Does This String of Incredible Coincidences Connect Dr. Michael Brown to the NAR?

FYI, this is is the last Messed Up Church article posted as a blog on Pirate Christian Media. Because Steve needed more room, he built a whole website! Check out out the new and improved Messed Up Church for a LOT more content: The Messed Up Church

New Apostolic Reformation

Dr. Michael Brown is trying very hard to make it appear like the New Apostolic Reformation barely even exists. He's recently completed an entire program devoted to distancing himself from the movement he doesn't think is real. In the process of describing the thing he doesn't believe exists, he ends up explaining some of the core beliefs of the movement itself... you know, the movement that doesn't really exist.

It seems that Dr. Brown fluctuates between two opposing ideas:

• On one hand, he wants people to believe that the NAR isn't real and if you believe in it you're "chasing shadows." He ridicules NAR critics as "conspiracy theorists," which is really a meaningless smear intended to stop people from even looking into the matter.

• On the other hand, he describes the specific ideas coming from the leaders of the NAR (primarily the late C. Peter Wagner) and he makes it clear that he doesn't agree with all of those ideas.

Here's a brief compilation video showing how Dr. Brown contradicts himself on the existence of the NAR:

In Dr. Brown's radio show he described some of the specific beliefs of the NAR and how he doesn't agree with them. While it is very good that Dr. Brown has explained why he doesn't believe in or agree with certain NAR teachings, like "Dominionism" and the NAR's idea of authoritative contemporary Apostles, he knows (and promotes) plenty of NAR leaders who hold to these very views. Looking at all the ways that Dr. Michael Brown is closely associated with the NAR, one would have to believe in a lot of incredible coincidences to think that Brown has nothing to do with the NAR.

Pirate Christian Media has done a lot of research, writing and podcasting on this issue, but Dr. Brown says that we're "not credible" because we're "unethical." Why are we "not credible?" Because he says so. Why are we "unethical?" Because he says so. This is another thought-stopping device. His gullible listeners will hear those accusations and assume they must be true. But we've provided reams of evidence to support our assertions about Dr. Brown (as well as links to more information at other websites). Dr. Brown has such a bias against Pirate Christian Media that when Chris Rice called into his radio show to ask him some tough questions about the prosperity gospel, Brown talked over him and turned off his mic because he thought he was Chris Rosebrough; check out this article to hear that story: The Brown Rice Controversy. Here's a series of really good articles and videos about Dr. Michael Brown from Chris Rice's blog: Is Not Satire on Dr. Michael Brown

Here’s another article with tremendous evidence of Dr. Brown’s NAR connections: Dr. Michael Brown’s NAR USCAL Agenda to Dictate, Govern, Rule, Control, Infiltrate: Usher in New Apostolic Reformation

In this sound clip of Fighting for the Faith, Chris Rosebrough plays an audio clip where Dr. Michael Brown is pretending he knows very little about the "so-called" NAR in a recent podcast, but then in another audio clip from 2010 (seven years earlier) he sounded completely different, like he knew exactly what the NAR was and what the core beliefs were and who the primary leaders were... you know, the movement that doesn't really exist:

Let's take a look at the incredible string of coincidences: 

Dr. Michael Brown is published by Destiny House, a New Apostolic Reformation book company that clearly believes its purpose is to publish the "words of God" from the new prophets of God. Here's a post about an article from Destiny House publisher, Larry Sparks: "We Need to Get Weird Again"

Destiny House Publishing is a publisher that publishes Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Danny Silk, T. D. Jakes, Myles Munroe, Sid Roth, Doug Addison, Chuck Pierce, Heidi Baker, James Goll, John Crowder, John & Carol Arnott, Rick Joyner, Patricia King, Todd Bentley, Shawn Bolz, Randy Clark... and DR. MICHAEL BROWN. (What a coincidence, huh?)

Here's a brand new Destiny House book that features Bill Johnson, Lou Engle, James Goll and... DR. MICHAEL BROWN:

Dr. Michael Brown has no problem recommending the NAR's new Bible translation called The Passion Translation from Brian Simmons. This is not a real Bible at all, but the work of one man who doesn't know the original languages but nevertheless wrote his own version of the Bible. Adding totally new thoughts, ideas and "revelations" to the Word of God is okay with Dr. Brown (he thinks the Passion Bible is: "passionate, vibrant, powerful, and beautiful;" but admits that it shouldn't be a primary Bible):

The Passion Translation is not just a little different, it actually changes the meaning of passages to fit the agenda of the NAR. Here's an article with just a handful of shocking examples: A New NAR Bible-Drastic Differences by Holly Pivec.  Wanna see what kind of snake-oil salesman Brian Simmons is? Watch him on Sid Roth's TV Show: John Chapter 22 is Really Important (But God Won't Allow Us to Read It Yet)

Let's talk a little bit about Sid Roth.

Sid Roth has no problem inviting the very fringe of the fringe of the Hyper-Charismatic, New Apostolic Reformation crowd onto his ridiculous and embarrassing show called "It's Supernatural." If Sid Roth can sell some books, CDs and DVDs, he'll invite anyone with an unbelievable story to come on the show and make some money. This is the worst kind of salesmanship to extract money from the vulnerable and naive. Every show sells something (a book/CD package, usually) that makes outrageous promises that it clearly can't deliver. This is what's known as fraudulent marketing. This is a huckster making money in the name of God. 

Here's an example of all the crazy promises from just one show's product:

"Also, if you buy this $39 book/CD set you will:

• Partner with His presence!

• Release His power!

• Transform your world!

• Overcome addictions!

• Be free of anxiety, fear and compulsive desires!

• Be delivered from mental strongholds, extreme behaviors and sexual sin!

• You will exercise God's authority in every area of your life and destroy the works of the devil!

• You will be encouraged to believe for whatever it is you need!

• Obtain freedom and receive the power to overcome and end a life of struggling!

• Put an end to depression, bad habits, sexual bondage, fear and shame!

• Understand how to end sin at its root!

• Receive the power to overcome accusation and persecution!

• Walk in freedom and victory over the works of darkness like never before!"

Here are just a few examples of the outrageous things that regularly appear on Sid Roth's show:

Sid Roth has had most of the big names from the NAR on his show, plus some lesser known people as well.

Guess what? Dr. Michael Brown has been on his show a number of times, and they consider each other good friends who've known each other since 1984. Here's a recent show where they're selling his dieting plan:

Now here's Dr. Michael Brown on his Facebook wall telling everyone how excited he is to be the guest host of "It's Supernatural:"

By the way, Dr. Brown was happy to have Jonathan Cahn on his on radio show recently, to promote another one of his (unbiblical) "I've Discovered a Secret (again)" books:

Here's a (very disturbing) compilation video of NAR superstars Bill & Benni Johnson, Heidi & Rolland Baker and Sid Roth:

Here's Sid Roth selling the false revival of Todd Bentley in 2008, right before the "Lakeland Revival" collapsed into humiliation and bankruptcy after the Charismatic Day of Infamy:

Sid Roth recently had Rodney Howard-Browne on his show, and promoted him as the man behind the "great revivals" of the 1990s:

If you're thinking, "Well, Dr. Brown isn't a money-grubbing outrageous TV host like Sid Roth, he probably just goes on Sid's program to preach the Gospel. If Dr. Brown really knew about the contradictory, unbiblical and ridiculous content on Sid Roth's show, he wouldn't have anything to do with it." 

Nope.

Dr. Michael Brown has been extremely clear about his full support and endorsement of his close personal friend Sid Roth. A few years ago Dr. Brown interviewed Sid Roth and put that interview on his YouTube channel. A listener wrote on Dr. Brown's YouTube page to gently warn him that Sid Roth wasn't trustworthy because he doesn't always tell the truth. Dr. Brown responded in the strongest possible terms that he trusted Sid Roth 100%. Here's a screenshot from that page:

(Sid Roth is a huge NAR promoter, cheerleader and profiteer... and he's also fully supported by Dr. Michael Brown. What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”

— 2 Corinthians 2: 17

“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

— Romas 16: 18

“...and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

— 1 Timothy 6: 5

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.”

— Luke 16: 13-14

Michael Brown is a big supporter of Heidi Baker. In this short compilation we hear Dr. Brown wholeheartedly interviewing and endorsing Heidi Baker and her book; then we see him he repeating the story Heidi told him about how she was paralyzed by God for seven days... she couldn't even go to the bathroom:

As one of the leaders of the Brownsville Revival (from the mid 1990s), Dr. Michael Brown says the Holy Spirit can cause staggering, convulsing, laughter, and falling:

Sounds like Dr. Brown is okay with any and all disturbing manifestations, doesn't it? (What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

Here's an interesting way to consider this issue, from Pastor Chris Rosebrough's Facebook page:

A gigantic figure in the New Apostolic Reformation movement is Bill Johnson. Johnson was called an Apostle by C. Peter Wagner at the Todd Bentley commissioning ceremony (also known as The Charismatic Day of Infamy). In Dr. Brown's recent program he mentioned that his critics (tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists) believe that the NAR is a "Dominionist" movement that somehow seeks to "take over the world." He then went on to say that "Nobody I know believes that!" That statement by itself is problematic for Dr. Brown to say, because he always repeats that he has no time to listen to anybody's sermons. He usually refers to Bill Johnson as a solid Christian, but then admits that he really doesn't know what he teaches. This is an obvious deflection technique that Dr. Brown employs a lot.

Here's a quote from page 10 of the Lance Wallnau (also known as "Commander of the Millibars") compilation book (Destiny House, 2013) entitled "Invading Babylon: The Seven Mountain Mandate"

Notice the second sentence in the second paragraph? "In simple terms, dominion theology is the idea that Christian believers are called to not only preach the Gospel and win converts to Christ but also to establish the Kingdom of God on earth." Here's another strange quote from Lance Wallnau's recent book:

“When we set aside our religious agendas to make others a success, we have learned the Kingdom mindset and have become a part of the transformation movement.”

— Lance Wallnau: "Invading Babylon: The Seven Mountain Mandate"

Lance Wallnau has spent over a decade promoting and teaching the Seven Mountain Mandate as if it was something from the Bible, and everyone knows this teaching as a form of dominionism. Bill Johnson is in the same camp as Wallnau, otherwise why would they have collaborated on a Seven Mountain Mandate book together? 

In this video, Bill Johnson says this: "When the kingdom of God is preached there are automatically, when the Kingdom is preached effectively, there’s automatically, miracles signs and wonders to support the message. So when the Bible says when the kingdom of God will be preached throughout all the earth and the end will come is actually stating there will be full on manifestation and demonstration of the reality of God's dominion breaking into every culture, every society confronting every illness, every part of broken humanity, that will take place before the end comes. An effective preaching of the Gospel always brings the king into the room."

He's a confusing video from Wallnau at MorningStar Ministries, talking about how Christians are supposed to be taking over the seven mountains:

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’”

— Jesus in John 18:36

Dr. Brown thinks so highly of Lance "Commander of the Millibars" Wallnau that he had him as a featured guest on his show recently:

This "Dominionist," "Seven Mountain Mandate" teaching is prominent with many NAR leaders, including Lance Wallnau, Bill Johnson and this next guy, another close friend of Dr. Brown: Rick Joyner.

Dr. Michael Brown explains that although the (semi-fictitious) NAR believes that the "new Apostles on earth today are equivalent to the original Apostles in the New Testament," he rejects that belief and he doesn't think any of his friends really believe that either. No, Dr. Brown, you have plenty of friends that believe we're in a special new end-time season where God is giving us new Apostles who are equivalent to the (real) Apostles.

Here's a quote from the introduction of Rick Joyner's book (MorningStar, 2006), "The Apostolic Ministry"

“One of the most important events at the end of the church age will be the restoration of the apostolic ministry to the church. The ministry that opened the church age will be the one that closes it. The raising up of a victorious church, demonstrating for all time to all creation that truth will prevail over lies and righteousness will prevail over iniquity, will be the completed job of the apostolic ministry.”

