The Popular False Gospel of Self-Empowerment

[lifepsyop]

This is a very popular woman speaker in Christian circles... The title of this talk is "Truth-filled POWER", and I believe it is a good example of a particular type of corrupted Gospel message that seems to be running rampant through churches today. It is subtle, and thus all the more deceptive and dangerous, like a wolf with exceptionally convincing sheepskin.

The reading of scripture, and the language of scripture is used to capture the unguarded Christian into believing they are entering a Christ-centered teaching... but then the spirit of the talk suddenly diverts into the realm of human self-empowerment that you'll hear at any variety of motivational style conferences which are all about 'unlocking your true potential', 'living your best life', 'discovering your true self', 'self-actualization', 'raising your vibration' etc. etc.

One big giveaway that there is a major spiritual problem here is that this is a woman teacher who is basically assuming a very dominant role in the popular church scene, openly walking over Jesus' apostles' teaching that women are to take a submissive role in the church in relation to men.

But here I'm focusing on the teaching itself. It is a self-help motivational lecture disguised with Christian language. We know this because the emphasis continually shifts back to the focus on improving the experience of one's personal life. Here "salvation" refers to connecting with your higher conscious, and "repenting of sin" refers to letting go of negative emotions or memories that drag you down. The goal is to "live victoriously" today...

I think this type of false teaching is being used to corrupt those churches that would otherwise reject the open heresies of your typical progressive church (e.g. a church that celebrates homosexuality or transgenderism) ... It's much more subtle than that. It 'tickles the ears' of professing Christians who are looking for an excuse to seek power and glory for themselves in this world, but wouldn't fall for any openly gnostic or new-age style of teachings that openly teach ideas of self-directed transcendance or gnosis.

I see many church leaders on guard against the traditional "prosperity gospel" of seeking gain of money and material wealth... but seem to have no discernment in this different kind of "personal/emotional prosperity gospel", for lack of a better term, where all the focus is about gaining POWER in different areas of one's life... essentially a type of therapy for ridding the self of negative feelings and making this earthly life more enjoyable.


Watching the video above, you could really just cut out the few minutes of reading scripture and you would not be able to tell the difference between it and your typical secular self-improvement motivational speaker. Is that really what a Gospel teaching should look like?

Watching that video, where is the Kingdom of God? Where is the patient waiting for the return of Jesus Christ? It's just not there. The only "Christ" described is like some kind of spiritual invocation that will raise your power levels in daily life. This is not the way of Jesus Christ but a well disguised diversion out of the sheepfold and into a wolf's lair.




But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
- 2 Timothy 3:1-7

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
- 2 Timothy 4:1-5

 

[dqhall]

This is a very popular woman speaker in Christian circles... The title of this talk is "Truth-filled POWER", and I believe it is a good example of a particular type of corrupted Gospel message that seems to be running rampant through churches today. It is subtle, and thus all the more deceptive and dangerous, like a wolf with exceptionally convincing sheepskin.

The reading of scripture, and the language of scripture is used to capture the unguarded Christian into believing they are entering a Christ-centered teaching... but then the spirit of the talk suddenly diverts into the realm of human self-empowerment that you'll hear at any variety of motivational style conferences which are all about 'unlocking your true potential', 'living your best life', 'discovering your true self', 'self-actualization', 'raising your vibration' etc. etc.

One big giveaway that there is a major spiritual problem here is that this is a woman teacher who is basically assuming a very dominant role in the popular church scene, openly walking over Jesus' apostles' teaching that women are to take a submissive role in the church in relation to men.

But here I'm focusing on the teaching itself. It is a self-help motivational lecture disguised with Christian language. We know this because the emphasis continually shifts back to the focus on improving the experience of one's personal life. Here "salvation" refers to connecting with your higher conscious, and "repenting of sin" refers to letting go of negative emotions or memories that drag you down. The goal is to "live victoriously" today...

I think this type of false teaching is being used to corrupt those churches that would otherwise reject the open heresies of your typical progressive church (e.g. a church that celebrates homosexuality or transgenderism) ... It's much more subtle than that. It 'tickles the ears' of professing Christians who are looking for an excuse to seek power and glory for themselves in this world, but wouldn't fall for any openly gnostic or new-age style of teachings that openly teach ideas of self-directed transcendance or gnosis.

