A Jackal Among Ruins

 ‘…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’

2 Chronicles 7:14

This promise, recorded as being made by God to King Solomon and the Israelite people about 3000 years ago, is now said to be a key promise made by God to the American people through our modern-day prophets. This claim has been made publicly known through a Christian nationalist propaganda movie entitled The Trump Prophecy. Outside the NAR/Christian nationalist community, most have probably never heard of this mediocre, meandering movie, but those who are concerned about the future of this country should watch it because it shows pretty clearly what the worldview of the Christian nationalists is; these people truly believe that humbling themselves means pledging loyal support to someone they are reluctant to admit is a very bad man—in fact, a solid majority believe that he is a good man (at least better than ‘fairly’ honest.) We believe this humbling meets the condition required so our nation may be healed. We are now in year four of our humbling and it is possible the chosen one is going to get four more. Two questions: ‘What is the purpose (or end goal) of healing?’ And, ‘Is our nation being healed?’ To prognosticate a probable path in the future, I’ll have to talk about where we’ve been going for decades to then understand current trends. Change does not happen instantly—trends are hard to break as the momentum of common mass action is extremely weighty. Sometimes devasting things must happen so that people will start questioning all that they’ve been taking for granted as this is, I believe, the path towards healing. Hear goes…

God’s promise to Abraham was that through him and his offspring (the Israelite people) all the nations of earth would be blessed (Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4.) The history of the Jews from antiquity to modern times has been bloody and painful. Every time they fell away and the pain came as a result, there was greater purpose for that healing and restoration than the immediate comfort of the repentant— it was so that all nations would be blessed by the life, death, and resurrection of He who was both the literal Son of God (by miraculous conception within the virgin Mary,) and the blood descendant of Abraham and David. Without God’s repeated calling, protection, forgiveness and restoration this never would have happened.

Far from the common teachings of today, the purpose of healing extends beyond immediate comfort of now towards the whenever when we all die eventually. Our common desire is to reach the New World where there is no death, sickness, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4.) Yet, now scripture calls us to suffering (2 Timothy 1: 8- 14.) Why? Do you not think that Jesus, while on Earth, could have not snapped his fingers and the Kosmos become healed in an instant? Why didn’t He? What greater testimony to His mercy and power could there have been? But what would be the costs? Would such a mass healing simply distance the previously sick from the healer? (Matthew 9: 12; Mark 2: 17; Luke 5: 31) Could it be that people would just trade that comfort in that moment to turn back to themselves and their own lives rather than have that pain inspire them to seek restoration for a much deeper and deadlier problem? I believe this is the case.

Miracles are done for purposes of displaying God’s power (John 9: 3.) Jesus made the point that the preservation of the body is secondary to the preservation of what is most important—your soul (Matthew 10: 28.) Yes, Jesus healed many people, even raised the dead, but He was specifically concerned about always pointing those He encountered towards the Father; miracles showed the people that God the Father was with Him and so they might listen and hear. Some did; many did not. Jesus’ testified that his crucifixion (as coupled with the triumphant miracle of the resurrection) would be the definitive proof of who He is (John 8: 28.) Imagine that… the final testimony to who Jesus is lies with the Creator of the universe, surrendering Himself to men who would give him a horrific, disfiguring beating, nail Him to a cross, to then suffocate in agony and exhaustion. This is Love—proven in the crucible of suffering. This might be what the Christian Nationalists are going to argue, the suffering the world is enduring will lead to its healing, just Christ’s suffering led to ours—though perhaps not in the way I am going to argue for it.

This testimony of suffering is opposite of what is being taught about the purpose of healing today so the Word-Faith (and its stepchild, the New Apostolic Reformation) community is going to have make a few ‘adjustments’ from what it has been teaching about suffering and healing. Suffering has been an anathema to testimony as the NAR apostles and prophets bellow about promising that once we get it right, whatever that means, then this means we get heaven down here (whatever that means.). They keep repeating, ‘don’t worry your little head, have faith, don’t question, and follow orders (oh, and don’t forget to keep sending money) and good things will come.’ Bill Johnson keeps on teaching the same stuff about bringing heaven to earth despite the failed stunt of waking up Olive for instance. People will keep sending Kenneth Copeland money even though Covid is not dead yet despite Kenneth’s personal, multiple rebukes made in confident FAITH—a thing he has taught for decades. American Christianity, as influenced by generations of Word-Faith teachers, sees suffering as something antithetical to God’s favor; most do not even know the deep theology of suffering Jesus taught as documented in John Chapter 9. Our witness, tragically and decreasingly, is not seen in shared suffering but rather is expressed in promises of power and victory. Bill Johnson tells us people will believe because of the miracles he and his people do. Considering the fraud, theatrics, and parlor tricks coming out of that movement (this is the age of YouTube—you’re on camera…) it is no wonder the young are moving away in droves. But don’t ask them if the approach is working—never admit defeat, just change the narrative. The sheer scope of what is going right now, I continue to hope, might force these people to adapt in the face of the crisis we are now only just beginning. Do we have healing in our future because of the suffering we are increasingly enduring today?

The new NAR teaching about ‘signs and wonders’ and miraculous healing attacks (perhaps unknowingly) what is really the most powerful testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ is the risen King—the suffering of the eyewitness Apostles (Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 3: 11; 1 Peter 5:1.) They were in the position to know what they were testifying about was true—I do not believe people would suffer and die for what they know is a lie. The cheap substitute for this witness in suffering lies in a sense of personal power, well-being, and control. The NAR apostles charge big bucks for classes on healing and prophesy so you too can feel powerful and in control. (People will hoard silly amounts of toilet paper for a sense of control as well.) Business is good. But there are costs which, I believe, are coming to fruit. This NAR’s doctrines might be coming under judgment as the virus, the lockdowns and isolation, and all the economic havoc is diminishing people’s confidence that they are in control. The growing evidence of the colossal clown show that is the Trump administration may be overwhelming the various shill machines for he in whom we’ve placed so much hope. The antidote to this growing evidence is to systematically dismantle with ad hominem arguments the credibility of those whose mission is to keep us informed. This is working and it seriously undermines my hope for this nation’s healing. I doubt the people in the video above have thought through the implications of pledging allegiance to one man as your source of truth—repeating your man’s mantra ‘fake news!’ is making such a pledge because it rejects the idea that many observers and multiple points of view holds everyone accountable. Hold fast and keep the faith.

It’s not that much of a stretch to suppose in a faith-filled world where it’s leaders live in mansions and jet about in luxury and there followers live in nice homes with lots of disposable energy and well-lit supermarkets that those without such things have less than a full share of God’s favor. God’s favor is equated with stuff and, of course, having lots of stuff equates to having lots of power. You don’t have to consciously make these connections in order to live them out. As part of the belief in American Exceptionalism, we believe our prosperity (and power) is due to our cooperative actions as funneled and concentrated in the institutions of government as blessed by God. This belief has bled over into the church as there is an all-too-human fascination with power and celebrity in our institutions as well. Those pastors who can garner a large following are believed to be uniquely blessed by God which in turn inspires more followers, religious power concentrates and with that power comes temptation—to trust in power and the appearance of success.

The rise of Christian Nationalism comes after decades of struggle to infiltrate the halls of government with those loyal to the Christian Nationalist movement through organizations like The Family and all that which came out of The Moral Majority. One impediment to this rise of Christian political power was the common belief in Dispensational Premillennialism which had all the Christians raptured from the world which would then be ruled by the Antichrist. It’s been better than 70 years since the rebirth of the secular state of Israel and all the predictions have been wrong, so that belief is dying allowing for the rise of a new eschatology which supposes a Christian takeover of the political systems of the world to facilitate Christ’s return to planet Earth. Those like Robert Jeffress who still cling to the rapture model suppose that Trump is good because he forestalling the arrival of Antichrist so Christians have more time to ‘save’ people hence, as stupid as Jeffress’ reasoning is, Christian Nationalism has been adapted to fit dispensationalism as well. The common ‘Third Temple’ belief, which Trump has advantaged himself, fits into both the pre and post-millennial eschatological frameworks. And so here we are today amid a crisis that is just perfect to mask an authoritarian purge; the Christians in D.C are cynically positioning themselves in this environment to profit from the elimination of the traditional checks and balances on power—all in the name of Jesus.

All this background I have provided above provides context for what we commonly believe it means to have our land healed. The Trump Prophecy made it clear that the election of Trump was imperative to this healing. What does this ‘healing, in the Christian Right’s view, require? What are the costs?

The common battle cry of the Christian Right is abortion. (I hate abortion as well and see it as unjustified homicide unless it is to save the life of the mother.) If you look at the graphs above, the rates of abortion were falling even during the reign of Obama (whom Robert Jeffress claimed was ushering in the antichrist.) What do we make of this facet of healing considering the prophecy? Do we attribute this to the Christian Right’s efforts to obstruct assess to abortion services? Or is this just a reduction in the number of unwanted pregnancies? I believe it is clearly the latter. Studies have shown the rates of abortion in countries where it is legal and in those where it is not are roughly the same. In countries where the women are too poor to seek a safe abortion seek anything they can get; abortion bans kill many of these women who see themselves as having no other choice.

The Christian Right is clear about how it sees healing this nation of its sin of abortion—for now it will suck up to Trump who promises pro-life judges (and look the other way as he hammers the justice system, and other departments as well, unto his own will) who will keep making it more difficult to obtain an abortion until the ultimate goal of illegality is achieved. If it is true that rates of sought abortion remain roughly the same (as obviously affected by other factors such as education, poverty, freedom, etc.) despite its legality or illegality, simple economics dictates that in an illegal environment the practitioners offering the service would be those who have nothing to lose—in other words, they’d be hacks. Babies still would get aborted and more women, especially poor women, would die at the hand of these hacks. That is a cold, hard fact. Facing this, our well-meaning Christian Right authoritarians must be clinging on to the fantasy that they will amass enough surveillance and enforcement power to monitor and control every woman in their jurisdiction, and, perhaps more disturbingly, believe that their mission on earth is to amass enough power to be God’s enforcement arm on earth and this is what will make them righteous in God’s sight. Either way, the hope is placed in power—government power.

It saddens me greatly that those who so brazenly and loudly identify as Christians openly embrace, and place their hope in, the use of power, government power, to further what they’ve been taught are God’s goals, by those who proclaim to be God’s mouthpieces. They do not see how dangerous this is despite all the, give them the benefit of the doubt, good intentions. How much government power is enough to achieve God’s goals on earth? Is it really God’s goal to make everyone behave? You are all missing the point and gravely so.

God endures so much evil. Every day He witnesses murder after murder, rape after rape, beating after beating, oppressions, thefts, mayhem, bribes, miscarriages of justice, and abuses of power… the whole earth is full of corruption and He endures it all. Dare we suppose we can correct this with power? Do you not realize that He has the power to end all this right now? But in His mercy, He does not. Why? Because of love and true love requires freedom of choice. For this reason, God affords us time so we may have the dignity of choice. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3: 9) The amount of pain He must endure to accomplish this is unfathomable, which should show a glimpse of the love He has for us. And yet, we suppose that allowing a sin to happen is the same as endorsing that sin. If this is true, then God is guilty because He has the power to stop it all. By holding this belief in power to make people behave, Christian authoritarians are judging God and are telling Him they can do better. We ignore the fact that He has called us to suffer together—as He suffers.  

