For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness." --the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NIV
Just because a group calls itself a church and labels itself as "Christian" doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Christians believe that Jesus Christ established the church, as a divine savior, revealing God to humanity through the Christian gospel, a very simple set of principles and values recorded by the four gospel writers recognized by the early church as authoritative. The Apostle Paul, who led an evangelistic movement that won many converts to Christianity, mostly in Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor and Greece, is, in this passage from a letter written to the Christian church in the Greek city of Corinth, helping distinguish between the authentic Christian gospel, and multiple fraudulent ones, which, even at this point early in church history were becoming a major problem for many churches.
How to Recognize Fraudulent Deceit in Christianity
In spite of popularly held opinion about Christianity, what is authentically or genuinely Christian can be found in a relatively small part of the New Testament, in the first four books, called the "gospels." These are accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and they record what he said that defines the Christian gospel, the theology of Christianity which includes the divine nature of Jesus, its doctrine and its practice. It's a 2,000 year old document, steeped in the culture and history of the time and place it was written, so varied interpretations are not only possible, but must be taken into consideration.
Still, when the teachings of Jesus himself are used as the criteria for interpreting all of the rest of the apostles instructions, Christianity becomes the clear, simple faith that Jesus intended, a life committed to belief in and worship of one God, lived according to a set of shared principles and values that are visible evidence of Christian faith.
The primary core of doctrine, related to lifestyle, is laid out by Jesus in what is known as the "Sermon on the Mount," recorded fully in Matthew 5, believed to be the common theme of his teaching, preached in many locations, but recorded here in one place. The first part of that narrative, known as "The Beatitudes," is a list of honorable qualities, blessings included, that form the core emphasis of the Christian gospel's message of love, humility and compassion. Each one contains two elements, a condition and a result. Jesus is making the point that Christian conversion doesn't result in doctrinal conformity, but in a lifestyle that is actively engaged in uplifting and encouraging the people around each convert, exhibiting the highest ideals of Jesus' teaching on spirituality and compassion. Christians are called to make a difference in the world, not by running it politically, but by exhibiting this high, idealistic practice of virtues and values.
The Apostle Paul makes this very clear in his letters of guidance to churches he visited and encouraged, powerful epistles that the church recognized as valuable in fulfilling the commission given to them by Jesus, to go, preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. Perhaps the most well known such encouragement, written to an unidentified congregation somewhere in the Roman province of Galatia, is called the "Fruit of the Spirit." He contends that people, living in a very pagan society, who converted to Christianity through that particular spiritual experience would exhibit characteristics in their life that would set them apart from their pagan neighbors, and open the door to conversations about what caused the life change.
These values include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. "There is no law against such things," said Paul, in this passage found in Galatians 5:22-23.
When I look at the rhetoric of some of the leaders recognized by Christian sects that fall on the Pentecostal and Charismatic end of the spectrum, like Lou Engle and Lance Wallnau, among others who were behind the "million woman" gathering in Washington, D.C., I don't see much that encourages the practices of the beatitudes or the fruit of the spirit. I see a faith that seems to delight in the torture and trouble of those they consider their enemies, one that exacts punishment for disobedience and consigns those who do not agree with their list of doctrinal requirements or political ambitions to hell.
That's the kind of attitude this "million woman" gathering exhibited in its call to prayer, answered, not by a million women, but by perhaps 40,000 or so, praying for God to deliver control of this country over to a rapist, a fraud, an insurrectionist, a grifter, thief and a pathological liar who openly denies the very core doctrine of Christian salvation by turning aside spiritual conviction and claiming that he has not committed any sin that requires God's forgiveness, because this man is going to bring revival.
That is deceitful and fraudulent, and elevating one that the Apostle John calls "anti-Christ," to a position of authority and leadership over themselves, exchanging the truth of the Christian gospel for yet another lie. This observation is not making a judgment. It is simply pointing out that what the Christian gospel says, and what Jesus and his Apostles taught, is contradictory to what these men are saying when it comes to whom they are giving political support, and the politics with which they are polluting and corrupting it.
Who Gets the Power in a Christian Nationalist America
The fact that these people accept Christian Nationalism as a legitimate and biblical objective of the Christian church is evidence of their heresy, and their fraudulent deceit. Their interpretation of the Bible, which is literal, and leaves out consideration of its history and context, along with the clear principle that any interpretation of any part of the Bible must be filtered through the criterion of Jesus Christ and his revelation of the Christian gospel, incorporates a theology, doctrine and practice of Christianity that is inconsistent with biblical truth in many of its applications.
The means by which Jesus commissioned his apostles and his church at the time of his departure from the world is also found in Matthew's gospel, 28:18-20. It is consistent with the spiritual practice of virtues and values that he taught, rather than authoritarian, delivered by the testimony of his followers, not corrupted by political power that uses force and exaction to make converts. That doesn't actually make converts, it only frightens people into some kind of intellectual assent. How can anyone be confident in a "disciple" who isn't spiritually guided and motivated?
Calling the power of God down on the heads of one's enemies is not loving them, as Jesus commanded. In fact, there's no room for hatred anywhere in the Christian gospel, and God never intended his church to convert anyone by force. We've been through this before, almost 15 centuries of an oppressive church, run by clergy that cowered to the monarchial rule of the provinces and used their influence to ensure lock step obedience to the civil government.
In addressing the problem of satanic intrusion into the church going unrecognized, one of the other Apostles, Jude, who may have actually been the son of Mary and Joseph and thus, Jesus' half brother, wrote an short epistle to the church addressing the problem.
"For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Lord and Master, Jesus Christ." The Epistle of Jude, the Apostle, verse 4, NRSV
Although this epistle was written to a church in the early first century, it is a prophetic word for the church today, since the same problem with intruders who hijack congregations and carry them off into heresy, like Christian nationalism. Or, who attempt to convince Christians that they should vote for a worldly, sexually deviant, adulterous, rapist, sexual assaulting, insurrectionist and liar who openly denies ever having a conversion experience as the democratic leader of their country. There are a few times in the Old Testament where a story is related that seems to indicate God used an evil person to accomplish his purpose with a rebellious, disobedient, theocratic Israel. But he never tells his people to follow or give loyalty to an evil ruler.
The leaders of this movement are opportunists looking to get political power in their hands because of the fawning they've done over a political candidate, if he wins. Any Christian who isn't lined up with their aberrant theology and false gospel, including mainline Protestants and Catholics, as well as those who profess no religion are already the enemies they will be waiting to take out, and they've already justified doing so.
Matthew Taylor, author of The Violent Take it by Force: The Christian Movement That is Threatening our Democracy, says "The danger is that these folks can easily be converted over into Capitol rioters if the right circumstances come about and if their leaders give them that guidance."
Many of them already have done so.
Considering the teachings of Christ, and the Christian gospel, such action would clearly be a demonstration of the spirit of anti-Christ, [I John 4:2-3], and clear evidence that these people are not Christian, but are a dangerous cult denying both the Christian gospel and the vision of America's founding fathers, and its people, since it became a nation.
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