GOD’S (false?) PROPHETS: DOES IT MATTER IF THEY’RE FALSE?

This is the sixth post in the GOD’S (false?) PROPHETS series.  Here are links to the first, and most recent posts.

The relatively small scale spiritual battle amongst advocates of the New Apostolic Reformation, Independent Network CharismaticChristianity, and Dominion Theology, against their concerned and increasingly vocal Christian detractors rages on.  The monetized YouTube prophets seemingly refuse to budge from their unified prophetic declaration that the former President Trump will win the 2020 presidential election, indicating God will accomplish this according to His timeline, however long that may be.  Their defenders have grown tired of those who accuse these YouTubers of being false prophets, and want their detractors to go away and leave them alone.  “Stop watching their videos, if you’re not going to be supportive” they declare, among less kind sentiments, like calling those who disagree workers of Satan.

Now, Christian apologist YouTubers are posting videos opposing these prophets, indicating they have waited until after the inauguration of President Biden to address the issue of these false prophesies about President Trump.  Two such YouTube apologists are Melissa Dougherty and Allen Parr.  Here are both of their recent videos addressing the false election prophesies.  They share some important Bible passages addressing prophets and prophesies, and are worth considering.

I’ve had a question concerning these (false?) prophets for a few weeks now:  DOES IT MATTER IF THEY ARE FALSE PROPHETS?

Why do I ask?  Because I’m aware of a number of persons whose journey into Christian belief and practice involved an entry point involving messy Christian theology (or one might prefer to say, incorrect Christian theology).  The world is filled with a massive diversity of people, with tremendously diverse family and cultural histories, and cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual experiences.  Can we expect a uniform approach to the good news message concerning God and Jesus to resonate, and “land on good soil” for each and every person?  If one listens to enough personal testimonies of how people have come to where they are in their Christian belief, the journeys are often long, with many twists and turns along the way.  Sometimes, the entry point for a person involves another person they can relate to, someone with shared common experience, and someone they end up trusting.  Some people enter into Christian belief in prison, some through drug rehabilitation, some through a work colleague, some through a family member, and some through a person or organization which is speaking something that makes sense to them.

I have a good Christian friend whose entry point into Christianity was young earth creationism.  Without getting into the details, how is this different than a person entering into Christianity through the ministry of a false prophet? (both are making theological errors).  My friend moved through this phase of his Christian journey, and left young earth creationist theology behind him as he continued to grow in his belief and understanding about God and creation.  So are those who have a ministry involving young earth creationism an issue in the Kingdom of God, simply because of their errant theology, and misuse of Biblical and scientific information?  Are these (false?) prophets an issue in the Kingdom of God, because of their errant theology and misuse of Biblical and historical information?

One might raise the concern that false theology has a negative impact on the Christian church, in terms of how others view Christians from the outside looking in.  I’m sure it does reinforce negative views of Christianity and Christians.  On the other hand, there are individuals who are entering their Christian journey through these pathways.  Concerning these very patriotic American Christian “prophets” – do they have a unique opportunity to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to, and connect with, other very patriotic Americans in a way that other Christians would not?  Even if the message these “prophets” proclaim is a mixture of the true gospel with a false gospel of Christian political ideology, can the seed of the true gospel take hold, and eventually lead to a wonderful personal testimony for some of the current followers of these “prophets”?

I don’t have a good answer to the question I pose.  The reality is, that these monetized YouTube prophets will continue what they do, and so will the Christian apologists who oppose them.  There will always be people looking in at Christianity with negative views of what they see, and at the same time, there will be individuals starting their Christian journeys as a result of hearing something said by a false prophet or a Christian apologist that is appealing to them.  We are all imperfect, and yet God can use us to reach out to those we are best able to connect with.  So does it matter that these “prophets” are issuing false prophesies?  I feel it does.  After all, it’s clear what the Bible says about prophets and prophecies.  At the same time, it is some consolation that there are individuals interacting with these false prophets who are starting a wonderful journey as new Christians.

Here is a link to the next God's (false?) Prophets post.