3 Current False Gospels
The only logical explanation is that the christian masses don't actually know what they believe. Paul said until we become mature in our knowledge of the truth, we will be "tossed to and fro, like the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph 4:13-14).
People might go to church, listen to sermons online, and read extra-biblical books, but they aren't reading and studying their bibles. If they were, false gospels wouldn't have such huge followings.
It is the responsibility of every Christian to study and grow in knowledge in the Word of God. We cannot leave that to the "pros"and simply be spoon-fed whatever they say. To identify something false we must know what's true.
2 Peter
Warnings are all over the scriptures. 2 Peter 2 for example says that false teachers are among us, bringing in destructive teachings, and that many are following them. The implication is that they are often popular, familiar, and seem trustworthy. They run in our christian circles and appear to be good christian friends.
Peter uses examples like the flooding of the earth and Sodom and Gomorrah to show how the majority followed false teaching, and the minority (like Noah and Lot) remained righteous and were saved. It's a terrifying implication. Time and time again throughout history the majority end up following false teaching. Jesus wasn't messing around when he said the gate to destruction is "easy and wide", and the gate to eternal life is "hard and narrow." (Matt 7:14).
Peter closes Chapter 3 saying (my paraphrase): "This will continue happening. People will twist the Scriptures and it will lead to destruction. Since you now know this, get rooted in the Truth, as they come for the unstable. If you don't, you'll be swept away like everyone else."
That warning, combined with what I see around me in christian culture, motivated this post. Modern day christianity is littered with "famous" pastors, churches, music, and conferences that have a huge influence on western christian culture as a whole. Think Elevation Church and Music, Bethel Church and Music, Hillsong Church and Music, and many more (could name a dozen).
My point here isn't to single out specific people or ministries, but to help give an idea how the influence of false gospels has become so popular and easily accepted. I'm also not questioning all hearts and intentions and motives. For example, just because the "word of faith" gospel comes out of the Pentecostal denomination, I am not calling every single Pentecostal a false teacher or false Christian. In fact I know Pentecostals who firmly reject "word of faith" theology. Or as another example, I am not lumping everyone who listens to Bethel Music in with the false teaching that comes out of Bethel Church.
I do hope that this will lead somebody to look into these things further, dig deeper into God's Word, and consider how these influences might be impacting their own life. I know for me personally, it has led to very specific decisions and more careful discernment regarding what my family reads, watches, and listens to. With regards to these things, we must all be diligent in order to be found without spot or blemish (2 Peter 3:14).
Here's a few of the most common false gospels in "mainstream christianity" today.
#1 - THE (SUBLTE) PROSPERITY GOSPEL
I say "subtle" to distinguish from the over-the-top, plain-for-all-to-see version - like Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, etc. You can see those coming from a mile away. They don't even try to hide it.
I'm talking about the the more "mainstream" western church, where a huge priority is put on entertainment, production, appearance, style, comfort, and fun. You'll typically find super talented speaker/preachers behind big personalities, great music, hip fashion, and me-focused motivational messages.
More problematic than methodology and style, is the lack of faithfulness to the biblical text. While you may occasionally hear a good sermon in these churches, over time, you will find that much of the teaching is focused on overcoming, achieving, pursuing dreams and passions, and being blessed and receiving God's favor. Rarely will you hear about the holiness of God, the depravity of man, the need for a Savior (and Lord), the glory of suffering for the gospel, dying to self, sacrificial missions, or the deep sanctifying work of Christ in our lives through abdiing in His Word.
Leadership
The biggest red flags for this false gospel usually pop up when observing it's leaders. Leaders who teach "subtle prosperity" tend to enjoy the spotlight. There is a premium on self image. Big emphasis on appearance, fashion, charisma, humor, emotion, and general public speaking talent. They like having their image and name on book covers, videos, promotional materials, etc.
As far as the big players, there's a bit of a "who's who" club between them. They speak at each others churches, endorse each others books, promote each other's worship albums, etc. Many even work together on "independent boards" that determine one another's salaries. Ugh. To sum it up, they seem to enjoy the "fame" associated with being a well known pastor, when they should be humbly and earnestly trying to deflect.
