My Open Letter to American Pastors
An outcry for reformation in the Body of Christ
My recent post on the death of Daystar TV’s co-founder and president, Joni Lamb, drew some wild responses in the comment section. I have no issue with people challenging my statements or disagreeing altogether. A certain amount of tension—especially the kind that makes you search the Scriptures more thoroughly—is healthy. However, it’s pretty concerning when so-called Christians have an allergic reaction to repentance.
Although it is every believer’s responsibility to read the Bible, pray, and seek the Lord, we should be able to trust our ministers to speak truth in every sermon. Nothing in my post is unbiblical and my warnings are clear. Yet, the offense I see in the comments is directed toward my rejection of popular false doctrines and vain interpretations. It seems many people are beholden to man’s particular teachings about Scripture rather than discerning truth for themselves. If I’m off in my estimations, I welcome sincere criticism and correction.
In light of all the toxic, confused, and ranting comments, I wrote this open letter to American Pastors. I don’t have any one preacher in mind, but an amalgam of voices I’ve heard over the last 20 years. I’ve visited many churches—mega and micro, charismatic and boring, denom and nondenom—and found shallow, worthless traditions across the board. I’ve had to war against false teachings in my own mind just to get back to the plain reading of the Word. This should not be. Whether God called you to pastor or you called yourself, James 3:1 warns that you will judged according to the same standard.
Below is my outcry for reformation in the American Church.
“Deathbed confessions”
A common negative reaction to my post revolves around deathbed confessions. Since the Father wills that none perish, it only makes sense that He would receive earnest and sincere repentance at any moment. I stated that I am partial to deathbed confessions but immediately followed up with an admonishment in the same sentence. I did this on purpose. I don’t want anyone to feel comfortable living in rebellion expecting that they will have a final breath to get right. Once we cross over, our destiny is sealed. There is no purgatory.
Many were also upset with my declaration that public sins should be met with public repentance. When I said that “it appears Joni died with a hard heart,” I judged the condition of her life up to the moment she passed. By stating that “her fruit was rotten to the core,” I am judging her lack of Christ-like character. Scripture gives me permission and authority to make these statements of observation. After an open display of adultery and defiance, Joni’s life ended suddenly and tragically. No one should follow in her footsteps. It’s sad that discerning Christians are left to speculate on where she is now.
I saw a lot of excuses made for Joni in defensive of a quiet reconciliation to Christ. Zaccheaus and the Thief are two examples I know of where public sins were matched with public repentance. I can’t think of any biblical examples that encourage prominent ministry leaders to confess their sins privately as they’re bleeding out or slipping into a coma. Can/does deathbed conversion happen? Absolutely. We can hope this is the case for Joni. Regardless, “last minute saves” is not revealed as a primary or preferred way of entering the Kingdom. Therefore, I stand by what I said as it is written.
The “Sinner’s Prayer”
What is the point of dimming the lights, every head bowed, every eye closed, repeating a bunch of chopped up Bible verses? It seems reckless to practice a tradition of reciting this “prayer” with little to no ongoing support and accountability. If we truly grasped our commitment to Christ, would divorce rates and pornography addiction in the Church rival those in the world? Shouldn’t our local and cultural influence be stronger? The average Christian doesn’t even know how to defend their faith! When our walk is legit, we should not only be blessed, we should be persecuted. We should be turning the world upside down. Instead, we’re trapped in buildings, staring straight ahead, listening to men pontificate.
Something is off in the American Church, and this ambiguous, nondenominational “prayer” won’t fix it. Pastors should teach their congregants to lead holy lives, to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. When you preach on the adulterous woman, don’t just focus on not casting stones, tell your people to “go and sin no more”! A sin-less life is entirely possible when grace (the Spirit’s power) is applied correctly. Does the “sinner’s prayer” work for some? Sure. But again, I will immediately follow up with an admonishment from Matthew 6:7, which tells us not to speak to God in vain repetition.
I know from firsthand experience that this “prayer” is not how disciples are made. It’s how false converts are made. Pastors, you don’t need to be creative. No one needs to repeat after you. Preach the gospel, as John the Baptist did, and let the people use their own words. In this way, the confession is more likely to come from the heart as is consistent with Romans 10:9,10.
“Once Saved Always Saved”
Some in the comment section falsely accused me of saying they can “lose their salvation.” OSAS is not a biblical phrase, and I don’t believe most churchgoers understand the meaning behind it. When I studied out OSAS, I found it to be a lens or a method of interpreting certain passages such as John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35; and Ephesians 1:4-5. OSAS is a seminary cocktail of predestination doctrine, T.U.L.I.P. theology, and this thing called “eternal security.” Supposedly, “we can do nothing to contribute to our salvation.” God does all the choosing. This might lead some to conclude humans have no freewill and, thereby, are not responsible for sin.
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as substance or evidence of the spiritual realm. Romans 12:3 says we’ve all been given a measure of this substance. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith, and that salvation is a gift. Gifts are either received or rejected. It’s a choice. Veering off into what I call “hyper-sovereignty” or “hyper-grace” is asinine. No one has ever “lost” their salvation—but some have forfeited. A true apostate is not a false convert. And if apostasy were not a real and serious thing, Paul in his letter to Galatia and the writer of Hebrews wouldn’t have solemnly warned born-again Jews not to return to the Law. Scripture repeatedly tells us to “keep the faith,” “endure to the end,” “abide in the Vine.” These look like verbs to me.
Just because God knows everything that will happen doesn’t mean he causes it to happen. Does God sometimes capitalize on our wickedness to accomplish His purposes (i.e. hardening Pharaoh’s heart; Iscariot’s betrayal)? Yes. But once again, James 1:13-14 clearly says God does not tempt anyone to sin; it’s our own desires that entrap us. Assurance of salvation is for the believer—believer is present tense. Not past. Not future. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. Instead of preaching an interpretation of Scripture, why not just preach the Scriptures? It’s your choice.
Health, wealth and prosperity
Jesus Christ did not suffer and die to make us all healthy, wealthy, and prosperous by the world’s standards. First of all, whether or not we’re healthy is largely dependent on our lifestyle. An overwhelming majority of Americans (myself included) are obese, malnourished, and lazy. We bring diseases on ourselves by how we treat our bodies. Health, in general, doesn’t take a miracle—it takes discipline. Second, when healing is required to change a circumstance, this is in the realm of God’s sovereignty. We ask in faith and then trust Him whether the answer is “yes” or “no.” Why be weird when you can be biblical?
Many so-called prophets on the world stage have enriched themselves and stolen the hearts of God’s people. The Golden Calf is now bigger buildings, fancier cars, expensive clothes, and multiple homes. Meanwhile, the sheep are guilt-tripped into giving up 10% of their (gross) income to fund someone else’s visions and dreams. No matter how you preach it, tithing is not a commandment under the New Covenant. Gentile pastors are not the Levitical priesthood. No one is “robbing God” or bringing a curse on themselves by not investing in your ministry projects. With all due respect, if you’re that hard up, consider getting a job like the rest of us. At least, this will add real world experiences to your sermon illustrations.
New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)
Daystar TV platforms many “leaders” of the so-called New Apostolic Reformation. I don’t fully comprehend the meaning or purpose of NAR, but from what I can tell, this is a hyper-spiritual, counterfeit movement. I have been a Pentecostal woman for 18 years. I don’t despise true prophecy, I test it by the written word of God. I pray in tongues when I feel the unction to do so. I believe in laying on hands in agreement and faith. Yet, I refuse to be carried away by every wind of doctrine. I actually have a healthy fear of mocking the Holy Spirit.
The gifts and callings in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 have been hijacked by a sect of pompous charismaniacs who think we should see signs, miracles, and wonders of epic proportions in every gathering. These are the false, “super apostles” Paul warns about in 2 Corinthians 11. Anyone who buys into a modern day Twelve Apostles movement—while mocking Catholics for buying into the Pope—is a hypocrite. The Church does not need prophets in the same way Israel needed them under the Old Covenant. Every true believer is indwelled by the Spirit and, thereby, has the ability to perceive spiritual things.
