KIM WALKER-SMITH and the JESUS CULTURE CONTROVERSY

from Part I of "Discerning a Gnostic conference called "Passion 2013," Louie Giglio "

Kim Walker-Smith [Notice her hyphenated name, and readGenesis 2:24] is a part of the Jesus Culture Band. She is part of a home church called Bethel Church in Redding CA. Smith is a worship leader and/or a "worship pastor" at that same church, whichteaches heresies. On her church page she is listed as as "a passionate worship leader with an anointing to bring an entire generation into an encounter with God." I'm impressed. The Apostles didn't even have such an anointing.

At a conference called 'Awakening 2011' Smith shared with the audience a vision she said she had. It was an experience of cuddling with Jesus [glorified, in Heaven, for that is where Christ now resides], and God [also in Heaven] was nearby too. She said her vision buoyed her and she lives off it, explaining, "I live off of the encounter ... until the next one." Yet the bible says “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). This means we don't live just in the flesh and for the flesh (having adrenaline rushed encounters) but we live by His word.

The problem that comes from living from encounter to encounter is three-fold: first, we live by His word as the bible commands, not by experiences. Second, human nature requires ever bigger rushes. The last one has to be topped. It is the Law of Diminishing returns for an adrenaline junkie. Adrenaline junkies seek encounters or experiences in which a high is produced by epinephrine released by the adrenal gland. It produces a fight-or-flight response (one which Ms Smith admits she felt during each of the encounters she described). The problem is that each 'high' has to be succeeded by one with more oomph in order to achieve the same effect. It seems like it would be an upward spiral but it is really a downward one. Third, what happens when the encounters stop? They do and they will. After each high, there is a low. What will sustain her faith then? If you live by the word, it will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35).

Here is a bit of what Mrs Smith said regarding her encounter with Jesus and God:

"This is not a normal thing for me, to have these encounters." But then later she said "I live off of the encounter ... until the next one." We know from the bible that several righteous men encountered Jesus as He is glorified, but they are few. Few. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul, and John were lifted up and saw Him in heaven. Of those four, three were allowed to relate a small bit of what they saw and Paul was commanded not to speak of it at all. Peter saw a transfigured Christ on earth, Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and Moses encountered God atop Mt Sinai.

In comparing her experience with the ones above from the bible, the two experiences are dramatically different. I'll summarize what Mrs Walker-Smith has said in her video testimony. Then we will compare her experience to those who experienced God from the bible's record:

In her vision, she said she saw Jesus and God behind Him. God beckoned for her to come closer. When she did, two questions popped into her mind that she wanted to ask Jesus. One was "How much do you love me, and the other was "What were you thinking when you created me?"

In answering her question as to how much Jesus loved her, Smith said he started stretching out his arms, and it looked like Stretch Armstrong, the superhero cartoon character "whose arms and legs could stretch out like spaghetti noodles. And He's laughing hysterically."

A person entering the presence of God and Jesus would become immediately insensate & insensible. But Mrs Smith remained conscious enough in her own flesh to ask Jesus to 'tell me about me.' Then she likens him to a cartoon character, and says he laughed hysterically. Hysterical laughter is out-of-control laughter, and Jesus is never out of control.

The bible tells us that if you were one of the FEW men to have seen heaven while still alive that what you see is unlawful to express. (2 Corinthians 12:4). But if directed to tell, the visionary must use many symbols and metaphors to try and get the point across because the scene is so incomprehensible. The writer uses exalted metaphors to convey the inexpressible beauty and holiness of the scene. The writers did not use everyday toys and cartoon characters to convey the scene, in no way is that appropriate. The metaphors themselves that John or Ezekiel used for example were 'hair white like wool, eyes like a flame, feet like bronze', (Revelation 1) 'a brightness all around Him...like a bow in the sky.' (Ezekiel 1:27-28).

After Daniel's visions of the Ancient of Days, he became "distressed, alarmed and dismayed." (Daniel 7:15). That sounds bad enough, but the Hebrew says the word alarmed means active suffering and piercing grief. (Strong's). Yet in Mrs Smith's visions she giggled like a schoolgirl and cuddled in Jesus' arms while God roamed around nearby.

