The Problem with claiming to be a Prophet: What happens when you're wrong?

I'll confess up front, I'm not comfortable with charismatic expressions of Christianity, never have been.  They don't fit well with either the more stoic tendency of my personality, nor the analytical nature of my thinking.  In fact, in high school I was asked by one of my best friends to accompany him to a charismatic church service because he was interested in a girl but nervous about going to her church.  Baptists are in many ways adjacent to the Charismatic Movement.  A  minority of the people in our churches like to lift their hands when singing, some like to respond to the prayers of others out loud with "Yes, Jesus!" and the like, this affinity is typically even more pronounced among our majority Black congregations.  In my mind, there has always been a significant divide between enthusiastic worship expressions (more of a personality thing) and manifestations of the Spirit like speaking in tongues or faith healing (a question of theology).

Which brings us to recent events and the question of prophets.  You may or may not be aware of it, but a number of prominent "Prophets" in the Charismatic Movement predicted that Donald Trump would win the 2020 election.  Given that there were only two real possibilities, and the advantage that Republicans have thanks to the Electoral College, that was at least a 50/50 shot.  But he didn't win.  Now what?

Until yesterday I had never heard of Jeremiah Johnson of North Carolina, although he has 60k followers on Facebook which is about 6,000 times as many as follow me.  Jeremiah Johnson was one of the ministers who predicted that President Trump would be reelected, evidently because of a dream in which he also predicted that the Dodgers would win the World Series this year, and Amy Coney Barrett would be elevated to the Supreme Court.  As Meatloaf famously said, "Two out of three ain't bad".  Except when it comes to prophecy it isn't.  Two out of three is as bad as two out of one hundred when you claim to be a prophet, we're not talking about stock tips or guessing answers while watching Jeopardy.  Prophecy is supposed to be the sharing of communication from Almighty God, since God exists outside of time as the Alpha and Omega, how can true prophecy every be wrong?  There's the rub.  True prophets are always right if what they're given by God is a prediction concerning the future.  Their words may unfold in unexpected ways, or at unexpected times, but they never fail because true prophets speak God's words and His Word is forever True.

How did Jeremiah Johnson respond to his error?  He actually did the right thing and repented of leading his flock astray on this issue, and took a step back from his involvement in politics with some introspection.  He also notably didn't blame Christians for failing to pray hard enough to 'make God's will happen' (there's a number of theological questions about that notion that are prickly), or tell them to cling to the false hope that the election results will be miraculously changed in the next few days (as some false prophets continue to do).  The result of this public apology and willingness to admit error?

"Over the last 72 hours, I have received multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry. I have been labeled a coward, sellout, a traitor to the Holy Spirit, and cussed out at least 500 times. We have lost ministry partners every hour and counting.

After publicly repenting on January 7th, I fully expected to be called a false prophet etc in some circles but I could have never dreamed in my wildest imagination that so much satanic attack and witchcraft would come from charismatic/prophetic people. I have been flabbergasted at the barrage of continued conspiracy theories being sent every minute our way and the pure hatred being unleashed. 

To my great heartache, I’m convinced parts of the prophetic/charismatic movement are far SICKER than I could have ever dreamed of. I truthfully never realized how absolutely triggered and ballistic thousands and thousands of saints get about Donald Trump. It’s terrifying! It’s full of idolatry!"

Jeremiah Johnson's FB feed, the post quoted is from 1/10/21

Jeremiah Johnson's public apology

When you mix false prophecy with fervent political partisanship, the resulting concoction is highly volatile, like nitro glycerin, shaking it is not recommended.  Rather than focus on the question of how so many 'Christians' can justify such hate in the name of Christ, let us ponder the question of prophetic error.  

What does scripture say about the prophets who predict rightly versus prophets whose word fails?

1. Prophets who try to lead the people away from God will not be tolerated.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5  If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

2. God's people are to reject false prophets whose predictions fail to come true.

Deuteronomy 18:14-2214  The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.

