Prophegandists and The Propheganda, Part 1: Speaking Death

I’ve written on the topic of false teachers and false prophets before. It appears I will need to do so again. It never ceases to amaze me how many right within the faith are at times clueless to what is a false teaching. The news of Raphael Warnock posting heresy warrants a refresher. Senator Warnock a supposed ‘Reverend’ of New Ebenezer Baptist church clearly stated in a tweet which he later deleted that the, “…meaning of Easter far surpasses the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Christian Faith.” He later also stated that, “Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others, we are able to save ourselves.”

Let us be clear: Warnock’s statement is a complete theological fail top to bottom and everywhere in between. It's actually pretty idiotic and absurd for a person that supposedly has a theological background to have made any of these ridiculously inaccurate statements. First, nothing surpasses the glory of Christ.

Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!

Secondly, nothing we do helps us save ourselves.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What Warnock spouted was pure heresy. His statement is directly contradictory to the Gospel. But for anyone besides a learned Christian, these types of error aren’t always clear.

As Andrew Walker, the Ethics and Public Theology professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary so succinctly stated, “this [Warnock’s Tweet] is an example of basic theological liberalism that is completely at odds with the direct witness and essence of the New Testament,” adding, “There is no salvation in [the senator’s tweet] whatsoever.”

California-based Pastor Darrell B. Harrison from California was more cutting with his remarks when he argued, “This is what the heresy of liberation theology does - it reduces the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to self-salvific moralism and thereby making ourselves God.”

I will not so much analyze what Warnock said as it is so far beyond-the-pale that it does not warrant hammering him over it. I am more interested in the type of person capable of making such ridiculous statements. These snakes are often hard to spot until they stumble over a critical doctrine long after they’ve hooked listeners by tickling their ears. I will attempt to illustrate the type of people and their characteristics that deserve the moniker false teacher, false prophet or what I now coin as Prophegandists spreading propheganda.

First and foremost a true prophet will believe that at the center of Christianity is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. In His death, the Son of God became the substitutionary atonement for humanity, bearing the weight of our sins - the judgment of God - for us. Three days later, in His resurrection, Jesus overcame sin and death, granting those who accept salvation unrestrained access to God. All this is in accord with Scripture.

False prophets are more prominent in today’s age of tolerance and rebellion against God. We now live in a culture that is eager for an easy religion - one that requires no effort and offers no consequences. This generation more than any other wants to live however they’d like, without boundaries or authority.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of teachers and preachers eager to give the people what they want to hear—and usually, they end up making a hefty chunk of money doing it. No prophet in the Scriptures was ever rich. “What did you go out to the desert to see?” asks Jesus about John the Baptist in Luke’s Gospel. “Someone dressed in fine garment. Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously are found in royal palaces.” A true prophet does not get rich speaking for God.

Since people like lists I will construct this post as a check-off list. In a way that it gives a reader the ability to determine if a person is truly speaking of real Christianity and biblical truth. Conversely, if these items don’t get checked off the person you’re dealing with has the type of character like Senator Warnock’s (I refuse to call him a Reverend) who will say anything to ingratiate themselves to their listeners. First, we should consider the content of the message. At a secondary level we need to look at the character of the messenger because if the message the messenger is carrying is the truth they will have embodied that message. The message they carry will have changed them.

The Source

Where does the message come from? For whom does the messenger speak? The job of the prophet is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable with the Word of God. Prophegandists tell their congregations what they want to hear. We can see some pastors and reverends fawning over political leaders as others challenge them to protect the marginalized and serve the common good. A prophet who ignores the sins of his friends is a prophet for a party, not for God. A prophet that puts party before mercy and grace is of their father the Devil. The false teacher literally makes it up as they go.

2 Peter 1:16 “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”

2 Peter 2:1, 3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction… And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The Message

What is the substance of their message? How do they speak? Do their words align with Scripture? The words of a prophet can and usually ring with righteous anger but not with hate. The prophet must condemn exploitation but have compassion for sinners. If there is no love in the prophet’s voice, then he does not speak with the voice of God. There is a difference between zeal and zealous hatred. A true prophet speaks only after listening and praying in God's Word.

Religion can be a political prop or a prophetic voice. History should teach religious leaders not to get in bed with political leaders. I've spoken against this many times. Religious and political leaders can work together for the common good, but they should be enriching the community, not each other. A prophet can speak courageously about issues, but when he starts endorsing political parties and candidates, he is no longer speaking for God.

When it comes to propheganda, what matters is not really the form of the words spoken but their content and the intent behind them. Sometimes truth must be presented with harsh words, but often it can be conveyed with gentleness. Similarly, words of praise do not have to be insincere. Whether we are teachers or not, let us seek to speak only the truth, and let us do so with the gentleness or firmness the occasion requires.

Do they massage their words or use smooth talk and flattery? This is what the Apostles condemned as dishonest speech. Deceptions and heresies usually hidden within flattering comments and words that praise people for the sake of their approval and not because there is genuine sentiment behind it. False teachers use words to attract and retain others, not for the sake of Christ...but for their own sake.

The Bible is clear on this point too. We need only Christ and His Word. Anything else is death. Prophegandists speak death because they are not speaking the words of life from Scripture.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence

In short, they’re driven by profit and fame, selfish motives driven by the flesh. Underneath all the flash and bang is evil and the Devil. Sadly, some are doing it unwittingly because they’ve been blinded by their own sin.

[Completed in Part 2]