This post has been reposted here with permission and originally appeared at Churchwatch Central.
We know that James White would not preach or tolerate a different Jesus, a different gospel or embrace a different spirit. So why is Dr James White coming out so strongly in public support of Dr Michael Brown?
“I believe that Michael is truly a General in Gods Army and Gods Economy.”
James White wrote the following on Facebook,
I have a friend, who will see this, who sincerely believes Michael Brown needs to get saved. Now, obviously, I believe Michael Brown IS saved. Unlike most other folks, here’s my line of reasoning:
Trinity? Check: more so than 99% of all believers I know (see his Answers to Jewish Objections to Jesus 5 volume set).
All aspects of Christology? Check
Virgin Birth? Check
Death, Burial, Resurrection of Jesus? Check
Biblical inspiration? Check
Scriptural sufficiency? Check
Biblical inerrancy? Bonus check!
Second coming? Check
Final judgment? Check
Absolute necessity of God’s grace in salvation? Check
Substitutionary atonement? Check (even defended it against Brian Zahn at IHOP)
Justification by faith alone? Check
At this point I have to say, “That covers it–or at least it covered it for the Apostles.” Ah, but wait, someone says, that’s not nearly enough! We need to see if there are any contradictions in there! He’s a charismatic, so he can’t believe in Scriptural sufficiency, for example! I definitely see an issue there—and MB is not ignorant of it, and would reply that he does not believe in continuing *canonical* revelation and would make a distinction in regards to any modern “revelation” and the term “theopneustos.” Do I agree with these distinctions? Nope. Does that give me the right to overthrow the above affirmations? NO.
But, he’s not Reformed! In fact, he claims to be a former Calvinist! That’s surely enough to banish him! If you think only Calvinists are going to heaven, I guess you could conclude that. I don’t, and as much as I believe we honor God by believing all of His truth *consistently,* I find nothing more repulsive than those who wrap themselves in their TRRs (Truly Reformed Robes) and look down on the unwashed masses of non-Reformed, sniff haughtily, and point a bony finger toward perdition and growl, “Off with you to the flames, you non-elect!” MB and I have set a standard, we hope, in honestly addressing these issues in the confines of brotherly commitment to the glory of Christ, the integrity of the gospel, and the inspiration of Scripture.
But…he went on Benny Hinn’s show! Surely that is enough to cast anyone into hell! I wonder if folks think through such statements. I wish MB had not done that—I think maybe sometimes he wishes he had not done that either—but when you stand back and look at the list above and go, “Yep, all that—irrelevant—Hinn is enough,” doesn’t it follow that you just made Hinn more important than everything else in that list? Ever thought of that? Most haven’t.
Unity is, in fact, based upon truth. But it is not based upon walking in lockstep with the narrow vision of one particular group or viewpoint. MB and I are going to be engaging some Black Hebrew Israelites in debate next year, Lord willing. I look forward to it. We might have some disagreements (we don’t view Israel in the same way). But since we will be debating the Trinity, the deity of Christ, etc., we will be on the very same page, just as we were when we were defending the deity of Christ against two unitarians a few years ago. Unlike certain folks, I’ve prayed with Michael L Brown, and I know his heart for the gospel and missions and our common Lord. So I will continue to debate with him in defense of the truth, and continue to debate him in the pursuit of unity based upon the inspired Scriptures we both love as well.
Source: James R. White, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/prosapologian/posts/1748946435130201, Published December 09 2017. (Accessed Dec 09 2017.)
So you believe he made a mistake with Benny Hinn, Dr White?
What about the others?
What about false teachers like Lou Engle? C. Peter Wagner? Che Ahn? Bill Johnson? Cindy Jacobs? Rick Joyner? Jennifer LeClaire? Mike Bickle? Sid Roth? Jonathan Cahn? Heidi Baker?
Dr Michael Brown might regret going on Benny Hinn but he doesn’t apologize for his ongoing relationships and endorsement of his friends listed above. These aren’t some old endorsements, these are very current validations of these false ministries.
However it goes beyond the endorsements and relationships. We are now talking about dangerous theology. Dr Michael Brown has clearly demonstrated that the ‘false jesus, false gospel and false spirit’ he ministers from is the same ‘false jesus, false gospel and false spirit’ that’s peddled by the heretics he endorses!
It’s not just these foundational categories – the theology of NAR Apostles like Michael Brown consistently and continually oppose core teachings of the Christian faith including ecclesiology, liturgiology, missiology, eschatology, basileology (study of the kingdom) and so on.
Let’s go through some of the check-list made by Dr White in his post and see if he really wants to embrace Michael Brown as a brother in Christ.
FALSE CHRISTOLOGY – aka KENOTIC JESUS
James White seems to have no problem with Brown’s false Christ:
“All aspects of Christology? Check”
Really Dr White? So do you. like Brown, deny that Jesus gave up His divinity to become fully man so you, just like Jesus, can do miracles under the power of the Holy Spirit? (This is the false kenotic Christ which Brown believes.) This is the false NAR Christ Michael Brown confesses, espousing the typical NAR cult-litany that comes with the territory.
Michael Brown teaches,
“[Jesus] was declared ‘Son of God’ with His resurrection, so He was born the Son of God, and then born again as the Son of God. You’ve got to listen to the whole teaching.”
“[Jesus] always was fully God. But like many others teach, while He was on the earth, He did not use His divine prerogatives to heal, but heal by the Spirit. Jesus Himself says that. ‘I can only do what I see the Father doing.’ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach.’ ‘I drive out demons by the Spirit.’”
“Yet Jesus told us that if we believed in Him, we could do the same works He did (John 14:12). Why, then, is there such a massive discrepancy between what He did by the Spirit and what we do by the Spirit?
I understand that Jesus was uniquely accredited by God with signs, wonders, and miracles (for example, Acts 2:22). But surely, if His words are true (and they are!), we should be seeing many more healings and miracles today.” [Source]
As we’ve pointed out before, some of the demons Jesus encountered recognized the deity of Christ in human flesh. But Michael Brown and his NAR Apostle buddies do not.
FALSE SOTERIOLOGY – aka GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
Back to James White’s checklist:
“Death, Burial, Resurrection of Jesus? Check
[…] Absolute necessity of God’s grace in salvation? Check
Substitutionary atonement? Check”
According to Michael Brown, sins being forgiven by Christ on the cross is not good enough. Michael Brown clearly preaches the NAR/NOLR gospel:
“Here are some obvious questions that are going through many people’s minds. […]
If we believe healing is included in the atonement and is always God’s desire for His children, then why do we see so few cancer healings today?” [Source]
And,
“We believe that […] divine healing is also provided in the atonement (Isa 53:5)” [Source]
And he also affirms that Jesus was ‘born again’ in hell. What does James White do with this:
“[Jesus] was declared ‘Son of God’ with His resurrection, so He was born the Son of God, and then born again as the Son of God.”
Dr White, people have their faith shipwrecked by this gospel. Just listen to Justin Peters to hear how this ‘gospel’ is no gospel at all and is nothing but a stench in the nostrils of Christ Himself.
Is this the gospel James White REALLY wants to believe in? Of course not!
This is the classic NAR gospel that goes by many names such as ”Gospel of the Kingdom’, ‘Power Gospel’, ‘Whole Gospel’, ‘Full Gospel’, etc. It’s this gospel that came out of the Latter Rain movement which then later created the Health and Wealth gospel and Word of Faith cults.
Are you prepared to defend and die for this gospel James White? Of course not!
FALSE ESCHATOLOGY
James White writes,
“Second coming? Check
Final judgment? Check”
This is just absurb on Dr White’s part. Cults, and even doomsday cults, can believe in the ‘second coming’ or a ‘final judgment’. The NAR is the biggest doomsday cult in the world today and was responsible for creating men like Jim Jones (Jones claimed to be an Apostle and a ‘little god’ who was changing the nation and operated in healing signs and wonders). Just like Jones, the NAR reinforces the belief that the church is ‘the hope of the world’ and acts as a saving/cleansing agent of the world’s sin before Christ’s return.
Michael Brown actually espouses these NAR beliefs and has confessed he believes in an end-times revival where a Joel’s Army church (governed by ‘infallible’ generals/apostles) and little gods (the New Breed) will arise. Michael Brown writes,
“Times of great evil lie ahead. God’s army must be equipped and trained.
Then it can come forth.
A new breed of leaders must arise.”
Source: Dr Michael Brown, What Happened to the Power of God?, Destiny Image, Revival Press, Published 1991, pg. 161.
And:
“We need heroes for a new generation. Who will leave all and set the pace? […] God is calling for men and women who will only do what they see their Father doing. He is calling for those who will set the Lord always before them, who will be caught up in the purpose of heaven and live out the message they preach. […] He is fashioning a new kind of vessel – a vessel prepared for the glory of God!”
Source: Dr Michael Brown, What Happened to the Power of God?, Destiny Image, Revival Press, Published 1991, pg. 185.
Now we have people in the NAR claiming they are the New Breed – that they are little Gods/Christs who ‘only doing what they see the Father doing’. (Todd Bentley, Matt Sorger, Todd White). They espouse the belief that they are the ‘righteousness of God’ in human flesh.
FALSE BIBLIOLOGY AND EXOUSILOGY
James White writes:
“Biblical inspiration? Check
Scriptural sufficiency? Check
Biblical inerrancy? Bonus check!”
And this is simply ludicrous. If Michael Brown says he believes in the sufficiency of scripture, then James White will believe anything that man says.
The best example is Brownsville. Although Dr Brown upholds it as a genuine move of the Holy Spirit – then how does Dr Brown accept the fact that the ‘infallible’ Apostle Yonggi Cho claimed that the Brownsville revival would never end until Christ would return? The point is Dr Brown is quite prepared to reject the bible as his authority and replace it with the authority of false apostles.
Furthermore, the entire foundation of the NAR is built on very modern prophecies by William Branham, Frank Hall, Lorren Cunningham, Bill Bright, Bob Jones and many others.
For instance, Cunningham gave the church the ‘Vision of the Waves’ and alongside Bright, ‘The Seven Mountain Mandate’. Bob Jones expanded Cunningham’s wave vision. With Jones’ background in Branham/Hall’s Latter Rain teaching, he claimed he received the ‘Billion Soul Harvest’ in 1975 by Jesus Christ Himself in heaven.
Yet Dr Brown has never refuted these prophecies but instead has shown he believes in them while appearing to downplay that these apostles say they received these mandates from God Himself.
For example, Brown writes (link – we assume – added by him),
“The idea of ‘seven mountains’ was something that came to Bill Bright and Loren Cunningham at the same time [in 1975], two leaders highly respected by most of the church. The culture has seven key areas, and the church should have an impact on every single one of them.”
Source: Michael Brown, Seminary Teacher Answers Charges Against ‘Independent’ Charismatics, The Stream, https://stream.org/brown-answers-charges-against-independent-charismatics/, Published Aug 09 2017. (Accessed Oct 24 2017.) [Archive]
That is a very clear example that Dr Brown does not hold to scripture alone but rather upholds the false ‘revelations’ of modern-day NARpostles and prophets.
CONCLUSION
We have many recordings of Michael Brown espousing these heretical teachings.
The fact that Dr Brown has no problem working with Lou Engle, Sid Roth, Cindy Jacobs, C. Peter Wagner and defending them puts him outside of the Christian faith. Upholding the foundation of their anti-Christian teachings and ministries suggests that Brown is destined to share with them the mighty wrath of the Lamb unless he repents.
More disturbingly, Michael Brown is speaking the native language of Satan, the father of lies, and James White is putting up with Brown ‘easily enough’. The proof is not just in Brown’s teaching, it’s also revealed by his ongoing deception, with its potential of undermining the solid ministry of Dr James White.
While the scriptures claim men like Brown are accursed for preaching a different gospel, Dr White seems to think it is alright to give his imprimatur to Brown thereby ‘White-washing’ his countless lies and false teachings.
We’ve worked with James White personally and are deeply saddened that he is so blinded by Michael Brown. We also used to endorse the ministry of Brown and have had our eyes opened to his ministry of lies. He is not who he says he is. In fact, the man has proven continually he is a liar. The facts prove Michael Brown:
- Is part of the NAR,
- He espouses the beliefs of the NAR,
- He is an end-times Apostle of the NAR.
This man has done a great job attempting to deceive even the elect. It is time for James White to practice biblical discernment and not tolerate Brown who is the ‘Iago’ of Christianity.
To James White, we know you don’t believe what Brown believes – but what you bring with this endorsement of Michael Brown is Michael Brown’s endorsement of some of the worst false teachers in Christian history. And we do not wish to bring your name down – in your endorsement of Brown today on Dec 9, 2017. White, you are in danger of making the body of Christ question your ability to discern and be a voice of reason in the field of Christian apologetics.
