WhatHEsaid wrote: there is Sister Sue (name changed)… "I just read an article on CNN about her. She thinks I-35 highway through Texas is the road Isaiah was speaking of in chapter 35:8. Could I suggest a thorough reading of John 4:21-23? What is it about these OT prophet type ministries that makes them think certain places are “God spots”? I wonder what the $$$ angle will be on this."

WhatHEsaid: Great point about John 4:21-23 quashing the antiquated OT purity system idea, carried over in most religions (even Evangelical and Charismatic ones who promote Holy Land tours to “walk where Jesus walked”), of “holy sites,” “holy land” – the issue of sacred space.

Also great question about sacred space and the money angle! Anecdotally, if people could claim a divine revelation at the top of a mysterious mountain and then charge people money to come in and see the “exact spot” where the divine being appeared to them, they could start a new religion, proclaim themselves the new high priest, and make lots of money. Historically, Joseph Smith was able to make money and build a large denomination by using “Thus saith the Lord” prophecies to appoint a specific land for his followers. His “New Zion” eventually became the state of Utah. As I’ve been reading Mormon doctrine lately, it is literally full of claimed prophetic utterances from Joseph Smith. Did any of his church members ever seriously question his utterances of “revelation knowledge?”

In my view, the money angle is quite obvious when it comes to the preachers on some Christian television stations saying something like this, which I have heard many times: The Spirit quickened Psalm 78:12 to me for this meeting! He’s telling me that if you sow your financial seed of $78.12 to this ministry every month for this next year, he’s going to abundantly bless you!

I cannot speak to what may or may not be motivating Sister Sue, but in charismatic circles, “credibility” is many times based on claiming prophetic insights not only about the future but from the mundane life around you; the birds on the wire mean this, the rocks by the creek speak thus, the rainbow…the darkening eclipse…the falling stars…the moon turning to blood, etc. Thus, the more prophetic “insights” one has, the more credibility one gains (in certain circles anyway), the more credibility, the greater the following, the greater the following, the more invitations to conferences and thus more honorarium income and book sales. (Who speaks at a conference and does not bring their books and CDs to sell?)

In charismatic circles, since education and degrees are minimized in importance, so are intellectual approaches to the Bible, e.g., Hebrew, Greek, cultural background, historical scholarship, etc. Thus, some other phenomenon has to come in to fill the knowledge vacuum. Many times it is: “revelation knowledge!” I’ve heard many a TV preacher use this exact phrase in their preaching.

Christians need a good course in hermeneutics (the art and science of how to interpret the Bible). In my view, pastor/leaders, however, will not be interested in teaching such a course to their congregations lest God’s people get the tools to question what they hear on Sunday mornings! So, we are back to pastor/kings protecting their castle-domains again.

I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I was told that one pastor in our area stopped inviting Sister Sue to conferences at his church because she was prophesying over too many women in the church about how they were going to be sent “around the world for God.” If true, this could be quite unsettling for a pastor, especially when one promotes the idea that the “biblical  way” to be “sent out” is through the approval of the elders of one’s local church - and maybe asking for their financial support, too?! Monetary support, of course, translates into control. 

Charismatics also need to grow in their discernment and learn to test prophecies (I Thess. 5:21). Bob Jones and Larry Randolph (author of User-Friendly Prophecy) predicted in November of 2006 that there would be a great supernatural breakthrough on June 6, 2007.  It was to be a “crossing over into the Spirit realm” leading to great success and power in the Church (Supernatural Infusion Conference, Albany Vineyard, Albany, OR, Nov., 2006). Did it happen? I don’t know. People could seem to “prove it” or “disprove it” depending on what tiny part of the world they wanted to highlight… 

(For more on how the Bible is being used as a fund-raising mechanism see my article on this blog, A Pastor’s Black Bag of Tricks.)

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