Dominionism
as an Eschatological Concept
Along
with the growing desperation of the NAR churches for superficial things is the
growth of pastoral malpractice in the different denominations. The apostles and
prophets, in order to please the congregation and make them believe the
dominion theology that they teach, will do outrageous things that will later
cause damage and defamation to all Christians in the world in general (even the
non-NAR churches). One example is the “Wake Up Olive”[1] issue from Redding
California’s Bethel Church in 2019. It
was a huge thing that year when the little girl Olive, daughter of Bethel
Church’s worship leaders died in sleep. The parents claimed that Olive will
resurrect and they have to pray over her and so the whole church agreed, even
the pastor supported and had a campaign for the pray for Olive. It was a
trending issue and a lot of big names in the Christian media, arts and
entertainment supported the campaign as some of them are from Hillsong and and
Jesus Culture and popular artists like Kari Jobe. Thousands of posts on Instagram and other
social media platforms were posted about the wake-up Olive campaign including
songs, selfies, dancing, and original artwork. But after a week of passionate
prayer amongst the participants, Olive did not resurrect and the parents
announced that they will be preparing for a funeral service for their poor
child.[2] The pastor and the whole
Bethel Church announced on facebook about their stand on the issue by saying “We
have sought a miracle from God to raise her from the dead. We realize this is
out of the norm, but that’s what a miracle is – it’s outside the box of nature
and our power…"[3]
Dominion theology, according to Trevor O’Reggio from the Perspective digest, is grounded upon three basic beliefs: “(1) Satan usurped humanity’s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve; (2) The Church is God’s instrument to take dominion back from Satan; (3) Jesus cannot come or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth’s government and societal institutions.”[4]
Reggio
further describes Dominion theology to be having an eschatology rooted from a
special interpretation of Genesis 1:28, Matthew 28:19–20, Deuteronomy 28:13,
14; Psalm 24:1 where it is asserted that the church will increase until Jesus
returns but do not imply absolute dominion as in a sinless world but a
preparatory dominion before the return of the King.[5] This theology basically
proposes the view that Christians gain complete authority over the earth before
Jesus comes.
Dominionists expect for the kingdom of God as a literal and physical kingdom to be advanced on earth in the present age. They also have an esoteric idea that believers can incarnate Christ and function as His body on earth to establish His kingdom rule. A strong belief that there will be a great wealth transfer from the ungodly to the godly amongst the dominionists because they believe that this monetary and wealth movement will facilitate the rapid expansion of the kingdom. Hence, Dominionism becomes closely related to the prosperity theology.
Some dominionists also believe in the fusion of Dominion Theology with Dispensationalism where some hold that they will not be secretly raptured from the earth but will remain here to transform and rule over it.[6]
Rooted from “reconstructionism” on the other hand, Dominionism is said to see Puritanism (American Puritanism) to be resurrected as purer version of the church, “tried in the furnace of opposition and hence more consistent to the basic premises of Calvinism than seventeenth century Puritanism.”[7]
The wake up Olive issue is also a part of another
dangerous teachings of “Word of Faith” theology or the “Name it Claim it”
theology. The egotistical madness amongst the NAR churches is evident on their
prayers which usually sound like they are forcing God to do the things they
desire. Their prayers are delivered with full powerful voice and oftentimes
repeated words that almost sound like chanting with total authority since in
their minds, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Prosperity
gospel and the "faith movement" affirm that believing in Jesus is a
"package deal", which means that aside from receiving salvation, one
also gets health, wealth and prosperity. Romans 10:9 that says "believe in
your mouth and confess that He is God" is usually taken by the faith
movement extremely to the point of taking all the blessings of eternity like
the expectations for a glorified body and all that is to come, pointing these
to be the believers’ present blessings.
Prosperity
gospel teachers would use the atonement of Jesus Christ more than His payment
for our sins but also to give healing to the sick and money to the poor.
Reckoning with Revelation 21: 1-4 [8], the faith movement claims
that the promises of God that are in store for us in eternity can be
experienced today through positive confession. Most of them carry faith as a
“divine ATM card” to get money from God or a “divine pill” to heal all sicknesses.
