The False Gospel and CNN

I was listening to the Rush Limbaugh show, this afternoon, when he played a clip of Governor Sarah Palin being interviewed by Drew Griffin, a reporter for CNN. The clip went as follows:

GRIFFIN: The National Review had a story saying that, you know, "I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above."

PALIN: Who wrote that one? G

RIFFIN: That -- that was in the National Review.

PALIN: Who wrote it?

GRIFFIN: I don't have the author but they were --

PALIN: Who wrote it? I'd like to talk to that person.

GRIFFIN: But they were --

Needless to say, I found it interesting that Griffin would not site his source when asked to do so by Governor Palin. Limbaugh went on to point out that the quote, attributed to National Review, was not even written by that publication. The misquote, Griffin used, came from something written by National Review columnist Byron York, but was posted on another website. What York said was, "Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for VP, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward..." The point being made is that Griffin deliberately lied about what York was saying. In fact, what York was doing was indicting the media, and people like Drew Griffin, for their biased coverage against conservative Republicans in favor of Barack Obama. His interview of Palin is a perfect example of what York was writing about. Limbaugh said that CNN, and Griffin, need to apologize for their actions. But, he added that even if they did it's "going to matter less." In other words, nobody will care, much less check the facts. This reminds me of how many Christians act towards the Word of God and those that preach it.

"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things." 2 Corinthians 11: 3-6

"Kool-Aid" drinker is a popular term ascribed to individuals who blindly accept what they are told. Even worse, they will defend it as though it is undeniable truth. Like many, I watch in amazement at Christian television as pastors will preach in front of thousands of people who hang on every word that comes from their mouths. What is even more amazing is that much of what passes for teaching on these programs is clearly unbiblical. The following serve as examples of what I mean:

"Jesus didn’t come as God, He came as a man, and He did not come perfect." Creflo Dollar, Changing Your World, TBN, December 8, 2002

"If the power of life and death is in the tongue and you can have whatever you say and if you’ve been praying and praying and praying and you finally got God’s attention and now He’s looking at you and saying ‘What do you want?’…What do you want? Name it, baby, name it ….Declare it! Speak it! Confess it! Get your list out!" TD Jakes, The Potter's House, TBN, December 3, 2001

"...when you give you get a receipt in heaven that when you have a need you can then go with your receipt and say ‘You see, God, I have got my receipt from my sowing and now I have a need and I’m cashing in my receipt." Joyce Meyer, Praise The Lord, TBN, November 3, 2003

“For three days Jesus fought with the enemy. It was the battle of the ages, light versus darkness, good versus evil. But thank God Satan was no match for Jesus.” Joel Osteen, Discover the Champion in You, TBN, April 26, 2004

These four Christian teachers are, arguably, the most popular teachers in the Christian world. All have written best selling books and captured the admiration of thousands of supporters worldwide. However, the error revealed by these quotes should be easily discernable to a mature Christian. Dollar denies the deity of Christ. Jakes not only implies we need to badger God with our prayers in order for Him to respond to us, but that He is a sort of genie promising to grant us whatever we wish. This is similar to Meyers' boast that God owes us for all our consistent giving throughout our lives. And, finally, you have Osteen claiming Jesus and Satan had a fight in Hell, like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, in between the time Jesus died and rose from the grave. All of this would be laughable if it weren't leading so many Christians astray. All of these quotes are proof of a false gospel being taught. But, as Paul laments, Christians put up with it easy enough. They put up with it, in my opinion, because they don't know the truth themselves.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some." 2 Timothy 2: 15-18

The problem with this popular, but unbiblical, teaching accepted by so many, is that those that allow themselves to be influenced by it do not know how to handle the word of truth. And judging by the amount of people supporting these teachings there are quite a few of these people out there. I am one who believes that the pastors know that what they teach is not the truth, but, are willing to continue preaching it because of selfish gain. There is no concern if what they are teaching is destroying the faith of their followers. And the fact that their teaching is spreading and gaining in popularity only encourages them to keep teaching it. However, they and their followers only "become more and more ungodly." The more you subject yourself to error, the more the error becomes the truth. And your ability to discern the real truth becomes impossible. Therefore, you will begin to see people who will distort the facts and see nothing wrong with doing so if it promotes their desired outcome. And when they are called on their deception and error they could care less. If they believe what they are doing is correct not even the truth will change their minds. They will have wandered so far from the truth that turning them around is a waste of time. Therefore, some might not care about the deceiving tactics used by a journalist as long as it leads to the desired outcome. In the same way the followers of these pastors, who preach a false gospel, do not care what the truth is as long as what they believe is leading to their desired outcome. While the journalists lie may lead to a political victory, the lie coming from the pulpit will lead to a eternal defeat.