— Rick Joyner, "The Apostolic Ministry"

Rick Joyner is at the core of the Hyper-Charismatic New Apostolic Reformation (but he's on the outer fringe of anything resembling Christianity); he was also one of the "Apostles" present for the commissioning ceremony for Todd Bentley (also known as The Charismatic Day of Infamy). Joyner claims to have trances that lead him to have direct contact with God and the original Apostles; he has written extensively about these visions in a series of best-selling books that would make probably make Joseph Smith cringe. His most popular book is The Final Quest, and it is a frightening and nightmarish story of Christians engaged in an end-times civil war where the Bible-believing Christians are killed by the "spirit-lead" Christians. It is a book of 100% new revelation that any Bible-believing Christian should treat as the worst kind of heresy imaginable.

Here's a recent video of Dr. Michael Brown promoting Rick Joyner and his MorningStar Ministries:

WARNING: This is (seriously) a very disturbing video of a "worship time" at Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries:

(Rick Joyner 's "ministry" is so far out there on the fringe that a voodoo ritual is considered "Christian worship," but it's also something Dr. Brown actively encourages people to send money to... what an incredible coincidence, huh?)

The New Apostolic Reformation, as defined by C. Peter Wagner, was the Charismatic movement that he and others originally called The Third Wave, but after the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival in the mid to late 1990's, he came up with the name New Apostolic Reformation. Wagner believed the next big revival was the Lakeland Outpouring of 2008, but it completely imploded after The Charismatic Day of Infamy, where Todd Bentley was exposed as a fraud, adulterer and drunkard. Ever since the previous "revivals" fizzled, those leaders have been trying to start a new one. They even had a new "super revival" "Light The Fire Again" (because all the other attempts to light the fire by renting stadiums and printing up fliers and building websites and producing emotionally manipulative videos and hiring emotional speakers and rock bands... had not yet lit the fire).

Notice that it says: "We are believing God to begin anew the mighty move of his Holy Spirit that swept across the earth at the close of the last century?" That's a direct reference to the Toronto and Brownsville "revivals" (and probably Smithton, too). A bunch of the leaders from that time were having a "reunion show" to talk about the good old days and get people all worked up again. By the way, you'd have to buy tickets for this "mighty move of the Holy Spirit" ($199).

Guess who spoke at this reunion show? Yes, many of the original leaders of that "mighty move of God" that C. Peter Wagner called The New Apostolic Reformation...

Yep, that is the one and only Dr. Michael Brown, prominent speaker at the Toronto reunion show. He's there with NAR leaders Randy Clark, Rick Joyner, John Kilpatrick, John Arnott... (What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

Speaking of John Arnott, he and his wife Carol were just recently "lighting the fire" on a special edition of Sid Roth's show:

There is a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, but it is a loosely-knit movement with no official leader or official doctrinal statement. A number of the key NAR beliefs originated in the New Order of the Latter Rain movement, which had splintered from the Pentecostal movement in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Latter Rain ideas were condemned by the Assemblies of God, but they've survived and flourished in spite of that.

Here's an official statement from the Assemblies of God in 1949:

Some of the ideas that have come from the New Order of the Latter Rain are: the passing of an anointing by the laying on of hands; new revelations and "prophetic words" for the end times generation; a new generation of "manifested sons of God;" adherence to specially anointed end-times Prophets and Apostles; and supernatural healing as normative and expected. On top of those NOLR beliefs, here are some of the ideas that most NAR leaders believe:

• A belief that "ordinary" church growth is not good enough, we must have "revival" which is more "radical" and always involves fire of some sort.

• A belief that supernatural signs & wonders must be the practice of every Christian (regular Christians are to be pitied because they're not "on fire").

• A belief that the Holy Spirit is always desiring more attention for Himself, and He wants to make you do awkward, weird and humiliating stuff... because He wants to have greater intimacy with you. This same Holy Spirit can't function unless you attend manipulative "revival" conferences with speakers who yell a lot and rock bands who perform music from Hillsong and/or Jesus Culture.

• A belief that God really wants to give us this revival, but Christians haven't done enough to make it happen. We're not "hungry" enough, we're not "desperate" enough, we haven't "surrendered" enough, we're not "willing to burn" enough. We have to keep going to the next big conference or rally because each one is "The Most Important Event of Our Lifetime."

• A belief that we are to work toward, and expect, a "billion-soul harvest" sometime (very) soon.

• A belief that all of these crazy ideas are valid, in spite of the fact that they are not found in God's Word.

The Bible does NOT put these requirements on us.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

He did not die on the cross so we could run around for the rest of our life trying to "burn more" or "really go after Him" or repeatedly ask for "more Lord, more" or any such thing. On top of that, the Bible makes no mention of a "billion soul harvest," no matter how much Lou Engle yells about it as he rocks back and forth. The billion soul harvest was made up in the twisted mind of false prophet, Bob Jones.

Here's the "prophet" Bob Jones, at Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries making that "billion soul" prediction, just like he did for decades before:

This is the same "seer-prophet" that sat right next to Todd Bentley and couldn't "see" that he was a fraud:

Bob Jones, Todd Bentley, Rick Joyner, Patricia King, Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, Bill Johnson, Sid Roth, Lou Engle, John & Carol Arnott, Kris Vallotton, Chuck Pierce, Todd White, Benny Hinn, Lance Wallnau, Mike Bickle, Che Ahn, James Goll, Shawn Bolz, Cindy Jacobs... these are people who have similar beliefs and practices (and there are thousands more like them, with millions and millions of followers). There is not a secret conspiracy joining them together in a specific plot to do some horrible thing that is deeply hidden.

Nope.

These are just people who have certain theological beliefs that are similar and, we at Pirate Christian Media believe, wrong. There are plenty of true Pentecostals who also believe some of these teachings are wrong (like the Assemblies of God!), so this is not an issue of cessationism versus continuationism as Dr. Brown wants everyone to think. We believe these ideas are not supported by God's Word, and we believe that millions of people are being harmed greatly by these false teachings.

Dr. Michael Brown has made it clear that he rejects some of the beliefs of this NAR group, like the specific dominionist beliefs that most of them hold to, and the belief that modern day apostles are somehow authoritative like the New Testament Apostles. We are happy to know where he stands on these issues.

But in most other matters, it seems that Dr. Michael Brown has a lot in common with these people. He wants all of the other connections to be seen as coincidences. That's a LOT of coincidences. There could be ten more articles just like this one with more and more evidence of Dr. Brown's approval and participation in these NAR teachings. 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

— 1 John 4: 1

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

— 1 Corinthians 14: 33

“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”

— Jeremiah 5: 30-31

“And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.”

— Ezekiel 22: 28

“Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”

— Lamentations 2: 14

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

— Matthew 24: 2

---

Here are a few really helpful videos from Chris Rosebrough addressing this issue:

Here's a great resource with a lot of information about the history of the New Apostolic Reformation and its origins in the New Order of the Latter Rain: What is the NAR?

Here's a gigantic article that Dr. Brown probably hopes you never read: Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

Check out the new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Bill Johnson: The Presence of God or Demons in Church?

Here’s a detailed (and disturbing) video of the false teaching from Bill Johnson’s popular YouTube video called “Presence of God by Bill Johnson”

For more information:

10 Reasons Why You Should RUN AWAY From Bethel Redding

---

Check out the new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Bethel's Delusions of Grandeur-Impervious to the Realities of the Carr Fire

Here's a very instructive article from Rick Becker's "Famine in the Land" blog:

Bethel’s Delusions of Grandeur-Impervious to the Realities of the Carr Fire

---

Other important articles on this topic:

Bill Johnson Accepts Full Responsibility for Raging Fires in Redding, CA

The Bill Johnson Cornucopia of False Teaching, Bible-Twisting and General Absurdity

10 Reasons Why You Should RUN AWAY From Bethel Redding

Check out the new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Bill Johnson Accepts Full Responsibility for Raging Fires in Redding, CA

Note: This article is satire, and it is meant to take Bill Johnson's bad theological ideas to their logical (and ridiculous) conclusion. It is not my intent to make fun of the terrible difficulties that people face because of the Carr Fires; my hope is that the obvious false doctrine of how "we are in control" will be revealed in this crisis. God have mercy on us all. -Steven Kozar

In a brief press conference at the Redding, CA fire station, Bethel Senior Pastor Bill Johnson said, "It's all my fault and I will correct these errors as soon as possible. Unlike God, I'm in control. Please just give me a little more time to speak a rainstorm into existence. Thank you, no questions." After he finished Pastor Bill ran out the door saying to his assistant "Where's my Aston Martin?? Bring it to me now! I can pray while I'm driving..."

Bethel Co-pastor and self-proclaimed "Reformer," Kris Vallotton, could not be reached for comment, since he was out of town giving a prophetic workshop...

Bill Johnson doesn't think we need to "deal with unanswered prayer," so why is he not simply praying the fires away?

Bill Johnson claims that it's our commission "to rule the earth," so why doesn't he lead by example and make the fires stop?

Bill Johnson says that too much knowledge will hinder our obedience, so why doesn't he demonstrate his unwavering obedience (and lack of education) and put out the fires?

If it's true that God "wants to use us to do the impossible" why doesn't Bill Johnson demonstrate this principle right now and put out the terrible fires in his own town?

Bethel is the place that claims to encounter God all the time, which means they should have lots of power, so why don't they demonstrate all that power and make the fires stop?

“The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.”

— Psalm 135:6

“But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.”

— Psalm 115:3

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

— Romans 11:33-36

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”

— James 4:13-16

The Gospel message is all about God rescuing us from sin and death-it's about Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. The Gospel message is not about us "becoming the Gospel," trying to take dominion over the earth, and "declaring and decreeing" that God must do whatever we want Him to do. -Steven Kozar

The following video is what happens when Word of Faith teaching is really taken to its logical conclusion by someone who seems to believe it; the fire doubled in size within 24 hours of this video:

The marketing geniuses at Bill Johnson's publishing company, Destiny Image, sent out this advertising email on July 31, 2018:

Here's an article from Bill Johnson on August 10th as the fires continue to ravage California:

---

Here's an article with some good thoughts on this difficult issue:

Are the Fires in Redding a Sign of God's Judgement on Bethel? by Rick Becker

For more on Bethel & Bill Johnson's teaching:

The Bill Johnson Cornucopia of False Teaching, Bible-Twisting and General Absurdity

10 Reasons Why You Should RUN AWAY From Bethel Redding

Check out the new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

A Hyper-Charismatic Guide to Losing your Mind

If you want to abandon your Christian faith and become mentally unstable, just follow these simple steps:

• "It all starts with a Dream! A God-Sized Dream!" To get started, you must believe that God expects you to dream up some outlandish desire in order to accomplish your Destiny. Because if you attempt to "do the impossible," God will miraculously answer your prayers and thus "get all the glory." You must take risks, step out in faith, and do something impossible. You and your dream must become the focus of your faith.

• You then step out in faith and do something really stupid. (Often, this involves giving money to someone who teaches this stuff.)

• Next, this ridiculous thing you've attempted doesn't work and you've got big problems. (Wow, what a surprise.)

• Instead of admitting your big mistake, you will now focus all of your attention on the future and the great things that you'll accomplish after you get your breakthrough (your "Destiny"). Because the finished work of Christ dying on the cross to pay for our sins happened a long time ago, you will forget about it. Christianity gradually becomes a magic wand you keep waving around in order to get God to do stuff, and the "holy spirit" will demand more and more attention as he continually confuses you, embarrasses you and demands that you become more hungry, desperate and broken. He also wants you to be on fire.

• At this point you'll latch onto all of the sermons about fighting battles, getting a fresh new word from God, and fending off demons, pythons, and sneaky squids. "The devil knows about your Dream/Destiny and he wants to stop you!" You take your last few bucks to buy yet another book/DVD/CD/conference ticket, hoping to learn the "secret" to getting your breakthrough; you know, the breakthrough you wouldn't even need if you hadn't done something stupid...

• Here is where you'll probably find people to "prophetically" declare something over you, in order to give you a "breakthrough." Nothing will really change, but you'll try really hard to pretend otherwise. You might go to see famous "prophets" who claim to be "anointed," because you believe they can help you, but they only help you to lose more money.

