word of faith

By Elizabeth Prata

Jackie Hill Perry Facebook profile photo

I’ve written about poetic speaking artist, former lesbian, self-identified Christian Jackie Hill Perry (JHP) before. Negatively. And positively. But at all times had asked readers and followers of JHP to use caution.

Jackie Hill Perry renounces Enneagram
Jackie Hill Perry comes out as a prophet
Jackie Hill Perry on her false prophesying
Jackie Hill Perry Discernment Review
Jackie Hill Perry performs jig-a-boo, about not tolerating false teachers, (ironic now that she’s doing that exact thing).

We often feel such joy when a fellow member of the human race converts in faith by grace of God to His kingdom. If that person has a “platform” then all the better, some believe, because the person can use it for the glory of God. Unfortunately, we often rush to put the person up on their platform, or other platforms, forgetting to use patience and wisdom to see if their conversion is genuine.

Paul warned Timothy when explaining qualifications for pastors, that he must not be a recent convert lest he become puffed up with pride, conceit, and fall into the devil’s snare. (1 Timothy 3:6). The same concept can be applied to any new convert who is thrust into leadership before they are ready.

Preaching at UYWI National Conference Aug 21, 2019

Jackie wasn’t ready.

Spencer Smith on JHP began his latest video on JHP this way:

“False teachers operate the same way. They all do. They come out of nowhere. They start saying all the right stuff and everybody gets real excited about them. Then after a while they keep talking and then all these red flags start popping up. You’re thinking this-that doesn’t sound right. That doesn’t add up. And after a while they just start saying all these crazy things. You’re thinking now wait a minute I’m going to make a call here. Am I going to just let this go or am I going to kind of blow the whistle on this person?”

Here is a timeline of JHP’s biography as an adult starting with conversion:

2008: JHP renounces lesbianism and converts to Christianity. She’d heard the Lord speak to her. She said- “I repented of my sins that day in my bedroom, believing that Jesus was simply better.” (Better than what?)
2010: Began performing her poetry with Preston Perry.
2014: Marries Preston.
2018: Appeared in documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone as a solid Christian.
2019: Partners with some of the type of people she spoke against in the film; sparks backlash and a disinvite to Answers in Genesis conference. Open Letter from Truth + Fire is published pleading to JHP to be discerning.
2019: AG filmmaker tries to reason with JHP about her discernment. Fell on deaf ears. (see below for Facebook post about this).
2020: In a Q&A Session on Instagram Story, JHP pointedly refutes her participation in AG film, declares doctrinal divides as “tribalistic”.

“Q: Will you do another American Gospel type of documentary?
A: Probably not. I deeply dislike the tribalism and theological superiority those type of films encourage. I did it then. I won’t ever do it again.”

2021: JHP continually partners with false teachers. List from Michelle Lesley: JHP partners with false teachers- Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Christine Caine, Lysa TerKeurst, Lisa Harper, Lauren Chandler, and Amanda Bible Williams at various LifeWay Abundance and LifeWay Women Live conferences.
2022: JHP often openly mentions hearing directly from God, (see link above “JHP comes out as prophet”) and tells some prophecies ‘God’ has allegedly given her. JHP rejects pleas for her to employ better discernment.
2022: Frequent preaching at many conferences and other locations, which requires much travel. Preaches unashamedly to men.
2023/2024: December 2023 it’s revealed JHP to be a teacher at the 10-day Bethel Music School in 2024, teaching WITH Bill Johnson. See immediately below the American Gospel summation of this sad situation-

American Gospel wrote on Facebook RE JHP teaching at Bethel

In our last communication with Jackie Hill Perry (2019), we explained our concerns over her partnerships with Jenn Johnson (Bethel Music), Christine Caine (Hillsong), Sarah Jakes Roberts (daughter of T.D. Jakes) and other people connected with the Word of Faith or NAR movement. She explained that she did not agree with WoF doctrine because it was a misrepresentation of the gospel of God. But she was not in agreement with our interpretation of the Biblical lines in who we would avoid ministry partnerships with, or who would actually teaches that false doctrine.

We recently learned that Jackie will be a speaker at Bethel Music’s 2024 Worship School, alongside Bill Johnson. https://bethelmusic.com/worshipschool

Jackie also asked for our prayers for wisdom to discern what is pleasing to God, and how that affects her neighbors. We believe that her decision crosses both of those lines, because Bethel’s doctrine and practices lead people into spiritual danger, which means they should be avoided.

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” — Romans 16:17.

-end American Gospel Facebook note.

Screenshot from Bethel School of Music’s announcement of the 2024 courses & speakers

Yes. She has crossed that line.

The discussion circling around Jackie these past few years has been whether JHP was genuinely converted and been drawn into a circle of wolves early on but will eventually come out of it, or that she was not genuinely converted and is now unconcernedly circling with wolves. I was suspicious from the start because her original testimony contained alleged direct hearing from God, and she later admitted publicly she hears from God in personal prophecies. For this reason I do not believe she is saved.

Jackie said the right things at the beginning and sadly, the wolves glommed on to her. She was promoted, touted, and trumpeted as a trophy of God. Discerners had warned that the Bible tell not to puff a new convert too soon else they become conceited. Jackie, in my opinion, showed an almost immediate disregard for wise counsel, indicating the aforementioned puffed-up-ness. No genuine Christian even with a small amount of discernment, would be comfortable with SO MANY wolves SO OFTEN as she has been associating with. And I put the timeline to show that she is not a newbie any more. She should have grown in wisdom and discernment by now, and she hasn’t.

Avoid Jackie Hill Perry. She is with her ‘tribe’- the wolves.

Further Reading

GotQuestions: Is the Word of Faith (WoF) movement biblical?

