Folly’s weak-willed audiences are always drawing teachers to themselves, have their ears scratched (2 Timothy 4:3), always learning but never arriving to the truth. (2Timothy 3:6-7)
Alt. Names: The Devil’s Playground, Easy Believism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Recognised Sects: Bethel Church, Hillsong Church, Elevation,* TBN, GODTV, Sid Roth’s ‘It’s Supernatural’, Elijah List, Destiny Image, Full Gospel Businessman’s Fellowship International…
Recognised Leaders: Bill Johnson, Steven Furtick, Sid Roth, Steve Strang, Steve Shultz, Don Nori, John Lindell, Ben Fitzgerald, Jim Osman, Lance Wallnau…
Key scriptures they misuse: Isaiah 43:19,
Description: The EIC capture weak-willed believers with the latest or fanciest notions of who God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit are and what the gospel is. It deliberately presents a watered-down spirituallity, (some have labelled it ‘easy-believism’), to attract all types of people to a Christian where the ‘customer is always right’. Due to the Christian audience being very sensitive to worldly culture, global crisis ; some biblical concepts/ethics and the impact of technological advances in the visiblechurch, the EIC constantly changes to accommodate for whatever it’s audience wants to here.
It is a blend of all the cults that we cover so it can change it’s skin anytime to stay relevant and safe. However, at it’s core, this monstrosity cannot hold to a biblical world view based on it’s appetite for wealth and worldly recognition.
And the beneficiaries of those who are at the top of the EIC? The family dynasties.
The ramification of this insidious cult is the impact of missionaries or churches in emerging nations watching or reading the latest fad emerging from the EIC. The fruit of this cult is that is designed to ensure “their hearers are always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth,” to sell their next product.
The movement in and of itself have their intelligentsia and an elite network of leaders.
False God: Moralistic therapeutic deity:
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these:
1. “A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.”
2. “God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.”
3. “The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.”
4. “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.”
5. “Good people go to heaven when they die.”
That, in sum, is the creed to which much adolescent faith can be reduced.
Source: R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Moralistic Therapeutic Deism-the New American Religion – AlbertMohler.com, https://albertmohler.com/2005/04/11/moralistic-therapeutic-deism-the-new-american-religion-2/, Published April 1, 2005. (Accessed April 20, 2024.) [Archived]
False Gospel: Popularly referred to as the ‘Gospel of Accommodation’.
False Jesus: Jesus is the product (or in some cases the Chief Executive Officer).
False Spirit: The Holy Spirit (and his supernatural power and ministry) is misused to advertise and to point people to the EIC leadership or company, often through ‘it works’ testimonies. This spirit rarely points people to the Jesus and His gospel but to the glorification of a rag-to-riches ‘ministry’, organisation, group or empire.
False Faith: Christianity is the brand. A very shallow and aesthetic one.
False Ecclesia: The church is the ‘company’ or ’empire’. It is replaced with a corporate structure, elders being replaced or usurped by executive and board-like leadership and structure that reflects the world’s interests and often, carnal outcomes. Elders are often sidelined, belittled, treated with suspicion or left in a constant state of befuddlement in how they should operate in such a foreign biblical structure. This false ecclesia targets the wealthy in either the community or in it’s own system, usually encouraging them to ‘fund the vision’ or spiritual enterprise.
False Commission: The church exists to make Jesus ‘famous’. People who have business-like minds in this cult, treat either non-believers and Christian’s as customers/audiences or convert/recruit to be volunteers or proper business leaders to create high-level production value church-like experiences.
Before Instagram, Christianity already had it’s ‘Brand Ambassadors’, ‘Influencers’ and celebrities, making Jesus famous. Many of these individuals, write books or create content how you can be a successful witness of this false Jesus, just like them. Sadly, the majority in this movement (like we see in the New Apostolic Reformation) are nothing but grifters, capitalising on the weak-willed.
Resources:
* Bethel, Hillsong and Elevation are more known for their musical arm in this sect.