• You have a suspicion in the back of your mind that you've entered a cult-like state of mind, but you don't want to admit it to anyone. There's a part of you that would like to go back to being a "normal" person, but you've been told that thinking that way is a direct attack of the devil.

• The Bible is no longer the story of God redeeming sinful mankind (The Gospel); it is more like a book of incantations to ward off evil spirits and make your dreams (finally) come true. You've largely forgotten about the simple Gospel message in your attempt to get secret knowledge from God (this is called "Gnosticism," by the way).

• You're (secretly) willing to skip the whole dream/destiny thing and just have some stability in your life, but the experts you're listening to tell you to "press in to get your miracle!" or something like that, and you still believe them. So, the very people whose bad ideas got you into this mess are the people you continue to listen to. How's that working for you?

• The one thing you don't want to do is have a "have a religious spirit." This meaningless catch-phrase keeps you locked into all of this chaos and confusion. How's that working for you?

• There are a number of bad ideas that you've been taught, and they all work together to prevent you from seeing the very obvious fact that you've become delusional. If you don't want to lose your mind, please read this article to see these bad ideas described and refuted: Defusing Demonic Dirty Bombs

• You refuse to acknowledge that a collection of bad ideas ("doctrine") has replaced the clear teachings of the Bible. In fact, you believe the doctrine that says "doctrine is not important." You like the teachers who teach you that teaching is bad. Here are a whole bunch of Bible verses that you are deliberately ignoring: Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know!

• But you stick with those bad ideas because you like them.

• You continue to listen to false teachers because you like them.

• You continue attending a church that teaches false doctrine because you like it.

• Congratulations! You have lost your mind.

“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

— 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12

---

Here are a few more articles (with links to more articles) that discuss this difficult issue:

Confirmation Bias: Why You Are Protecting Your False Beliefs

The Hyper-Charismatic House of Cards: Let It Fall and Be Free

Here's a recent episode of Fighting for the Faith where the author of this article (Steve Kozar) talks with Chris Rosebrough and @Aspree about this topic: How Not to Shipwreck Your Faith; here's the YouTube version: How Not to Shipwreck Your Faith

Here's a great little video from Chris Rice on this topic:

This article by Steven Kozar; check out his new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Hey Dr. Michael Brown, Your New Book is Already Useless!

Dr. Michael Brown has been very busy promoting his new book, even though it won't be released until April 3rd.

Here's an ad that is selling "signed and numbered" books:

Here's how this new book is described:

So, it sounds like Dr. Michael Brown is finally going to say something about the cesspool of false teachers in the Charismatic movement, doesn't it? Maybe he'll finally start calling out obvious frauds like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland, huh? Maybe he's taken a few hours to listen to the incredibly popular new Charismatic superstar, Todd White, right?

Nope.

Even though this book is already finished, he doesn't know what Kenneth Copeland teaches for sure. He has no idea what Todd White teaches. Here's what Brown said on his radio show just a few days ago:

Here's an article from last month that Dr. Brown pretends does not exist: Dr. Michael Brown, Here's Some Heresy Information For Your Upcoming Book. Brown claims that he disagrees with the Word of Faith teaching that Jesus went to Hell to fight off demons and become born again that he says Kenneth Copeland "used to teach..."

Here's a couple videos that many thousands of people have watched, but Dr. Brown pretends do not exist:

ATTENTION DR. BROWN: You've got absolute proof that Kenneth Copeland AND Todd White both teach this doctrine! And you expect people to buy your book so they can learn about doctrinal error in the Charismatic movement?

You either didn't bother to do much research on the topic of your already useless book, or worse, you are hiding doctrinal error within your own movement.

After Dr. Brown wrote another one of his "important books" about the hyper-grace movement, he had a meeting with the #1 Hyper-grace false teacher in the world: Joseph Prince. And he declared: "Joseph Prince is okay!" Here's an article about that train-wreck: Dr. Michael Brown Adopts a New Pet Wolf-Joseph Prince. 

In this most recent Line of Fire program Dr. Brown also said that he "abhors the carnal prosperity message." No, Dr. Brown, you do not. You are such a close friend to Sid Roth that you've not only been a guest many times, but you've even been a guest host on his idiotic, money-grubbing TV program. Here's a small compilation of the prosperity message from Sid Roth:

We can expect nothing to happen after this "important book" is released. Nothing, except that Dr. Michael Brown will have made more money on yet another book, while pretending he's a trustworthy expert. 

---

Here are more articles and videos to consider (with many more links):

Does This String of Incredible Coincidences Connect Dr. Michael Brown to the NAR?

Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

Michael Brown Can't Defend "Sneaky Squid Spirit"-Repeatedly Changes the Subject

Dr. Michael Brown (Sort of) Approves of These "Fine Christians..." Watch at your Own Risk!

Why Michael Brown & Friends are Right and Everyone Else is Wrong?

Gatekeeper of False Teachings-- Dr. Michael Brown

Pharisees and False Teachers: A Modern Day Look at the Crooks Christ Couldn’t Stand

Phil Johnson rebukes Dr Michael Brown.

The Dr. Michael Brown Checklist of Manipulation

Does Michael Brown Know More About Benny Hinn Than He Lets On?

Sneaky Squids and Sola Scriptura

Dr. Michael Brown probably doesn't want you to listen to this episode of Fighting for the Faith: Calamari Discord

Does This String of Incredible Coincidences Connect Dr. Michael Brown to the NAR?

New Apostolic Reformation

Dr. Michael Brown is trying very hard to make it appear like the New Apostolic Reformation barely even exists. He's recently completed an entire program devoted to distancing himself from the movement he doesn't think is real. In the process of describing the thing he doesn't believe exists, he ends up explaining some of the core beliefs of the movement itself... you know, the movement that doesn't really exist.

It seems that Dr. Brown fluctuates between two opposing ideas:

• On one hand, he wants people to believe that the NAR isn't real and if you believe in it you're "chasing shadows." He ridicules NAR critics as "conspiracy theorists," which is really a meaningless smear intended to stop people from even looking into the matter.

• On the other hand, he describes the specific ideas coming from the leaders of the NAR (primarily the late C. Peter Wagner) and he makes it clear that he doesn't agree with all of those ideas.

Here's a brief compilation video showing how Dr. Brown contradicts himself on the existence of the NAR:

In Dr. Brown's radio show he described some of the specific beliefs of the NAR and how he doesn't agree with them. While it is very good that Dr. Brown has explained why he doesn't believe in or agree with certain NAR teachings, like "Dominionism" and the NAR's idea of authoritative contemporary Apostles, he knows (and promotes) plenty of NAR leaders who hold to these very views. Looking at all the ways that Dr. Michael Brown is closely associated with the NAR, one would have to believe in a lot of incredible coincidences to think that Brown has nothing to do with the NAR.

Pirate Christian Media has done a lot of research, writing and podcasting on this issue, but Dr. Brown says that we're "not credible" because we're "unethical." Why are we "not credible?" Because he says so. Why are we "unethical?" Because he says so. This is another thought-stopping device. His gullible listeners will hear those accusations and assume they must be true. But we've provided reams of evidence to support our assertions about Dr. Brown (as well as links to more information at other websites). Dr. Brown has such a bias against Pirate Christian Media that when Chris Rice called into his radio show to ask him some tough questions about the prosperity gospel, Brown talked over him and turned off his mic because he thought he was Chris Rosebrough; check out this article to hear that story: The Brown Rice Controversy. Here's a series of really good articles and videos about Dr. Michael Brown from Chris Rice's blog: Is Not Satire on Dr. Michael Brown

In this sound clip of Fighting for the Faith, Chris Rosebrough plays an audio clip where Dr. Michael Brown is pretending he knows very little about the "so-called" NAR in a recent podcast, but then in another audio clip from 2010 (seven years earlier) he sounded completely different, like he knew exactly what the NAR was and what the core beliefs were and who the primary leaders were... you know, the movement that doesn't really exist:

Let's take a look at the incredible string of coincidences: 

Dr. Michael Brown is published by Destiny House, a New Apostolic Reformation book company that clearly believes its purpose is to publish the "words of God" from the new prophets of God. Here's a post about an article from Destiny House publisher, Larry Sparks: "We Need to Get Weird Again"

Destiny House Publishing is a publisher that publishes Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Danny Silk, T. D. Jakes, Myles Munroe, Sid Roth, Doug Addison, Chuck Pierce, Heidi Baker, James Goll, John Crowder, John & Carol Arnott, Rick Joyner, Patricia King, Todd Bentley, Shawn Bolz, Randy Clark... and DR. MICHAEL BROWN. (What a coincidence, huh?)

Here's a brand new Destiny House book that features Bill Johnson, Lou Engle, James Goll and... DR. MICHAEL BROWN:

Dr. Michael Brown has no problem recommending the NAR's new Bible translation called The Passion Translation from Brian Simmons. This is not a real Bible at all, but the work of one man who doesn't know the original languages but nevertheless wrote his own version of the Bible. Adding totally new thoughts, ideas and "revelations" to the Word of God is okay with Dr. Brown (he thinks the Passion Bible is: "passionate, vibrant, powerful, and beautiful;" but admits that it shouldn't be a primary Bible):

The Passion Translation is not just a little different, it actually changes the meaning of passages to fit the agenda of the NAR. Here's an article with just a handful of shocking examples: A New NAR Bible-Drastic Differences by Holly Pivec.  Wanna see what kind of snake-oil salesman Brian Simmons is? Watch him on Sid Roth's TV Show: John Chapter 22 is Really Important (But God Won't Allow Us to Read It Yet)

Let's talk a little bit about Sid Roth.

Sid Roth has no problem inviting the very fringe of the fringe of the Hyper-Charismatic, New Apostolic Reformation crowd onto his ridiculous and embarrassing show called "It's Supernatural." If Sid Roth can sell some books, CDs and DVDs, he'll invite anyone with an unbelievable story to come on the show and make some money. This is the worst kind of salesmanship to extract money from the vulnerable and naive. Every show sells something (a book/CD package, usually) that makes outrageous promises that it clearly can't deliver. This is what's known as fraudulent marketing. This is a huckster making money in the name of God. 

Here's an example of all the crazy promises from just one show's product:

"Also, if you buy this $39 book/CD set you will:

• Partner with His presence!

• Release His power!

• Transform your world!

• Overcome addictions!

• Be free of anxiety, fear and compulsive desires!

• Be delivered from mental strongholds, extreme behaviors and sexual sin!

• You will exercise God's authority in every area of your life and destroy the works of the devil!

• You will be encouraged to believe for whatever it is you need!

• Obtain freedom and receive the power to overcome and end a life of struggling!

• Put an end to depression, bad habits, sexual bondage, fear and shame!

• Understand how to end sin at its root!

• Receive the power to overcome accusation and persecution!

• Walk in freedom and victory over the works of darkness like never before!"

Here are just a few examples of the outrageous things that regularly appear on Sid Roth's show:

Sid Roth has had most of the big names from the NAR on his show, plus some lesser known people as well.

Guess what? Dr. Michael Brown has been on his show a number of times, and they consider each other good friends who've known each other since 1984. Here's a recent show where they're selling his dieting plan:

Now here's Dr. Michael Brown on his Facebook wall telling everyone how excited he is to be the guest host of "It's Supernatural:"

By the way, Dr. Brown was happy to have Jonathan Cahn on his on radio show recently, to promote another one of his (unbiblical) "I've Discovered a Secret (again)" books:

Here's a (very disturbing) compilation video of NAR superstars Bill & Benni Johnson, Heidi & Rolland Baker and Sid Roth:

Here's Sid Roth selling the false revival of Todd Bentley in 2008, right before the "Lakeland Revival" collapsed into humiliation and bankruptcy after the Charismatic Day of Infamy:

Sid Roth recently had Rodney Howard-Browne on his show, and promoted him as the man behind the "great revivals" of the 1990s:

If you're thinking, "Well, Dr. Brown isn't a money-grubbing outrageous TV host like Sid Roth, he probably just goes on Sid's program to preach the Gospel. If Dr. Brown really knew about the contradictory, unbiblical and ridiculous content on Sid Roth's show, he wouldn't have anything to do with it." 