I see many church leaders on guard against the traditional "prosperity gospel" of seeking gain of money and material wealth... but seem to have no discernment in this different kind of "personal/emotional prosperity gospel", for lack of a better term, where all the focus is about gaining POWER in different areas of one's life... essentially a type of therapy for ridding the self of negative feelings and making this earthly life more enjoyable.


Watching the video above, you could really just cut out the few minutes of reading scripture and you would not be able to tell the difference between it and your typical secular self-improvement motivational speaker. Is that really what a Gospel teaching should look like?

Watching that video, where is the Kingdom of God? Where is the patient waiting for the return of Jesus Christ? It's just not there. The only "Christ" described is like some kind of spiritual invocation that will raise your power levels in daily life. This is not the way of Jesus Christ but a well disguised diversion out of the sheepfold and into a wolf's lair.




But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
- 2 Timothy 3:1-7

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
- 2 Timothy 4:1-5

She was reading from Ephesians about Paul desiring God to bless them. Her church was full of people, whereas other churches are full of empty seats. She has more freedom of speech than was granted to women in Roman empire times.

 

[Cockcrow]

God never called one woman to preach in the entire bible, any church that allows a woman to get up there and preach is a false church.

 

[lifepsyop]

In my opinion, this style of teaching is connected with a widespread phenomenon in the Christian community called "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"

Moralistic therapeutic deism - Wikipedia

Moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD) is a term that was first introduced in the 2005 book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by the sociologist Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton. The term is used to describe what they consider to be the common beliefs among U.S. youths. The book is the result of the research project the National Study of Youth and Religion

The authors' study found that many young people believe in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. It is not a new religion or theology as such, but identified as a set of commonly held spiritual beliefs. It is this combination of beliefs that they label moralistic therapeutic deism:

A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
Good people go to heaven when they die.

These points of belief were compiled from interviews with approximately 3,000 teenagers

The authors believe that "a significant part of Christianity in the United States is actually only tenuously Christian in any sense that is seriously connected to the actual historical Christian tradition, but has rather substantially morphed into Christianity's misbegotten stepcousin, Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism."




These types of teachers will invoke scripture and the name of Jesus, but then repeatedly guide the message back into the terrain of moralistic therapeutic deism... "God wants you to feel empowered in this life and free from negative emotions..."

The true Gospel of Jesus, the way of the cross, is always going to the other way. We are continually giving ourselves up, sacrificing the power and potential we'd otherwise have in this life, dying to ourselves with Jesus at the cross for the kingdom to come when Jesus returns and we are raised up with him.

 

[disciple Clint]

God never called one woman to preach in the entire bible, any church that allows a woman to get up there and preach is a false church.

I believe that you are in error.
Women preachers - Bible Christian
Biblical Women and the Spread of the Gospel - Wesleyan Covenant Association
Can Women Be Pastors? The Ordination of Women to Pastoral Ministry

 

[lifepsyop]

I believe that you are in error.
Women preachers - Bible Christian
Biblical Women and the Spread of the Gospel - Wesleyan Covenant Association
Can Women Be Pastors? The Ordination of Women to Pastoral Ministry

There is a reason that Jesus only chose men as his chief disciples. The New Testament is very consistent on the doctrine that women are to take a submissive role in the church, for reasons that go back to the beginning of creation when woman was created as a helper for man. Of course, women can help teach and share the Gospel, but they are definitely not supposed to be the leading dominant voices in the church, loudly commanding massive audiences. There is a big problem when women try to assume this dominant role that only men are supposed to have, and we see this problem from the beginning of scripture when the woman is deceived by the serpent because of her desire for self-empowerment, and this type of deception comes out in their style of preaching, as in the video posted above. It's all about power, power, power in your life.

 

[disciple Clint]

There is a reason that Jesus only chose men as his chief disciples. The New Testament is very consistent on the doctrine that women are to take a submissive role in the church, for reasons that go back to the beginning of creation when woman was created as a helper for man. Of course, women can help teach and share the Gospel, but they are definitely not supposed to be the leading dominant voices in the church, loudly commanding massive audiences. There is a big problem when women try to assume this dominant role that only men are supposed to have, and we see this problem from the beginning of scripture when the woman is deceived by the serpent because of her desire for self-empowerment, and this type of deception comes out in their style of preaching, as in the video posted above. It's all about power, power, power in your life.

Please show me evidence of any "big problem when women" preach or pastor a church. Then I invite anyone to take the time to read the articles that I posted which totally destroy any basis in the bible for discrimination against women.

 

[John Caldwell]

Interesting. I knew Beth Moore left the SBC a year ago.

