Category — Gnosticism -

by shofarsound

False teaching has always had a strong correlation with sexual immorality since the Old Testament times. Baal worship, which encompasses polytheism, idolatry, and sexual immorality was against Yahweh’s commandments and laws He established with the nation of Israel. Jezebel and Ahab were prime examples of Old Testament figures that corrupted Israel with the false teaching that Baal and Ashtoreth.  Their teachings stated that they were the god and goddess to be worship along with Yahweh.  They also taught that indulgence in sexual immorality was a part of temple worship.

In the New Testament there were many teachers who integrated false teachings into the teachings of the church as a method Christians away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The most popular type of false teaching is known as Gnostic teaching.  It was used to subvert the gospel and incorporated sexually immorality.  It was used to subvert the gospel.

Revelation 2:14-15, 20 talks about doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitans, and the prophetess Jezebel.  Through their doctrine, people were led into believing that leading a life of sexual immorality was okay.  Anyone could lead an ungodly lifestyle and practice idolatry without affecting their relationship with Christ Jesus. The false teachers of that era were perverting the truth of God’s Word.

There are also examples of men in and around our time that are or were false teachers.  Their connection with sexual immorality and perverted teaching was brought about by their own perverted sexual appetites.

Detroit’s Prophet Jones

One of the most prominent black ministers and so called prophet of the 1940s and 1950s was considered being queer/homosexual was Detroit’s Prophet Jones (James Frances Jones). Jones built a religious empire on pimping the poor disenfranchised Black people in and around his area. Jones would pay for a hundred newspapers with a picture of him for ten cents each.  He would then turn around and sell them for five dollars each claiming the papers had “miraculous curative” properties. He lived like a millionaire, drove luxury cars, and lived in a mansion[source]. False Prophet Jones taught that all men would become immortal by the year 2000. He said they would not go to heaven, but heaven would be brought down to earth abolishing death.

So was “Profit” Jones right about his prophecy? After all, it is now 2010! What happened with all men becoming immortal by the year 2000?

Father Divine

Now George Baker Jr., better known as Father Divine, arose in the late 1910s.  He founded the International Peace Mission. He believed he was God and was worshipped as God by his followers.  Although Divine preached sexual abstinence to his followers; he did not practice what he preached. He was not only perverse in his teachings and doctrine, but he was also perverted sexually. Father Divine would tell his mistresses, “When I have sex relations with you I am bringing your desires to the surface so that I can eliminate it, god is the only one who can do as he pleases”[source].   Doesn’t that sound like  Genesis 3:5?   Father Divine was best known for being the mentor of Jim Jones. Yup you guess it right.  The same Jim Jones that led over nine hundred people down to Guyana to eventually drink poison kool-aid in a mass suicide.

Jim Jones

Jim Jones was a mentee of Father Divine.  He structured his People’s Temple in the same fashion as Divine’s International Peace Mission.  Jones also thought he was God.  He sexually abused some of his followers and was bisexual. In short, he was a sexual pervert and taught many false doctrines.  Jones believed in reincarnation which was a doctrine he picked up from his mentor Father Divine. Jim Jones eventually attempted to take over Divine’s International Peace Mission in 1972 after his mentor’s death.   Jones had claimed to be Father Divine reincarnated.   Jones was a “spiritual murderer” with his lies and false teaching.  He led 909 people to mass suicide down in the jungles of Guyana, leading them all too eternal damnation.

David Berg

The group Children of God (now called The Family International), was founded by David Berg in the late 1960s as a Christian organization. Berg established all sorts of wild teachings for his group. Berg’s method to gain proselyte was to introduced “flirty fishing” in 1974.  This is when he encouraged female members to have sex with potential members to show God’s love. By 1978 it was a wide spread among members, and in some areas “flirty fishers” used escort services to meet people. It was also a means to raise money for the group. Talk about evangelism!

Some of the other beliefs of the group were that[source]:

● Female bisexuality is sanctioned,

● Spirit helpers (i.e.: angels; departed humans and goddesses) give spiritual instruction,

● Otherwise known as bridal theology, members visualized that they were having sex with Jesus through sexual intercourse or masturbation.  Male members were to visualize they were women to prevent having homosexual relationship with Jesus.