Nope.

Dr. Michael Brown has been extremely clear about his full support and endorsement of his close personal friend Sid Roth. A few years ago Dr. Brown interviewed Sid Roth and put that interview on his YouTube channel. A listener wrote on Dr. Brown's YouTube page to gently warn him that Sid Roth wasn't trustworthy because he doesn't always tell the truth. Dr. Brown responded in the strongest possible terms that he trusted Sid Roth 100%. Here's a screenshot from that page:

(Sid Roth is a huge NAR promoter, cheerleader and profiteer... and he's also fully supported by Dr. Michael Brown. What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”

— 2 Corinthians 2: 17

“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

— Romas 16: 18

“...and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”

— 1 Timothy 6: 5

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.”

— Luke 16: 13-14

Michael Brown is a big supporter of Heidi Baker. In this short compilation we hear Dr. Brown wholeheartedly interviewing and endorsing Heidi Baker and her book; then we see him he repeating the story Heidi told him about how she was paralyzed by God for seven days... she couldn't even go to the bathroom:

As one of the leaders of the Brownsville Revival (from the mid 1990s), Dr. Michael Brown says the Holy Spirit can cause staggering, convulsing, laughter, and falling:

Sounds like Dr. Brown is okay with any and all disturbing manifestations, doesn't it? (What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

Here's an interesting way to consider this issue, from Pastor Chris Rosebrough's Facebook page:

A gigantic figure in the New Apostolic Reformation movement is Bill Johnson. Johnson was called an Apostle by C. Peter Wagner at the Todd Bentley commissioning ceremony (also known as The Charismatic Day of Infamy). In Dr. Brown's recent program he mentioned that his critics (tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists) believe that the NAR is a "Dominionist" movement that somehow seeks to "take over the world." He then went on to say that "Nobody I know believes that!" That statement by itself is problematic for Dr. Brown to say, because he always repeats that he has no time to listen to anybody's sermons. He usually refers to Bill Johnson as a solid Christian, but then admits that he really doesn't know what he teaches. This is an obvious deflection technique that Dr. Brown employs a lot.

Here's a quote from page 10 of the Lance Wallnau (also known as "Commander of the Millibars") compilation book (Destiny House, 2013) entitled "Invading Babylon: The Seven Mountain Mandate"

Notice the second sentence in the second paragraph? "In simple terms, dominion theology is the idea that Christian believers are called to not only preach the Gospel and win converts to Christ but also to establish the Kingdom of God on earth." Here's another strange quote from Lance Wallnau's recent book:

“When we set aside our religious agendas to make others a success, we have learned the Kingdom mindset and have become a part of the transformation movement.”

— Lance Wallnau: "Invading Babylon: The Seven Mountain Mandate"

Lance Wallnau has spent over a decade promoting and teaching the Seven Mountain Mandate as if it was something from the Bible, and everyone knows this teaching as a form of dominionism. Bill Johnson is in the same camp as Wallnau, otherwise why would they have collaborated on a Seven Mountain Mandate book together? 

In this video, Bill Johnson says this: "When the kingdom of God is preached there are automatically, when the Kingdom is preached effectively, there’s automatically, miracles signs and wonders to support the message. So when the Bible says when the kingdom of God will be preached throughout all the earth and the end will come is actually stating there will be full on manifestation and demonstration of the reality of God's dominion breaking into every culture, every society confronting every illness, every part of broken humanity, that will take place before the end comes. An effective preaching of the Gospel always brings the king into the room."

He's a confusing video from Wallnau at MorningStar Ministries, talking about how Christians are supposed to be taking over the seven mountains:

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’”

— Jesus in John 18:36

Dr. Brown thinks so highly of Lance "Commander of the Millibars" Wallnau that he had him as a featured guest on his show recently:

This "Dominionist," "Seven Mountain Mandate" teaching is prominent with many NAR leaders, including Lance Wallnau, Bill Johnson and this next guy, another close friend of Dr. Brown: Rick Joyner.

Dr. Michael Brown explains that although the (semi-fictitious) NAR believes that the "new Apostles on earth today are equivalent to the original Apostles in the New Testament," he rejects that belief and he doesn't think any of his friends really believe that either. No, Dr. Brown, you have plenty of friends that believe we're in a special new end-time season where God is giving us new Apostles who are equivalent to the (real) Apostles.

Here's a quote from the introduction of Rick Joyner's book (MorningStar, 2006), "The Apostolic Ministry"

“One of the most important events at the end of the church age will be the restoration of the apostolic ministry to the church. The ministry that opened the church age will be the one that closes it. The raising up of a victorious church, demonstrating for all time to all creation that truth will prevail over lies and righteousness will prevail over iniquity, will be the completed job of the apostolic ministry.”

— Rick Joyner, "The Apostolic Ministry"

Rick Joyner is at the core of the Hyper-Charismatic New Apostolic Reformation (but he's on the outer fringe of anything resembling Christianity); he was also one of the "Apostles" present for the commissioning ceremony for Todd Bentley (also known as The Charismatic Day of Infamy). Joyner claims to have trances that lead him to have direct contact with God and the original Apostles; he has written extensively about these visions in a series of best-selling books that would make probably make Joseph Smith cringe. His most popular book is The Final Quest, and it is a frightening and nightmarish story of Christians engaged in an end-times civil war where the Bible-believing Christians are killed by the "spirit-lead" Christians. It is a book of 100% new revelation that any Bible-believing Christian should treat as the worst kind of heresy imaginable.

Here's a recent video of Dr. Michael Brown promoting Rick Joyner and his MorningStar Ministries:

WARNING: This is (seriously) a very disturbing video of a "worship time" at Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries:

(Rick Joyner 's "ministry" is so far out there on the fringe that a voodoo ritual is considered "Christian worship," but it's also something Dr. Brown actively encourages people to send money to... what an incredible coincidence, huh?)

The New Apostolic Reformation, as defined by C. Peter Wagner, was the Charismatic movement that he and others originally called The Third Wave, but after the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival in the mid to late 1990's, he came up with the name New Apostolic Reformation. Wagner believed the next big revival was the Lakeland Outpouring of 2008, but it completely imploded after The Charismatic Day of Infamy, where Todd Bentley was exposed as a fraud, adulterer and drunkard. Ever since the previous "revivals" fizzled, those leaders have been trying to start a new one. They've even got a new "super revival" coming up soon: "Light The Fire Again" (because all the other attempts to light the fire by renting stadiums and printing up fliers and building websites and producing emotionally manipulative videos and hiring emotional speakers and rock bands... has not yet lit the fire).

Notice that it says: "We are believing God to begin anew the mighty move of his Holy Spirit that swept across the earth at the close of the last century?" That's a direct reference to the Toronto and Brownsville "revivals" (and probably Smithton, too). A bunch of the leaders from that time are having a "reunion show" to talk about the good old days and get people all worked up again. Maybe they'll slay people in the spirit or get 'em down on all fours so they can bark like dogs again. By the way, you'll have to buy tickets for this "mighty move of the Holy Spirit" ($199).

Guess who is speaking at this reunion show? Yes, many of the original leaders of that "mighty move of God" that C. Peter Wagner called The New Apostolic Reformation...

Yep, that is the one and only Dr. Michael Brown, prominent speaker at the Toronto reunion show. He's gonna hang out with NAR leaders Randy Clark, Rick Joyner, John Kilpatrick, John Arnott... (What an incredible coincidence, huh?)

Speaking of John Arnott, he and his wife Carol were just recently "lighting the fire" on a special edition of Sid Roth's show:

There is a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, but it is a loosely-knit movement with no official leader or official doctrinal statement. A number of the key NAR beliefs originated in the New Order of the Latter Rain movement, which had splintered from the Pentecostal movement in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Latter Rain ideas were condemned by the Assemblies of God, but they've survived and flourished in spite of that.

Here's an official statement from the Assemblies of God: Endtime Revival: Spirit-led & Spirit-controlled. Some of the ideas that have come from the New Order of the Latter Rain are: the passing of an anointing by the laying on of hands; new revelations and "prophetic words" for the end times generation; a new generation of "manifested sons of God;" adherence to specially anointed end-times Prophets and Apostles; and supernatural healing as normative and expected. On top of those NOLR beliefs, here are some of the ideas that most NAR leaders believe:

• A belief that "ordinary" church growth is not good enough, we must have "revival" which is more "radical" and always involves fire of some sort.

• A belief that supernatural signs & wonders must be the practice of every Christian (regular Christians are to be pitied because they're not "on fire").

• A belief that the Holy Spirit is always desiring more attention for Himself, and He wants to make you do awkward, weird and humiliating stuff... because He wants to have greater intimacy with you. This same Holy Spirit can't function unless you attend manipulative "revival" conferences with speakers who yell a lot and rock bands who perform music from Hillsong and/or Jesus Culture.

• A belief that God really wants to give us this revival, but Christians haven't done enough to make it happen. We're not "hungry" enough, we're not "desperate" enough, we haven't "surrendered" enough, we're not "willing to burn" enough. We have to keep going to the next big conference or rally because each one is "The Most Important Event of Our Lifetime."

• A belief that we are to work toward, and expect, a "billion-soul harvest" sometime (very) soon.

• A belief that all of these crazy ideas are valid, in spite of the fact that they are not found in God's Word.

The Bible does NOT put these requirements on us.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

He did not die on the cross so we could run around for the rest of our life trying to "burn more" or "really go after Him" or repeatedly ask for "more Lord, more" or any such thing. On top of that, the Bible makes no mention of a "billion soul harvest," no matter how much Lou Engle yells about it as he rocks back and forth. The billion soul harvest was made up in the twisted mind of false prophet, Bob Jones.

Here's the "prophet" Bob Jones, at Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries making that "billion soul" prediction, just like he did for decades before:

This is the same "seer-prophet" that sat right next to Todd Bentley and couldn't "see" that he was a fraud:

Bob Jones, Todd Bentley, Rick Joyner, Patricia King, Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, Bill Johnson, Sid Roth, Lou Engle, John & Carol Arnott, Kris Vallotton, Chuck Pierce, Todd White, Benny Hinn, Lance Wallnau, Mike Bickle, Che Ahn, James Goll, Shawn Bolz, Cindy Jacobs... these are people who have similar beliefs and practices (and there are thousands more like them, with millions and millions of followers). There is not a secret conspiracy joining them together in a specific plot to do some horrible thing that is deeply hidden.

Nope.

These are just people who have certain theological beliefs that are similar and, we at Pirate Christian Media believe, wrong. There are plenty of true Pentecostals who also believe some of these teachings are wrong (like the Assemblies of God!), so this is not an issue of cessationism versus continuationism as Dr. Brown wants everyone to think. We believe these ideas are not supported by God's Word, and we believe that millions of people are being harmed greatly by these false teachings.

Dr. Michael Brown has made it clear that he rejects some of the beliefs of this NAR group, like the specific dominionist beliefs that most of them hold to, and the belief that modern day apostles are somehow authoritative like the New Testament Apostles. We are happy to know where he stands on these issues.

But in most other matters, it seems that Dr. Michael Brown has a lot in common with these people. He wants all of the other connections to be seen as coincidences. That's a LOT of coincidences. There could be ten more articles just like this one with more and more evidence of Dr. Brown's approval and participation in these NAR teachings. 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

— 1 John 4: 1

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

— 1 Corinthians 14: 33

“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”

— Jeremiah 5: 30-31

“And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.”

— Ezekiel 22: 28

“Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”

— Lamentations 2: 14

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

— Matthew 24: 2

---

Here are a few really helpful videos from Chris Rosebrough addressing this issue:

Here's a great resource with a lot of information about the history of the New Apostolic Reformation and its origins in the New Order of the Latter Rain: What is the NAR?

Here's a gigantic article that Dr. Brown probably hopes you never read: Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

The Creepy, Drunk and Weird "Encounter Gospel" GIF Gallery!

