Here we are back for the second entry of week nine of this blog entitled "Who Can We Trust? Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth!" We've been discussing who we can and can't trust in mainstream evangelicalism today. Today is on the negative and we'll be focusing on Bill Johnson and his ministry Bethel Church which gave us Bethel music, Jesus Culture, and Kim Walker-Smith which are very popular on the contemporary christian music circuit. They say a lot of things that sound good but I hope to bring to your attention today the foundation upon which they're founded which is full of heresies and false doctrine. In case you missed the first few weeks worth of entries I do suggest that you go back and read them as well when you're finished here.
We can all agree that we live in a generation and culture(if you're in America) of easy believism where people have the ability to get their message out to millions with just the click of a mouse. With that said, there is a slew of theological information at our fingertips. One quick google search and you can get commentary and scripture interpretation from Billy Graham to Benny Hinn and everything in between. With so many choices and the deceitfulness of our own hearts we're apt to listen to whomever we "like" or whomever our friends listen to or whatever makes us feel good. In light of this reality let us be diligent in determining who we let speak into our life! Every heretic speaks some truth sometimes or no one would listen. My goal over the next few months is to do two blogs a week, both critiquing prominent evangelicals in our day, one on someone who is trustworthy, someone who rightly divides the Word, someone who doesn't twist the scriptures, and the other on someone who is untrustworthy, possibly deceived, and even possibly an apostate, who for filthy lucre, distorts the Gospel. Let me say up front that there may be some of these critiques that you absolutely agree with and some you may vehemently reject and at times you may think that I'm being judgmental, harsh, or you may even think I'm crazy but I challenge you to research the Word and the person and then decide. I will praise some of these men and I will reject others, it's not personal but as a Pastor with a Pastor's heart I feel compelled to protect the flock from wolves and to lead the flock to spiritual food that will equip them for this life and the next, that is the sole intent behind these blog entries! Lets get started!
Today's blog crosses a few lines today as it will hit on popular music, musicians such as Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, Kim Walker-Smith, Bethel Church, and it's source of heresy Bill Johnson. Johnson is another proponent of the WoF(Word of Faith) heresy that has ravaged the American church in the past several decades. With his pride concerning his friendship with fellow WoF false teacher Benny Hinn we see clearly the circle in which he runs and the theology to which he holds and we must be vigilant in our denouncing the false doctrines which he, Bethel church, and Bethel music proclaim!
From crazy stories of the worship services at Bethel where they're taught to roll on the floor and bark like a dog to represent being filled with the spirit to blowing feathers and gold dust out of the duct work to give a false picture of the glory of God to prophesies that fail to convulsions and demonic laughter, to all the crazy things you could conjure up in your mind that a cult may do which is exactly what they are!
All the kooky trickery that Bethel is known for ranges from these glory clouds, to fire tunnels, grave sucking, dancing, chanting, healing, creepy laughter, and speaking in tongues. Oh, and this false prophecy, lots and lots of false prophecy was described by one former student named Chris is no different than when a psychic does a cold reading. Only one out of every hundred prophecies are "true." We hear all about those, which they catalog along with their "miracles" like a baptist church does its baptisms. We never hear about the failures.
The danger is that with Bethel Music and Jesus Culture are touring the country and millions are singing along blindly not knowing the heresy that the words they're are founded upon!
The veil was pulled back on the dark side of Bethel's reckless charismaticism when stories of their craziness became a disruption in the community to the point that it has cost people their lives. Perhaps you've heard the story about a man who fell down a cliff and some students of Bethel attempted to heal him before they finally got help. There's another about a young man who died after an asthma attack. Neighborhood Bethelites wasted precious time trying to heal him instead of calling 911.
This is where theology becomes really important. It really doesn't matter how much good Bethel does in their town. It doesn't matter that Bethel produces quality and inspiring music being sung all over the world, even in otherwise doctrinally sound churches. It doesn't even matter where you fall in the cessationism-vs-continuationism debate, whether you believe miracles are still common or not. What Bethel Church is doing is deeply and deceptively demonic.