How much power, Christian authoritarian, is required to bring your heaven to earth? Have you read, or watched The Handmaid’s Tale? Do you not realize that by embracing centralized power in principle to bring heaven to earth inspires the seculars to write horror stories like the above to tell of that possible world? The Handmaid’s world is one of terrifying anxiety, fear, suspicion, distrust, rape, and almost unimaginable brutality; and the funny thing is, as we find out, despite all the religious talk, no one actually believes in God—it’s just the game they all must play. The God authoritarians suppose, a God who is said to desire a brutal theocracy to make a holy world, does not actually exist. In such a theocracy, the ‘God’ would be merely us—and in such an environment, all our proclivities toward exploitation and cruelty would be amplified and sanctified—scapegoat established so we may ‘righteously’ exercise various cruelties and usurpations in the name of God. It’s happened before and there is no reason to believe in couldn’t happen again. Those in the Christian Right, being confronted with the horrific vision depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale, may shrink back and say, “We don’t want that much power; and we would do that even if we did!” Of course, you would be horrified because of a common moral value placed in all mankind (Romans 2: 14-15) that we haven’t been fully corrupted yet with the notion that we know and carry the force of God’s will as an enforcer on earth.

There are theocracies on earth right now which seek to force people to behave and people suffer greatly because of them. The women in those little utopias have rights ranging down below the animals—believing things such as they have no right to experience sexual pleasure as their husband’s property or that they may be killed for shaming the family. These poor women are taught that it is righteous to mutilate themselves to ruin their natural sexual functions as proof of ownership and fealty. This is the kind of thing that happens when men see themselves as God’s enforcer—it is all to the degree you take it. As it has been repeatedly said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Do not expect us to believe you, as proclaimed Christians, would not abuse or be corrupted by power. Your claim to be above the temptations of power is already disproven as you herald a sociopathic con man and liar, who is repopulating ‘the swamp’ with his own sycophants and thieves to devastating effect, as our savior. Congress claims to be 90% Christian and yet a significant portion of our citizens view D.C as a moral cesspool. And it is. So much for trusting in ‘chariots and horses’ (Psalms 20:7) Christians…

This moral cesspool we accept, we support, as our government is exactly why Christians should run away from the idea of uniting Church and State. Do you know nothing of history? If you do, why would you think it would turn out any different this time? Do you still believe our chosen one is the only one telling the truth as he ruminates out loud about various ‘game changers’ amongst all the whining about how he is being mistreated as if he is the center of life? The damage being done to freedom, accountability, the economy, and countless people’s lives is almost incalculable. Millions are unemployed, thousands of business are facing financial ruin, and tens of thousands are dying as this man, our hope, spouts off one idiotic thing after another in his tireless efforts to self-promotion. Yet our man maintains the drivel about the ‘deep state’ and his promises to defeat it, and that he is the only one telling you the truth. The agent of change is in the house; the question is if this change is for better or worse. How deep does your delusion go Christian? Must you continue to delude yourselves, in good part by listening to the lies of your leaders, that Trump is an honest man?

The path of lies and liars does not lead to healing (Revelation 21:8.) I challenge you to provide one passage of scripture which shows the opposite. Do you have a passage which nullifies this?

“No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101: 7.)

It is simply amazing how the evil of so much obvious falsehood can remain unseen by the ‘faithful;’ and even if forced to look at the myriad of exaggerations, misrepresentations, and outright deceptions which are so blatant, the ‘faithful’ will either make excuses for the one God has allegedly chosen—that the lies are justified—or, or as crazy as it is, claim Trump, and his supporters, are the only ones telling the truth. If his lies are recognized and justified, it seems we’ve bought into the notion that it takes a liar, whose utter shamelessness in lying about just about everything acts as armor, to bring down a system of lies. A house of liars divided against itself (Matthew 12:26; Mark 3: 23-26; Luke 11: 18) will usher in the kingdom (and healing)?

The belief that Trump is the only one telling the truth is even more disturbing. If this is true, then there is no way to ‘fact check.’ All truth is partisan. Our champion continues to test our faith with bold, confident claims—each one standing on their own authority thus bludgeoning our discernment capabilities into oblivion so that we all give in to seek the protection of our champion and his tribe. The object of that allegiance is the standard of truth; there is no recognizable, independent ‘truth’ to bring us together otherwise. This should be terrifying if you know anything about human nature and history. Trump himself talks about the ‘real’ America and, by implication, everyone else. Watch this video documenting the disdain and aggression the faithful have towards someone they really know nothing about—all these people know is that the reporter represents ‘fake news.’ Our President, God’s choice, speaks approvingly of those ‘great’ Americans abusing that reporter. How, Christians, is this unitive? How is this peace-making? Is this how God wants us to represent Him? How does this behavior heal anything?

Please type ‘truth’ into your Bible search app and do a little reading—truth matters a great deal to God. Those who are disobedient to the truth, like those who follow teachers like Kenneth Copeland, Todd White, or Bill Johnson who teach obvious falsehoods that most anyone with a little ‘unfiltered’ study and knowledge of the scriptures could see through, are actually actively blinded for their disobedience (Deuteronomy 28: 28; 2 Thessalonians 2: 1- 12.) This is not unfair; and God is not interfering with your will, He is just handing you over to what you want. Truth is indifferent to what you want, it just is. Delusions however are greatly influenced by our desires. These teachers tell you to have great faith to move mountains—you want to be powerful, important, and in control. The same mechanisms and the temptations the Word-Faith conmen use to lure people are the same one’s political conmen use. The MAGA people come to be convinced that its ‘fake news’ and the ‘deep state’ which is keeping America from even greater greatness (never mind all the contradictions picking that line of reasoning apart.) The FAITH people blame the devil and his minions for our failures to become healthy and prosperous. We want the easy fix; we want it to be somebody else’s fault—we will listen to those who tell us what we want to hear and what we hear will become the authoritative truth. That is the delusion and it does not heal.