In my previous episodes of "The Encounter Gospel" I explained the fortune-telling ("prophetic") version, and then the Hypnotic Worship "Encounter Gospel." With this episode you can simply watch... and learn! Click on any one of the GIFs to watch more. Also, it might be a fun to watch this together as a family next Halloween (if your kids are old enough)!

(Documented Fraud) Todd Bentley Giving John and Carol Arnott an "Encounter"

Che Ahn giving this woman "an encounter"

Rodney Howard-Browne spreads a laughing "Encounter" with God in the nineties

Rodney Howard-Browne keeps Giving People "Encounters" today

Stacey Campbell having "an encounter" (John & Carol Arnott standing by, Hoping they don't get punched)

Randy Clark Giving Todd Bentley an "Encounter" (and falsely prophesying About him and his "great" ministry)

Randy Clark giving this woman a screaming in pain "encounter"

Heidi Baker having one of her many drunken "encounters"

Lou Engle Can give the whole room a "rock back and forth Encounter!"

An "Encounter" at Mike Bickle's International House of Prayer (IHOP) 

Multiple "encounters" at Bethel Church

For the truly adventurous, you can give people an Encounter they'll never forget! Watch Heidi Baker transfer a demon at Bethel Church on iBethelTV for all the world to see!

We just looked at Heidi Baker imparting some kind of demonic spirit, so we might as well study the outright Voodoo Festival at Rick Joyner's Morningstar Ministries:

---

If you're feeling left out on all the fun, there's a good chance you'll see plenty of "encounters" at the Toronto Blessing Reunion Show coming up this April! Buy your tickets soon!!

"Judas Helped Me Get There" Worst Sermon Ever??

Here's another useful (and frustrating) sermon review from BezelT3. This episode features a "sermon" from "pastors" Adam and Candice Smithyman, who also make money as "dream mentors."

Here's Todd White Contradicting, Yelling, Electrocuting and Bragging

Here's Todd White contradicting himself about the way of salvation; on one hand he says that "we don't get anyone saved," but then he says that he can get people saved by claiming them with his super powerful words. He says "I can actually claim somebody that doesn't believe and there's no way for them to get out of it." This is utterly bizarre and confusing:

Here's Todd White, the highly-paid professional speaker, partnering with his "mentor and spiritual father," the ridiculous prosperity preacher Kenneth Copeland (seen with his good friend and fellow prosperity preacher Jesse Duplantis). Todd White talks about how God requires us to be "uncomfortable in order for this Christian life to work right," while Copeland and Duplantis desire comfort so much that they require their own private jets:

Here's Todd White, the highly-paid professional speaker, yelling a lot and telling God what He must do. "Right now!! Right now!! Right now!! Right now!!" seems to be the magic catchphrase: 

Here's Todd White, the highly-paid professional speaker, telling people stories that are... "shocking:"

Here's Todd White, the highly paid professional speaker, literally bragging about how good he is. How does he know how good he is? Because he lives with himself! Do not question this highly paid professional speaker:

“They tie up heavy loads, burdens that are hard to carry, and place them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to help them. They do all their works to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries wide and lengthen the fringes of their garments. They love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, the greetings in the marketplaces, and being called “Rabbi” by the people.”

— Jesus talking about the Pharisees in Matthew 23: 4-7

“You cannot serve God and mammon. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.”

— Luke 16: 13-14

“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

— Luke 18: 9-14

---

Wanna know how much money Todd White actually makes? In 2015 it was OVER $600,000!! 

Here's an article with details on Todd's obscene income: Todd White: How Much Money Does He Actually Make?

 Here’s a giant compilation of articles about Todd White: The Todd White Cornucopia of False Teaching 

Dr. Michael Brown, Here's Some Heresy Information For Your Upcoming Book

Recently Dr. Michael Brown was on James White's program "The Dividing Line" and he took a very clear stand against the heresy that Jesus died and went to hell to be punished by Satan. Good job, Dr. Brown! It was great to hear such a clear proclamation of truth. 

“The heretical Word of Faith teaching that Jesus died in Hell... became sin and was born again as a glorified man, that’s a heretical belief that I categorically reject.”

— Dr. Michael Brown on The Dividing Line Jan. 2, 2018

In that same program, Dr. Brown mentioned that he knew nothing about Todd White or what he teaches (we understand that even though he recently spoke at a "One Thing" conference, Dr. Brown wasn't there for Todd's speech). Dr. Brown also mentioned that he's working on a new book about correcting bad teaching in the Charismatic movement, which we applaud.

We want to help Dr. Brown with his new book and sincerely hope it reaches many people with the clear Gospel message of repentance and the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.

So here's a video of Todd White clearly teaching the exact heresy that Dr. Brown spoke against. You can also see Todd's mentor Kenneth Copeland yelling out this disturbing false doctrine to a nodding and approving Todd White:

“Jesus goes to Hell-I believe-He went to Hades, He went down and descended into the depths of the earth for three days and He pays for the sin of mankind”

— Todd White

“One! One! One born again human being defeated all of Hell! ALL OF IT!!”

— Kenneth Copeland

In summary, we are glad that Dr. Michael Brown wants to curb false teaching within the Charismatic movement and hope that these examples of contemporary leaders (like Todd White) teaching Word of Faith heresy helps in that cause.

---

For further research:

The Word of Faith Cornucopia of False Doctrine

Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

The Fortune-Telling "Encounter Gospel" of Bethel & the NAR Explained

Tired of getting no results with old-fashioned, Bible-based Christianity? It's time to go off the map with Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and all of their New Apostolic Reformation friends! In this first episode of this series we will focus on the fortune-telling aspect of the "Encounter Gospel," so get out your tarot cards, oops... I mean get out your Destiny Cards and let's get started! Here's a quick summary of the new and better Gospel of the Kingdom:

• People aren't really that bad, they just need to be convinced of how special they are-they need to understand their "true identity."

• Religion is the real source of people's problems, not rebellion against God (sin).

• God is desperately trying to get people to "accept" Him, but He's been hindered by the historic Christian Church, with its specific, Biblical teachings about Salvation, Heaven and Hell, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all other forms of unnecessary "head knowledge" found in the Bible.

• People would believe in God if they could just see some proof for themselves.

• Bethel teaches how to give people the proof they need to believe that God is real, He loves them, and He wants all of their dreams to come true so they can fulfill their "Destiny."

How does Bethel teach you to provide proof of God's existence? How can you convert anyone you want? 

Give people an "encounter with God." This is the new and better "Gospel of the Kingdom!"

• Tell them something about themselves that can only be known supernaturally, exactly like a psychic, only much better!

• Always tell them something good about themselves; especially about how they have a great "Destiny" and how God thinks they're amazing.

• Do NOT call this fortune-telling, call it prophecy. Examples: "I operate in the prophetic," or "I have a prophetic gifting/anointing/mantle/office," or "Wow! I received a prophecy from Theresa and it was dead-on!" or "These aren't tarot cards-they're prophecy cards!"

• It helps if you have some stock phrases memorized ahead of time, like these: "I'm sensing a shift in the atmosphere," or "You've been waiting for a breakthrough, haven't you?" or "God wants you to know that you're very special and He hasn't forgotten about you."

• If your prospect appears skeptical or nervous, assure them that you're getting direct downloads from the third heaven realm.

• Remember, you want people to feel confirmed, accepted and convinced of their value as unregenerate and unreconciled people ("sinners"); so do NOT mention outdated ideas like the need to repent before a Holy and Sovereign God who is angry at their sin. This means that Jesus dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins can (and should) be ignored.

• If you don't have effective fortune-telling skills you can always bring people to a manipulative "church" service (the bigger the better!), where highly emotional music is performed, theatrical stagecraft with dramatic lighting is utilized, and unverifiable stories are repeated by skillful speakers who can sell God's "Presence" and convince audience members to make "decisions" for Jesus.

• Our next installment in this series will explain the Hypnotic Worship "Encounter Gospel"

---

Topless Dancing at Christalignment "Workshop"-Does Kris Vallotton Approve?

Bethel Church Tells Witch that She's "On the Right Path" and "God is So Proud of Her!"

Cindy Jacobs Explains Her Psychic Ability as "Spiritual Reading"

Here are some NAR filmmakers and pastors talking about the Encounter Gospel that they gladly teach and promote:

“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

— Mark 1:4

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

— Matthew 3:11

“And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

— Luke 3:3

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

— Luke 5:32

“And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

— Luke 24:47

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.””

— Acts 2:38

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.”

— Acts 3:19

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

— Romans 2:5

“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

— 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

“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 2:9

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

— Proverbs 28:13

The Hyper-Charismatic House of Cards: Let It Fall and Be Free

---

This article by Steven Kozar; check out his new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Kris Vallotton LIES About the Bible (And Carey Nieuwhof Loves It)

Carey Nieuwhof is an evangelical "leadership expert" who has various guests on his podcast to share their stories and ideas. In episode 149 he interviewed Bethel pastor Kris Vallotton. After telling stories of supernatural miracles at Bethel ("thousands!"), Vallotton tells Nieuwhof that "three-quarters of the book of Acts is miracles... if you took out all the miracles, most of the book would be gone." It appears that Nieuwhof has never read the book of Acts, because he totally agrees and does his best surfer-dude "Woooow!"

Listen to this ridiculous lie for yourself: 

The book of Acts is not three-quarters miracles, not even close. Kris Vallotton either doesn't actually read the Bible, or he's willfully lying about it. Is there another option? Is it possible that what he said is "sort of" true?

Nope.

Kris Vallotton is ignoring the mathematical fact that most of the book of Acts is not about miracles. Go ahead and read it for yourself. There are some amazing miracles, for sure, and those miracles helped to establish the Christian Church before we had the completed Bible. But the book of Acts is just one book in the New Testament, and the New Testament is just part of the whole Bible, and the whole Bible is really about God redeeming mankind through the atoning death of his son, Jesus Christ, who took our place on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. That is the focal point of the entire Bible!

Here is a chart (found online) of the miracles in the book of Acts:

Notice how that list is not 75% of the book of Acts? In the Reformation Study Bible the introduction to the book of Acts says this: "The centrality of the preached word to the church's growth is illustrated by the abundance of sermonic material in Acts. At least 30% of the words in Acts are found in the speeches of Apostles and other Christian witnesses."  Do the math...

New Apostolic Reformation

Vallotton and many NAR people like him, believe that the church should take dominion over the earth, and in order to do so we must provide people with "encounters with God." According to this belief system, God is waiting for us to become just like Jesus and supernaturally cause non-believers to become believers, based on how we prove God is real. How do we "prove" God is real? We either "prophecy over them" (like a fortune-teller or psychic), or we miraculously heal them. Here's an article about the crazy "prophetic" ministry at Bethel: Bethel Church Tells Witch that She's "On the Right Path" and "God is So Proud of Her!"

But in the book of Acts we see the (real) Apostles primarily preaching about Jesus. Wanna hear some great sermons? Go read the book of Acts! You will also notice that plenty of people did not believe the Gospel message, in spite of the miracles that had been taking place. The (real) Apostles are shown primarily preaching and teaching from the Scriptures-not doing personalized miracles or pseudo-fortune-telling for everyone they meet. There were no "Schools of Supernatural Ministry," either. The (real) Apostles didn't try to heal people until they got better at it-they just did it. By the end of the book of Acts we see a decline in miraculous activity, and we read of the Gospel message being spread by preaching and teaching through establishing churches. Although Bill Johnson built Bethel Church on his "only revival, all the time" philosophy, which he brought from the Toronto Blessing, he (and Vallotton) are actually ignoring much of what the book of Acts says-not to mention the entire Bible-and they are adding new teachings of men. Here are many Bible passages that Kris Vallotton probably hopes you ignore: Shocking Stuff you're Not Supposed to Know!