3.  True or false prophets can also be recognized by their morality.

Matthew 7:15-20  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

4. The claim of being a prophet is no guarantee of a right standing with God.

Matthew 7:22  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

5. False prophets are expected and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:24  For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

6. The true prophet speaks for God alone, not himself.

2 Peter 1:20  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.

I certainly don't know Jeremiah Johnson well enough to know where he went wrong, his public confession feels like at least a step in the right direction of correcting that error, but in general anyone who claims to be a prophet, that is someone SPEAKING FOR GOD, whose word turns out to be a lie, should clearly be rejected as a prophet.  As I pastor I sometimes misspeak, and I sometimes say things in error, but I've never claimed extra authority as a prophet to tell my congregation a word directly from God.  Those who claim greater authority must accept greater responsibility {Peter Parker's Uncle Ben said something like that}.  The scriptures repeatedly warn the people of God against trusting false prophets.  Israel had to contend with them on a massive scale, both those claiming to speak for the LORD when they did not, and those representing false gods like the prophets of Ba'al that the true prophet Elijah humiliated and then had put to death.  The Church too is warned of the prevalence of false prophets and the need to weigh what someone claiming to speak for God is saying to determine if it is true.

There is a vast difference between attempting to interpret the revealed Word of God enshrined in scripture, what I and many like me attempt to do each week, and presenting yourself as someone with a direct connection to God's words here and now.  When I fail, that's on me, because a correct interpretation of the scriptural passage in question has no doubt been made by many during the history of the Church, but when the supposed prophet fails, that failure calls into question the veracity of God, threatens the faith of those who have followed that prophetic voice, and brings the name of God into disrepute.  To falsely prophecy is no small thing and is in fact extremely troubling, but it should serve as a severe warning to the Charismatic Movement within the Christian Church that Jeremiah Johnson received death threats and profanity laced tirades when he admitted he was wrong, not from those who felt betrayed because they had wrongly trusted him when he was wrong, but for admitting his mistake, from those who would rather believe a false prophecy than objective reality.

What the 10th Century 'Peace of God' Movement can teach us about our country's embrace of political partisanship and violence

Rapid economic change in 10th Century Western Europe led to instability, which created fertile ground for those with power to press their claims for more power at the expense of the common people.  If I replace 10th Century with 20th-21st and Western Europe with the whole world, the gap between our own predicament and the medieval world narrows considerably.  In their case, the economic change was newfound prosperity after the doldrums of the Dark Ages following the disintegration of the Roman Empire.  In our case, the economic change has been far less favorable to most people, but rapid change opens the door to power moves whether that change be for the better or for the worse.

The patchwork of nobles that controlled Western Europe took advantage of the changing landscape to press their own dynastic claims at the expense of their family rivals leading to endemic small scale warfare.  As Diarmaid MacCulloch tells it in Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, 

"One symptom of the reorganization of society's wealth was a great deal of local warfare as rival magnates competed to establish their positions and property rights, or used violence against humble people in order to squeeze revenue and labor obligations from them; this was the era in which a rash of castles began to appear across the continent, centers of military operations and refuges for noblemen." (p. 370)

What was the Church's response to this violence and oppression of the 'least of these' by those who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ, but acted in self-interested, and often violent, greed instead?

The Church threw its moral authority against the violence and greed, threatening to excommunicate those who failed to keep the peace.

Beginning with the Bishop of Le Puy in 975, local Church leaders organized processions with holy relics and used their moral authority to cajole the feuding nobles into swearing solemn oaths to keep the peace.  Those that hesitated were persuaded by the threat of excommunication to accept the Church's restrictions on which days of the year they could fight without incurring the Church's wrath.  In addition, the Church set itself up as an arbiter where disputes could be resolved without bloodshed.  This movement had the backing of one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the day, Odilo, the abbot of the Cluny monastery, and eventually popes became involved in regulating the peace agreements.  In the end, the Church was not able to eliminate the greed and violent tendencies of the nobles, but they were able to significantly curtail it and limit its impact on the common people.

What then are the lessons for the Church in our own era of economic upheaval and political instability?  

1. The Church needs to stand with the common people, not seek the favor of the powerful.

This should hardly need to be said, given the clear teaching of Jesus Christ on the matter, but sadly we need to be reminded that role and function of pastors/elders/bishops is not to curry the favor of powerful business leaders or politicians, but shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ.  Deference to the powerful is a betrayal of every minister's ordination vows, a sign of unhealthy priorities, and an invitation to moral compromise.  

2. The Church needs to withdraw its recognition/support of 'Christian' leaders/politicians whose behavior besmirches the name of Jesus Christ.