Some may say ‘healing’ requires pain. Often it does, I agree. We may say that separating the sheep from the goats requires a test of faith in we must maintain that faith against all reason. (Well, don’t we have a fine example of that here and now!) To this I answer: Perhaps if our leader was not proven liar of epic proportions but rather was an honest man of good character who was leading us down a painful road of hardship and suffering to which we didn’t fully understand how and why this path of action was going to right some wrong (but we still understood our leader had all of our interests in mind and was willing to suffer with us to prove it,) then yes. This indeed is Trump’s argument—we must struggle with him against ‘fake news’ and the ‘deep state.’ However, being led without full understanding requires trust; Trump is anything but trustworthy as he clearly demonstrates daily as measured against what is obvious and thoroughly documented.

Therefore, Trump is not worthy of being followed in any way, shape, or form; that is, if you are still rational. I do not have that kind of faith. But yet, as bad as this man is, I hold hope that this agent of change could provide us with the discipline we all need to lead us to repentance to turn from the world of lies into which we’ve immersed ourselves.

Yet, you the faithful may say that it is not in Trump we trust but in today’s prophets who have heralded the man as God’s choice to heal America. Faith, as we’ve been often taught, is most virtuous the further it departs from reason. This belief in the righteousness of blind faith comes from the doctrines of men and has brought nothing but sin, horrifying abuse, and senseless suffering. (Here is a great essay on the many evils of blind faith, “the most dangerous thing in the world.”) Never mind all the parts of The Trump Prophecy which did not come to pass; our commitment to celebrity demands we overlook obvious errors which might, in previous times, have got that ‘prophet’ killed. Never mind that as Christians stake their respective grounds, as I clearly have, two very violently conflicting views as to what God’s will for Christian action have arisen among those who once could abide each other’s differences—this is due to the increasing and shameless politization of our faith. You may say Trump is a tool towards holiness precisely because he is a divider. If this is true, then there are possible implied soteriological consequences if one sides against supporting Trump. I know full, good, and well that I am in the minority—about 75% of white evangelicals support Trump. I am part of the 7% of American Evangelicals who believe Trump has harmed our interests. I’ve been told, by a self-proclaimed prophet, that I am rebelling against the will of God by failing to submit to Trump and the Republicans. How crazy is this? Does this mean my salvation is at stake even though I affirm that which historically has been considered the essentials of the faith? I agree that somebody here is terribly wrong and is greatly misrepresenting the will of God to a lost world. Who’s wrong? Does reason decide based upon examining both special and general revelation or do we just rely upon the claims and charisma of those who claim to hear directly from God?  I’m going to argue for reason and show that unless we get back to some commonly examinable standard, the Bible, along with a grave concern, care, and respect for truth, as not defined by our common agreement, there is no way this nation will be truly healed. This nation is being ripped to pieces by the endless onslaught of lies and mass media manipulation specifically designed to undermine our confidence in anything being true. In such an environment, the pursuit of truth devolves into making commitments and offering loyalty to those who appear successful for a sense of stability and belonging; our ‘blind faith’ environment provides opportunity for con men to thrive.

The Bible calls us to reason many times…

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19: 17-18

Even though this is ‘Old Testament,’ the principles still apply. I’m still reaching out and trying to honestly reason with those still willing to listen. As to the second principle, God clearly said, ‘Vengeance is mine’ Deuteronomy 32: 35. We are not God’s enforcers; that is the role of the state (Romans 13: 1-7) which means logically if you seek to merge Church and State then you are appointing yourselves as the enforcers for God. It is not to say Christians cannot function in government as public servants, but they ought to avoid seeing specifically themselves as either enforcers of God’s Law or as evangelists in that function else risk serious corruption because of the power involved. We should rather seek to change hearts (which would certainly influence laws in a democratic society) by reasoning with our fellow human beings (1 Peter 3: 13- 17) rather than banding together to impose force upon those who are not part of our tribe.

Our political ambitions through decades of toil have brought some of the most serious divisions our society has had since the Civil Rights movement. I call this movement of ours selfish because it seeks power for itself ‘to do good’ including using power to create the conditions we commonly believe will bring the return of Christ to earth. The policies and actions throughout the decades heavily influenced (and even based) upon the prognostications of our seers have brought serious domestic strife and foreign war; con men like Trump take advantage of these (false) beliefs to empower themselves by garnering an unquestioning loyal following (by appearing to be fighting for the interests inspired by those (false) beliefs.) I fail to see how our movement, which is militant in method and very tolerant of the abuse of the ‘means’ (rule of law,) really seeks peace (at least my understanding of the word. See Genesis 26: 27- 31 for an example of how the Bible describes the process of making peace.) Peace, in our movement, is seen as achievable by employing force by means of a system which rewards selfishness and ruthless ambition and requires that we pledge loyalty to one man who is going to fix it all. We see peace as achieved by crushing the opposition against our champion. Is this what Jesus meant we He said, ‘the meek will inherit the earth’ and ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ (Matthew 5: 3- 12)? We’ve flipped everything on its head; peace is not found by acting as an example to good behavior, love, and reason to persuade but through the ‘selfless’ application of force in God’s name to do ‘His’ will. And so, Lord willing, this means of ‘peace’ will be sown to reap the harvest of righteousness (James 3: 13-18.) How Orwellian…      

I have a different definition of what peace is and how it should be sought. As parents we ought model the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23) so that our children will learn by example (John 13: 15; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1: 17; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 1: 16; 4: 12; James 5: 10; 1 Peter 2: 21; 1 Peter 5: 3.) If you are an overseer over anything (parent, pastor, politician, General, officer, manager,) scripture teaches we should not be ‘domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock’ (1 Peter 5:3.) Harshness stirs up rebellion and wrath, but gentleness brings healing (Proverbs 15: 1.) This obviously brings up the question on the legitimacy of using violent force to impose discipline on a societal level. Just how far do we take Solomon’s advice?