Carey Nieuwhof began his interview by saying that all Christians should get along with each other regardless of their "minor" differences, and he sets the stage for Kris Vallotton to push his hyper-charismatic "New Apostolic Reformation" agenda without question. Why? I would guess that Nieuwhof had good intentions, but he's incredibly gullible and it seems he hasn't done any research on Bethel-he just assumes that we can all learn something from Kris Vallotton because he's so successful, his church is really big and it claims to be experiencing thousands of miracles. Nieuwhof did not want his podcast to go off into the Cessationist versus Continuationist debate, but he went to the other extreme and just let Kris Vallotton spread his Latter Rain/NAR doctrine as if it was irrefutable, and he wholeheartedly agreed as Vallotton lied about the very Word of God.

In this interview we see a NAR leader (Vallotton) gaining prominence over a Seeker-Friendly leader (Nieuwhof), because apparently "numbers don't lie" and we can't question anyone who sounds sincere and makes great claims about himself, especially if he's got 13 books on the market.

The New Apostolic Reformation is merging with the Seeker-Friendly Church-Growth Movement, and it seems that everyone is consumed with leadership:

• "Leadership" demands results above doctrine, so there's no reason to question Vallotton.
• "Leadership" admires innovation above doctrine, and Bethel is certainly "innovative" (just like the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses).
• "Leadership" strip mines the Bible to find random verses that comply with contemporary business and growth ideas, so anyone can twist the Bible in order to "gets results."
• "Leadership" gladly looks to the pagan world for new ideas to promote growth or success.     

Want to see an example of how far from biblical Christianity this "leadership" thing goes? Here's an article from Carey Nieuwhof that seems like satire, but it's not: 5 Things The New IPhone X Can Teach You About Leadership (Whatever You Lead)

Here are a bunch of memes from (Pastor?) Kris Vallotton's facebook page; notice how he gladly quotes the success and motivational ideas from these non-Christians:

---

Please do your homework on these serious issues facing the church:

Kris Vallotton RUNS From His Own Facebook Post!!

Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton Want the Mantle of False Teacher William Branham

Kris Vallotton: Prosperity Preacher Exchanging Love for Wealth

Listen to Kris Vallotton twist the daylights out of God's Word in the second half of this episode of Fighting for the Faith

Here's a perspective on healing that you'll never hear from Kris Vallotton: A Deeper Healing (Joni Eareckson Tada) 

Here's a gigantic compilation of articles: The Bill Johnson Cornucopia of False Teaching, Bible-Twisting and General Absurdity

Bill Johnson and the NAR "Super Apostles" don't want you to know about their involvement in the Charismatic Day of Infamy.

Finally, here's an important article that will help you be more discerning and a lot less gullible: Defusing Demonic Dirty Bombs.

Pretending to Accomplish Something at (Yet Another) Useless Rally in Washington D.C.

Here's a little article from Charisma Magazine featuring a short video from the recent Awaken the Dawn rally: "Watch the Masses Drive Out Darkness in Washington"

Here are the "lyrics" to the "song" being sung (with my apologies to actual songs with actual lyrics):

"When I move my body, when I move my feet, when I open my mouth, then the darkness flees..." (repeat over and over and over, jump up and down, etc...)

Let's be honest, folks, nothing is really happening here. Many of these people are wearing t-shirts from the last "world-changing" conference or rally that they attended. This is sad, delusional and useless activity being passed off as a "revival." Do these people really believe that darkness has now been officially driven out because they gathered and clapped and stomped and chanted?

“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

— 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12

To really "drive out the darkness," Ricky Skaggs and a bunch of people blew shofars (take that, darkness!):

Remember when they changed the world last year? This was supposed to be the most important event in our lifetime:

Of course, that giant rally came after this other giant rally, which was supposed to be the most important event in-you guessed it-our lifetime:

Francis Chan gave a talk at this Awaken the Dawn event; here's an article about Chan's apparent endorsement of this "NAR/Word of Faith" moment: Francis Chan and Todd White Headline Upcoming IHOP Festival of False Teaching

Here's an article that I wrote in February 2016 about all the upcoming events and how the false prophet Bob Jones was supposed to have predicted all of this: I Refuse to Believe Bob Jones-I'm Staying Home

These events always feature prominent false teachers like Lou Engle, Todd White, Shawn Bolz, Heidi Baker and that whole gang of professional speakers; these people need speaking gigs, so they always promote the next thing as "the best thing ever." This man-made "revival" is, at best, a distraction from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. At worst it is leading people away from that true Gospel and is building a false religion based on unity for the sake of unity, a false gospel message, and emotionalism (that's why there's always manipulative music playing and people yelling from the stage).

Please don't get sucked into this stuff. Go to church. Be discipled in God's Word. Study the Bible so you can "hear the voice of God" for real. Finally, be free! You don't need to drive all over the place trying to find the latest and greatest "revival" that will ultimately let you down. Maybe this article will help: The Hyper-Charismatic House of Cards: Let It Fall and Be Free

Dr. Michael Brown Refutes "Weather Warriors" (Like Lance Wallnau) But Still Supports Jennifer "Sneaky Squid" LeClaire

Well this is interesting.

Dr. Michael Brown has no problem believing in the "Sneaky Squid Spirit" because his senior editor at Charisma Magazine, Jennifer LeClaire, claims that this demonic creature exists. Brown believes that the Reformation principle of "Sola Scriptura" (Scripture Alone) means that we should listen to new prophetic words that aren't in the Bible. I know, I know, that makes no sense at all, but let's just keep going here...

Recently Dr. Brown had a short conversation with the "Museum Boy," Chris Rice, about whether or not Christians could command hurricanes and control the weather. To his credit, Dr. Brown basically said the same thing that we've been saying: "No, God is sovereign. We can certainly ask for God to be merciful, but we cannot command the weather." Here's the audio of that conversation (note that Dr. Brown makes yet another attempt to push his charismatic "Signs and Wonders" views into the dialogue):

Now, for contrast, here's Lance "Commander of the Millibars" Wallnau saying the exact opposite of Dr. Brown:

Kat Kerr, who commanded the hurricane to go into the Atlantic and dissipate, used the same bad Dominionism theology as Lance Wallnau (and failed miserably but took credit for somehow saving Florida):

This is pretty confusing. Dr. Michael Brown does not believe Christians can command the weather, but Lance Wallnau (and many other hyper-charismatics like him) believes we can be just like Jesus and command the weather. Doesn't it seem strange that these two guys are so far apart on such a basic issue? After all, they are both charismatic leaders who work together at times. Wallnau was just on Dr. Brown's radio show:

Here's Lance Wallnau promoting Dr. Brown on his website:

Think about this: Dr. Michael Brown has clearly and repeatedly supported Jennifer LeClaire and her ridiculous and unbiblical "Sneaky Squid Spirit," but he doesn't believe in the Word of Faith teaching that Christians can command hurricanes.

Hyper-charismatics often make great claims about how much closer they are to God and how the Holy Spirit gives them the "special knowledge" that non-charismatic Christians don't get. But in this situation, it seems very strange that in all of their "speaking in tongues," "prophetic words" and "declaring and decreeing," they have not only failed to control the weather, they've failed to have agreement on such a fundamental issue as our ability to command storms and "do greater things than Jesus did." 

How can someone as intelligent as Dr. Michael Brown give such a reasonable and biblical answer about our inability to duplicate Jesus and command the weather, but still have such difficulty admitting that his senior editor, Jennifer LeClaire, doesn't speak for God when she invents crazy stuff like the "Sneaky Squid Spirit??"

Here's an article about Word of Faith "Superstar" Kenneth Copeland claiming authority over the hurricanes (and failing completely, just like everyone else): Word of Faith Superstar Kenneth Copeland Proven 100% WRONG (and Nobody Cares)

Even more difficult to understand is how Dr. Brown can give his wholehearted endorsement of Bill (and his wife Benni) Johnson and Heidi (and her husband Rolland) Bakker. Watch the following disturbing video of these four people saying and doing some extremely creepy things (Dr. Michael Brown refuses to watch this because he is too important and too busy):

---

Here are a number of episodes of Fighting for the Faith that discuss Dr. Michael Brown and the Sneaky Squid Spirit: Fighting for the Faith

Here's an extensive article with more links about Dr. Brown and the Sneaky Squid: Michael Brown Can't Defend "Sneaky Squid Spirit"-Repeatedly Changes the Subject

Here's a related article from the Museum of Idolatry: Delusion on Parade: Word of Faith "Weather Warriors" Ignore Reality

Proof That Dr. Michael Brown Has a Gullible Audience

• Brown claims that he is not a part of the New Apostolic Reformation, but the clear, obvious and overwhelming evidence says otherwise. (Read: Michael Brown: More Proof He's Part of the (So-Called) New Apostolic Reformation) He is The Apostle of Obfuscation in the NAR. Listen to this clip of Fighting for the Faith where Brown pretends he knows nothing about the NAR in 2017 but is very knowledgeable in 2010: 

• Brown always tells people that he has no time to research any of the false teachers he associates with, but he claims to be a great scholar/expert who can be trusted because of all the important research he does and all the knowledge he has.
• Brown claims that he has no time to research Benny Hinn, but he wrote an entire book that refuted "Strange Fire" by John MacArthur, which has tons of documentation of Benny Hinn's false teaching. Did Brown not even read the book that he tried to refute? How can anyone actually fall for this?
• Brown claims that "he'll look into it" whenever a caller gets through to him and provides information about the false teachers he associates with, but then he never does anything. Ever.
• Brown claims that he follows the vital Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura (Latin for "Only the Bible" or "Scripture Alone"), yet he constantly points to the need for new prophetic words. If we need new words from God doesn't that mean that the Bible Alone isn't good enough?
• Brown claims that he is following the practice of Sola Scripture when he allows, supports and encourages ridiculous "words from the Lord" from people like Jennifer LeClaire, Bill Johnson, etc. Brown claims that these "words from the Lord" are actually from God, but they're not "the word of God." Huh? Is there really a new category called "sort of" God's Word??
• Brown teaches that when a "prophet" gets a "word from Lord" that is totally wrong, it doesn't mean they're a false prophet, it means "they're a prophet who prophesied falsely." 
• When confronted with the fact that he supports false teachers he never compares the teachings of those people to scripture, instead he attacks the person supplying him with information, or he quickly changes the subject to cessationism.
• Brown eventually ends up saying something like "You're wrong about these people I associate with. I know them and they love the Lord. They aren't false teachers because I say so." What he's really saying is that everyone should simply trust him and not look to God's Word as our final authority.
• Brown deletes comments from people who provide specific evidence of false teachers like Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson and Jennifer LeClaire, but then he says that these "heresy hunters" provide no evidence! As long as Dr. Brown's fans stay within his tightly controlled fantasy world they can continue believing that false teachers like Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson and Jennifer LeClaire are not a problem. This is delusional thinking being perpetuated by a dominating and controlling leader. 
• Brown spends a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter telling people over and over and over that he has no time to look into the false teachings of people like Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson, Jennifer LeClaire, etc... But he obviously does have time! He uses all of that time telling people that he has no time! A person has to be very gullible to fall for that silly argument.
• Brown often makes the claim that the bloggers who criticize him are anonymous people with no accountability, so they can be ignored. People like me, Steven Kozar. Or @Aspree. Or Phil Johnson. Or Anthony Wade. Or Chris Rosebrough. Or Marsha West. Or Chris Rice... you know, "anonymous."
• Brown tells people that he has no time to answer questions in detail (because he's so important and so busy), so he recommends that people call his radio show, but once a person gets on his show with tough questions he interrupts and dominates the conversation. Anyone who thinks he has fair and open dialogue with his guests is truly gullible. Just take out a stopwatch and compare much time Brown talks (and interrupts) compared to how much time a guest can speak (before getting cut off).
• Here's audio of Dr. Michael Brown talking over Chris Rosebrough like the bully that he often is: Chris from Grand Forks calls Michael Brown about the Sneaky Squid Spirit
• Here's an article (with audio) about Dr. Brown cutting off Anthony Wade, a guest that was invited on the Line of Fire only to be bullied by Dr. Brown: Dr Brown’s lack of discernment exposed by a discerning former AOG Pastor. 
• Brown makes it look like he's fair and equitable on his Facebook page, but he deletes comments that make him look bad. We have a lot of screenshots that prove this: 

These comments were deleted by Dr. Brown, and then the entire post was deleted

These challenging comments were deleted by Dr. Brown.