Peter declared that no prophecy has ever come from the prophets own mind. Thus, anyone claiming to have “hidden knowledge” is a liar. No one should seek a “prophetic word” from man when the written word of God is sufficient in every situation. Although cessationism is unbiblical, cessationists are not wrong in everything they say about charismatics. We are some of the most gullible, biblically illiterate, spiritually wacky people. The False Prophet won’t have any trouble getting my camp to worship the Beast since our modus operandi is lying signs and wonders. Shepherds, you need to warn your flock about listening to boastful men who make themselves out to be something when they are nothing.
“Revival, revival, revival”
I’m almost 100% convinced that “revival” is an idol. It’s like Gideon’s ephod in the town square after the Midianite war. As with OSAS, some passages lend to “revival” doctrine, but depending on who you ask (or which service you attend), the meaning is always subject to change. I’m not speaking as someone unacquainted with the term or the atmosphere. I attend a “revival”-driven, “revival”-focused, “revival” culture church—the word “revival” is in the mission statement. It’s exhausting. I decided a while ago that I wasn’t going to try to keep up with all the services, demands and expectations. As a result, I’m an invisible, back row attender. I am at peace.
There is nothing transcendent about “revival” since the most widely accepted, interdenominational definition rings true: “revival” is an event, not a lifestyle. Events have time limits and expiration dates. Events are not meant to be prolonged at the highest point of exertion. An event—or lifestyle, for that matter—shouldn’t cost anyone their marriage, their family, or their livelihood. An event shouldn’t consume all other responsibilities and assignments God has appointed to us. What should follow “revival”—if it’s real—is reformation and transformation.
Immediately or eventually, there should be positive changes, measurable results, and sustained obedience in the lives of everyone affected by “revival.” If “revival” comes to a city but crime rates, addiction rates, divorce rates, abortion rates, corruption rates remain unaffected—then it was just another church event. Leonard Ravenhill said: “You never have to advertise a fire. Everyone comes running when there’s a fire. Likewise, if your church is on fire, you will not have to advertise it. The community will already know it.” At some point, the music should stop and Christians ought to know how to make melody in their own hearts to the Lord. When the hype dies down, Christians ought to know how to defend their faith and win souls.
“Nice” Jesus
By far, the most upset comments were in response to my stating that Jesus is a Judge with the power to cast His enemies into the Lake of Fire. I also said God has a wrathful side that didn’t go away after the Resurrection. I’m not sure why New Testament believers are offended by these statements. When someone asked “why all the bitterness?”, I asked if they thought Jesus sounded bitter in Matthew 23. But I’m the Pharisee because I reminded everyone that Christ is not “nice”? I’ll say, if you want to preach the truth, you must be willing to offend people without apology.
Certainly, the Lord is gracious, merciful, and long suffering with wicked human beings—but He is not “nice.” To be “nice” is to be tolerant. To be tolerant is to compromise. Compromise is moral corruption. “Nice” is fake. “Niceness” is not synonymous with kindness. “Nice” comes from the flesh, but kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. Anyone can do good, but none of us can be good apart from the Spirit. We cannot produce fruit apart from the Vine. Kindness leads us to warn people—even while grieving the death of an influential televangelist—that judgment has begun in the house of God. It is not a time to be “nice.” It is a time to repent, to bring out and burn the idols in our midst.
Exposing Joni’s Sins
Many won’t believe this, but I hesitated for a moment before exposing just a few of Joni’s sins in that post. Then I thought about Samson, King Saul, the prophet Balaam, Simon the Sorcerer, and I remembered that their sins are recorded in Scripture for a reason. Was I wrong to post this on the day of her death? Decide that for yourself. I say the timing was perfect if it led even one person to examine their heart and life. We can all hope that Joni went through a successful “deathbed conversion” before crossing over. Nevertheless, her untimely and tragic demise should send a shockwave of the fear of the Lord throughout the Church.
“Judge not lest you be judged,” some threw at me in the comment section. As long as the word of God is the standard by which I judge someone else’s sin, I have no problem being judged according to that same standard. If I live a “nice” life but I die a fraud, the world should know it and avoid going down the same dark path. Believers, be warned.
Pastors, do better.