Berg was seen as the prophet of the group and was called Moses David or King David.  Since he is now deceased he is looked at as one of the spirit helpers. He was known for being outspoken and reputed as an anti-Semite and pedophile.

David Koresh

David Koresh was the leader of the branch Davidians.  The Davidians was a group that broke off from the Seventh Day Adventist. Koresh moved to Waco, Texas in 1981 to join the branch Davidians and in 1983 claimed he had the gift of prophecy.  He then started an affair with the prophetess and leader of the group Lois Roden who was in her late sixties at that time.  She began to let Koresh teach. Roden died in 1986 and Koresh took over the group and begin to teach polygamy.  He taught that he was entitled to 140 wives, sixty women as his queens, and eighty as his concubines.  He based this teaching on his interpretation of the Song of Solomon. Eventually Koresh and his group were killed in 1993 in a standoff with the federal government. His followers followed him to their death.

Todd Bentley

In most recent times false perverse evangelist/prophet Todd Bentley, who lead the false Lakeland, Florida Revival, had an affair on his wife with a female ministry staffer[source].  He later divorced his wife to marry this woman. Bentley was like a shooting star.  He led this revival for a couple of months in 2008. However, he exhibit perverse behavior before the Lakeland Revival by getting multiple tattoos and body piercings well after being a Christian for a length of time. Not only was Bentley sexually immoral, his teaching was through a “perverse spirit.”  Bentley received messages and wild revelations from a female angel Emma.  He was quoted as saying Emma was an angel of the prophetic. There are two essential problems with this.

The first is that biblically, angels always appear in the human form as male.  Secondly, the moving of the true prophetic ministry is always through the Holy Spirit and not an angel. In truth, Emma is a demonic spirit that influenced Bentley. In Japanese mythology, Emma is known as the demon god.   Emma-O is the lord of death or the god of the underworld. Bentley’s perverse teaching lines up with his perverse lifestyle and this perverse spirit Emma used him to deceive many during that False Lakeland Revival through lying signs and wonders.

Second Peter two verses one through three says, “But there is false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

In these last days, there will be an increase of false teachers and false prophets.  As true Christians we must be established in the Word of God, have the ability through the Holy Spirit to discern spirits, and lastly know ministers by the fruit they bear and not through lying signs and wonders. We need to guard ourselves from deception.

You’ve got to see and hear to believe it. People have given themselves over to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. The lesbian pastor’s canned gay theology responses were bad enough, but I’m not even sure what came out of the black man’s mouth is worth being refuted it is so ludicrous.

Part 1

Part 2

Gay theology is so heavily influenced by antinomianism that all of the gay christian movement’s arguments against what the scriptures clearly teach about homosexuality are a result of this infusion of this heresy. Like a proverbial “pandora’s box” when a religious group embraces one doctrinal fallacy, it opens the door for other false beliefs to be accepted and practiced. Often it is spiritually fatal.

The sermon by Rev. Candace Chellew, Whosoever editor and a gay UCC minister, is one of the clearest examples of antinomianism we have come across. On its face, the antinomianist view is inherently hypocritical in part because it minimizes the written word in sexual and moral circumstances, but selectively uses it to support its own positions. Such beliefs are a dominant component of gay christian theology and account for the movement’s ability to look and sound Christian to those unfamiliar with its real beliefs.

In a sermon called “Better heresy of doctrine than heresy of heart”, Chellew sloppily attempts to pass off a quote from John Greenleaf Whittier as spiritual truth. She claims it is based on Matthew 6:19-21 and Matthew 15:10-20, but that’s only theological window dressing. Incidentally, Whittier’s poetry was known for appealing to emotions and feelings rather than logic.

Chellew attempts to support her antinomianist premise with a Thomas Carlyle quote: “A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.” This, she says, leads to a “knowledge of self”. Perhaps it does, but is that the true path for a follower of Jesus Christ?
Psalms 110:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desparately wicked, who can know it? The Bible never tells us to seek knowledge of self, rather we are told to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Thus, when we seek Christ, we find ourselves, but only in Him. For in Him we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Chellew’s worldly philosophy like that of all false teachers, lead people away from God instead of into a deeper relationship with Him.

