By Reese Currie, Compass Distributors
TV ministries are no substitute for the local church. In the local church, you can become involved, take on a piece of the Divine Commission, and meet real Christians that you can have real friendships with. Christianity is not meant to be a spectator sport. Christians are to become involved with ministry, not idle their time away sitting in front of the television. By comparison to the real church, TV ministry is sorely lacking. Further, the devil uses many television programs to spread insidious heresies.
Kenneth Copeland has one of the weirdest theologies known to man. His teachings include that God is 6'2" or 6'3" tall, and made Adam to look exactly like Him; later Jesus also looked exactly like Adam. Adam was made the god of the earth, and all Christians are themselves gods. (This doctrine is familiar; the serpent first taught it to Eve in Genesis 3:4-5.) According to Copeland, heaven is a planet, of which earth is an identical copy. Further, Jesus had to be born again, and this occurred while He was being tormented in hell (yes, Copeland teaches Jesus was tormented in hell, and further teaches that Satan is in charge of hell). Copeland claims Jesus was only an idea in God's heart until the prophets "confessed Jesus into existence", whatever that means, while the Bible teaches that Jesus was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). Copeland goes on to assert that God made all of His creations out of a substance called "faith". (The ignorance of this statement is so comical I have to comment; Copeland has misinterpreted Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The New King James Version has a footnote that points out this means the "realization" of things hoped for.) Kenneth Copeland may not have much sense from a theological perspective, but he's a shrewd businessman; he sells prayer cloths and other such superstitious trinkets to his deceived viewers at doubtless enormous profit.
Jerry Falwell is an excellent preacher of God's word, and that is what makes it a terible shame that he actually preaches God's word so rarely. Instead, he uses his pulpit at the Old Time Gospel Hour to talk about politics. I realize that Falwell has held out the hope that the American government can be reformed and will back away from abortion and other evils, perhaps even becoming Christianized. How Falwell must have felt seeing the Muslim prayers being offered to Allah at the 2000 Republican Convention, learning that it doesn't matter what religion you are, if the Republicans or any other political party think you can win them a vote or two. I hope it makes Falwell repent.
Unfortunately, Jerry Falwell has been playing "politics" not only in the political arena but in his church life as well. Falwell gave up his stance as an independent Baptist and joined the Southern Baptist Convention, then began lowering the standards of Liberty University, the sort of thing that got the SBC in "liberal trouble" in the first place. Falwell refers to the pope of Rome as a good Christian man and sells videotapes extolling the virtues of the pope. This reveals Falwell's other weakness, the love of money and the desire to sell, sell, sell products on every broadcast, sometimes to the point that the whole service will be cancelled so Jerry and assorted guests can flap their gums about whatever product Falwell feels you absolutely must have.
Jack Van Impe is an egomaniac who preaches himself and his interpretations more than he preaches anything else. If you watch his broadcast, within the first two minutes you will hear his announcer state that it is watched "in 25,000 cities and towns coast to coast in America, Canada and Europe, making this one of the most important newscasts today." This logical fallacy (argumentum ad numerum or "appeal to numbers") is just the start of the logical conundrums to follow.
If you pay attention, you will see increasing evidence of his egomania as the show goes on. Given enough time you'll doubtless learn that he is listed in the "Who's Who of Intellectuals", "International Leaders in Achievement", "Who's Who in American Christian Leadership", and "Who's Who in Religion". He also trumpets that he has memorized 14,000 verses of Scripture, has preached to audiences totaling tens of millions, and has preached to more "face to face" than anyone other than Billy Graham, and has "documented the salvation of over 1,000,000 souls". I guess one of the verses Jack hasn't memorized would be 1 Corinthians 3:7, "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."
Jack Van Impe started his career as a fundamental Baptist but is now an advocate of Roman Catholicism. I've listened to Van Impe praise the pope while adopting Catholicism's historical enemies as his own. He has gone so far as to blame Martin Luther for the holocaust. This is tantamount to blaming Jesus Christ for the Crusades; one has little or nothing to do with the other; evil men distorted what they said and used it for evil purposes.