At one time she held to complementarianism, that men and women had equal but different roles that complemented one another, but changed her position (I recall her speaking about the distinction between evangelism and pastor-teacher).

I think part of the reason she reviewed her position was when she was nominated for SBC president. Most seemed to oppose the nomination, which is fine, but many became downright ugly. I suspect she felt a "glass ceiling" and realized she could assume other roles elsewhere.

She was known for Preceot Ministries. Precept was (is?) a good study and has been used across Christian denominations.

 

[lifepsyop]

Please show me evidence of any "big problem when women" preach or pastor a church. Then I invite anyone to take the time to read the articles that I posted which totally destroy any basis in the bible for discrimination against women.

I don't think the claim would be controversial at all except in the last 50 years of modern history where we've gotten to the point that the Bible can mean anything we want it to mean... (Many progressive Christians today would likewise insist that Bible is not really against homosexuality)


Let a woman in quietness learn in all subjection,
and a woman I do not suffer to teach, nor to rule a husband, but to be in quietness,
for Adam was first formed, then Eve,
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, into transgression came,
- 1 Timothy 2:11-14

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife...
- 1 Timothy 3:1-2

etc.

I think the spirit of the woman in the video is the opposite of submissiveness. Up on stage in the spotlight before thousands, of both men and women, being very loud and commanding. And instead of teaching other women to find peace in meekness and submissiveness in their God-ordained roles with man, she is teaching them things like 'finding your inner power' ... and to 'live victoriously with nothing holding you down'

 

[disciple Clint]

I don't think the claim would be controversial at all except in the last 50 years of modern history where we've gotten to the point that the Bible can mean anything we want it to mean... (Many progressive Christians today would likewise insist that Bible is not really against homosexuality)


Let a woman in quietness learn in all subjection,
and a woman I do not suffer to teach, nor to rule a husband, but to be in quietness,
for Adam was first formed, then Eve,
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, into transgression came,
- 1 Timothy 2:11-14

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife...
- 1 Timothy 3:1-2

etc.

I think the spirit of the woman in the video is the opposite of submissiveness. Up on stage in the spotlight before thousands, of both men and women, being very loud and commanding. And instead of teaching other women to find peace in meekness and submissiveness in their God-ordained roles with man, she is teaching them things like 'finding your inner power' ... and to 'live victoriously with nothing holding you down'

I provided articles with several quotes from the Bible, I trust what God has said, there is no reason for women not to preach or hold office or pastor. I do not see any evidence to the contrary. It requires reading something into scripture that just is not there to believe otherwise.

 

[lifepsyop]

I provided articles with several quotes from the Bible, I trust what God has said, there is no reason for women not to preach or hold office or pastor. I do not see any evidence to the contrary. It requires reading something into scripture that just is not there to believe otherwise.

Yes it sounds like you're really getting to the spirit of what Paul meant when he was writing that women should submit themselves to men, and that church leaders should be men. What the apostle really meant was something opposite of his own statements... that instead women should have dominant leadership and preacher roles in the church.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I don't think the claim would be controversial at all except in the last 50 years of modern history where we've gotten to the point that the Bible can mean anything we want it to mean... (Many progressive Christians today would likewise insist that Bible is not really against homosexuality)


Let a woman in quietness learn in all subjection,
and a woman I do not suffer to teach, nor to rule a husband, but to be in quietness,
for Adam was first formed, then Eve,
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, into transgression came,
- 1 Timothy 2:11-14

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife...
- 1 Timothy 3:1-2

etc.

I think the spirit of the woman in the video is the opposite of submissiveness. Up on stage in the spotlight before thousands, of both men and women, being very loud and commanding. And instead of teaching other women to find peace in meekness and submissiveness in their God-ordained roles with man, she is teaching them things like 'finding your inner power' ... and to 'live victoriously with nothing holding you down'

This is two separate issues (maybe three even) rather than one, but as for the specific issue of 'women preaching' I tend to lean on the hermeneutical study of Richard and Catherine Kroeger who, I think, show that 1 Timothy may mean something a little different than what you're imposing upon the text.

Just say'n.

As for any kind of teaching which insinuates some kind of blank-check, across the board self-empowerment I have to say, "yeah, that's a crock." To be fair though, I'm not familiar with Beth Moore, so just from the video I can't say 'how bad' her teaching is.