I know some may bring up ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ (Proverbs 23: 13-14) as a principle in favor of bringing Godly discipline to society, but the relationship Solomon prescribed his use of violent force (parent-child) to correct is not the same as between people in a democratic society. If you still insist upon applying this principle to society then you elevate yourselves above your fellow citizens, your fellow image-bearers, to suppose you are the parent—all adults (and children) who are not of your tribe none-the-less are your children subject to your rod. Tell me how that wouldn’t be abused? It’s both arrogant and selfish; and such elevation is not in the list of what is loving action (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.) Tell me how those image-bearers who do not see you as their legitimate parents would perceive your instruments of discipline? Just as an abused child struck without seeing the legitimacy of his crime nor the love of his parents would come to hate his abuser so also those who experience your ‘instruction’ would either rebel in anger against you as soon as they get the chance or cower in fear to ‘play the game’ and tell you what you want to hear so they won’t be punished. No hearts and minds won, just rebellion and fear. This is what terrible parenting begets. That is what the Christian Right seeks to do by uniting the wisdom of the Church with the hammer of the State. The State is violent just as some parents are violent (well-meaning or not)—is it absolutely true that ‘if you strike (the child) with a rod, you will save his soul from Sheol’ (Proverbs 23: 14) ?

‘Love’ by force is rape. That which inspires fear is anything but love (1 John 4:18.) A wise parent should be careful to not provoke children to anger (Ephesians 6: 4; Colossians 3: 21) but prove the motive for discipline is love. I think the ‘spare the rod’ maxim is terribly abused and often acts as a lazy way out for the parents; kids see this lack of concern to translate that into a sense of low self-worth (one is just a ‘disobedient’ irritant) and resentment. It certainly was the case for me. The science is clear that corporal punishment increases disobedience and aggression.

I was a terrible kid and still not a particularly good man. Why would Solomon make such a claim then? Did the belt save me from Sheol? I can say that my experiences led me away from using how I felt as a guide for what is true; if I would have, I’d be in a far different place—so, in that way, it may have. Yet, not all who have been struck (with a belt) will be saved nor all will be saved by that greatest act of selfless love made by Jesus Christ. There is simply no rational way to take Solomon’s advice as an absolute; striking your kid may be better than letting him run amok but might also be worse. The difference may be in motivation for the discipline in the first place. If your motivation for having well-behaved kids is to make you look good, then perhaps you need to rethink things. The kids are likely going to see through that—the ‘discipline’ in that case is more about you than about them. This is selfish. Likewise, when self-appointed ‘parents’ in a theocratically bent government see the bad behavior in society, like abortion or pornography for instance, they may think how this reflects upon their status and respectability as the leaders of the  ‘Christian Nation’ to take out the belt and let the kids have it. Who are you really concerned for? The State doesn’t do ‘love’ well even as it carries out the vital mission of keeping order—this is why church, and state should remain separate. We also might want to consider the fact that, overall, things are getting better in terms of violent behavior—contrary to what the doomsayers claim to keep you afraid and them in power. I agree with Professor Pinker that this general decline in violence is due to treating children better.

There is a deep lesson here which contradicts Solomon’s advice inspiring bleeding-heart liberals like me to rebel against the systems of force and violence both at the familial and societal levels—what is acceptable at one level will be acceptable on another. As agents of mercy we do the harder work of enduring evil (2 Timothy 2: 24- 26) having faith that, ‘(M)ercy triumphs over judgement’ (James 2:13.) We march on believing that love conquers all and Jesus did not call us to be enforcers (Matthew 5: 38- 48.) Instead of condemnation, we give soft answers which turn away wrath (Psalm 15: 1.) This does not mean we give up discernment (Matthew 10: 16) or integrity (Titus 2:17.) It means that we exercise these qualities as examples (1 Peter 5:3) without being polluted by the world’s methods of keeping order (1 Timothy 5: 22.) You cannot get fresh water from a salt spring (James 3: 11.) Likewise, you cannot combine the fresh water of the Gospel with the corrupt mechanisms of the State to still be able to offer fresh water. (It is a wonder to note that with all our history [read about John Calvin’s little theocracy for example] we still seem to believe this is possible.)

I feel compassion for those so misled by false teachers, so I try to persuade people away from them (2 Corinthians 5: 11.) I realize that the false teachers are ravenous wolves who seek to feed (Matthew 7: 15; Acts 20: 29.) They’ve always been here and always will be. Our central desire should be for truth (1 John 3: 18) and wisdom (James 3: 13- 18,) not power (Zechariah 4:6,) so that we can act wisely and lovingly with both strength and kindness as appropriate. Love rejoices with the truth, always hopes, always endures (1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7.) Love protects the cause of the weak (Exodus 23: 2, 6; Deuteronomy 24: 17- 18; 27:19) and upholds justice (Deuteronomy 16: 19- 20; Matthew 23: 23; Luke 11: 42.) This is the much harder road which requires that you abandon ‘ends justifies the means’ thinking Christian authoritarian. The current commitments to all that which is associated with the Trump Prophecies and the cynical power grabs of the Christian Right is severely sullying the message of peace. Your champion is the epitome of heartless corruption; your champion lacks compassion, perverts justice and bludgeons the truth daily. Turn back to the harder road and be a proper example to justice, mercy, and good conduct. Please consider another path.

We should witness by our commonly recognizable (Romans 2: 14-15) good behavior and by our love (John 13: 34- 35) not by displays of power, success, or prosperity. If there is love and the trust it naturally fosters there is no need for force. It is so sad that so many have bought into today’s nonsense which contradicts the clear teaching of scripture, yet we persist in denying both scripture and reason.

 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1: 18

I interpret this to mean God expects us to do this since, following this appeal, God lays out a legal argument against Israel and makes the case that only He can redeem. Nobody, not even you Christian Nationalists, can follow the law, and make other people follow the law, well enough to save anybody. St. Paul makes the argument that the law cannot save anybody in the book of Romans. Read it for yourself.

