Fatal Sincerity: Our complicit silence when heresy speaks

I assume Paula White is a fine and sincere person, but I could not in good conscience recommend her preaching or teaching. This may be yet another case of misidentified gifting we see so often in the Pentecostal/charismatic (P/c) movement. Paula may be called to preach very simple evangelistic gospel messages using her testimony, or she may be an exhorter/encourager, but a pastor/teacher of the deep truths of the faith she most certainly is not.

This phenomenon is very common in the P/c movement. The Holy Spirit gifts someone in exhorting and encouraging, or sharing simple gospel messages, or praying for the sick, or giving prophetic words on occasion, and we automatically assume they must also be a preacher/teacher/pastor. These under-prepared exhorters are then launched into preaching/teaching ministry with neither a true gifting, nor the proper education, nor true spiritual formation. And pretty soon they are spouting all manner of idiocy.

In today’s culture, the flashiest, showiest, glitziest, prettiest, most entertaining, most exciting, most emotional, most simplistic and dumbed-down tends draw the biggest crowds and income in the “ministry,” just like it does at the movies or on the television. The appeal is to the lowest common denominator.

Thus you get the Benny Hinns, Paula Whites, Rod Parsleys, Creflo Dollars, Copelands, Hagins, CrouchFamily Inc., and their ilk, ad nauseum. Neither spiritual phenomena, size, nor wealth validate the people, lifestyles, doctrines or ministries in question. Again, healing, salvation, offerings, salaries, building programs, and missions work do not validate a ministry.

Some of these televangelists may be sincere people (I’m convinced many are not), but they are sincerely, fatally wrong. The shallow, selfish, emotional gospel preached in these circles is not going to stand up over the long haul in this culture. Good grief. In the NT, even the local church deacons had to understand and hold fast to the deep truths of the faith. Local church elders/pastors had to do the same, and be able to teach these truths to the building up of the local church. Today, even prominent “ministers” are so ignorant that they are completely clueless as to the mere fact of their ignorance, let alone its depth.

Many have abandoned central Christian doctrine and practice, and turned their focus from the Cross and Christian character for absolute froth and foolishness. I am more concerned each day that much of the modern P/c movement is reaching such a degree of “charismadolatry” and such a willful exaltation of irrational ignorance that God may send them a strong delusion.

I am not kidding.

When for heaven’s sake will some district or general council officials somewhere stand up and speak truth about wolves and false doctrines, and stop pretending all of these issues are merely cosmetic differences of opinion? Are they too unable to discern the difference between truth and error, or are they simply afraid to speak out for financial and political reasons? I don’t know which is more frightening.

—Mark78913