Johnson teaches about a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. He and many other word-of-faith charismatic preachers believe that when the Bible says Jesus left His throne in heaven and "emptied Himself" (Philippians 2:7), He actually gave up being divine. The incarnate Christ was fully man but not at all God. When Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection, it wasn't as our substitute but as a model. Any one of us are capable of the same perfection. Jesus didn't do miracles because He was God. He did miracles to show us that we can do them, too, if we just believe that we can. What heresy!
From denying the divinity of Christ, the sufficiency of scripture, to affirming the WoF ideas that we're "little god's," and false prophets like Benny Hinn and Todd White we are under a massive weight of evidence that the teachings of Bill Johnson and Bethel church should be refuted, rebuked, and proclaimed heresy and that we should avoid and abstain from the arms of this heretical ministry in the music of Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, and Kim Walker-Smith! They each elevate experience above the authority of God's Word, thus opening the door for mystical experiences that no one can question.
I pray for your discernment and your desire to seek truth and refrain from the lies! God Bless!
Today's blog crosses a few lines today as it will hit on popular music, musicians such as Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, Kim Walker-Smith, Bethel Church, and it's source of heresy Bill Johnson. Johnson is another proponent of the WoF(Word of Faith) heresy that has ravaged the American church in the past several decades. With his pride concerning his friendship with fellow WoF false teacher Benny Hinn we see clearly the circle in which he runs and the theology to which he holds and we must be vigilant in our denouncing the false doctrines which he, Bethel church, and Bethel music proclaim!
From crazy stories of the worship services at Bethel where they're taught to roll on the floor and bark like a dog to represent being filled with the spirit to blowing feathers and gold dust out of the duct work to give a false picture of the glory of God to prophesies that fail to convulsions and demonic laughter, to all the crazy things you could conjure up in your mind that a cult may do which is exactly what they are!
All the kooky trickery that Bethel is known for ranges from these glory clouds, to fire tunnels, grave sucking, dancing, chanting, healing, creepy laughter, and speaking in tongues. Oh, and this false prophecy, lots and lots of false prophecy was described by one former student named Chris is no different than when a psychic does a cold reading. Only one out of every hundred prophecies are "true." We hear all about those, which they catalog along with their "miracles" like a baptist church does its baptisms. We never hear about the failures.
The danger is that with Bethel Music and Jesus Culture are touring the country and millions are singing along blindly not knowing the heresy that the words they're are founded upon!
The veil was pulled back on the dark side of Bethel's reckless charismaticism when stories of their craziness became a disruption in the community to the point that it has cost people their lives. Perhaps you've heard the story about a man who fell down a cliff and some students of Bethel attempted to heal him before they finally got help. There's another about a young man who died after an asthma attack. Neighborhood Bethelites wasted precious time trying to heal him instead of calling 911.
This is where theology becomes really important. It really doesn't matter how much good Bethel does in their town. It doesn't matter that Bethel produces quality and inspiring music being sung all over the world, even in otherwise doctrinally sound churches. It doesn't even matter where you fall in the cessationism-vs-continuationism debate, whether you believe miracles are still common or not. What Bethel Church is doing is deeply and deceptively demonic.
Johnson teaches about a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. He and many other word-of-faith charismatic preachers believe that when the Bible says Jesus left His throne in heaven and "emptied Himself" (Philippians 2:7), He actually gave up being divine. The incarnate Christ was fully man but not at all God. When Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection, it wasn't as our substitute but as a model. Any one of us are capable of the same perfection. Jesus didn't do miracles because He was God. He did miracles to show us that we can do them, too, if we just believe that we can. What heresy!
From denying the divinity of Christ, the sufficiency of scripture, to affirming the WoF ideas that we're "little god's," and false prophets like Benny Hinn and Todd White we are under a massive weight of evidence that the teachings of Bill Johnson and Bethel church should be refuted, rebuked, and proclaimed heresy and that we should avoid and abstain from the arms of this heretical ministry in the music of Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, and Kim Walker-Smith! They each elevate experience above the authority of God's Word, thus opening the door for mystical experiences that no one can question.
I pray for your discernment and your desire to seek truth and refrain from the lies! God Bless!