Jesus employed reason numerous times as the Pharisees of the time tried to entrap him. Remember when the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection) tried to trap him with the widow who kept killing off all her husbands? (bad joke: cause of death not established in the text.) Jesus went ‘out of the box’ and replied,

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” Mark 12: 25-27

Jesus used reason to solve the conundrum concerning who would be (or more accurately, not) married to who, but also used the witness of scripture to make a specific grammatical argument to show the Bible itself (which they claimed to care about) disproves their position on the resurrection. Should we not do the same? But today, our preachers, prophets, and apostles claim to have new, ‘fresh’ words from God. Because we believe ‘new is better’ our general (let alone are equipped to grapple with the deeper theological debates within historical Christianity) biblical knowledge has precipitously and shamelessly declined with the rise of the media driven celebrity preachers—the very kind of prophets and apostles who claim to be close to Trump. These ‘prophets’ are trying to replace the historic creedal understanding of Christianity with something else. Yet the cognitive dissonance is both palpable and confusing since although ~70% of Evangelicals believe Trump is forwarding their interests just 5% believe God chose Trump because of Trump’s policies.

This dissonance gives me hope even though it doesn’t help that biblical ignorance has become so commonplace which has allowed the false teachers a voice and significant influence as some may still fear that these people speak for God. There is hope in this fight to point our faith back to reason just as in our history as Athanasius was repeated banished as Arius had the upper hand. Athanasius contra mundum–trinitarian theology survived the popularist assault to be upheld by church council to be accordance with reason (being a mystery, not a contradiction— i.e. law of identity: Being ≠ Person) and scripture. Today’s popularist assault capitalizes upon the anxiety of declining Christian influence, well-earned, to propose a solution of banding together politically to reclaim this nation for Christ. Since, as I’ve shown above, that it is rationally impossible to make a biblical case for building a Christian theocracy because such a system (contrary to the denials) would act to make internal spiritual transformations by the use of worldly external power, antithetical to all Jesus taught, a foundation must be laid for a new generation of prophets to arise—giving us ‘fresh’ words relevant to today’s world.

I’ve read ‘biblical’ arguments for Christian Nationalism—to borrow a phrase, ‘scripture twisting that would make a Jehovah’s Witness blush’ is appropriate. General biblical ignorance with a heavy reliance on the authority of today’s prophets and apostles is a better plan for this push. Just as the Catholic Church set itself up as the intermediary between God and man in the Middle Ages to grab its share of political power, so to the Christian Nationalists are feathering their nests as well. Making this system acceptable to the masses requires the appearance of piety. Does the appearance of ‘piety’ heal? (What is ‘piety’ anyway?)

The pious may quote (twist) scripture, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is you are not of God” (John 8: 47) to encourage people to hear the ‘new’ words of God. The image of the ‘frog in the pot’ applies here. Decades of charismatic influence has wormed its way into Christian culture, from seemingly harmless things—personal prophetic utterances and words of encouragement—to eventually get to today’s very bold claims which seek ways to get Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom. Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but it is curious that biblical knowledge continues to decline amongst those who claim to respect the Bible as the Word of God.  

There are many factors and distractions involved, but I do think that many see their religious ‘fix’ as occurring once or twice a week in a experiential format which is more ‘real’ (and less boring) than careful study, discussion, and reflection. This has been the trend as people talk about how a service made them feel. Of course, feeling things is not necessarily bad but it is again curious that experientialism is demonstrably not leading to greater biblical knowledge among the adherents. Churches keep getting bigger as denominational oversight diminishes—celebrity pastors are all the rage. We’re here to experience God with exciting music, a light show, and an uplifting message—apparently, it’s all we need to know. People do not realize how much power and control they are handing their leaders by remaining biblically ignorant. Power seeking people will fill this vacuum as fewer are equipped to challenge a common mantra, ‘touch not the Lord’s Anointed.’

It seems clear to me from the decline in biblical literacy among those influenced by the Word-Faith/New Apostolic Reformation folks that reliance upon the ‘new, fresh’ words is supplanting the authority of the established canon of scripture. Today’s sheep are thus ill-equipped to test the words of their leaders; they just trust blindly that they are not being lied to—and are being taught that this ‘faith’ is far more virtuous than mine which demands to be shown the words and history (Acts 17: 11.) For those still stuck in the authority of the (written) Word, the NAR folks are ‘flooding the zone’ with their own ‘translation’ (The Passion Translation) of the Bible which fraudulently upholds NAR doctrines which insist upon ‘fresh’ words for today. Their strategy is working to concentrate the remaining faithful into their ranks as the overall numbers of those who identify as Christians continues to shrink. This is not a new phenomenon; the Bible speaks of those who through their ‘dreams’ usurp authority to elevate themselves. Let’s compare the ESV and the TPT to examine their differences in a passage warning of false teachers to show you that I’m not just making this up.

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude 1: 8-13 English Standard Version

Now the Passion Translation’s interpretation…

“In the same way, these sensual “dreamers” corrupt and pollute the natural realm, while on the other hand they reject the spiritual realms of governmental power and repeatedly scoff at heavenly glories. Even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil over the body of Moses, dared not insult or slander him, but simply said, “The Lord Yahweh rebuke you!” These people insult anything they don’t understand. They behave like irrational beasts by doing whatever they feel like doing. Because they live by their animal instincts, they corrupt themselves and bring about their own destruction. How terrible it is for them! For they have followed in the steps of Cain. They have abandoned themselves to Balaam’s error because of their greedy pursuit of financial gain. And since they have rebelled like Korah rebelled, they will experience the same fate of Korah and likewise perish. These false teachers are like dangerous hidden reefs at your love feasts, lying in wait to shipwreck the immature. They feast among you without reverence, having no shepherd but themselves. They are clouds with no rain, swept along by the winds. Like fruitless late-autumn trees—twice dead, barren, and plucked up by the roots! They are wild waves of the sea, flinging out the foam of their shame and disgrace. They are misleading like wandering stars, for whom the complete darkness of eternal gloom has been reserved.” Jude 1: 8-13 The Passion Translation