 

[lifepsyop]

This is two separate issues (maybe three even) rather than one, but as for the specific issue of 'women preaching' I tend to lean on the hermeneutical study of Richard and Catherine Kroeger who, I think, show that 1 Timothy may mean something a little different than what you're imposing upon the text.

I tend to view the plain reading of scripture as the most correct interpretation, especially when the same message is echoed repeatedly in several different areas and contradicted nowhere. (e.g. women be quiet and submissive to men... leaders should be men, etc.) When a hermeneutic begins fighting a repeated consistent plain message in the Bible, I tend to think there is a problem with the hermeneutic.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I tend to view the plain reading of scripture as the most correct interpretation, especially when the same message is echoed repeatedly in several different areas and contradicted nowhere. (e.g. women be quiet and submissive to men... leaders should be men, etc.) When a hermeneutic begins fighting a repeated consistent plain message in the Bible, I tend to think there is a problem with the hermeneutic.

With two or three dozen books in tow regarding Biblical Hermeneutics, I don't assume anything about my comprehension when I'm reading the Bible. There's too much in the Bible that doesn't explain itself, not to mention much that gets muddled in meaning when we're reading it (them) in English (or any other modern language).

But, if you're one of those Do It Yourselfers, I won't knock you for it. I just won't put up for very long with those who think they're going to shoot holes in my point of view with one "holy spirit inspired" silver bullet. And hand waiving away someone else's evidence [like mine] definitely isn't a silver bullet and not something I respect.

Nope, not going to happen!

Still, that doesn't mean I'm not going to be in agreement with you about a great deal that's in the Bible. I'm sure we do agree on some things.

 

[Daniel Peres]

I can think of another false going around that’s being spread by progressive Christians. I call it the gospel of “God loves me just the way that I am!” The purpose of this movement is to normalize immoral behavior. It’s like their saying, God made me like this so it must be good.

Essentially, they blame God for their sinful behavior. This false gospel reminds me of Adam after God confronted him about him eating the forbidden fruit. Adam’s defense strategy was to blame God for his sinful behavior. “It’s your fault, God. It was you that gave me the woman.”

I try to explain to these people that their theory of God is not the way Christianity works. I explain that the truth is that, “God loves you so much that he won’t leave you the way you are.”

 

[BNR32FAN]

God never called one woman to preach in the entire bible, any church that allows a woman to get up there and preach is a false church.

God never called Australians to preach in the Bible, or Eskimos, or Germans, or Britains, or Americans either. God never broadcasted any preaching on the radio or tv, God never compiled all the books of the Bible together in one book in the scriptures either. God never called anyone to eat French fries and hamburgers in the scriptures either. If your going to forbid everything that isn’t mentioned in the scriptures your going to have an infinite list of heresies that you yourself partake in everyday.

 

[Daniel Peres]

God never called Australians to preach in the Bible, or Eskimos, or Germans, or Britains, or Americans either. God never broadcasted any preaching on the radio or tv, God never compiled all the books of the Bible together in one book in the scriptures either. God never called anyone to eat French fries and hamburgers in the scriptures either. If your going to forbid everything that isn’t mentioned in the scriptures your going to have an infinite list of heresies that you yourself partake in everyday.

You have made a poor argument. God didn’t specify Australians to spread the gospel but he did instruct Christians to do so, and if an Australian is a Christian then he falls under the mandate.
You claim that God didn’t didn’t compile the all the books of the Bible together into one book. I guess you didn’t know that Jesus said the the Holy Spirit would guide the Church. And I guess you are unaware of the fact the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. If the Holy Spirit was sent to guide the church, and it guided the church to compile everything into one Bible then logic dictates that God compiled all scripture into one single Bible.

As for women preaching in the church, this a literally prohibited by scripture. There are many progressives in the Catholic Church who would love to hear women preach in church but that will never happen in the Catholic Church and nobody has the authority to ever change that. While a woman is permitted to read from the Old Testament or an New Testament epistle, no woman will ever be permitted to read from a gospel or give a homily, as this can only be done by a priest, bishop, or deacon, and only men are able to receive those holy orders. and again, there is no pope or council of bishops that could ever change this doctrine.

 

[BNR32FAN]

You have made a poor argument. God didn’t specify Australians to spread the gospel but he did instruct Christians to do so, and if an Australian is a Christian then he falls under the mandate.

Then by that same logic many women are Christians as well.

 

[BNR32FAN]

You claim that God didn’t didn’t compile the all the books of the Bible together into one book.

No not exactly, I said it’s never mentioned in the scriptures.