Phil Cooke

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Posted On
01/06/2008

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More About Why Christians Appear so Out of Touch with the Culture

Remember back on January 3rd 2007, when Pat Robertson on Fox News gave this prediction – as Gretchen Carlson reported: “Today on the show we talked about New Year’s predictions, specifically from evangelist Pat Robertson. His big prediction is that a major terrorist attack will happen somewhere in the U.S. after September of this year and it will affect millions of people. He says he received word from God about this event. He’s put out predictions before — some right and some wrong. Hopefully he will not be right about this one.” Need I say more?

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • breaklight

    Correct in what you are saying about how we present ‘prophetic predictions’ where the world is concerned but at the same time God never called us to follow the culture of any society because they are not rooted in truth or Him even though there may be fragments of good in every culture. That said there is always a better way of doing things.

  • R.Zoner

    I agree with Breaklight, things can always be done with more explanation, but we are supposed to be a peculiar people– When it comes down to it, Pat's yearly predictions are lampooned by the media a lot, but what can you do, censor the guy? Pat is Pat! It's only one small example of being out of step with culture– the golden throne room set of TBN is a much better example. 

  • breaklight

    Everytime anything is discovered in this world that we could use for ‘good’ we should be equally prepared for the evil that has been uncovered. With the increase of knowledge in this world is the increase of sorrow unleashed. Without God guiding us to know how best do things, live in this world and fulfill our lives everything even in its zenith performance will fade away and it is getting faster. Something is definitely happening in the world today, people are definitely seeking something higher than themselves to identify who they really are and we believers should have never allowed the opinions of this world to have defined us but that is because we did not stay close to our Heavenly Father get His own affirmation of who we truly are in Him. No matter how advanced we think we are we are it will come down to who we are following.

  • Steve Skeete

    Over the years several "prophets" where I live have predicted annually every disaster from a major hurricane to a tsunami. Needless to say we are all still here, execpt for some of the "prophets" who, believing their own predictions, packed up and moved on.

    You would think that after years of unfulfilled "prophecies" people would stop taking these "prophets" seriously. You would be wrong. One of them was even appointed a Senator.

    It really is not possible to get rid of all the "nuts" among us, even the well-intentioned one. Like it or not these are our brothers and sisters. However, the rest of us must behave in the kind of way that clearly demonstrates that their is a mainstream and a fringe, and both must be judged by their fruit.

  • Bruce van Heerden

    We thank God that we do have the prophetic word in the church and God has given us a protection in this gift and that is “When the prophet speaks let the other Prophets judge” when I heard this it was Pat a man of God and a father in the faith speaking what he felt God was giving him, our body looked at it and said I don’t think so, God bless our brother Pat, we believe he is wrong and put it on the shelf and keep on going, but to many of us have an ax to grind and judge the brother instead of the prophecy

  • AJ

    There are also times when the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. Many times the Lord will give the Word to someone but that Word may take its time being fulfilled. One has to be careful to completely dismiss prophecy. However, the first and foremost message of the prophet is “Repent and prepare the way for the will of the Lord.” Worked for most of the Old Testament prophets and as for some of the “new” guys’ they have yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, they aren’t necessarily wrong…just late.

  • Bart Breen

    If Pat wants to give his opinion as to what 2008 may hold he's no less qualified than any of the other talking heads.  He's a national religious and political figure and his opinions are news.

    When he wraps himself in a prophetic mantle and speaks from the position of "Thus Saith the Lord" then he better be right or he needs to shut up.

    It's his responsibility to be very clear and careful as to what he is saying and how he is saying it, because people supporters and critics look to him and what he says impacts a greater sphere than just his organization.

    Moreover, Christians should wake up and speak out so we don't by default allow Robertson or any one else to misrepresent the universal Church in this manner.

    I have measured respect for Robertson even when I disagree with him.  I can't support him financially however when he does things like this and I think other Christians should factor this type of thing into their giving decisions.

  • MARK Stocker

    I tend to agree. When you make a prophetic statement as if it were right from the mouth of God, you'd better be right or not make the statement at all. The Bible says "woe to those who mislead the flock…it would be better that they tie a rope with a boulder attached around their necks and throw themselves into the sea"…..but on the other hand, if he's right no one will credit him anyway. Most Americans are more likely to pay attention to Nostradamus, John Edwards or that crackpot psychic Sylvia Browne…..and he's been wrong more times than he's been right….oh and by the way, have you noticed Nostradamus has NEW predictions every year???? I didn't know dead people predicted anything….and did he predict his own demise I wonder???? Anyway, those who prophesy must handle it with much more descretion and care than they do…..otherwise, it is truly the blind leading the blind.

  • Peter Yoder


    Ezekiel 13:3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. 6 Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, "The LORD declares," when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, "The LORD declares," though I have not spoken?

     8 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign LORD. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

  • G Man

    One thought. A while ago I had the great privilege to have dinner with John and Paula Sandford (Elijah House) a great teacher and exceptionally prophetic. We discussed what the purpose of prophecy was and one of the things he said (along with many others) was that it is to call the church to pray to avert impending disaster. He didn’t believe and neither do I that God wants us to sit idly by and see doom and disaster befall humanity – after all John 3 v 16 would tend to suggest otherwise. He stated that often God will warn the “prophets” of impending disaster so they can warn the church and the church can intercede for the situation and see it averted. So perhaps we should not be surprised when some of these predictions do not come true – but instead rejoice that God heard and answered our prayers. I guess we’ll never know if what Pat says is the result of too much Pizza or if it is God using him to warn us so we can pray and see the situation averted. I would certainly hope we take the utterances of people like Pat seriously NOT in fear BUT in Faith and pray that God steps in and that the prediction does not happen – and then rejoice when He answers our prayers.
    Rather than being critical and lambasting people like Pat let’s give them the benefit of the doubt – after all we prophesy in part and we could all do with a bit of Grace from our Brothers and Sisters.
    I do agree we MUST be measured in our language and the “Thus Saith the Lord” is not helpful – but the message may none the less be important and significant. After all if God can speak through a Donkey he can certainly speak through Pat – and me and all of us for that matter.

  • Bart Breen

    I believe the Biblical Standard for prophesy is the sense of foretelling is complete accuracy.

    Prophesy also includes an element of "forthtelling" of the will of God and I understand that that is an element of preaching and gifting within the body.

    The problem I see with the fine line you're attempting to draw is when Pat speaks on the 700 club or in a New Magazine on Fox, or wherever else, he is communicating to an audience that is broader than the Church,  who of whom simply look at these types of claims and conclude that Pat and the Church he is representing, are pretty much a bunch of Kooks.

    I think persecution for the sake of Christ's name is going to happen.

    That doesn't mean that all persecution comes on that basis however and I'm amazed at how many are willing to simply defend almost anything on that basis and lose sight of the many scriptural admonitions to wisdom and foresaking folly or foolishness.

    I respect Pat overall.  He's done and continues to do a great deal of good for the name of Christ, but I think with this he is overstepping some bounds.  If he's going to give an opinion as to the danger of nuclear attack, he's certainly a voice people will listen to and whose opinion carries a great deal of weight.  When he prefaces it as "Thus saith the LORD" then that is something else, and when that prophetic word doesn't come to pass, that's a strong indication to me, that he needs to re-evaluate his terminology and consider the audience he is speaking to, because many aren't equip to make the distinctions you're suggesting.

  • Simon Dillon

    Some good points Bart, but I still think G-Man has a point. Personally, I am no great fan of Pat Robertson. Indeed, some of his opinions and comments have been by turns laughable, offensive, and sometimes laughably offensive.

    However, consider the case of Jonah. He went to a “non-church” audience and warned them Ninevah was going to be destroyed. The people of Ninevah repented so God did not destroy Ninevah after all. Did that make Jonah a false prophet?

  • Bart Breen

    If you believe the analogy follows that Pat Robertson's prophesy was God's judgment withheld because America has repented then I suppose you have a point.

    The problem I see with a great deal of the pentecostal/charismatic type treatment in this day and age in terms of prophesy (and I went to ORU and I have a heritage in my family of Pentecostal preachers so I'm not unfamiliar with it) is that there is no accountability to a governing body, such as elders in the Church, and no accountibility.

    Could it be a legitimate word from the Lord?  Yes.  There's no level of accountibility however and it appears to me to be invoking the name of God to add weight to Robertson's own opinion and when it fails to come to pass then I expect that there is an onus upon Robertson to explain why his prophesy, for a specific event in a specific time, delivered as the Word of God failed to come to pass.

    Are you aware of any response by Robertson offering an explanation or additional Word from God as to why God changed His mind?  If not, then there's a problem, isn't there?

    Apart from the theological, in terms of media presence and perception, which is Robertson's venue, it is not a particularly effective means of ministery and communication in my opinion.

  • Fred W. Poston

    Is anyone holding him accountable for this "prophecy"? To whom is he accountable? Has he retracted this statement or offered an explanation of why it didn't come to pass?

    If someone in my congregation had given a word like this, I'd be asking some questions and have some things to say to him after it didn't happen.

  • Mark

    I think GOD is enough of a higher accountability person….I mean…..can ya get any higher than Yahweh???? Geeze!!!

  • birdie

    He said people must have prayed and God changed his mind…

  • Bart Breen

    It's a shame God didn't let him know that in advance like the first time ……

  • Mark

    Well, I disagree that "prophecy" is forthtelling…..as a matter of fact the Bible specifically says that fortunetelling or soothsaying is demonic in nature. True prohesying is the speaking of God's will INTO EXISTANCE….where you HEAR from God and then speak that Word from God OUT of your mouth into existence in the natural. SO the speaking of the prophecy is God's will in the supernatural being spoken into the natural and then becomes reality. I think if you research the origins of legitimate prophecy, you will find my interpretation is correct on the definition of prophecy and prophesying as an act.


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