Notice first that the TPT is much wordier. Most Bible translations use committees of trained language scholars who keep each other accountable to the best vetted source material. The TPT has a translation ‘committee’ of one untrained apostle Brian Simmons who claims to have personally visited heaven a few times and to have seen heaven’s library. Simmons even admitted that he was tempted to lift John 22 from said library but he was told by an angelic being that we all weren’t ready for it yet (just wait….) Next notice that ‘these people’ (ESV) is ‘translated’ to “sensual ‘Dreamers’” in the TPT. This is a big deal. In the ESV translation, the false teachers rely on (trust in) dreams (or visions) to usurp authority (which I interpret to mean authoritative scripture—which the Bereans demanded Acts 17 :11) in order to blaspheme the messengers (angels, eyewitness apostles, and even Jesus Himself) and thus teach fabrications of their own making. The TPT ‘translation,’ puts the words into a blender, hits the button, and then adds a bunch of his own to the mix (Proverbs 30: 6) thus drastically changing the meaning. The TPT uses the words ‘sensual dreamers’ (thus grammatically altering the subject) to imply that the people being referred to in this passage are focused on being sexually immoral while rejecting the ‘spiritual realms of governmental power’ (whatever that means) to scoff at that which may seek to restrain their sensual desires. The TPT removes ‘dreams’ as a source of false teaching—important to pave the road for those who claim to personally to hear from God (or even visit heaven) thus giving ‘authority’ to their teaching. An NAR teacher, using the TPT as an ‘authority,’ could very well instruct the faithful that these ‘dreamers’ are those who have bought into the dream (or fantasy) that sensual pleasure is a type of salvific path to happiness and fulfillment. Having established a context for who the dreamers are, the following passage, “These people insult anything they don’t understand. They behave like irrational beasts by doing whatever they feel like doing” can then be easily taught simply that being given over to sensuality means losing your rationality. The ESV simply teaches that false teachers do not know the scriptures (Mark 12: 24) thus are blaspheming (insulting, speaking evil of) against the heavenly beings who brought the Word (and all those who worked so diligently to preserve the Word) when they speak of things about which they have no understanding. The false teachers are just making things up out their gut—reason leaves, and destruction remains as a result. The TPT, having linked false teachers with those who teach sexual immorality, ensures NAR teachers are safe from what the rest of the passage warns us about if they don’t go around teaching sexual immorality. Funny enough, loosening restraints upon sexual morality is what a majority of Christians believe is a big reason people are leaving the faith (along with misconduct by Christian leaders.) 29% believe the decline is due to ‘Christian’ involvement in conservative politics. Since sexuality outweighs ‘Christian’ involvement in politics as a cause of our decline, these numbers imply the growing influence of these NAR teachings infiltrating the culture at large.  

An additional benefit to NAR teachers is the TPT’s injection of nebulous concepts like the “spiritual realms of governmental power” and “heavenly glories” into the ‘holy’ script. Those who question what these terms could possibly mean could very well be those who “insult anything they don’t understand…” and do thus “whatever they feel like doing” despite God’s (alleged) desire. It’s not that big of a stretch to suppose that one does not necessarily have be actively teaching sexual immorality to be part of the accursed group “lying in wait to shipwreck the immature.” Since NAR apostles regularly teach about bring heaven to earth, those “spiritual realms of governmental power” could be interpreted as being today’s apostolic networks which actively seek to incorporate with current political power structures—which they have been doing for decades. The ‘heavenly glories’ may be interpreted as the ‘signs and wonders’ evangelism that teachers like Bill Johnson talk about as that which will reach the lost of today; those, like me, who scoff at these parlor tricks, er… ‘heavenly glories,’ may be those ‘irrational beasts’ who supposed to set themselves against God’s movement of today. Thus, the obfuscation of the TPT’s ‘translation’ provides double cover for these ‘super apostles’ to do their work—all the lip service to reverence these people express towards the written Word is nullified by their widespread endorsement of the TPT abomination.  Those who call into question these new super-apostles (who by dreams and visions claim ‘authority’) by referring to yesterday’s ‘good news’ may be easily seen as being God’s enemies. There can be no healing of reconciliation or compromise; there can be only submission—either to the truth (no mere human is the ‘source’ of it) as we hold each other accountable through reason, confession, and scholarship (Luke 17:3; Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12; 1 John 4:1; Hebrews 3: 12- 13; Genesis 2: 18; Proverbs 27:17; James 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) or we submit to some group of charismatic fellows in charge of the “spiritual realms of governmental power.” Of all those scriptures listed above, apostle Bill Johnson (one of the more recognizable name in that crowd) refuses to accept any rebuke, critique, or criticism of what he teaches—he really thinks he is that special and, as such, is beyond reproach—and yes, he loves The Passion Translation.  

There is a common intersect between the growing reliance on charismatic figureheads in both the political and religious realms. The Seven Mountain Mandate actively seeks the merger of church and state. As we see it, the laws and traditions in the political realm are fundamentally corrupt as they are ‘secular’ hence they ought to be redeemed by being Christianized. Can this be done? Machiavelli was right to point out that Christian values are incompatible with the values of the State—yet the myth has been built, we are a ‘Christian’ nation whose best days are yet to come. We don’t even consider the possibility of corruption, for both sides, in both purpose and method, in the merger—we are too arrogant for that. People honestly believe Trump, although ‘vain, insensitive, and raw,’ is the best hope we have because he ‘loves America.’