The threat of excommunication doesn't hold much water anymore, and a Church fractured into many pieces has difficulty speaking with one voice, but those in power have little incentive to change their ways when large and powerful churches gladly support their ambitions despite repeated evidences that those they support care little for Christian morality.  Such a reckoning is unlikely to come until churches eliminate their own tolerance for immorality among their own leadership {the plank in our own eye first}, something that sadly is all too common, but it is certainly necessary that they do so as the bond between a Church dedicated to imitating Christ-likeness and powerful people who ignore Christ's teachings, but still claim to be Christians, can only be a marriage that will stain the reputation of the Church.  While there will always be a charlatan like Paula White-Cain willing to embrace/endorse the rich and powerful for mutual gain, respectable Church leaders must walk away from these toxic relationships that benefit those who behave in ways that make a mockery of our faith by given them a veneer of legitimacy that their actions don't deserve.

In the end, Christians simply need to insist upon better leaders by choosing to not support those who demonstrate moral unfitness, whether that be in their own local church, their denominational leadership, or within the political party they support.

3. The Church needs to heal its own divisions and rivalries to allow it to speak with more moral authority.

This is, of course, the hardest of the three.  There are significant portions of the Church today who identify with liberal politicians/causes, and significant portions of the Church today who identify with conservative politicians/causes, MORE STRONGLY than they do with Christians who disagree with them on those issues.  In other words, for far too many Christians, politics comes first.  It is difficult for many liberal Christians to see conservative Christians as genuine believers, and vice versa.  The question: "Do you profess the risen Lord as Savior?" has been replaced as a test of faith with, "What is your position on Immigration?" {for example}  That this is unhealthy for the Church should be evident to both sides, but the solution to it is not going to be easy.  Here it is: We need to care more about unity in Christ than we do about winning elections.  We need to share the Gospel of Jesus to the Lost more passionately than we argue about the latest political scandal on social media.

What is the solution to America's growing descent into partisanship and political violence?  A Church that utilizes it own moral authority on behalf of the 'least of these', refuses to excuse immoral behavior on the part of leaders for the sake of power, and is willing to restore the Gospel as the test of faith and fellowship regardless of the political philosophies of those who proclaim Jesus as Lord.

Why are our elected leaders continuing down this path of bitter partisan divides?  Because the Church has been cheering them on from the sidelines.  It has to stop.

  

Sermon Video: Five loaves and two fish - Mark 6:30-44

 Instead of finding rest in a solitary place, Jesus and the disciples are met with a large crowd.  Jesus has compassion on them and teaches them, but when the disciples observe that the people need food, Jesus says, "You give them something to eat."  HOW?  They can't solve this problem, but Jesus still asks them to try, to asses their resources, and then uses their small contribution (5 loaves and 2 fish), blesses it, and then has the disciples be the one to pass out the food to the crowd.

What is our lesson in all this?  19th century missionary William Carey said it best, "Expect great things from God.  Attempt great things for God."

Sermon Video: Speaking Truth to Power - The Martyrdom of John the Baptist, Mark 6:14-29

 When confronted with a morally repugnant situation, John the Baptist spoke with clarity, unafraid of the power wielded by Herod Antipas. As a result, he was imprisoned, and eventually martyred. Why did he speak? Because he represented God, and God's Word on the matter was clear. When called to speak, we need the three things that John had: (1) A righteous reputation that doesn't allow our words to be dismissed, (2) Knowledge of the Truth, and (3) the courage to speak, especially to those with power. While you or I may never speak before a king or president, our own families, workplaces, and communities also have those with power, when they abuse it, when they utilize it for immoral purposes, we too must speak up.

Sermon Video: The Word Became Flesh - John 1:14

 Amidst the wonder of Christmas, the angels and shepherds, the wise men and the star, is a deeper amazing truth. That moment in Bethlehem when Jesus first took breath was the coming of the Word of God, Immanuel, God in the flesh, living here with us. Why? Not to start a political revolution, or lay forth an ethical or philosophical path, but to bridge a gap. A gap between a holy and righteous God and a sinful people living darkness. This task only God could complete, so he came here to make our salvation possible. Jesus did not receive grace, as do we all, but was its source, he did not seek Truth, he was the Truth. This story begins before the world was created with the plan of God, takes a massive step forward at Bethlehem, but was always headed to Calvary and the Empty Tomb of Easter. So let us give glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rest. Merry Christmas.