Lifeway Christian Resources is the retail and publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, known easily as the world’s largest retailer of heresy in the United States, if not the world. As we have thoroughly documented on this news site, Lifeway sells books by Anti-Trinitarians, Word-Faith and Prosperity teachers, New Age gurus, gay activists, mystics, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics. In fact, the vast majority of what the Southern Baptist retailer sells is contrary to the denomination’s statement of faith, the Southern Baptist Faith and Message, and much of their selection contains troubling theology that Southern Baptist pastors have to regularly teach against. Lifeway has a blog and podcast for women, from their Lifeway Women division, called (accurately), “Marked.” Yesterday, they promoted the wildly unorthodox and charismatic Hillsong prophetess, Christine Caine.
Marked is hosted by Mary Margaret West and Elizabeth Hyndman. West posted the podcast on the Lifeway site, and her bio says that she is a former “girls minister,” is a “Girls Ministry Specialist” for Lifeway and got her seminary degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Apparently, it’s possible to serve in those ministry positions and have a degree in ministry without ever having covered the basics of Christian theology. Had West been educated like any run-of-the-mill Baptist or Protestant should have been, she would know that Christine Caine is the theological equivalent of an infectious disease. If West loved girls, she wouldn’t expose them to Christine Caine.
West gave Caine’s bio on the podcast’s blog page:
Christine Caine is an Australian born, Greek blooded, lover of Jesus, activist, author and international speaker. She and her husband, Nick, founded the global anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign. They also founded Propel Women, an organization designed to activate women to fulfill their God-given passion, purpose, and potential. Christine is the author of six books including Unashamed. Her next book, Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure, released in May 2018.
We’ll provide a different bio for Caine.
Christine Caine got her start at Hillsong Church Australia, the seeker-friendly and worldwide mega cult founded by Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel teacher, Brian Houston, who helped to cover up his father’s pedophilia. Hillsong might best be known for the music, attracting millions of young people to their catchy jingles who then get sucked into their heresies (this is called the “Arian Snare,” and is a millennia-old tactic of using seemingly innocuous music for nefarious purposes). In reality, Hillsong music is dangerous for the church. Caine, propelled by the Hillsong global campaign, dropped her pants with Hillsong founder, Bobby Houston (left), apparently demonstrating their familiarity and closeness. In reality, Caine is a product of the dangerous Hillsong church.
Hillsong, by the way, is known for its promotion of LGBT worship leaders, its promotion of queer theology like that held to by Jen Hatmaker, naked cowboys dancing on stage at their women’s events (the naked cowboy was a Hillsong pastor), a sleazy burlesque Christmas program (multiple ones, in fact), and its generalized worldliness. Hillsong is a lascivious, devious, and ungodly plague of locusts crossing land and sea making converts twice the sons of hell. Hillsong is not known for raising up godly young men and women or theologians who are committed to the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Word of God. Hillsong is known for raising up false converts like Justin Beiber and other celebrities who dig the music, lights, and laser shows but who bear no more fruit in keeping with repentance than before they ever began traveling with the Australian band of religious gypsies.
Nowhere on the planet do Hillsong followers have the reputation of being theologically serious, doctrinally sincere, or Biblically astute. They have the reputation for being among the most immature, Scripturally ignorant, and carnal people in the history of the world to ever call themselves Christians.
Caine considers Joyce Meyer one of her best friends, chief mentor, and “spiritual mother.” Together, they hold to the “little god theology” and Word-Faith heresies, that – like God – you can create destinies and demand temporal blessings simply by decreeing and declaring them into existence. They hold that Jesus died on the cross to give you possessions, wealth and health, there for the taking if you have enough faith and confess it positively. The heresy began (as best we can tell) with E.W. Kenyon, but has been most popularized by Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, and the branch of prosperity evangelists you will see on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Lately, Caine has taken for herself the title of “activist,” fully promoting egalitarianism and Social Justice warrioring, meaning that she specializes in two deviations from the Gospel – both Social Gospel and Prosperity Gospel – an impressive feat, indeed.
On top of these issues, Caine regularly recalls precise words that she says God has spoken to her, putting herself into the Biblical class of prophet, having supposedly heard direct, divine revelation from God. She is, in every sense of the word, a prophetess.
Now, the question to answer is why Thom Rainer, CEO of Lifeway, Mary Margaret West of Lifeway Women, or the four million Southern Baptists who actually exist (the other reported ten million are entirely MIA) think that Southern Baptist women and girls need to be exposed to Christine Caine.
Questions:
- Is Lifeway Women promoting Christine Caine because they think she has valuable things to say? If so, what are those valuable things?
- Is Lifeway Women promoting Christine Caine because of the seriousness or soundness of her doctrine? If not, then for what other reason would they promote her?
This is perhaps some of the best practical evidence for why men – and not women – should be leading women. I genuinely don’t think the vast majority of Christian men would look at Christine Caine, study her for more than a few moments, and consider her much more than chaff. Women, it seems, are particularly susceptible to precisely what the Bible says they are susceptible, and that is false teaching that appeals to their senses and passions, invading households and capturing weak women (2 Timothy 3:6).
In the meantime, the name of Lifeway Women’s podcast, “Marked,” is apropos…
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. – Romans 16:17