These challenging comments were deleted by Dr. Michael Brown, then the entire post was deleted

After Dr. Brown deletes comments he says he had to delete them because they were so libelous, angry or somehow out-of-line. Nobody will know what these people actually said because he deleted them!

Dr. Brown Made This Comment But Then Later Deleted the entire Post.

After deleting an entire post full of challenging comments (some of which are shown above), Dr. Brown wrote this new post where he attacked "self-appointed heresy hunters" and then blocked more comments:

Here you can see that Dr. Brown blocked me after my initially comments

Dr. Brown adamantly supports some very dangerous false teachers. Here's a VERY disturbing video of Dr. Brown's close friends that he refuses to watch or acknowledge:

Dr. Michael Brown is buddies with Sid Roth, who has the credibility of Shaggy from Scooby Doo:

Dr. Michael Brown does NOT want you to look at this: Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

For a more detailed analysis of Michael Brown (and his recent radio show about the New Apostolic Reformation), check out this discussion between Chris Rosebrough, @Aspree and Steven Kozar on Fighting For The Faith: Mutiny Against Dr. Michael Brown

The Dr. Michael Brown Checklist of Manipulation

Here's an article from Assemblies of God Minister Anthony Wade: Why Dr. Brown Has No Credibility

...and here's another: Gatekeeper of False Teachings-- Dr. Michael Brown

For those who think it's mean, judgmental and un-loving to criticize Dr. Michael Brown (or any other teacher, pastor or leader) here's something just for you: Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know.

If you're having a knee-jerk reaction to try and defend Dr. Michael Brown, check out: Confirmation Bias: Why You Are Protecting Your False Beliefs.

Finally, here's an article that will help you be more discerning and a lot less gullible: Defusing Demonic Dirty Bombs.

"Getting Wasted with the Holy Spirit" at Bethel Redding

Here's part three of a series of articles from Holly Pivec about her visit to Bill Johnson's Bethel Church:

"Getting Wasted with the Holy Spirit" at Bethel Redding

“There are only three rules in this class. Rule 1: Get drunk. Rule 2: Stay drunk. Rule 3: Get other people drunk.”

— Sunday School Teacher at Bethel Redding

This kind of teaching is common among New Apostolic Reformation false teachers. Here's Patricia King in a very disturbing video: "In Jesus Name, The Bar is Open!"

Patricia King and Bill Johnson have much in common. Here's a brand new advertisement from Patricia King's XP Media Company that is selling Bill Johnson's useless $59.00 "class:"

---

For further reading and research on the very dangerous teachings of Bill Johnson:

The Bill Johnson Cornucopia of False Teaching, Bible-Twisting and General Absurdity

Dr. Michael Brown Ruins His Credibility on His Own Facebook Wall, Then Deletes All the Evidence

On May 5th, 2017, Dr. Michael Brown interviewed Jennifer LeClaire on his call-in radio show "The Line of Fire," and after the interview segment was finished Chris Rosebrough called the show to ask Dr. Brown some tough questions about Jennifer LeClaire and her "Sneaky Squid Spirit." There was a brief and interesting exchange between the two men. 

I (Steven Kozar) wrote a blog post about the exchange where I said this about Dr. Michael Brown: "He's a hyper-charismatic cheerleader with a big microphone and a very gullible audience." (Here's the full blog post with audio of the "Sneaky Squid Spirit" exchange between Dr. Brown and Chris Rosebrough: Michael Brown Can't Defend "Sneaky Squid Spirit"-Repeatedly Changes the Subject)

Dr. Brown decided to make light of my quote and garner support from his Facebook friends by posting this:

I decided to comment on Dr. Brown's Facebook page and ask him some serious questions; here's a screenshot of my first comment plus a few more. I figured that as long as I might get through to a few Dr. Brown fans, I'd add two of my articles; by now some other people were starting to ask Dr. Brown some really good questions and make their own comments:

Chris Rice, A.K.A .The Museum Boy, really took Dr. Brown to task about the "Sneaky Squid Spirit." Also, notice how William George Metz's comment has been removed:

Here's where Dr. Brown responds to us; he starts with Chris Rice and really "steps in it" right from the start. His comment about studying God's Word (in Hebrew no less!) all the time is self-refuting: he's on Facebook responding to his own comments, but he says he studies God's Word (in Hebrew!) all the time. How can he write books, speak at conferences, host a daily radio show... when he's studying God's Word (in Hebrew!) all the time? This is just a deflection technique; he's got time to do some research on false teachers, but he's choosing not to. Dr. Brown has decided to make himself a multimedia personality who speaks out on a number of different topics; he's not just a Bible scholar who spends all of his time on that one thing.  Instead of studying God's Word (in Hebrew!) he wrote a post on his Facebook wall to poke fun at me, and then he went on Facebook to defend his actions, and then he says he has NO TIME to research any of the false teachers he's partnering with and/or defending. Remember, this is the guy who wants everyone to trust him because he's such a good scholar.

Next, he says he went on Benny Hinn's show one time (but hey, haven't we all?) and anyway, how can he possibly have a clue what Benny Hinn teaches? Next he confirms his continued support for Jennifer LeClaire's "Sneaky Squid Spirit" saying that no chapter and verse in the Bible speaks against the Sneaky Squid Spirit, so who are we to question Jennifer LeClaire? Remember, Dr. Brown believes that a "Word from the Lord" is 100% from God, but it's not the "Word of God." Got it? (Neither does anyone else who isn't brain dead yet.) 

We could finish the article right here, because he's already destroyed his own credibility, but he's going to "step in it" even deeper before he finally abandons ship and deletes everything.

First, let's think about what Dr. Brown says about the "Sneaky Squid Spirit." Brown says "As for a sneaky squid spirit, first, I haven't heard Jennifer's actual words; I only heard what Chris (Rosebrough) represented. Second, on the face of it, I can't say if it's false or true... Please give me a chapter and verse that tells me to say there is no such thing." 

Chris Rice and I take about one minute to find and post a response with Jennifer LeClaire's ridiculous article from Charisma's website, the same website that Brown writes for. So Brown acts like he just doesn't have enough information (I guess he has not yet heard of "Google") and then he goes on to defend the Sneaky Squid Spirit because... (he actually said this): Scripture doesn't tell him that there's no such thing. Seriously, let that sink in for a moment. This man writes (many) books, hosts a daily call-in radio show and is the Grand Poo Ba of the College of Supernatural Wizardry or whatever it's called. Chris Rice rightly ridicules his idiotic argument by asking: "What's to stop me from saying there's a big purple demon named Larry who gives atomic wedgies? Under your standard I might be right, since the Bible doesn't speak against big purple demons named Larry who give atomic wedgies." 

Dr. Brown digs himself into an even deeper hole by telling Chris Rice that he has to prove from Scripture that the Sneaky Squid Spirit isn't real. Really. Brown makes one of his craziest comments here: "There are many unusual creatures described in the Bible, so based on sola scriptura, I can't say either way." This is the ranting of a delusional person. This is so incoherent that it's breathtaking. Brown is basically saying, "because of sola scriptura (Bible Only) we should believe in something that isn't in the Bible." 

Dr. Brown goes on to use a tactic that displays his lack of confidence in this conversation: he starts referring to other important scholars who have absolutely nothing to do with this Sneaky Squid Spirit discussion. I couldn't fit the whole exchange on one page, but here's most of it. Chris Rice has the last comment to which Dr. Brown doesn't reply to:

Now let's take a look at how Dr. Brown answered my initial comment (and he also responds as the older, more mature "bully" to Kevin Much's comment):

No surprise here: Dr. Brown brings up cessationism right away, even though I said this "has nothing to do with cessationism, but you always divert people's attention to that topic." I call this tactic "The Dr. Michael Brown Death Spiral." Crocodiles are not good at fighting on land, so they attack their prey in or near the water and drag them under. Then the crocodile starts violently spinning around under water, and quickly kills its prey. Dr. Brown wants to pull his "prey" into a cessationist battle whenever possible, because he's a highly skilled debater who knows how to "win" that battle. (Obviously, I'm not saying he's a violent person-I'm just using that as an analogy.) He then says "I rarely go after other believers on my radio show." Except for all the time he spends convincing everyone how terribly wrong cessationists are, that is. He brings up the Strange Fire book, and then tells me how he's been correcting errors in the charismatic camp for 40+ years. So he doesn't "go after believers" and he's really busy studying the Scriptures (in Hebrew!) all the time, but he's also been correcting a lot of errors in his own movement. I believe him when he says he's been addressing some errors, but the NAR movement (that he's right in the middle of) is a doctrinal train wreck, where any Christ-centered, Gospel-centric preaching is a rare exception. 

Now Dr. Brown gets to the one thing he may have been entirely correct about: I don't know how much money Heidi Baker makes, and she may not actually be getting rich off the church. She's a really bad false teacher (for sure), but I honestly have no information about her income. Sorry if I lumped her in wrongly with the others, as I was lumping together a bunch of NAR people he has associated with and made general claims about all of them in my comment.

UPDATE! As of January 2018:

Here's a PDF of Heidi Baker's Iris Global Ministries Financial statement from 2013: Form 990 

It looks like Iris Global Ministries does a lot of good work in helping the poor, but Heidi and her husband Rolland, are making a very nice income from their ministry. If you add up all of their income it comes to $219,703. Here are a couple screenshots:

It's very interesting that Michael Brown ignored my comment about these people twisting Scripture, and he didn't refute the idea that all the other people I mentioned were getting rich off the church. In fact, he didn't remove my article about Kris Vallotton being a prosperity preacher for the entire time that this post was public. My guess is that he knows most of these people are somewhat shady, but for some reason he doesn't say anything. He called my comment "libelous" but he didn't refute most of it, just the "Heidi Baker getting rich"part. By the way, I do wonder how Heidi Baker can be living such a "sacrificial life" among the poorest of the poor (in Mozambique, no less!) when she's also on the speaking circuit for much of the year... 

Here's Heidi Baker doing whatever it is she does:

Before we go on to reveal more of Dr. Brown's blundering, let's talk about the little man in Dr. Brown's closet: Benny Hinn.

Dr. Brown has been avoiding, obfuscating and deflecting ever since he was on Benny's TV show. Here's the thing Dr. Michael Brown really hopes you don't know: he wrote a book against John MacArthur's book called "Strange Fire," which is a book packed with information about Benny Hinn. Brown's book was written specifically to refute the book "Strange Fire," it's called "Authentic Fire."

Do you think he read the book that he refuted? Of course-he had to read MacArthur's book!

Chapter 8 of MacArthur's book is called "Fake Healings and False Hopes" and it's largely about Benny Hinn. Here are some jpegs I took of the pages that refer to Benny Hinn and the false Word of Faith teaching he espouses:

Those are 17 pages with a lot of specific information about Benny Hinn. But Dr. Michael Brown says he doesn't know anything about Benny Hinn. He says it over and over and over. Oh, and by the way, chapter 8 has 69 different footnotes; lots of primary source information about the little man in Michael Brown's closet: Benny Hinn.

He really looks bad in this next comment to Martin Kantola; Brown says "I'm not here to defend or attack Benny Hinn. Next?" That's a combination of a bully tactic and a deflection tactic. Then Chris Rice asks him a similar question.

Then I specifically address the fact that he already knows what Benny Hinn teaches because he already read the Strange Fire book. Brown will attempt to answer me (without actually answering me) and then he'll delete my comment, and then just delete the whole post...

Here's Brown's answer to my comment. I went to bed and so this came while I was asleep; when I woke up my comments were gone, so this is a screenshot from my iPhone/email:

Basically, Dr. Brown ignores the essence of my question and says the same stuff he always says. 

• "I'm too busy to do any research on any of the people I associate with. (But I'm a really great scholar and expert for 40+ years.)"

• "It's not my calling to be a 'heresy hunter' so I don't have to obey the Bible's clear instructions to 'test the spirits' and 'hold fast to sound doctrine' and 'exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict' and 'remove the evil person from among you...'" (Find these verses and many more HERE)

• "Since I am unable to do lots and lots of research, I, therefore, can't do any research. Not even 15 minutes of research."