Van Impe switched tactics from preaching the gospel to spewing prophecy mainly because of the increase in attention he received (as measured by the number of letters coming in to his ministry). Since that time, he's predicted the end of the world on many occasions and by many means. Deuteronomy 18:22 says that even one false prophecy makes a prophet irrevocably false and not worth listening to. So, January 1999 would certainly be the end of JVI Presents, because he's apparently called for Christ's return in December 1998.
The Seventh Day Adventist Church was based on the false prophecy of William Miller who said the world would end on October 22, 1844. Upon the failure of this prophecy, the prophetic event was changed to be that on that date, Jesus entered the "inner sanctum" of heaven. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:26-27, "Therefore if they say to you, `Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or `Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
In 1860, the "Millerites" changed names to the Seventh Day Adventists. Ellen G. White took over the role of "prophet"; her writings are regarded as being inspired and on an equal or greater footing than the Bible. The Seventh Day Adventist teaches the necessity of keeping the Saturday Sabbath from the Law, and teaches that only the righteous will be raised from the dead, contrary to Revelation 20, which teaches all the dead will be raised and a judgment will take place.
Following in his father's footsteps, Garner Ted Armstrong denies the bodily resurrection, supports baptismal regeneration and Saturday Sabbath-keeping. Both Garner and his father taught that Christians were themselves gods (as the serpent taught Eve in Genesis 3:4,5). Their view of God is Trinity-denying Arianism, the belief that God is the Father only, that Jesus is a created being, and that the Holy Spirit is not a being but God's mind or "active force".
Because Jimmy Swaggart was caught with a prostitute years ago, a lot of people have labeled him a hypocrite and an unbeliever. The fact that Jimmy Swaggart has been sexually immoral at some time in the past is not a sure indication that he is not a Christian. Everyone can make serious mistakes, Christians included, and thank God that He has given the gift of repentance, and is willing to forgive us for our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When John wrote that a Christian "cannot sin" in 1 John 3:9, he used the present Greek tense of the word, which would indicate sin as a continual action. Stumbling in this way does indicate serious spiritual problems, no doubt about it, but it is the continual abiding in sin that indicates a person probably has not believed.
It isn't really his having been caught with a prostitute that bothers me so much as the fact that he is an "Arminian Holiness" minister (being a Pentecostal), and theologically speaking, he himself would have to object most strenuously to everything I have just said in his defense.
As an Arminian Holiness minister, he would have to believe that you can be completely sin-free in this world, and that is really why I think he stumbled. He needed a reminder that "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
Another side of Arminian Holiness belief is "fall-away doctrine". That means he believes that having committed an act of fornication means that he ceased being saved. Pentecostals also believe that you can be saved "again", which is not Biblically supported. Hebrews 6:4-6 says, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."
For Jimmy Swaggart to logically continue in ministry, then, he would have to believe in eternal security, which he has referred to as "that damnable heresy of eternal security."
The best thing that could be said about Jimmy Swaggart is that he is the only Trinitarian among the popular television Pentecostals, which is one less theological heresy to worry about at least. Otherwise, I think his theology is fractured, and according to his own beliefs, he should not be in the pulpit.
Another person who preaches that Christians are gods, just like the serpent. Hinn exhibits true insanity, however, maintaining that Adam could fly and breathe underwater, visited the moon, and could walk on water, certainly with no Biblical basis. Hinn believes a theological heresy that is rare even among television Pentecostals, tri-theism, the belief that God is made up of nine persons, the Father's body, soul, and spirit, the Son's body, soul, and spirit, and the Holy Spirit's body, soul and spirit. Benny Hinn teaches that "money always follows righteousness", promising monetary gain from becoming a Christian! (Certainly, Hinn himself has become a very rich man through his ministry.) Finally, Benny Hinn claims to be a channel for God, who cannot even remember what he said after God has spoken through him. Not even considering his proven-fake faith healings, Benny Hinn's teachings are seriously heretical, to the point that the Assemblies of God, which ordained Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, will not ordain Benny Hinn.
