In order to keep the slander and malice down to a minimum - here is a post from our very own CC member JGIG and this is her synopsis of things.
" Welcome, and may God grant you wisdom and discernment as you consider all of these things.
The thing about false teachers is this: They are a dime-a-dozen. In order for the Body to be protected, She needs to know what Truth is, so the primary goal at JGIG is to build believers up in who they are in Christ so that when a falsehood comes across their path, they'll readily recognize and reject it.
If more believers were focused on building each other up and spurring each other on to maturity, less sheep would be getting fleeced and the false teachers would have far fewer vulnerable folks to take advantage of.
I do know one thing: Scaring the sheep does nothing to EQUIP them. It only makes them suspicious and untrusting of everyone and everything. Many drop out of fellowship altogether because they come to believe there is no safe place; no good churches out there. It's a sad state of affairs where segments of the Body are more fearful and neurotic than the world we're supposed to be ministering to!
I don't ascribe to the 'name it claim it' stereotypical health and wealth WOF paradigm.
That said, I don't reject that God does heal and does bless us because He loves us and in order for us to bless others, either, and often does so in unexplainable ways.
I listen to teachers who are on both sides of that fence - you can go to the Media Page on my site and read through teachers that I recommend who do an excellent job of communicating the Gospel. I have a short write-up about each teacher with what I like and if there are any caveats I think need to be given. Any disagreements I have with any of them are far outweighed by the good fruit of their ministries and the overall sound teaching that they offer.
Everyone needs to weigh what they see and hear - folks need to pray for discernment and listen to the Spirit of God within them and compare what they're hearing/seeing to what the Bible plainly AND contextually says.
Example in Discernment - Joseph Prince
Let me take a teacher who has gotten both support and raked over the coals here at CC, Joseph Prince. I've watched/listened to a bunch of his stuff, and in my opinion, he's one of the best teachers of the Gospel, the New Covenant, the Work of Christ, and the High Priesthood of Christ, and he lovingly and with good humor, builds up the believer in who they are in Christ. He also has a great ability to show how nearly everything in the Old Testament points to and foreshadows the realities that are in Christ.
That said, I think his teaching on the Lord's Supper is a little weird, and he does lean toward the 'claim your healing' mentality, which is, I believe, a reflection of his WOF 'roots' (self admitted). Those are the only things I have disagreements with him on that I've found (and I don't listen to him regularly, but have listened to a bunch of his stuff).
Regarding his teachings on wealth/prosperity, one needs to understand a few things:
- Joseph Prince defines prosperity as having what you need plus extra so that you can bless/minister to others
- Joseph Prince does not take a salary from his church (hasn't for years)
- Joseph Prince's income is from his books
- There are very active ministries at JP's church - they are not just a bunch of money-grubbing, selfish people looking to live in nice houses and drive nice cars. New Creation Church is a pipeline where money flows in, money flows out in ministry: New Creation Church - Outreach
- Joseph Prince's broadcasts - every single one that I've heard - ALWAYS says that they believe that your giving should go to your local church FIRST, and that if you feel led, that they welcome any support you feel led to give to them. There is NO 'sow your seed with this ministry and God will bless you' schtick AT ALL at NCC or preached by JP.
Heresy Hunters and Joseph Prince
Now some heresy hunters will often cite JP's self-admitted WOF 'roots' and then go about tearing apart Kenneth Hagin and every other WOF teacher they can think of in their articles that are 'exposing' Joseph Prince. Other heresy hunters will rip JP apart and call him a false teacher because he teaches eternal security. Then the Reformed heresy hunters will tell us how JP must be a heretic because he believes that the gifts of the Spirit are for today. The Holiness heresy hunters will rail against JP's teachings about Grace.
FEW, IF ANY of them will have sat down and actually watched a number of JP's teachings and evaluated what he actually teaches, but instead join in the feeding frenzy of snippets taken out of context by other heresy hunters aiming to take him down. Meanwhile, his teaching is setting thousands and thousands of viewers free and his ministry is flourishing.
Where these types cross the line is when they turn a disagreement that they have with someone doctrinally on a secondary issue and turn it into "So and so is a heretic/satanist/controlled by a demon" type stuff. Gee whiz, people! State your disagreement, give your opinion, back it up with what you believe Scripture has to say on the matter, and let the reader/listener/viewer examine the issues and make up their own mind.
It's always instructive to look into the 'ministries' of these heresy hunting types - their overall demeanor, who they DO approve of and what those folks teach, and the fruit of their ministries. Many times they're just miserable, wounded, Christians who don't fellowship in real churches and interact with real people where they have to build real relationships but limit their interaction with others to the internet.
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I have more to respond to on this thread - don't know if I'll have the time. Yesterday I was resting from a brutally scheduled weekend that started on Thursday and had time to sit and type, but don't have that luxury today. We'll see what I can get to as my evening goes along.
Thanks for the kind words from many of you - praying you can help sort out MsSuzanna, that she would be willing/able to see that what she is doing is not for the benefit of the Body, but actually works toward tearing it down. The whole title of the thread, "Evangelical White Magic" . . . really? Totally designed for shock value and to stir up fear and anger. It's also misrepresentative of most Evangelicals out there. To broad-brush Evangelicism as practicing White Magic is simply a lie.
Indeed, the author of the article the OP cites (and I had to trace it back a step or two to find the source) is a conspiracy-behind-every-bush type of guy,
Brannon Howse. If anyone would like to peek into his way of behaving, take some time to read through an account of some who have had some interaction with him:
An Open Letter To Brannon Howse [UPDATED] I've had some interaction with the authors at Sola Sisters, and even though they hold to Reformed theology and I don't, we've had some very nice interactions, which speaks to their character.
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So for those on this thread who don't know me as well as others, I'm not a naïve type of believer who thinks all is posies and daffodils out there - I know that's not true. There is an Enemy out there who actively seeks to do harm to the Body of Christ.
I also know that He Who is in me is GREATER than he who is in the world! The Enemy has NO power I don't give him. The Enemy was defeated at the Cross and his greatest remaining weapon is deception. The best defense? KNOW WHAT'S TRUE AND STAND ON IT. The Gospel is the core of all Truth, and when we have a firm grasp on
- Who Christ is
- What He came to do
- What that actually accomplished, and
- What that means for those who put their faith and trust in Christ and who they are in Him.
. . . and we equip ourselves and other believers with those foundational Truths, then when someone with something that is counterfeit approaches them, they'll recognize it and know to reject it because of how well they know what's TRUE in CHRIST.
The solution to false/bad teaching out there is building up and equipping the Body of Christ about who She is in Christ. Address falsehoods, show where they are in error, and then move on to building up and equipping with contextual, Biblical Truth.
And this is long and I'll end it here. Kudos to you if you made it this far
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Grace and peace,
-JGIG