Mrs Smith said that she had wanted to ask Jesus two questions but in that first vision had only asked one. She continued in her sharing of her now second vision in which the unasked question was answered: "What were you thinking when you made me". She said that a few months later she was watching the sun come up early in the morning. "I like to watch the sun come up, which is a miracle in itself ... because I am not a morning person." Oh wait, I thought she was going to praise the creator. 

"Again, I felt the presence of the Lord, and I felt like He wanted me to ask that question. Jesus is like, 'Please, please ask me that question.' And again he said, 'Please, please ask me that question."

The scene she describes here is of a begging Jesus. It continues: 

Smith said she's now standing with Jesus. In front of her is God the father. Jesus's got a table, and He reaches into His body and clutches his heart and rips a chunk off His heart and throws it on the table... he fashions her out of a clay or play-dough like substance, puts her into a ballerina music box where she begins dancing, and then Jesus begins shouting "who hooooo" while running around with his arms up, continually going around, "woo hoo!" in circles, running around a bunch of times. Smith said he looked like a jack in the box.

"Then I'm in the palm of the Father's hand...and I see His heart and the outline of his heart and the outline is the chunk he ripped out and he slides me into His heart like a puzzle piece and it's a perfect fit. Smith said Jesus told her, "I made you because you make me happy." 

A few days ago, I wrote about the Therapeutic Gospel. I noted how the Gnostic changes the emphasis of the Gospel from the work of Jesus to our own worth. I'd said:

The Therapeutic Gospel does something else that's devastating. It leads us to believe that it is our worth that motivates God's action to save us. The thinking is, Jesus came to save us because we are so valuable to God. ... A good example comes from comparing two parables.
Pastor Wax compares the subtle shift in a counterfeit Gospel from being Christ-centered to man-centered, by comparing the parable of the sheep as they are presented in Luke and in the false Gospel of Thomas. Here is the Gospel of Luke:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:4-7)

The other is from the non-canonical, false Gospel of Thomas.

"Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'" (FALSE, NON-CANONICAL “Gospel of Thomas”)

What has happened here, said Pr. Wax, is that in the counterfeit Gnostic gospel the point of the parable in the counterfeit is about the worth of the sheep, instead of the work of the Shepherd.

Jesus did not create us because it made Him happy. He made humans so as to bring HIM glory. (Romans 11:36). Do you see the exact Gnostic emphasis that is present in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas is also in Smith's vision? It was the worth of Kim Walker-Smith that caused Jesus to make her? And in so doing brought Jesus a measure of happiness he had not had before?

This is not possible. It does not line up with the scriptures and if it does not line up with scripture, it is false.

In looking at the biblical record of people who were lifted to heaven or saw Jesus glorified, we compare their reactions with Kim Walker-Smith's. For example, Isaiah- 

Isaiah said, "And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)

"Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28b)
FULL ARTICLE HERE

Part Two: Passion 2013 Examined: Worldview Weekend Radio

Brannons guest is Chris Rosebrough. Topic: Brannon and Chris discuss Passion 2013 taking place in Atlanta, Georgia with 60,000 Christian college students in attendance. Brannon and Chris break down some of the things being taught that do not line up with the Bible as well as analyze the worldview of some of the speakers and the musical group Jesus Culture. FULL AUDIO HERE

Topic: One of the musical groups at Passion 2013 is a group called Jesus Culture which came out of the Church of New Apostolic Reformation proponent and Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California; Bill Johnson. Brannon plays numerous sound clips from Jesus Culture band members as well as clips by their pastor Bill Johnson and students that are part of Johnsons church. These clips will make it clear that this group is following a different Jesus, a different gospel and embracing mysticism.

Topic: A Jesus Culture member talks about working with New Apostolic Reformation leaders Cindy Jacobs, Lou Engle and Bill Johnson. You will not believe the heresy revealed in some of these audio clips so hang on. Topic: Hear audio clips of Giglio and Gary Haugen speaking at Passion 2013.

Topic: When John Piper spoke at this conference last night did he call out the false teaching and false teachers? Even if Piper gave the gospel did he still violate 2 John 9-11, 2 Corinthians 6:14 and Romans 16:17 by being there?

Topic: What is worship? Is worship an experience? Is worship a feeling? Is God pleased if worship songs are led by unbelievers and false teachers?

Topic: Why is this conference a real case study in where and how the modern-church is being deceived and co-opted and how should Biblical Bereans respond?

