Earlier in the year, I made a Facebook comment that was an excerpt from a manuscript I would go on to preach at the Judge Not Conference. Below is the clip of the sermon that shows what this whole thing is about and for your convenience, it’s at about the 10.06 mark.
https://www.facebook.com/pulpitandpen/videos/1622265804503851/
Michael Brown was recently on The Naked Bible podcast with Mike Heiser. You can listen to the full episode here, in which Brown goes to great pains to defend the New Apostolic Reformation and its leaders. I was brought up at around the 38 minute mark. You can listen to the short clip below.
Brown says that NAR critics are “so extreme and so ugly” and offered me “help,” at which point I told him if he didn’t repent he’d burn in hell. This reminded me of a recent podcast in which a caller from North Carolina told him on the call-in line he should debate me, but he responded that he sought to correct me on my reporting about various things but I refused to. I did a Facebook live video (it’s probably lost deep in a thread somewhere, and I’ll link it if someone wants to forward it to me) saying he had never corrected me – but in fact I had factually corrected him – and said I’d post our email exchanges. I forgot about that until now. So, here’s the email exchanges.
If it’s in bold, I added it for emphasis. If there is a hyperlink, I added it for your convenience.
Please note that my “go to hell” wasn’t as he described it. Also note that my “extreme and ugly” was rather well-tempered, albeit direct.
FROM MICHAEL BROWN TO ME
Hi, JD,
I pray you’re doing well, and this email has one purpose only: to be of spiritual help to you.
Last night, I got tagged in your FB post referring to me as more dangerous than most murderous jihadis, and after literally laughing out loud at it — I didn’t know who posted it, since it didn’t say “JD” in the name — I then found it was from you and so I prayed for you.
It’s because of things like this that I have declined to debate you, although the truth be told, I wish I could debate cessationists 7 days a week and record every debate — with joy. But your rhetoric is so inflammatory, you have such a poor track record in the past, and when you had access to me before attacking me in writing you chose to attack rather than ask for comment, and then you refused to post corrections when I sent them — for those reasons I’ve had to distance myself from you.
I believe you are called by God, and I believe you have great potential. And I appreciate your zeal and passion, and for all I care, you could say I’m not saved because I’m charismatic. That’s all between you and God, and whatever you’ve said or done, I assure you, you have not hurt me. I am safely in our Father’s arms, and it is His smile and His alone that I desire.
I’m simply writing as an older servant of the Lord who wants to help you fulfill your mission and calling. Right now, you are your own worst enemy.
Feel free to toss this or to pray over it or to write back, but if you want a fight with me, you won’t get one. If you want honest interaction, even on the phone and off the air, totally private, I’m here to help.
If you choose to quote any of this email, you can only do so if you post the entire email without editing of any kind.* Otherwise, this is just between you and me and the Lord and any close friends you feel to share this with in private.
With genuine love for a brother,
Dr. Brown
*Brown quoted me – poorly – without posting the entire email. So, I’m posting the entire email.
FROM ME TO MICHAEL BROWN
FROM ME TO MICHAEL BROWNDr. Brown,
Thanks for approaching with such a loving tone.
Of course, on Twitter, you thought my comment was, “too funny” and seemed surprisingly humorous and not nearly as serious as you sound here.
First, while there is some part of me (a very small part) that is flattered for your stated assurance that I’m a fellow Christian and minister of the true gospel, the greater part of me is aghast and insulted. You see, Michael, you have approved, supported and vouched for almost every notorious heretic and Montanist false prophet known today. From Benny Hinn to Sid Roth to Sneaky Squid Spirit prophetesses, you have pitched your tent toward the godlessness of modern charismania. If Balaam were alive, I’m convinced you would defend him, and probably side with Bar-Jesus as a genuine recipient of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Sir, I’d rather have my credentials vouched for by a demon from hell, who on average, has probably misled fewer people than those you daily defend.
Furthermore, because you regularly blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing to Him the occultic trickery, black magic and superstition of charismaticism – from grave sucking necromancy to omen interpretation – I would rather you not pray for me, lest the god of yours leave the fire tunnels worshipping him at Bethel Redding and set about to bother me.
Sir, as you will find in my open letter to you I wrote some time ago, you have never sent me a “correction.” I sent you information about Hillsong’s approval of sodomite choir directors and you chose to publicly defend Brian Houston and attack the spiritual gift of discernment (which unlike blathering nonsense words, is actually from the Spirit) in Charisma Mag. You also went on to defend their stripper Christmas program, even though I warned you otherwise. You have never corrected me, but I have warned you repeatedly.
The Charismatic Movement – with you as it’s chief apologist – mocks God. Your strange fire is rejected by God. Montanism is a heresy, and you it’s chief spokesman. I look on you as a brother in Christ no more than Simon the Sorcerer or any number of pagans who have sought their own form of the supernatural.
Jihadis only destroy bodies. Charismatics destroy souls. IHOP is more dangerous than ISIS.
Repent of mocking God and blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Cordially,
JD
FROM MICHAEL BROWN TO ME
FROM MICHAEL BROWN TO MEJD,
I don’t regret reaching out to you. You simply underscore that you need lots of prayer. May the Lord grant you repentance and faith, and may He forgive you for your ugly words, spoken and written, I hope, in ignorance.
With love and concern,
Dr. Brown
FROM ME TO MICHAEL BROWN
Michael,
May you repent. And if not, may you be consumed into ash by your strange fire.
Warm Regards,
JD
FROM MICHAEL BROWN TO ME
JD
The fire of the Spirit that burns in me will continue to burn brightly, by God’s grace, until I see my Lord face to face. And with every email you send, you remind me to pray all the more for your repentance. I do my best to see the best in people and will continue to do so. But I am also a realist. May God have mercy on you.’
THE END
I had no reason to go tit-for-tat in an email with a man who called me “too dangerous to debate.” I chose not to reply. The devil may very well be polite, but he is still the devil. Manners don’t turn heresy into orthodoxy, and Brown has proven himself a leopard with unchanging spots. Of course, my debate with Ante Pavkovic on cessationism proved not dangerous at all. You can watch it here. I didn’t embrace Mr. Pavkovic as a Christian either, and I was perfectly polite. It was cordial, but direct.
My relationship with Brown goes back to January 7 of 2014, when he came on my podcast and – before our interview was over – defended Benny Hinn and claimed he was a legitimate and true prophet of God. His claim was that just because Hinn has prophesied falsely – a claim Brown did not reject – doesn’t mean that Hinn is a false prophet. Yeah, you read that right.
You can listen to that audio here.
And I’m the “extreme” one.
[Contributed by JD Hall]