Here's a screenshot of him going to great lengths to explain how he can never watch or read anything anyone sends him (Una Carapleades was asking Dr. Brown to watch THIS 15 minute video):

Dr. Brown also had a dialogue with our own @Aspree, and his tactics were the same. Let's take a look:

Here's how Dr. Brown responded to Amy:

Dr. Brown is very clear that he supports the people that we were bringing to his attention (some more than others); especially people like Heidi Baker, Jennifer LeClaire and Bill Johnson. He then goes on to say that we are the real problem. Amy asks him a  more specific question before he gives his last reply to her (sorry for the low-resolution jpeg, it's all I could get):

Wow. He ends by saying "Again, I am NOT here to say whose ministries I like or do not like." This is a classic straw man argument; nobody asked him to tell us which ministries he "likes" as if we were chatting about our favorite flavor of ice cream! He can't say "I refuse to compare the teachings of these people to Scripture" because then he would be in big trouble, so he makes it sound like this whole discussion was about expressing personal preferences over minor issues. Dr. Brown gives many excuses, but the end result is that he knows and approves of certain people and you just have to trust him. 

Dr. Michael Brown refuses to look at any information that might threaten his currently held beliefs-he even tries to hide that information from his followers. But he wants everyone else to read his books and trust whatever he says. He suggests that if a video shows really bad things about one of his friends it must be a "misleading compilation." So when these false teachers say ridiculous and heretical things on video (from their own Youtube Channels and TV shows) it makes no difference. 

Dr. Brown's entire post was deleted in the middle of the night. All of his followers were spared from having their great leader exposed as a man full of contradictions and excuses. A few days later, Dr. Brown wrote a new post all about "heresy hunters" and this time he was quick to block me from commenting after just 13 minutes. 

I was able to make a few comments before my comments were removed and I was blocked (special thanks to Jeff Klock for his amazing comments!):

Here are two more intelligent comments that Dr. Brown quickly deleted (and there's good old Jeff Klock, "defending" Dr. Brown some more):

Here's how he treated Phil Johnson on Twitter around the same time:

Hopefully, the people who truly want to be discerning Bereans will find all of this information helpful. If all you ever see is Dr. Michael Brown's highly controlled Facebook feed (Twitter is similar), or if all you ever listen to is his highly controlled radio show, you're not getting the full picture.

It's time to stop listening to this man and return to a careful evaluation of everyone's teaching against the only trustworthy standard: God's Holy Word-The Bible.

Postscript: Dr. Brown is now busy telling his gullible listeners on his Line of Fire radio show that critics demanded he "condemn Jennifer LeClaire to Hell." This is yet another strawman argument. Nobody told Dr. Michael Brown to condemn anybody to Hell. Of course, his audience might believe him, since he deleted what we actually said. He also wants his gullible listeners to think we're "anonymous bloggers full of hate; religious Pharisees" you know, me, @Aspree, Chris Rice and Chris Rosebrough, Phil Johnson, Marsha West, Anthony Wade... anonymous. He also claims that Jonathan Edwards would support the NAR/Signs & Wonders/Hyper-Charismatic movement. “And yet some people actually imagine that the revelation in God’s Word is not enough to meet our needs. They think that God from time to time carries on an actual conversation with them, chatting with them, satisfying their doubts, testifying to His love for them, promising them support and blessings. As a result, their emotions soar; they are full of bubbling joy that is mixed with self-confidence and a high opinion of themselves. The foundation for these feelings, however, does not lie within the Bible itself, but instead rests on the sudden creations of their imaginations. These people are clearly deluded. God’s Word is for all of us and each of us; He does not need to give particular messages to particular people.” -Jonathan Edwards

---

Here are more articles and videos to consider (with many more links):

Does This String of Incredible Coincidences Connect Dr. Michael Brown to the NAR?

Michael Brown Can't Defend "Sneaky Squid Spirit"-Repeatedly Changes the Subject

Dr. Michael Brown (Sort of) Approves of These "Fine Christians..." Watch at your Own Risk!

Why Michael Brown & Friends are Right and Everyone Else is Wrong?

Gatekeeper of False Teachings-- Dr. Michael Brown

Pharisees and False Teachers: A Modern Day Look at the Crooks Christ Couldn’t Stand

Phil Johnson rebukes Dr Michael Brown.

The Dr. Michael Brown Checklist of Manipulation

Does Michael Brown Know More About Benny Hinn Than He Lets On?

Sneaky Squids and Sola Scriptura

Dr. Michael Brown probably doesn't want you to listen to this episode of Fighting for the Faith: Calamari Discord

-This article by Steven KozarMany people are leaving the New Apostolic Reformation/Signs & Wonders/Hyper-Charismatic churches and telling their stories; you can read about them here: Leaving The NAR

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

— 1 John 4: 1

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

— 1 Corinthians 14: 33

“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”

— Jeremiah 5: 30-31

“And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.”

— Ezekiel 22: 28

“Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”

— Lamentations 2: 14

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

— Matthew 24: 24

This article by Steven Kozar; check out his new and improved: The Messed Up Church website!

Todd White Flees Rebuke of Homeschool Mom, Threatens to Call Police

Read this amazing first-hand account from a homeschool mom who dared to confront the hyper-charismatic superstar, Todd White:

Todd White Flees Rebuke of Woman, Threatens to Call Police by Cindy McCann in Pulpit & Pen

Read more about this false teacher:

The Todd White Cornucopia of False Teaching

Todd White is part of the New Apostolic Reformation: The New Apostolic Reformation Cornucopia of False Doctrine, Dominionism, Charismania and Deception

For those who think it's mean, judgmental and un-loving to criticize Todd White (or any other popular teacher) here's something just for you: Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know.

If you're having a knee-jerk reaction to try and defend Todd White, check out: Confirmation Bias: Why You Are Protecting Your False Beliefs.

Finally, here's an article that will help you be more discerning and a lot less gullible: Defusing Demonic Dirty Bombs.

The Hyper-Charismatic House of Cards: Let It Fall and Be Free

If you've been a part of a church that adheres to some of the "New Apostolic Reformation/Signs and Wonders" teachings, there's a good chance that you have nagging doubts and concerns that keep popping up from somewhere in the back of your mind.

That's actually good.

For example, you've been told something like this: The Christian who gets baptized in the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and then... jumps aboard the hyper-charismatic NAR/Signs & Wonders bandwagon, will get a bunch of things that "regular" Christians don't have. You've gone to a lot of services, conferences & revival meetings so you can get "the anointing," and you've read a lot of "anointed" books and watched a lot of "anointed" TV and video presentations. And now you're supposed to have more. More blessings; more power; more prosperity; more confidence; more effectiveness; more intimacy with God... on top of that you've been taught to keep asking God for more because God is waiting to see how hungry and desperate you are before He does anything more. 

But admit it, you don't really have more of those things. In fact, you probably have more questions, more confusion, and more doubts.

• You've heard these teachers prophesy about things that didn't come true at all.
• You've been promised things that you didn't receive.
• You've "sowed financial seeds" into ministries with zero results.
• You've used the "power of your words" to claim things that you never got.
• You've been given "prophetic words" that were basically just cheap fortune-telling tricks (without the crystal ball). 
• You've tried to "speak things into existence" with zero success, but you're afraid to say anything because you've been taught that you'd be making things even worse if you speak about it.
• You've been told that God really really really wants to make all your dreams come true. Really.
• You were supposed to have something "activated" (faith; understanding; miracles; anointing...) but nothing actually happened. Nagging doubts are all that got "activated."
• There was supposed to be a "shift in the atmosphere" but you're not even sure what that means.
• You've been told about the gigantic new "move of the spirit" that's right around the corner... for a decade or two (or three) now.
• You've been told that being a Christian is all about finding your Destiny So You Can Change The World. How's that working for you? Are you exhausted and disillusioned yet?
• You've been wondering why the people on stage have all of these amazing stories to tell, but God hasn't done those things in your life. "What's wrong with me?" is a common thought of yours.
• You've got a stack of books and/or DVDs that claim to give you the magic formula that leads to more. But only the person selling those things got more... of your money. 

On top of these personal difficulties and inconsistencies, you've watched men and women who were supposed to be great spiritual leaders prove themselves to be regular sinners with all of their divorces, financial scandals and confusing teachings that seem to get made up on the spot. These are the people who claim to have great power because they get "built up in the Holy Spirit" by speaking in tongues, and they know the secret key to "resist the devil" and get radical results. Bill Johnson even claims that he can change the atmosphere of a room just by walking in the door. They know exactly how to brag about their amazing walk with God while maintaining a facade of humility.

But lets be honest. These are people just telling stories on a stage; they're really professional speakers. They have little to no proof of all the amazing things they claim to have done. All the miracles happen somewhere else (and nobody takes a video). These people are very good at telling compelling stories. They are very good at sounding humble as they attract and retain more followers for themselves. "Aw shucks, it's all the Lord; but He works through me a lot more than He does through you" is the overall attitude.

• These kind of false teachers have to keep propping each other up with endorsements and guest speaking invitations for each other.
• They have to keep talking about the new and better thing (that they just invented), so that you'll continue showing up for the next meeting or conference.
• They have to use and repeat spiritual sounding catch-phrases, in order to replace the sound teachings of scripture.
• They have to have yet another "greatest conference ever" (until the next one) so that they can make money by selling more tickets and books.
• They require an audience full of gullible and emotionally dependent people. "Just Trust Us" is the underlying theme to everything they say and do. 
• They have to promote all this stuff with very expensive and manipulative video commercials that constantly tug at your heartstrings.
• The one thing they can't have is this: you realizing that your ears are getting tickled, while your soul is being drained.

It's a house of cards.

You've been tricked. You've been sold a bill of goods. You've been bamboozled.

Now it's time to move on and find rest. Rest in the true freedom that comes from the unaltered Gospel: Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins. You've been forgiven of your sins, not because of anything you've done, but because Jesus took your place on the cross. You can stop trying to be more desperate to show God how serious you are (yet again). You can stop trying to be more passionate than you were the last time you mustered up a bunch of passion. You can stop trying so hard to feel something to convince yourself of God's presence. You can stop wondering why you still haven't gotten your "breakthrough." You can stop trying to get a "fresh word from the Lord." You can stop trying to figure out your Destiny so you can Change The World. 

God does not require these things from you, and He never has. You've been ensnared by the teachings of men. 

So here's the bottom line to this article: If you're confused by all the stuff you've been taught, start reading your Bible again, and stop listening to all the people who've been telling you these things. Just take a little time off and see what happens. Here's a truly radical idea: read entire books of the New Testament all of the way through (most of them are really short). If God's Word is actually God's Word, then He will you use it to speak to you. Stop trying to hear God's voice in your constantly changing imagination; the Word of God is unchanging and it's outside of you, and that's a very good thing. Clear out all the false teachings that have cluttered up your mind and discover the simple Gospel message. 

He's given you His Word, now simply read it and be free!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

— Ephesians 2: 4-10

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

— John 15: 26

“Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”

— Colossians 2: 18-19

“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

— 1 Timothy 6: 3-5

“And yet some people actually imagine that the revelation in God’s Word is not enough to meet our needs. They think that God from time to time carries on an actual conversation with them, chatting with them, satisfying their doubts, testifying to His love for them, promising them support and blessings. As a result, their emotions soar; they are full of bubbling joy that is mixed with self-confidence and a high opinion of themselves. The foundation for these feelings, however, does not lie within the Bible itself, but instead rests on the sudden creations of their imaginations. These people are clearly deluded. God’s Word is for all of us and each of us; He does not need to give particular messages to particular people.”

— Jonathan Edwards

---

If you found this interesting and thought-provoking, you might also enjoy the following articles:

Assertions and Assumptions are NOT the Foundation of the Church

Cognitive Dissonance and the Silly Putty Jesus

The false teachers who have invaded many of the Pentecostal and charismatic churches do NOT want you to know about The Charismatic Day of Infamy!

-This article by Steven Kozar