Christian research and Apologetics Ministry: What is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)?

Ligonier: Are there prophecies today?

Q&A various pastors at Ligonier: How do you define a false teacher?

By Elizabeth Prata

The Passion 2019 conference concluded last weekend. The event has expanded to four simultaneous venues spread among three cities, and all four were sold out. A total of just over 43,000 youths between the ages of 18-25 were in attendance.

One of the speakers this year was Christine Caine. Christine hails from Australia and is known for having founded the Propel Women organization and A21. Propel aims at “Activating every woman’s passion, purpose, & potential.” A21 “is abolishing slavery everywhere, forever.”

Caine is popular, but sadly she is a false teacher. Michelle Lesley wrote about Caine here. I wrote about her here.

The three-day Passion conference event is specifically a youth-oriented event. There is a restricted age-range that is allowed to attend. No one under 18 (unless you’re a senior in High School) and no one over the age of 26. Only the Pastor or Leader of the group attending may enter. No parents, no elder siblings, no elders of your church. Access denied.

Here are videos of the event.

I received a query about Caine’s sermon, so listened to Caine’s it, which was almost an hour. Well, I muted the sound and pushed forward the slider in ten second increments while reading the closed captions. I read what she taught and it was straight Word of Faith, twisted verses and all. Here are specifics on how to detect Word of Faith teaching.

The Word of Faith movement is decidedly unbiblical.

At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the “force of faith.” It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth). GotQuestions

Here are a few screen shots from the video with the captions of statements that stood out to me. Her base text is from Matthew 8:10,

When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

In Word of Faith you’ll often hear the word ‘allow.’ The WoF believes (GotQuestions again) that ,

“Laws supposedly governing the faith-force are said to operate independently of God’s sovereign will and that God Himself is subject to these laws.”

In WoF world therefore, when we do something according to these laws, God can then be ‘allowed’ to operate within them. The section of Caine’s lecture as seen on the screen shot shows she is teaching classic WoF.

In WoF land, you will hear the word “activate” a lot. In WoF teachings, the object of our faith is our faith (really, us). We possess faith. Something we DO activates it, then God works within it. That’s why within WoF if something doesn’t happen the way we decreed it, (healing, prosperity) it means WE didn’t have enough faith. Things depend on us and our faith, not on God. You see the switch: in WoF teachings it’s switched from God being sovereign to us being sovereign. Word of Faith teachers need to read and re-read Job 38-41 to learn man’s place befroe a sovereign God.

As for activating things, God is not a dried up sea monkey waiting for a drop of water to activate Him. If we are regenerated, then the Holy Spirit is in us and He is always working. His will is independent of ours and He does as He wants. He needs no “activation.” Even the printed word of God is living and “active.” Nothing WE do activates it.

In WoF you will hear the word “miracle” a lot. Miracles are important to these people because they are the proof of ‘our’ faith. The emphasis, again, is on our faith, and the results from our faith, such as miracles (or health or prosperity). Biblically, miracles were a sign authenticating the unique personage of Jesus, who was sent from God. (John 20:30,31; John 2:23). The WoF teachers do not focus on Jesus as He is for Who He is.

So why did Jesus marvel at the centurion’s faith? Doesn’t Jesus already know everything? We remember that Jesus is God, but in His incarnation He was also man, and when He marveled it is this side of his dual-single nature that comes into play.

For example, Jesus “grew in wisdom”, (Luke 2:52). The God side of Jesus already knows everything, but the man side of Jesus grew because that is what men do, grow. We can’t really grasp how He can know everything but also grow wiser- but that is the mysterious nature of the hypostatic union. [FMI see this Theological Primer from Keven DeYoung on the Hypostatic Union].

Alternately, can Jesus be surprised enough to marvel at a person’s faith? It is the man-God nature again. Jesus dispenses all faith, so the Centurion received it from Jesus as God. Remember the verse in Mt 16:17 when Jesus told Peter,

“And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus as man can be astounded at a man who was a Gentile, had never learned the scriptures, but who had faith enough to trust that Jesus’s power permeated all the universe and that His physical presence or absence to do a miracle was of no matter.

MacArthur:

“When Jesus heard this remarkable expression of the centurion’s humble faith, He marveled at him. Here is a glimpse of Jesus’ true humanity, since as God He is omniscient and cannot be surprised by anything. But just as in His humanity He became tired (John 4:6), hungry, (Matt. 4:2), and thirsty (John 19:28; cf. 4:7), so also could He be astonished at the faith displayed by this Roman soldier.”

Matthew Henry:

He turned him about, as one amazed, and said to the people that followed him, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. Note, Christ will have those that follow him to observe and take notice of the great examples of faith that are sometimes set before them—especially when any such are found among those that do not follow Christ so closely as they do in profession—that we may be shamed by the strength of their faith out of the weakness and waverings of ours.

RC Sproul explains why WoF folks like Caine believed as she does, here is a snippet from his devotional,

“Some professing Christians have concluded from texts like this that human faith gives power to God.”

In addition to Caine’s Word of Faith doctrines showing her as a false teacher, she was inappropriate elsewhere in her speech. She spoke twice of how husbands can be “getting some action” out of their wives. She spoke of a skiing accident where she was loaded onto a stretcher and bemoaned the fact that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. Yes, these items were included in her speech to thousands of teenage and young male adults listening. Should a teacher or pastor say this ever? Of course not.

Jude 1:4 warns that false teachers will pervert the grace of our God into sensuality-

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

If Christine Caine’s “sermon” raised red flags to you, good for you. If anything in this essay raised red flags for you, good. He needs no activation, no Word of Faith Law to operate within, and He does not depend on us.

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:3).

sproul