While this may seem a minor issue, these changes hid Bill Johnson’s heresy to the point he no longer appears to be attacking the divinity of Jesus Christ – until you read further into the piece. So what did we find that verified Charisma Magazine was being dishonest?
(Churchwatch Central) Back in 2017, Church Watch Central published an article exposing the heretical Jesus of NARpostle Bill Johnson, who publicly stated ‘that Jesus ceased to be God so He could perform miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit’:
Bill Johnson denies the real Jesus.
This was just one of many articles exposing Johnson’s heretical ‘Kenotic Christ’ views. What was particular about that article was the fact that CWC editors had published it, not realising that it was later reworded by Charisma Magazine. At the beginning of the CWC article, Johnson is quoted as saying the following in the Charisma Magazine (emphasis ours):
“While Jesus is eternally God, He emptied Himself of His divinity and became a man (see Phil. 2:7).”
However the Charisma article earlier attached to our introduction, now said this (emphasis ours):
“Jesus only did what the Father was doing and only said what the Father was saying (see John 5:17-18; 8:26). This sets a pretty high standard for how to live.
While Jesus is eternally God, He emptied Himself of His divine powers and became a man (see Phil. 2:7). It’s vital to note that He did all His miracles as a man, not as God.”
Thanks to some individuals contacting us, we investigated to see if Charisma Magazine were in fact protecting their Apostle Bill Johnson from closer scrutiny, perhaps making such an edit for two reasons:
- To give the impression that Christian discernment sites such as Pirate Christian Media, Pulpit & Pen or Berean Research are simply slanderers.
- To give NARpostles and NARpologists like Michael Brown, Joseph Mattera and other leading NAR voices, an opportunity to discredit the very well researched and credible work of these sites.
Research