The danger of prosperity gospel is so broad that it can rob every believer and unbeliever of the truth about the true God since it is presenting a different god who, according to the prosperity teachers, is a god who wants them to be super well and rich as they normally quote 2 Corinthians 8:9.[9] Hermeneutically speaking, this is an example of a bad interpretation of the Scripture since clearly, Paul was not about physical health and wealth blessings but about the lavish love and grace of God that saved us from being dead to sin and now alive in Christ. The true blessings that Paul was preaching is about the victory of Jesus over death, giving a way for us to escape the torment of the punishment for our sins. Understanding God’s love that has been lavished on us is more than enough for the children of God to be led to not ask for more. But when we ask, we ask according to His will and not on our own selfish motives.
In
prosperity theology and name it claim in theology, the speaking in tongues is a
big thing, along with the many mystified tools like the “anointed oil” and
“healing bottles”[10].
There is a necessity for a church goer to open his or her mouth and speak in
tongues to “confuse the devil” while affirming the reception of the Holy Spirit
of that person there and then.[11]
Incantation
is also a common sign for all congregations who practice the name it claim it
theology. Paula White is one of the popular preachers who practice incantation
deceiving many in the churches.
The
“Holy Spirit Activate Theology” is a manipulative incantation practiced by many
in the NAR movement. A popular TV Game show in the US called the “Family Feud”
had guests in one episode where one of them had to make a chant with the words
“Holy Spirit Activate”. The caption of the said video clip reads: “Holy spirit
activate! Chynna from Wilson Phillips calls on the Holy Spirit to win Fast
Money! Steve Harvey has never seen this before!”[12]
The word power, manifestation, and incantation are just among the manipulative practices of the NAR movement where the supposed to be believers are being educated that the power is with what comes out of the mouth without realizing the downplaying of the full work of Christ on the cross. Apparently, the gospel presented in dominionism is totally different from the true Gospel of Christ, which rests fully on the work of Christ rather than the work of man.
Kenotic
Theology
Kenotic
theology, also known as kenosis, is a theological concept that emphasizes the
self-emptying or humbling of Jesus Christ during his incarnation. The term
"kenosis" comes from the Greek word "kenōsis," which means
"emptying" or "deprivation." This theological perspective
is rooted in Philippians 2:5-8, a passage in the New Testament that describes
Jesus' humility and self-sacrifice.
The
problem with this concept is that some take it too far and promote an unbiblical
view of Christ’s nature, teaching that the divinity of the Son of God was
somehow lost or lessened when the Lord took on human flesh and entered our
world. This teaching misleads a lot of people, including some NAR churches, by
having a twisted understanding of being Christ-like. For them, believers can be
“like Jesus” and become “little gods”, powerful and able to make wonders, which
make a lot of NAR churches appear to be “thirsting for more” of power and
wonders. This is missing the whole point of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus
Christ alone.
[1] Pivec and Geivett, Counterfeit Kingdom, “Wake up Olive”.
[2] Article from USA today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/21/bethel-church-prayer-hasnt-brought-olive-back-life/2724417001/
[3] Ibid.
[4] 2014. Perspective Digest 19, no. 1–4, Page 6.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Revelation
21: 1-4 says "He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself will be with them; [4] he will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying
nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."
[9] Faith movement often points to 2 Corinthians 8:9 that
says "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty
might become rich." Making a bad interpretation about the whole
theology of Jesus’ atonement for our sins. Prosperity teachers teach that if
you are poor and sick, you are not really saved and there is something wrong
with you.
[10] The healing bottle according to
Costi Hinn are “Bottles
(were) taken to hospitals and deathbeds and kept in homes for the next time
healing was needed. Healing in a bottle! I remember thinking, Peter healed
people with his shadow in the Bible; now we can do it with bottled water. God
is so full of surprises.” - C.Hinn, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel. chapter 2
[11] Ibid.
“Services at our church” Vancouver Christian
Center were an experience like no other. We would sing for hours, endlessly
speak in tongues, hear stories from the healing crusades that increased our
faith, and give money in two offerings. On special Sundays (which could be any
given Sunday), the anointing of God would descend on our church and God’s power
would cause people to fall over. As my dad prayed or anointed people with olive
oil, they crumpled to the ground. We never referred to this event as being
slain in the Spirit, though that is one way it’s described. Instead, we
joyously referred to it as falling under the power.”
[12] Family Feud Channel, https://www.youtube.com/@familyfeud, Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrTRVSt1Tc , video title: Holy Spirit
Activate! | Celebrity Family Feud, posted on Sep 20, 2021. 2,318,423 views as of March 14, 2024.
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