demons who have been given dominion over an area, a sickness, or certain sin. If the territorial demon is not exorcised, then the apostle in that region can affectively blame you if the problem remains. As Bill Johnson links salvation and all manner of healing
—here on earth—to Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, very unsettling uncertainties can arise; if one is still sick, not ‘prophesying’ according to expectations, or not affecting change in the world around you as desired, then perhaps you may not be saved (or at least you are not behaving in the ‘correct’ way.) I’ve witnessed this kind of blaming in my culture numerous times (was even able to dig up a short, silly example of it on YouTube.)
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We could invoke the power of unity (Ecclesiastes 4:12) to suppose the prayers of a unified many outweigh those of a few (even when those few hold the office of Apostle.) Our experts now teach us all to make declarations over reality to make us all part of the crime. In the case of the #WakeupOlive event down in Redding, it is at least possible, as when thousands of ordinary folk were making declarations of faith to raise the little girl back to life, that those adherents under the authority of that regional authority (in that case, Bill Johnson) did not have the faith to back its leader to provide the spiritual power to raise the dead. ‘Success’ or no, the apostle retains the upper hand as he downplayed the event as a prayer meeting leaving the many to struggle with that failure. If Bill solely made the declaration to raise Olive under his apostolic authority and it didn’t happen then the failure may be perceived as his alone—but Bill is smart enough to provide himself cover through what he teaches others to do.
This newly revised Word-Faith theology destroys people in several different ways. I’ve read and heard numerous accounts and testimonies from those who’ve been severely damaged by this teaching which strongly implies that if you are sick or depressed then God must not love you as much as the successful and happy. This is the most devastating consequence of all the Word-Faith/New Apostolic teaching, with all its confident and smiling prophets and all the adherents doing their best to imitate the smiles and joy of their leaders, that there is something spiritually defective in you if you suffer. These wolves, who largely establish their credibility on Christian radio as their songs are sung in churches around the world regardless of denomination, spread a message which aims to be deadly to the credibility of the gospel story itself.
People will suffer and die for what they believe in—this is obvious. But will people live a life of suffering and persecution, willingly going to their deaths, for what they are able to know for a fact to that which they are testifying is a lie? Such is the testimony of the real Apostles, witnesses of a risen Christ, who suffered and died testifying to that which they claimed to be true. This is the only reason I am a Christian—I believe their testimony under the conditions of suffering. Bill Johnson says this testimony is inadequate, instead pitching testimonies of ‘signs and wonders’ while sitting in the most important seats at the banquets and driving around in his Aston-Martin. Bill’s talk is cheap; would people make stuff up to live like this? You bet.
The Christian life is suffering. Sometimes we must sacrifice ourselves in the service of others—physically, emotionally, relationally, even spiritually. We are called to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5.) When we find ourselves (or are shown Proverbs 27:6) to be guilty, repentance requires that we accept the blame to that which are responsible. If the wound or disease is not properly diagnosed, how can it be properly treated? The Christian life is community as we keep each other accountable to the revealed and sufficient truth which does not rest on a single mere human, comforting and encouraging each other in our suffering as we live honestly and justly upholding the cause of the weak without discrimination and fear—all the while praying that God’s Will be done and affirming our submission to that Will.
Satan would gladly have us all believing everything that goes wrong is his (or his minions) fault, and would agree to us blaming him for it, if in trade we (1) keep believing in our own good intentions in controlling history to establish through power what we think is right; and, more importantly, we (2) keep undermining the credibility of the original eyewitnesses who testified under conditions of suffering and persecution. Under this agreement, we get to feel better about ourselves without serious self-examination and the Devil gets to undermine the testimony of the real apostles; a terrific bargain, don’t you think?