One of the hallmarks of a false gospel is that it produces no power over sin. Thus, followers of false doctrines begin to make creative concessions for their sin. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation” (freedom from sin). Chellew’s powerless gospel becomes the reason for her “massage table revelation”.

I had a revelation of this fact about a year ago as I was lying, quite naked and vulnerable, on a massage therapist’s table. The therapist was massaging an area of my upper chest when she remarked about how tight I was in that region. She then explained to me the concept in Chinese medicine that the body is divided into seven chakras or power points. The point she was massaging is called the Heart Chakra. Since it was tight she said, “That means you’re not following your heart.” I immediately burst into tears. Those simple words, said in passing by my massage therapist, hit home with me. It made me realize that more than anything else I need to honor what’s in my heart. I cannot live in any way that is contrary to what I know in my heart to be God’s will for my life.

Given that gay christian theology is so completely irreconcileable with the true gospel, its no wonder Chellew would make this statement:

Each of us, because we are sitting in a church as openly GLBT people, alongside our straight allies, knows that we are doctrinal heretics. But we also know that being doctrinal heretics is better than hiding, denying our true selves, and living a lie that doctrine would have us to live.”

Unable to use scripture to support her fringe claims, Chellews tosses in words from a Buddhist monk:

Buddhist monk, Jack Kornfield, in his book “A Path with Heart” gives us a starting place in answering that question [about the heart]. Above all, he advises, any path we choose should “have heart.” Think deeply about the path your life is on right now. Is it a path that fills your heart with joy and anticipation of each new day? Or is it a path that fills your heart with dread as each new day begins?

Her words are a set up to feed the brokenness of those listening. There is no power, no promise of freedom from sin, only a false compromise which tells each person to follow their own deceptive hearts.

After telling her audience that they must treasure God above all, Chellew then leads them in a Buddhist transcendental meditation exercise where they are to think on two good deeds they have done. This is supposed to make them feel better about themselves. In other words, being a good person is what really matters, not obeying some set of restrictive Bible rules. Nowhere in scripture are we told to meditate of our good deeds. We are told to meditate on God’s Word day and night. If we do, we will be like trees planted by the water whose leaves never wither. Psalms 1:1-6

Chellew says what stands in the way of their “path to happiness and self discovery” are “those of a more right-wing thinking who believe there is only one path that the heart must tread theirs of course. A path that strictly adheres to doctrines, no matter what the heart may say. Those on the religious right tell us that by following our hearts we will end up in hell sentenced to eternal damnation. They’ve made up doctrines saying it’s so!”

By incorrectly attributing biblical doctrine to the work of political “right-wingers” and not the Holy Spirit, she may have cut off the path to her salvation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. What a tragic thing to discover in the end that both heresy of doctrine and heresy of heart are false roads that really do lead to hell.

Pastor Harvey Burnett of The Dunamis Word  blog recaps 2007 with its amazing array of gay clergy uprisings and church elite downfallings.

But read on into the story and you’ll find out the controversial “prophetess” Jaunita Bynum is holding 5am “prayer meetings” at Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple (one of the flagship apostolic churches).

TDW reports that the prayer meetings are already drawing 2,000 attendees. But you’ll have to go to the blog to read what this woman is telling them to do in the services. Hint: its a “secret”.

Saints, the false prophets do not rest in deceiving people and leading people away from the worship of the true God. Which is all the more reason we must be sober, vigilant and ready to expose these evildoers as it is becomes necessary.

Brothers and sisters, do not be deceived. There are many false christs, false prophets and false teachers claiming to follow Jesus and love Him. Their greatest fear is being exposed. That’s why the battle is intensifying, because the Spirit of God is moving to expose them.  While we cannot judge an individual’s heart, we can and are required to test (1John 4:1),  judge righteously (John 7:24) and use the Word to discern (Hebrews 4:12)  their actions and words, comparing them to the scriptures for verification and authenticity. Not only are we to examine them, but we are to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) to see whether we are in the faith. Not a denomination or spiritual group. The faith that was once (meaning in finality and totality) delivered unto the saints.

You already know that since its inception, the history of the church is replete with men who have attempted to divert our eyes away from God’s truth and onto themselves. The apostle Jude warned us that at the root of these individual’s motives is a doctrinal agenda based on sensuality and sexuality rather than obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is based on intellectual philosophy rather than grounded in the supernatural words of scripture (John 6:63).

Some people have secretly entered your group. Long ago the prophets wrote about these people who will be judged guilty. They are against God and have changed the grace of our God into a reason for sexual sin. They also refuse to accept Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord ( Jude 4 NCV).

We must ask ourselves, why have they come in secretly? What is any person’s reason for doing things secretly? And how have we allowed them access? 

That being said, please take time to read these excellent reports on some of the false teachings and teachers in the gay christian movement. In all actuality, the gay christian movement is only false movement based solely on defense of sexual sin. Every false movement needs to identify itself as Christian in order to gain credibility, but we must continue without fail to examine them in order to protect the unsuspecting and those who could potentially be caught in their snare and end up in hell.

Fred Butler at Hip and Thigh (I love his blog tag “slaying theological Philistines with a great slaughter”) examines the teachings of a gay christian who claims Jesus identified modern day homosexuals as “eunuchs”, thus exempting them from the sexual and relational requirements of Matthew 19.

Samuel S. Shin who writes for the Trinity Journal authored a powerful article entitled The Deadly implications of homosexual hermenutics. In it he details how the gay christian movement explains scrtipture and thus, its deadly implications for those who follow it.

The blog, A Little Leaven, exposes the false doctrine of an gcm church in Atlanta which purports to be a “Full-Gospel, Charismatic/Pentecostal, Spirit-Filled, Spirit-Led, Bible-based, Gay-affirming, Evangelistic, Bought by the Blood of Jesus Church Family”. Notice there is one thing which sets them apart from any other “normal” Christian church.

Finally, our friend Neil at 4Simpson has put the effort into writing a very effective biblical response to the silly shellfish arguments held in such high esteem by the gcm.

One additional tactic the gay christian movement is developing is what we call escapist theology. Instead of dealing with the scripture texts, they are developing their own gay bible study guides and holding seminars to teach others how to innoculate themselves against scripture.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind; be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, do not fashion yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living, 1 Peter 1:13-15 NKJV

As I have read and seen the incredibly corrupt responses to our aggressive exposure of the public lies and activities of the pimps, wolves and false prophets in the gay christian movement, I realized that there is a monumental struggle throughout the whole of Christendom for control of the church of Jesus Christ. While there is no doubt in my mind that the false prophets will come to no good end, we must be vigilant and sober in dealing with this seemingly perpetual proliferation of falsehood. To that end, I want to share with you two great blog posts which really capture the struggle we are in and the hope that we embrace.

I am declaring them mandatory reading.

The first is from Cry Loud. If I didn’t know better, I’d tell Cry Loud to require everyone to “sow a seed” to get this information. But integrity and a sincere concern for the flock is at the heart of this clear and straightforward instruction. Which, by the way is good for both pastors and pewmen. The post is entitled What happens when wolves are exposed?

Today’s African American church, actually the American church as a whole, has put on blinders. They are in denial that those they admire the most are false teachers and prophets, often referred to as wolves. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mat 7:15) who have infiltrated the Church. As Jude says, they have crept in unawares. The mainline media has facilitated this poison in the church by concentrating on giving exposure to the false and only occasionally giving exposure to the true prophets of God.

Secondly, Seeing God’s Breath (our August Monument Award winner) has penned a powerful post entitled Teaching Falsely or False Teachers?

How is it that thousands of preachers decade after decade disagree with one another with the Bible sitting on their desks? Does anyone read it? Are most indoctrinated? The differing views throughout “Christendom” show evidently that most are not reading and if they are then they are not reading it as the authority for belief and practices. Now, if they are reading the Scriptures as the authority, someone has at least one fallacious assumption attached to their understanding of authority. One thing is apparently true. There are false teachers among the churches,

Please read, take head and be informed. Spread the word and put the false teachers on notice that we intend to fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints.