A range of Evangelical / Pentecostal / Charismatic prophets backed the US president's bid for re-election with predictions of a win in 2020. He lost the popular vote and the electoral college vote. Do their prophecies matter?
Christians are sorely divided by political party in the US. Most conservative evangelicals of European descent supported the Republican ticket. Others, including most Black Christians, supported the Democratic ticket (See e.g., Pew 2020).
The idea that select people are prophets who obtain guidance from God about the future is a serious concern within the church. For obvious reasons, false prophecies cast doubt upon the message of the church.
Biblical prophecies have often been viewed two ways. Prophetic voices in the Bible often challenged people about their lack of obedience to the law and a concomitant lack of compassion for the poor. But prophecies also included statements that seemed to be about the future. Now as in years past, Christians look to leaders for guidance on how they should live.
Obviously, church leaders have different views about the mission of the church. Some focus on national politics, some focus on saving sinners from hell, and some aim to minister to the practical needs of people facing a variety of life-challenges.
What's the Problem?
Micael Grenholm declared that he believes in prophecy and praying for political leaders and added:
"But when prophecy is used as a tool to promote partisan goals and demonize people of another opinion, that can only be described as spiritual abuse." (PCPJ)
So, for Grenholm, the prophecies mentioned above matter.
Beth Moore has nearly a million followers on Twitter. Her prophetic statement takes aim at the Republicans supporting the president (13 December 2020).
"when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him." (ESVUK)
Here Grenholm offers a biblical test, but the advice does not encourage rejection of the person per se. Curiously, the target is fear. It seems prophetic messages have often been about fear.
What's Missing?
Advice from leaders like Grenholm and Moore will likely strengthen the resolve of their followers, or at least those who learn of their message and hold sympathetic views (just look at the support they already have). The problem as I see it is that false prophecies don't seem to make much of a difference. People have respected and followed Pat Robertson for years so, mistakes, or false prophecies, do not appear to have diminished his status in an obvious way. Many Americans who support the president believe the 2020 election was stolen. Available facts don't matter when a motivational durable counternarrative is available.
Available facts don't matter
when a motivational durable counternarrative is available.
Evangelical leaders who do not support the current version of American nationalism or the policies of the outgoing administration, lack the kind of influence needed to create and promulgate a counternarrative (e.g., see Cummings, 2019). They too often rely on reason while ignoring the powerful emotions that drive people toward an alternative perspective (e.g., See van Kleef et al., 2015). Just look at the leaders and people supporting the outgoing president. Follow the post-election money raised as an index of his considerable support.
Oddly, what's missing from the would-be counter-narrative of Evangelical/Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders is the emotionally-laden enthusiastic messages of yore that galvanized followers to promote spiritual wellbeing even as the progressive voices amongst them engaged people in meeting the needs of their community.
Of course, that old time religion had problems engaging educated evangelicals. Nevertheless, a successful counternarrative must offer a meaningful alternative delivered with passion. Reasoned attacks on false predictions probably won't be enough to unite Christians in pursuit of less nationalistic goals.
Read more about Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians in
Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians
Key words: prophecy, false prophets, counternarratives, American nationalism, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic
Related posts
Charismatic Prophets &Endtimes & Politics
References
Cummings, M. (2019). Robert Shiller on the power of narratives. YaleNews. https://news.yale.edu/2019/11/04/robert-shiller-power-narratives
van Kleef, G. A., van den Berg, H., & Heerdink, M.W. (2015). The persuasive power of emotions: Effects of emotional expressions on attitude formation and change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100 (4), 1124-1142.
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