Page 127 - Advanced Apologetics and World Views Revised

Pelagian Churches

Bethel Church in Redding, California, is a prime example. Pastored by Bill Johnson, Bethel is perhaps the
most influential charismatic church in the country. They are most widely known for their Jesus Culture
music, testimonies of trips to heaven, gold dust “miracles” pouring out of their ventilation system, and
many other bizarre claims and antics. But undergirding these strange recent phenomena is well-worn
ancient heresy.

Eric Johnson (the son of Bill Johnson) is one of the pastors on staff at Bethel. In his sermon “The Joy of
Consecration,” he argues:

You’re not born evil. It’s amazing how many teachings and theologies start with that thought.
Anytime you start with that you will create a controlling, manipulative environment.

Every government, every structure . . . every system fundamentally and theologically must start with
the concept and the idea that people are good and they mean to do good. Even if they are not saved,
we have to start from that premise. lxxxviii

Like a pope speaking ex cathedra, Eric Johnson usurps the clear teaching of Scripture and insists on
redefining it according to his own theological preferences. And just to make himself clear, Johnson
explicitly restates his Pelagian worldview later in the sermon:

We have to adjust our theology. We have to adjust our fundamental stance when we look at people.
. . . We have to adjust our perspective of people. We have to realize that people are good and they
mean to do good. lxxxix

Johnson’s error is nothing short of catastrophic. In one fell swoop he has made repentance redundant in
the lives of his massive audience and completely obliterated the reason for the gospel. His false gospel
will damn those who embrace it.
xc

Man Is Totally Depraved

The undeniable truth is that man is totally depraved. That doesn’t mean unregenerate sinners are
incapable of doing anything good or noble. But it does mean that sin has permeated every part of their
nature, and even the seemingly good things they do are ultimately done with sinful motives.
Keeping one’s head in the proverbial sand is the only way to ignore the doctrine of total depravity. It is
the reason we have arguments, assaults, and wars. It’s the reason we need governments, police, and the
military. It’s the reason for locks on our doors, walls around our prisons, and armed guards at our
borders.

And the wrong things people do aren’t because of ignorance or a lack of education. Sinners deliberately
rebel against what they know to be true about God and His righteousness. As the Lord Jesus Himself
said,

John 3:19–20 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not
come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

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