Topic: Why are so many pastors not informed about the biggest false teaches, and trends in the modern church today?
Click here to listen now:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/audio/brannon-howse-aired-january-4-2013

FRIENDS OF BETHEL CHURCH, HOME OF JESUS CULTURE

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Jan 4, 2013 in APPRISING MINISTRIES

Apprising Ministries is among those online apologetics and discernment ministries (OADM) who’ve been covering Louie Giglio, Passion 2013, And Jesus Culture this week.

In Jesus Culture—Of Bethel Church—And Practicing Raising The Dead I also reminded you that Jesus Culture (JC) bills itself as not “just a band, but…a ministry of Bethel Church.”1

Why is this important? I’ll tell you; because we have some 60,000 college age youth people who’ve filled the Georgia Dome and now had JC lead them in worship at Louie Giglio’s annual Passion conference.2

In addition these same young people have now seen and heard Southern Baptist quasi-elder Beth Mooreand New Calvinist mentor3 John Piper at this very same event along with JC.

Now, as I pointed out before, I’m not saying that by appearing at Passion 2013 Moore and Piper personally ascribe to all JC and BC is about spiritually. However, their appearance at Passion will have an effect.

There are many of these young people drawn in by the “worship” music of JC who will be under the impression that JC must be okay if Beth Moore and John Piper are at an event where JC leads worship.

So, this is why I’m drilling down on JC, and their spiritual train wreck of a church, where pastor Bill Johnson and his wife pastrix Brenda (Beni) hold court with e.g. BC Associate Pastor and “prophet” Kris Vallotton.

I’ve also clearly documented for you before that BC pastor Bill Johnson aligns himself, and the BC ministry JC, with a wild assortment of spiritual wingnuts like NAR “Apostle” Lou Engle and “respected prophet” Cindy Jacobs.

Consider the speaking lineup for JC’s The Jesus Culture Awakening 2011:

(source)

This is not guilt-by-association; this is guilt by endorsement, period. No way around it. It isn’t like I’m saying, for example, that supposed “apostle” Cindy Jacobs once rode by Bill Johnson’s house so they’re “connected.”

Jacobs regularly speaks at JC events. If your spiritual discernment is so far off that you can’t see this woman is absolutely a false prophet, and you think she’s speaking for God, you best question your own relationship to Jesus.

Yet here below you’ll see Banning Liebscher from JC’s Revival Chats with “one of our dear friends,” New Apostolic Reformation apostlette Cindy Jacobs. By the way, Liebsher is:

(source)

BC pastor Liebscher tells us below that Cindy Jacobs has “become a real mom to our movement” and has “spoken a ton [of prophetic word] into what we’re doing.” It’s important here to note that he calls JC a “movement.”

A movement, I might add, which now has gained increased credibility within mainstream evangelicalism through being featured by Louie Giglio at his Passion 2013 conference. Here’s Liebscher and Jacobs:

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Now you have another clear depiction of just how extremely off-target the JC Movement is, which extends from Bill johnson’s BC. I’ll leave you now with some of the more notable Friends of bethel from the BC website itself.4

Friends they recommend and link to such as:

(source)

Yes, it is this Benny Hinn:

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If you’re familiar with the Fighting for the Faith program of Chris Rosebrough then you’ll know that he regularly features updates from a spiritual looney tune named Patricia King. Yep, BC considers her as a friend as well:

(source)

Here is Patricia King teaching about a “breaker anointing,” where supposedly God makes your faith stronger; but before she can inform us that the breaker anointing is Jesus, she allegedly ah, experiences, er…something:

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Finally, while there are plenty of other highly questionable friends of Bethel, this one tells you all you need to know about just how far out into spiritual outer space this BC gathering truly is:

(source)

You may pick your jaw up off your computer desk now; sadly, it is indeed that Todd Bentley:

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Just more reasons to be very wary of this Jesus Culture “Movement.” And it looks to me that with Passion 2013 Louie Giglio has now aligned his 268 Generation aka the Passion Movement to the Jesus Culture Movement.5

With this in mind then, let’s think back to another of JC’s mentors, the aforementioned NAR “Apostle” Lou Engle, and what he prophesied6 Jesus Culture will be a part of:

Filling stadiums like, say, the Georgia Dome with 60,000? It makes me wonder; IHOP coming to Passion 2014…

Further reading

• BETH MOORE AND JOHN PIPER LEAD LECTIO DIVINA-LITE AT PASSION 2012
• NAR APOSTLETTE CINDY JACOBS ON AUTHORITY OVER WEATHER
• SANDY SIMPSON: THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION

Endnotes

1. http://www.facebook.com/jesusculture, accessed 1-4-13. ↩
2. http://bit.ly/WlEQY0, accessed 1-4-13. ↩
3. http://ti.me/qhU5V, accessed 1-4-13. ↩
4. The link is near the bottom of the page here: http://www.ibethel.org/links, accessed 1-4-13. ↩
5. http://www.268generation.com/3.0/#!about/story, accessed 1-4-13. ↩
6. It’s part of the scrolling messages at the very bottom of the page here: http://bit.ly/WjjnyA, accessed 1-4-13. ↩

LOUIE GIGLIO, PASSION 2013, AND JESUS CULTURE

(reprinted in full from Apprising Ministries)
By Ken Silva 

pastor-teacher on Jan 2, 2013 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features

I told you here at Apprising Ministries in Beth Moore And John Piper Set For Passion 2013 With Louie Giglio that once again those two well-respected mainstream evangelicals would be appearing at Giglio’s Passion conference which, as of this writing, is in full swing.

Here’s some notables in the lineup for this year:

(source)

Giglio, Chan, Moore and Piper return to Passion from last year and now we have sinfully ecumenical emerging musician David Crowder1 added to the mix. Another couple of special guests are:

(source)

I covered ecumenical evangelical magisterium candidate Judah Smith previously in Judah Smith With Justin Bieber’s Swag Coach Ryan Good and Charismatic Quasi-Prosperity Preacher Judah Smith; seen below in a skateboarding contest with pop singer Justin Bieber:

The focus here is upon a group called Jesus Culture, which had previously been flying under the radar. Not anymore. In Jesus Culture And Judah Smith To Join Piper, Moore, Chan And Others At Giglio’s Passion 2013 by Christian Research Network Associate Editor Erin Benziger she tells us:

The group’s website tells us that it was spawned out of the youth group at Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in Redding, California.

For those who are unfamiliar with Johnson and Bethel, the following video shares some of the “signs and wonders” shenanigans that take place there, and also demonstrates some classic Bill Johnson Scripture-twisting:

(source)

Since Bill Johnson isn’t the focal point, here I’ll just let you know that:

Bill and Brenda Johnson are the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Bethel Church is firmly aligned with the Word-Faith movement and identifies with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), or the Third Wave Movement with its “prophets,” “apostles,” and alleged manifestions. Bill Johnson is called an “apostle” by C. Peter Wagner (See  TBC  5/97, 2/07). His theology has amounted to what some call a “ de facto  denial of the deity of Christ.” (source)

Obviously, we’re dealing with an absolute theological train wreck at Bethel Church (BC). However, as Benziger points out, this is the pastor and pastrix and church from which the Jesus Culture (JC) phenomenon has come.

This isn’t guilt-by-association; it is a fact. JC tells us so right on their Facebook page, as you see below:

(source

So, JC itself is quick to point out that they’re not “just a band, but…a ministry of Bethel Church.” Therefore, now that Louie Giglio has made the decision to bring JC to his Passion 2013, JC itself witnesses for BC.

As such, we have every right to examine the theology taught to JC by pastor Bill and pastrix Brenda at their BC since they are an extension of that church. This all goes to the credibility of JC and their ministry.

In closing this out. for now, we return to Erin Benziger’s earlier post under the subheading The “Teaching” of Jesus Culture where she informs us:

Jesus Culture does more than simply play music, however. It seems that, at times, various members of the group also may preach or teach. Below is [a video of] Jesus Culture member Kim Walker-Smith preaching to a large crowd at the Awakening 2011 event, and offering a rather detailed account of her own personal encounter with “Jesus.” (source)

Walker-Smith’s JC bio contains confirmation that for her and husband Skyler, “Bethel Church in Redding, CA is our home church,” and this peculiar phrase that sounds like a Jehovah’s Witness: “Holy Spirit is my friend.”

