I cannot comment on the websites he is referring to because I have never seen them. The point he makes on Billy Graham is interesting though. Perhaps no one was more revered on the planet than Graham. Does that make him untouchable? Was Billy Graham infallible? Is it any more ridiculous to speculate that Graham might be one of the 24 elders in Revelation? That was posited recently on Sid Roth's show. The reality is that 95% of discernment ministries I have seen deal with current teachings in an effort to protect the sheep. Perhaps there are another 5% that for some reason spend their time examining the teachings of preachers past. Is that so bad? Does the Bible say test everything except from sources you deem to be well respected? No beloved -- it just says test everything. Even the men you worship. Just because he was mentioned, does Bert Farias really consider Bill Johnson to be an upstanding Gospel preacher? Wow.
"There are even websites that refer to the apostle Paul as a heretic. Can you believe that? The reason given was that Paul's teachings conflict with some of the gospels and what Jesus said. I'm convinced that most of these heresy hunters are like trolls just looking to promote their divisive agenda by sowing discord on the internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people; by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into doubting godly ministers. Frankly, these heresy hunters need a life. Apparently they don't have enough to do. These self-appointed heresy hunters are hard to please. They will always find ground for disagreement. Just like many of this magazine's commentators, the majority are critical, cynical, and use the comment section to promote and ride their little pet hobby horse or slander another minister. I can hardly read the comments on my own articles anymore because many of them are so downgrading and derogatory. I'm sad to see such negativity that is so unbecoming to Christians." -- Bert Farias
C'mon. Even if true, there is no mainstream effort afoot to discredit the Apostle Paul. That is just silly. Farias is trying to paint with a broad brush to dismiss all discernment for the actions of a random kook. As for the commenting trolls, methinks thou protest too much. Charisma News is a virtual cesspool disguised as a Christian resource. This year alone Jennifer Leclaire has released angels of abundant harvest, angels on assignment and a sneaky squid spirit. There is not a false teacher/prophet that Charisma will not promote. You have had false prophets claim Donald Trump is a new King Cyrus with an Elijah anointing. Doesn't any of this even make you blush? The other part that Farias is omitting is that many of the commenters on Charisma are actually unsaved. The resulting comments section can devolve into a free for all but do not lose sight that it is the heretical article that started it, not someone pointing out that it is heresy.
"People are free to disagree with any topic and express their opinion, but when you personally attack ministers whom you don't even know, it is so grievous to the Lord and will cause you to eventually reap judgment, especially when you refer to them as an agent of Satan, a wolf or a heretic controlled by a demon." -- Bert Farias
The Lord says to mark those that cause division by the false doctrines they bring in. The key verse today commands us as minsters to rebuke those that are false. You cannot go one chapter in the New Testament without tripping over another warning about false teachers. It is odd that God would go to these lengths yet you think it grieves Him to have what is false pointed out. Let's also dispel another myth Farias is propagating here. Ministers are not being attacked. Their teachings are being exposed. If I said Bill Johnson dresses funny and talks with a lisp -- I would be attacking him personally. Saying he is a heretic and explaining why using the Bible? That is what we are instructed to do. As for the term wolf -- it came from Jesus Himself, so I think I feel comfortable using the analogies He Himself provided.
"Heresy hunters believe they somehow have the right in their minds to attack, slander and falsely accuse ministers by name, and in some cases completely misrepresent what these ministers teach. For example, I came up under the tutelage of the late Kenneth E. Hagin, one of the finest men of God of this past century. He was a true prophet of God with impeccable character, a deep prayer life, with many visions and visitations that contained phenomenal messages for the body of Christ. For decades, I never heard one critical word about another person come through this beloved man's lips. Yet some people, who call themselves Christians, have the gall to call him an agent of Satan. Wow! Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin was also one of the most scripturally sound ministers of this past century, and yet again, heresy hunters who somehow think their theology is heaven's standard, identify him with hyper-faith, hyper-prosperity and teaching that Jesus went to hell. How lopsided a view that is of his life and ministry to those who really knew what he taught." -- Bert Farias
Beloved, this is the problem when we venerate any man. Listen I love my pastor but if he ever started preaching name and claim it, grab it and blab it word faith nonsense like Hagin did, I would be the first to correct him. I do not doubt the sincerity of Bert Farias or his feelings for one of his mentors and friends. The good thing is I also do not need to rely upon his subjective feelings when I have empirical data from Hagin's teachings. Two of his esteemed prote'ge's are Kenneth Copeland and Robert Tilton. Then all I need to see is all of the video when he claimed to be drunk in the spirit. This is eerily familiar to when I confronted Dr. Michael Brown about Bill Johnson. If your only defense is "I know him" then you have no defense.
"The heresy-hunters' motto is if people don't believe and interpret the Scriptures the way they do then these ministers are heretics, and these heresy hunters attempt to prove it with their own version of what the Scriptures say. What a travesty! Most of the time they wind up twisting the Scriptures and presenting them from the small murky lens of their church or denominational traditions, or the brand of theology they've been taught and brainwashed with." -- Bert Farias