To take it a step further, I find it at odds biblically when christian leaders live in luxurious homes, drive luxury cars, and get caught up in appearance, fashion, designer clothes and shoes. If the scriptures warn us of the snares and temptations that come with wealth, is there anything more dangerous than our bible teachers pursuing and indulging such things in their own lives? While teaching from the Word, mind you, that clearly says "die to self", "crucify the flesh", "don't conform to the world", "I must decrease", and "any one of you that doesn't renounce all things cannot be my disciple"?
It's in my opinion the the most dangerous contradiction imaginable. And it's having a destructive effect - ultimately producing an easy, comfortable, fun, have-it-both-ways false gospel that is completely incongruent with the scriptures.
This is where we need fewer "hip pastors", and more bona fide men. Men who don't give a rip about staying in style. Men like the early church fathers. If appearance even crossed their minds, it would have been concern that their open wounds and scars might alarm somebody. And i doubt they even cared about that.
How to Notice
I'm convinced that the "subtle" version of this false gospel is much more dangerous than the "obvious" one. It can be confusing for many because the churches involved in this false gospel make people feel good and also do lots of good things.
Even if good at hiding it (subtle version), here's the clearest indicators of the prosperity gospel:
1. The absence of teaching on the necessity and normalcy (and goodness!) of biblical suffering.
2. The absence of regular teaching on the doctrine of self-denial.
3. The absence of serious biblical exposition (word by word teaching through the scriptures).
4. Church leaders with extravagant or egoistic lifestyles.
5. Teaching and ministries are more self-oriented than glory-of-God oriented.
In the end, we must know our bibles in order to identify and avoid the "subtle prosperity gospel"!
#2 - THE "WORD OF FAITH" GOSPEL
Also called the "New Apostolic Reformation" or "Signs and Wonders" gospel. It has been around a long time, but has now found its way into much of modern day christianity. It's definitely a close relative to the prosperity gospel - lots of crossover. What makes the "word of faith" camp unique is its strong emphasis on prophesy, healing, and a new era of apostolic anointing and gifts.
While the origins of this false gospel are much older, the more current version gained traction in the mid 90s at a Vineyard Church revival event called the "Toronto Blessing." You can look it up online. Then something similar happened again in 2008 at a church in Lakeland, FL, now known as the "Lakeland Revival." The claim around these events is that the fire of the Holy Spirit comes, leading to an abundance of prophesy and divine healings. First hand accounts (and actual footage) includes masses of people flopping around on the floor like fish, emotional tirades, obnoxious and unyielding laughing (for hours), drunken sermons, barking like dogs, kicking people in attempt to heal them, and much more.
After researching more deeply this false gospel, I wonder how any credibility or esteem could be given to it whatsoever. Yet people follow it. I believe many are following it's leaders and ministries without truly knowing what it is.
Indicators
In fairness, not all gatherings resemble the Toronto Blessing or the Lakeland Revival, so it can be hard to notice at first. But the dangerous doctrine is there, and the influence of the key players is there. And as with many false gospels, the people are nice, the music is enjoyable, and the doctrinal statement might even appear sound, albeit vanilla.
The explicit indoctrination happens over time as you sit under the teaching and connect more deeply in the community. Many of these ministries have "schools of supernatural ministry" where they teach how to be an apostle or a prophet, how to heal, and how to pray in tongues. The methods they use is not supported in scripture and actually resembles mysticism, new age, and new thought spirituality.
Other red flags of the "word of faith" influence are ideas such as the power of positive thinking, calling things into existence ("name it and claim it"), little god theology, a denial that God chooses to use suffering for his purposes, and a general exaltation of man.
In addition, "word of faith" leaders teach that Jesus left his divinity aside when he took on human flesh (often refereed to as "kenoticism"). It's a heretical argument formed by the twist of a couple bible verses. The convenient result is a case that suggests we can do all the miraculous that Jesus did, including speak with the same authority, since he was only man (just like us) when he walked the earth. This view is embraced boldly by Bethel Church founder and lead pastor, Bill Johnson, and he writes about it in his book, When Heaven Invades Earth.
