"Fire On the Altar?"

The mega-hype of NAR, Bethel, “The Jesus Culture” and likeminded movements are just like the guy in the picture with their popular slogan, “Fire on the altar”. There is no fire on their altar – just a lot of noise, emotional hype, empty sensationalism, wishful thinking and narcissistic delusions of Grandeur. They can work themselves into a frenzy like the prophets of Baal but there will be no fire from heaven on their altar.

They make a lot of elitists, super-spiritual claims but they are not these either:

They are not biblical and cannot be substantiated by Scripture

· They are not to be found anywhere the teachings of the early church

· They are not in any of the teachings of Jesus or the apostles

· They are fighting the “good hype” but not the “Good fight” that Paul fought

“NARism” & “Bethelism” are little more than the latest version of counterfeit Christianity in the form of retreaded paganism, with a new age fusion of mysticism and spiritualism charged with youthful hype and emotionalism.

To defend the NAR heresy you must go beyond the teachings of the bible and the reject the cardinal belief in “Sola Scriptura”; you must twist scripture to your own destruction (II Peter 3:16); you must dissimulate the truth (Gal. 2:13); you must mishandle the word of God deceitfully ( II Cor. 4:2) you must teach a blend of outright heresy seasoned with scripture to give it a semblance of legitimacy (i.e. “rat-poisoning” – healthy cornmeal mixed with deadly arsenic); you must rely on private, self-made interpretations (II Peter 1:20); you must often refer to enigmatic and obscure verses for support( (verses which you could read many things into) because clear scriptural passages won’t support it; You must violate every established rule in biblical hermeneutics (The art & science of interpreting scripture); And because they can no longer tolerate sound teaching they will inevitably “heap to themselves teachers” because they have itching ears. (II Tim. :2-4)

You must claim special knowledge like the gnostic heretics Paul is referring to in Colossians, at its root you must fundamentally deny that we are “complete in Him”; you must appeal to a superior revelation and divine sanction in the form of dreams, visions, prophetic utterances, angelic appearances and personal encounters with Jesus.

To support the supernatural claims in your theology you must fabricate fake healings (i.e. one the oldest Pentecostal scams on record – namely “leg stretching“), being “slain in the Spirit” or (self-collapsing or “pushing over in the flesh”), extra biblical experiences such as barking like dogs, howling, kundalini like trances, convulsions, shaking, laughing fits, rolling on the floor, screaming, shouting, fire tunnels, Sozo prayer enchantments (often opening individuals to “familiar spirits” and psychic damage) etc. etc.., dramatic prophetic proclamations and predictions, divination (again, often unconsciously in tandem with “familiar spirits), prophetic dreams an dream journeys to heaven, fake miracles like gold dust, chicken feathers & grave sucking. Your whole package is basically claiming that Christians have had it completely wrong for 2,000 years. Many of the actions and antics of these heresies are a clear and present violation of Paul’s exhortation to “do all things decently and in order.” – (I Corinthians 14:40)

He also gave these stern words on the proper exercise of spiritual gifts in the church: “For God is not the author of confusion (disorder) …as in all the churches…If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD.” – (I Corinthians 14:33 & 37) Let it be noted that much of the antics of false movements like the old “Toronto Movement”, Brownsville, Bethel and many more consistently and flagrantly violate these commandments of the Lord.