Those who complain of Christianity’s ‘declining influence’ do not see that we have won—our culture now dominates in the halls of State. Better than 90% of our lawmakers identify as ‘Christian’ as does our President, Vice President, Secretary of State, and numerous others throughout the administration who surround themselves with the Apostles and Prophets of the New Reformation to guide them. Homage and proper respects must be paid; just as the newly minted Apostles are untouchable as the ‘Lord’s Anointed’ so as well Trump ought to be free to rule as he sees fit.

Our New Apostolic Leadership, our prophets and pastors, promise miracles and divine protection staking our witness upon the efficacy of those claims; we’re getting sick anyway as we keep repeating the mantra that we will do ‘even greater things’ (John 14: 12) )as one ‘Psalm 91’ declaration after another fails to bring (the Word-Faith’s version of the) ‘even greater things’ than the miracle of Christ’s resurrection and the testimony of suffering the eyewitness Apostles endured to tell the story. (Could it be that the ‘greater things’ are people believing having not seen as the eyewitnesses had (John 20: 29; Hebrews 11: 1; 1 Peter 1:8)?) It could be that simple.) But we now hold to ‘signs and wonders,’ like the ‘Glory Cloud’ at Bethel, or Todd White’s parlor trick ‘street healings’ (no shortage of videos on Youtube,) rather than the testimony recorded in the Bible—that’s old and weak, we are doing ‘greater things’ now.

Likewise, since the laws, statutes, traditions, and procedures which were designed to regulate the cesspool, that is Washington D.C., to our satisfaction, the aggrieved now seem to accept the idea of trusting one man, our anointed, to openly smash the balances of power that those means provide.  It seems the aggrieved do not understand that the man Trump is strongly incentivized to keep us fearful, angry, divided, and suspicious of the institutions which have served as balance in the past, because that is what increases not only his power but the chance that he gets to keep his job; we do not see that the ‘Lord’s Anointed’ are incentivized to keep the faithful biblically ignorant, suspicious of the concept of equals (Colossians 3:11) under a commonly accepted authority (Acts 17:11) to then hold each other accountable (Proverbs 27:17; James 5: 19-20,) so they, the ‘Anointed,’ may be called ‘Rabbi,’ have the positions of honor at banquets and the like, order people about, and, of course, keep the money flowing. The cultures of Church and State have merged, the methodologies and justifications are much the same; the ends-justifies-the-means brings us our healing as we use government power to build a righteous world in line with the Seven-Mountain-Mandate. Churches are being infected all over the world with this mindset through Christian music and mass media. I do not envy conscientious pastors trying to keep this out of their respective churches.

As I sum up the Rise of CHRINOS: Judging by how we act, how well we play pretend, and who we’ve chosen to follow, the apparent purpose of our healing is to bring our success, our prosperity, our strength to bear so we may be the envy of the world. Our witness will be imitated as those around the world do as we do in order to be like us—this is our strategy. Truth is what we make of it, appearances and bluster suffice to cover our lack of empirical evidence of effective result. No one dare question, for to believe in what is yet unseen is the greatest testimony to Our Great Faith in the merger which is ushering in the new world. We will show how great is our piety as the old institutions which separated powers, in which we held each other accountable, are junked to prepare us emotionally and spiritually for the coming benevolent dictatorship of Christ Almighty—our pious submission to those who now rule in his stead are preparing us well for that day soon to come. Is not the Lord with us (Micah 3: 11)? Our submission to the State is righteous for it is God’s State; CHRINOs has risen.

Whether it stays risen is your choice. Perhaps there will be a child who state the obvious and convince the rest of us to once again walk in freedom. One last try for today; consider the words of Christ,

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.” (Matthew 22: 15-22.)

Will we stop judging on appearances (a whole lot of talk, boasts, and projections) to render a proper judgment (John 7: 24) that the State should be, as Christ taught, regarded as a separate entity from the Church? Shall we repent from placing our faith in a liar, and in a system, which has no mercy upon the most vulnerable (as it seeks to set one interest against another to further empower itself?) If we did this to once again embrace freedom from the State, then we could be healed from our arrogance for trusting in political power and our ignorance of scriptural imperatives. Will we repent?

Since the restraint of laws, bureaucracies, and traditions, which have served as restrictions upon the centralization of power, has been rejected, so that our central power is apparently only accountable to the voter, it seems the future of the Church as a rising political power, is entangled with the results of the next election. If Trump is reelected (by whatever means) then the prophecy would be confirmed in the minds of the majority. The Christian Right is strongly incentivized to reelect the one in whom so much hope has been placed and will do whatever it takes to make this happen. The fact that most Christians believe the authoritarianism of Trump and our increasing reliance upon the power of the State to forward our interests shows that the slope has been amply greased. There is no Bible to support placing our hope in the State hence the active interest our leaders have in keeping us ignorant yet feeling pious is clear. Our healing could start with the next election. Will we abandon our investment? If we choose the liar, the petulant child, the abusive whiner who surrounds himself with little pharisaical wannabe tyrants and bootlickers trumpeting ‘God’s America,’ then the choice, as the nation, will have been made; we’ll have declared the emperor to have clothes of resplendent majesty to whom we owe our godly allegiance. The ‘truth’ will have been declared as we keep singing about God’s ‘Reckless Love.’ Our new world will be better for some, and much worse for others.

If this happens, I will mourn; the ‘city on the hill’ then may as well be Atlantis, sunken below the waves dead and gone, its only power lies in inspiring myths of freedom, innovation, equality, and opportunity for all. Most Christians will have chosen their prophets and bowed their knees to the power of the State—righteous and sure. But, as always, I take solace in the fact there will always be those who will not surrender—the truth of this was revealed in a whisper (1 Kings 19: 9-18) and, I believe, remains true to this day. May I not lose hope. I am not alone. Healing will come someday as I relinquish all attempts to control when (and how) this happens—and persuade others to the same; so help me God.

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?