Responding To Critical Comments… | Ep. 5

Responding to Critical Comments About Bethel Church and Hillsong

Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where we bring you Christian commentary about the things that matter. As ever, please know this video isn't a sinful attack, but rather a Biblical critique.

Answering the Claim That the Church Is an Experiment

So with that said, let's get into episode 5 of Answering Critical Comments. This is, of course, where we read and answer comments that are angry, critical, upset, or who otherwise disagree with our approach here on the channel.

The first comment we're going to respond to today was actually fairly long and it was really well written, so I really appreciate that. The person was commenting with reference to our video, link in description, about Bill Johnson, leader of Bethel Church, and specifically when he said in an interview that his church is, quote, just one big experiment, end quote.

This was something we critiqued heavily on the channel, asserting that the church is not an experiment. Instead, the things we do in church, by and large, have been described for us in Scripture, and the outcome of those methods, those things that we do, are not unknown variables that we need to test over time, but rather, they are given clearly in God's Word as well.

This includes the edification of the church and the spreading of the gospel, etc. So in summary, Bill Johnson called the church, or at least his church, quote, one big experiment. An experiment is a tentative procedure, the outcome of which is unknown.

By contrast, we believe that the church's methods and the outcome of those methods are given in Scripture clearly and directly. In other words, church is not ours to change using trial and error based off of what works.

Rather, it is something that is described for us in God's Word. We are not trying to do whatever we want and see what sticks in the end. Rather, we are reading God's Word accurately and trying to do what it says.

And this is a point of serious difference between our view and the view of hyper-Pentecostal Christianity at Bethel Church. Now that you know the context, though, here's what the commenter said, quote, There is nothing unbiblical or even unchristian about trying different methods, strategies, or tactics to see which ones are more effective in any given circumstance, end quote.

So there's one big central issue with this comment, as well-written as it is. And here's the issue. Bill Johnson did not say that the church could experiment. He said that the church was an experiment.

Let me read the quote for you, the exact quote, and the link will be in the description to the actual clip, quote,. That's all we, Bethel Church, are trying to do. And you know, we're just one big experiment.

And some things we do really good, and some things we don't, end quote. So again, Bill did not say that he wants the church to experiment in action. No, he said that his church movement is an experiment.

That's a huge difference. And our whole point in the video critique that we did of Bill's comment was to point out that this statement demonstrates a deviation from what the Bible and Christians have historically taught about the church.

That's all. Colossians 3 .16 alone, just this one verse, talks about the church using God's word, having God's word dwell in us, singing worship songs, encouraging one another, giving thanks to God together.

In Acts 2 .42, we hear that early Christians, quote, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers, end quote. These are just two passages among many that tell us what to do as a church.

Now a disclaimer, I am aware that the second passage in Acts goes on to talk about spiritual gifts, which I believe serve their intended purpose and have today ceased, normatively speaking, in the church.

But we won't get into that issue today. The point here is that fellowship, sound teaching, worship through song, encouragement, admonishment, prayer, etc. These were all practices that were given to the church from its very beginning in Scripture.

The central practices of the church, then, are not experimental at all. They're already tried and true by nature of being God's perfect word for His people. So again, let's make this clear. I did not say that the church could not experiment with certain small things.

Of course they can. That's our Christian liberty. What I said was that defining the church itself as a whole and its most central practices as a whole as an experiment is not biblical. Instead, it is simply an excuse for the hyper-Pentecostal false teaching and false prophecy that constantly comes out of Bethel Church.

That's really all this comment was. But besides this, the commenter cites Acts 2, 44 -45, which says this,. "...and all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need.".

The early church in this chapter of Acts shared everything they had and pooled it together, distributing it to people in the church as they needed it. According to the commenter here, this was sort of an experimental practice that was not taught as doctrine.

In fact, he directly calls it a social experiment. And first off, I would agree that this was not taught as doctrine. It's not universal. The entire church does not have to do this. But to say that it was then intended as a social experiment by the apostles, that goes far beyond what the text says.

So if your church does giving in a different way than this passage does, that's perfectly fine. However, the Christian teaching on giving to the needy is directly taught in Scripture. Hebrews 13, 16 says, "...do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.".

And we know by way of 2 Corinthians 9, 7 that God loves a, quote, cheerful giver. So we should give freely and not, quote, under compulsion. The point is that the idea of giving to others in the church, which is an overarching ministry of the church, is not new, it's not novel, it's not an experiment.

So our thesis in the video still stands, even given this example from Acts. The overarching goals and methods of the church are not an experiment. But some of the smaller matters, the smallest matters, can be sorted out using trial and error.

But again, let's remember that this is not what Bill Johnson said. He said that Bethel church itself, overall, is an experiment. He said, quote, one big experiment. That's how he defined the church. And this sort of thing has been used to excuse Bethel of their false teaching.

Oh, it's okay that they have constant false prophecy, they're just an experiment. It's okay that they teach unsound doctrine, they're just experimental, they're just using trial and error. It's okay that they produce worship songs like Reckless Love that are super unbiblical, because again, they're just experimenting with it.

They're just having fun and seeing what works. By the way, if you watch the whole clip in context, link in description, Bill is actually using this experiment statement to justify false teaching at Bethel.

But the fact is, as we've already covered, church isn't an experiment. And even if we were to allow for some portion of that idea, it still wouldn't be a good excuse for Bethel's false teaching. That was the point in our video, and unfortunately, the commenter seems to have missed it.

Why Hillsong's Fruit Does Not Prove Sound Doctrine

The second comment we'll be looking at is one that is upset with our statements at large regarding Hillsong Church. It says the following, quote, I understand your motives are good and you wish to save the lost.

I was baptized at a Hillsong church, and my relationship with God is quite strong compared to years before. God still uses churches like Hillsong to reach people and save lives. Please be careful when speaking against churches that have saved thousands of people from hell.

No church is perfect, and we all have our flaws. I see little benefit in raising further division amongst our already divided church, end quote. And this is a very typical argument to use. My first response is that if this personal story is indeed true, then praise God.

If going to Hillsong Church exposed this commenter to the true gospel of Christ, even despite their false teaching, then that's great. I totally agree that God can use movements like this to save people.

Where I would disagree with the commenter is in the idea that because God used someone to accomplish his good purpose, then that person must have been doing good things. That's not true, and it doesn't follow.

Joseph's brothers, for instance, literally sold him into slavery. And God used that action, that event, to save thousands of people from death and exalt his servant Joseph. Genesis 520 says, quote, As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive even as they are today, end quote.

Now, does this take away from the moral culpability, the responsibility of the brothers of that they did something evil? No. Was it nice and kind and sweet for them to throw him in a well and sell him into slavery?

No, of course not. And I would argue that in the very same way, God can and often does use false teachers, false churches, false movements like Hillsong to bring about true salvation. But that doesn't mean that these are good churches or good movements.

It simply means that God is a good God and that he is sovereign. None of that changes the fact that Hillsong is indeed a movement full of false teaching. First, contrary to First Timothy 2 .12, they teach that women can be pastors, which is false teaching about the nature of man and the nature of the church.

They also preach the prosperity gospel, which is the idea that Jesus guarantees not just spiritual rebirth, but also health and wealth in his atonement. This has absolutely no basis in Scripture. In Second Corinthians 8, Paul talks about the Macedonian Christians praising them for their faithfulness and their generosity while still recognizing that these very same Christians lived in, quote, extreme poverty.

You see, faithful Christians can be rich or poor, and wealth is certainly not guaranteed to anyone through the gospel or through their faith. Here's the point. Hillsong Church may have contributed to helping save some people genuinely, but this is not due to their good ministry.

Rather, it is despite their bad ministry. False teachers like this are in many ways the most dangerous kind we have, because they have enough truth in their message to be used to convert some people, yet they also have enough falsehood so as to utterly deceive most people.

Romans 16 -17 commands us to avoid those who teach unsound or unbiblical doctrine, not to excuse them because they've helped a few people. Ultimately, your personal experience with a movement or a teacher does not mean that they are doctrinally sound.

We should not test anyone by the personal experience standard, but rather by the standard of Scripture, the only standard that we have that is breathed out by God Himself, 2 Timothy 3 .16. So go ahead and hit the link in the description for more information as to why Hillsong are spreading false teaching.

We don't have time to go over all of it in this video. I pray that this has been a blessing to you, and please know this. I do not offer any of this correction from a high and mighty position. I am nothing but a wretched sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.

So let's pray for Bethel Church, that they would stop this false teaching by God's grace and turn to the truth of God's Word. Thank you so much for watching that video. Please give us a like and subscribe so that you don't miss any content.

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