This television show is the vehicle of the United Church of Canada, complete with the flat tires. The show advocates the many heresies of the United Church of Canada, whose moderator denies the Trinity doctrine, that Jesus was resurrected, that heaven or hell exist, and that Jesus is the only way to God. The television show is in place to exhibit the "social ministry" of the United Church of Canada and to promote their new teachings, such as their current obsession with "gender-inclusive prayer language," in which God is to be referred to as "Eternal One" or "Father/Mother".
Robert Schuller's gospel denies many of the basic tenets of the Bible. He preaches that original sin is an "innate inability to adequately value ourselves". The belief that sin is rebellion against God is rejected by Schuller, who defines sin as "any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem." To be born again, according to Schuller's definition, is to be changed from a negative to a positive self- image. The October 5, 1984 Christianity Today quotes Schuller as saying, "I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition." This "unchristian strategy" was certainly used by Jesus, Who said, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:33)
I intended to focus only on evaluating supposedly "evangelical" programs; however, in case some of these examples of false-evangelicalism make you run screaming to Rome as a last resort, I offer these comments.
The differences between Roman Catholicism and non-Catholic forms of Christianity are far too great to document in one article; entire books have been published about this. In a very small and undersized capsule, here are the serious differences. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is attained and "maintained" through "sacraments", such as baptism and the "eucharist". It is taught that it is okay to pray to departed "saints", but there is not a word in the Bible supporting prayer to anyone but God.
One particular departed saint, Jesus' mother Mary, is considered by many Catholics to be "co-redemptrix", that is, a co-redeemer of the lost and a mediator between God and man. Compare to the Bible: 1 Timothy 2:5 states, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." Isaiah doesn't leave room for multiple redeemers when he writes, "As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 47:4)
They teach that the Mass is a re-sacrifice of Christ for sins, and that Jesus miraculously turns the bread and wine to His own flesh and blood. Hebrews 6:6 said that "they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." That would certainly seem to invalidate the Roman Catholic practice. However, the RCC believes that its pope has the ability to make infallible pronouncements on doctrine and practice, and so all of the Church's innumerable modifications to the faith once delivered to the saints are considered inspired and correct.
Not unlike those Pentecostals who peddle prayer cloths, the Roman Catholic Church is also a very active merchandiser. Who hasn't heard of the "medals", like the "St. Christopher's Medal" that supposedly provide various protections? There is a large industry making such trinkets to sell to the Catholic populace, who have always used icons in worship contrary to early church practice.
Though no preaching takes place on this television show, it airs on Sunday and I warn you, it is absolutely terrible doctrine that is drawn largely from Jewish non-canonical fables. I suspect that the show is based on Kabbalism, a heretical Jewish mystery religion (hence the very name of the show). It is taught that the Bible is frequently in error, and that the apostles lied in writing the Gospels. Yet it accepts without reservation the Kabbalist fable that Adam had a wife before Eve named Lilith, for example, and it embraces modernism throughout, including the Socinian belief that Jesus was the son of an "itinerant Roman soldier". This television show is pure garbage.
There are many ministries that I have been unable to review because I have not been able to witness them first-hand. I have two TV channels where I live and no desire to buy cable just to check out TV ministries!
However, some of my American friends wrote me to recommend two preachers. One is Charles Stanley, a Baptist, and the other is D. James Kennedy, a Presbyterian. I have not seen their television shows, however, I have researched both men in other ways. Charles Stanley's teachings on eternal security deny the doctrine of "perseverance of the saints" in that he teaches a believer can stop believing in God, but will still be saved, while the true doctrine teaches that a true believer cannot stop believing. D. James Kennedy, on the other hand, is the author of the "Romans Road" evangelistic method that completely eliminates repentance from the gospel message. I fear that there is little of value in the teachings of these two men.
If you try watching any TV ministry, view all things with caution. Acts 17:11 says, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Search the Scriptures no matter what you watch and regardless of who has recommended them, to see that what they preach is the truth.
Television does teach us one good lesson here, and that is the sort of evil morass that a unified, one world, pseudo-Christian church would represent: a bunch of liars who fleece their flocks and for the most part preach false gospels.
Television Ministries Examined is Copyright © 1998, 2000 by Compass Distributors
All Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: The New King James Version (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.), 1982