Here's whats most alarming about the "word of faith" false gospel: some of the biggest influencers in modern christian culture are involved in it, to varying degrees. It has found it's way into popular churches who appear "mainstream" and who everyone knows. In fact, many of these ministry founders (including Bill Johnson) were present at the original "Toronto Blessing" and credit the event as motivation for the planting of their churches!
Words of Knowledge & Prophesy
One current fascination within this false gospel is giving a "word of knowledge" to as many people as you can. Sometimes it's random, like saying to someone, "I'm seeing Michigan somehow connecting with your past... am I right?" Everybody in this group is trained to be a prophet, and in fact once you're "in" there is great pressure to be able to successfully give these "words of knowledge." I've heard several people that left a "word of faith" church say they were looked down upon if they didn't practice and improve in the area of prophesy. They felt like a second class christian if they weren't good at giving "prophetic words", and made to think that this kind of prophesy was a direct correlation to their maturity as a christian.
Not long ago, my wife and I were invited to a worship gathering at a friend of a friend's house, in an upscale suburban neighborhood. While there, a couple approached us and told us they wanted to give us a word. I won't share all of the detail, but the general idea was that God had given them a vision for us that had to do with an abundance of material blessing for us and our ministry.
I politely declined to listen further, and we left. Interestingly, God had recently been leading us to simplify in the same area that they were suggesting this big abundance coming our way.
As I thought about it later, the whole thing saddened me more than anything. These were sweet people. I think most who are caught up in this stuff (leaders who know exactly what they are doing aside) aren't intending to hurt or scam people. They think they are blessing people with their visions, prophesies, and "words of knowledge". But instead of being truly Spirit led, it's a learned practice involving educated guesses. Bethel's School of Supernatural Ministry, for example, actually teaches how make keen observations that will bear out relevant words of knowledge.
In this particular case, the odds were in their favor. They knew what kind of ministry work we do. I'm sure they assumed most mission organizations would have received their "vision" with excitement.
It's important to point out that the Greek word translated "prophesy" in 1 Cor 12:10 and Romans 12:6 means to "speak forth." Theologically, the coming of the Messiah, and the completion of the written New Testament, marked key changes in the role of the prophet, and the gift of prophesy. No more is it about "predicting the future" but speaking forth the counsel of God.
So today, with the completion of the holy scriptures and specifically the New Testament, the gift of prophesy changes from "declaring new revelations" to "declaring the completed revelation" that God has already given. In other words, the faith and truth that we profess has already been settled, and does not need further addition or revelation!
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
I am not a skeptic of the power of the Holy Spirit! I have encountered plenty of spiritual darkness, including evil/demonic spirits. I have also witnessed the miraculous healing of the Lord.
However... it is wise to exercise caution and proper skepticism towards any teaching/movement that puts a lopsided emphasis on gifts of the Holy Spirt. When one is in constant pursuit (training, resourcing, teaching, celebrating) of the gifts themselves - and hypes up and celebrates their own abilities to channel them - they are missing the mark. They are putting the emphasis on the gifts instead of the Giver.
The pursuit must be Jesus himself. As Christians, our submission to Christ is first. And we must be willing to be used by him however and whenever he sees fit. Our passion must be first and foremost about the glory of God, abiding in Christ (John 15), knowing His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17), and sharing the simplicity of the gospel with the world (Matt 28:18-20). Then, when/if He chooses to do something miraculous, praise His name! But we must pursue Christ, not gifts.
Many who are caught up in this false gospel make a mockery of spiritual gifts by claiming they can be learned mechanically, in the same way that one learns how to ride a bike. In the end, this puts way too much emphasis on the individual, rather than an almighty and sovereign God.
#3 - THE SELF-HELP GOSPEL
Social media has helped create a more me-centered culture than we've ever seen before. But there's nothing new about the me-centered gospel. Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Help yourself. You deserve it! Pursue your dreams. Accomplish. Achieve. Go for it!
Drumroll for the most misused and trivialized verse of all time... "You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength"!!!
Somehow this stuff continues to find its way into churches and christian books, despite having no biblical basis at all. At best, bible verses get twisted to fit the narrative. Jesus' message, "if anyone would come after me he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" is nowhere to be found in this false gospel, which actually says just the opposite.
Christ says: Lay your life down for my sake.
This gospel says: Pursue your best life with all you've got.
(And mix in a little "God is for you" talk.)
In addition to the obvious anti-biblical premise of the self-help gospel, I also find it to be elitist and globally unaware. Why? Because for the most part, only the educated, middle to upper class community in the developed world is buying the "pursue your dreams" jargon. Most of the world lives in survival mode, just trying to get though the day. For them, the "you can do it" gospel of self-determination ends up feeling more like condemnation.
What makes the true gospel of Jesus Christ so amazing is that it gives hope to all people everywhere. The whole point is that you don't have to save yourself, because He is your Savior. You don't have to help yourself, because he is the Great Helper.
That's not to say the opposite is true - "don't help yourself." That would be ridiculous. Of course there is tremendous value in discipline and conviction and dedication. It's just not where we put our hope.
It reminds me of the (false) way the story of David and Goliath gets taught. The one that says Goliath represents our troubles in life and we need to be like David and slay our "Goliath's." The problem is that the story of David and Goliath is not about me or you. It's about God's glory. God used David to save Israel for the glory of his name! And Jesus is the Greater David, not us.
If me and you are in that story, we're more like the scared Israelites who are freaking out. Jesus is the hero. And that should be comforting. I mean, do we really want to be David? Do we want the burden of hitting every "target" in our life dead-on, with a sling and a stone?
If so, I can't imagine anything more exhausting and damning. And that's exactly what the self-help gospel is. Exhausting, because it says believe in yourself... which puts all the pressure on us. God didn't create us to believe in ourselves! If we try putting all of our hope and belief in ourselves... ourselves are going to fail ourselves - time and time again! And that's exhausting.
And damning because, well, cuz it's a lie. The message of the true gospel is to fall on our knees and give up. Surrender it all to a good and faithful Father. The pushers from this camp say "just believe in yourself!" But the true gospel says turn from yourself and trust Jesus.
Keep your eyes out for the red flags of the self-help gospel! It's always about you... your pursuits, your dreams, your accomplishments, your victories, and your happiness. It's often mixed with bible verses quoted out of context, and trivialized christian cliches.
IN SUMMARY
The Big 3
Don't ever glance over any false gospel (or false teacher) "red flags" that involve 1) power/fame, 2) money, or 3) sexual sin. Almost all of the warnings in scripture involve these, and they are clearly involved in the false gospels I mentioned above. Prosperity, "word of faith", and self-help theologies, as well as megachurch and christian music production, are all HUGE industries and big business. And "big business" tends to walk very closely with pitfalls of power, fame, money, and sex.
I'm not saying all are corrupt; I'm saying it's easy for corruption to creep in.
I'm not saying make baseless presumptions; I'm saying stay on guard.
Abide
Ultimately the only way to protect yourself against these popular false gospels is to know the truth, which comes from abiding in Christ. By abiding I mean daily time in God's Word, in prayer, worship, and scripture memorization. As you abide in Him, and walk in step with the Holy Spirit, he will give you discernment.
2 Peter 2:17 describes these false gospels and false teachers as "waterless springs" and "mists driven by a storm." Such good imagery! They seem exhilarating and refreshing... but they are dry as a bone. They appear to promise rain for dry land... but are quickly blown away.
These false gospels and false teachers offer fun and happiness and thrills and insight and freedom... but in reality only emptiness and meaninglessness. They leave you with nothing.
We must be careful to discern the great difference between waterless springs and springs of living water! Only one overflows into eternal life. You'll have to look up the second half of 2 Peter 2:17 to see what happens to the other.
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