As Benziger pointed out, the video clip below comes from a longer video entitled Preaching Kim Walker-Awakening 2011, which is 47:36 minutes of a rambling hyper-charismatic message of seeking “God’s presence.”

The clip comes about two-thirds of the way in. I caution you that what you’re about to hear quickly goes from mildly annoying to blasphemous. It also become quite clear that Kim Walker-Smith is spiritually clueless.

Before we get to that, it’s important that I give you the proper context from which to view the over-arching mission of JC. We get a clearer picture as to just how nefarious this group is spiritually looking atAwakening 2011 (A2011).

You need to understand that A2011 was put on by the JC ministry itself, as in The Jesus Culture Awakening 2011 and was:

(source)

Now here was the lineup for this JC A2011 followed by an exclusive Apprising Ministries video clip of the main event promo combined with those of JC’s pastor Bill Johnson, Reinhard Bonnke, NAR apostlette Cindy Jacobs2 and NAR apostle Lou Engle3:

(source)

Here’s what “apostle” Lou Engle prophesied for Jesus Culture to be a part of and what Louie Giglio’s now brought to Passion 2013 for his Jesus Generation:

(source)

Against this Erin Benziger gives you a little preview of the fables you’re about to hear from Jesus Culture preachette Kim Walker-Smith. Benziger’s actually uses a very understated tone as she tells us:

Kim Walker-Smith claims that she spoke with Jesus, that He cuddled her, and that she saw God the Father. And while she acknowledges that such visions are not regular occurrences, she nevertheless indicates that she’s had multiple encounters with Him.

One wonders how many people sitting amongst that large crowd left disappointed that night that they had not “encountered” Jesus as Kim Walker-Smith claimed that she had. Walker-Smith’s recollection of the vision is natural, and seems to presume that everyone should experience such a thing. (source)

Here’s the bottom line: All of this kind of WF/NAR skubalon is what Louie Giglio, John Piper and Beth Moore have now just helped expose your youth to at Passion 2013. Are we really ok with that?

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Further reading

• JOHN PIPER, RICK WARREN & FOSTER-WILLARDISM
• BETH MOORE AND KEN SILVA DISCUSS HER DEMONIC VISION
• WRETCHED: RUN FROM THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION

Endnotes

1. http://defendingcontending.com/2010/02/28/david-crowders-crowded-theology/, accessed 1-2-13. ↩
2. http://www.narwatch.com/2012/03/01/new-apostolic-prayer-guide-attacks-california-labor-unions-prepares-for-election-2012/, accessed 1-2-13. ↩
3. http://www.narwatch.com/2010/10/17/lou-engle-only-one-of-many-of-sen-brownbacks-nar-apostle-problems/, accessed 1-2-13. ↩

JESUS CULTURE AND JUDAH SMITH TO JOIN PIPER, MOORE, CHAN AND OTHERS AT GIGLIO’S PASSION 2013

By Christian Research Network Associate Editor Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised…
This is a repost of an original article on Do Not Be Surprised…

A new year means a fresh batch of conferences. And a fresh batch of conferences means a whole new crop of questionable decisions being made by the leaders and organizers of those gatherings.

To start off the 2013 conference season is Louie Giglio’s Passion 2013. Held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, it will run from 1–4 January. Giglio aims this gathering specifically at young people, and according to the event’s website, last year saw “more than 40,000 students and leaders from around the world” at the US event.

Source

Passion targets the younger generation with such high-profile names as Beth Moore, John Piper, Francis Chan, rapper Lecrae and this year, pastor Judah Smith of The City Church in Seattle and popular Christian band, Jesus Culture.

Read FULL ARTICLE HERE

Paul Washer- "Our Power is the Gospel"

Jesus Culture 2012 Conference Review - Video Interview, Los Angeles

What is taught at Jesus Culture Conferences?
What is learned by those who attend?

Banning Liebscher, Bill Johnson, and other Jesus Culture leaders preach "revival", "spreading the message", "signs and wonders", an "open heaven," and a "billion soul harvest. "

Are these things the real deal?

Do they preach Jesus Christ and His gospel?

What is happening to those who are attending?

This interviewer took his camera to the Jesus Culture Conference in Los Angeles in August 2012, to learn what Jesus Culture followers are learning, then to examine this in light of the Scriptures.

May you be edified, challenged, and grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: