The Counterfeit Church & Its "Feel-Good" Gospel     By Berit Kjos ~ Updated on March 19, 2014  "...if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:9-10 (Those are my Lord's words, not mine! And I must follow Him!)	Home
Roma Downey's contrary beliefs: “I think we all have a responsibility to see God in each other. That’s how I’ve raised my children – that no matter whose face they look into, they’re looking into the face of God, who’s in all of us.”[1]

    "An amazing thing is happening across the land. Jesus Christ is being 'reinvented'... right in front of our eyes and hardly anyone seems to notice or care."[2] Warren B. Smith, False Christ Coming

    "The movie [Son of God] is cool, well made, gritty, authentic and emotionally connective," said Roma Downey. "We wanted to make it an amazing theatrical experience to people who perhaps have never been exposed to the story of Jesus or the Bible."[3]  

The Rising Church of the World

"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:4-5

In churches across America, the awe and holiness of the Scriptures are fading fast. While countless "born again" believers still delight in His Word, share His love, and pray for each other, the vast majority of church members have chosen a more secular form of "worship." Many feel free to interpret the Bible according to their own liking. Consequently, a widening gap is separating God's timeless Truths from the world's more culture-friendly adaptations.

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (the husband/wife team that produced History Channel's miniseries, "The Bible" and the new movie titled "The Son of God", stand with America's more visible church leaders at the forefront of this current change. Their latest project is a movie featuring a handsome, smiling "Jesus" who excludes some of the Bible's most important warnings, instructions and judgments.

Keep in mind that by simply deleting a few words here and there -- and by replacing them with assurances of love and forgiveness -- the producers can easily manipulate their stories and produce the desired response. That response may be totally contrary to God's guidelines in His Word. Remember, the Bible tells us that:

Notice the subtle Biblical revisions that Raphael Vera exposed in his movie review:

"...an inordinate amount of artistic license was used throughout the production such as the misattribution of lines from one person to the next. This is especially hard to rationalize when things Jesus clearly said are instead delivered by a disciple or on another occasion a clandestine supporter of Jesus, the Pharisee Nicodemus (Simon Kunz), is seen verbally accosting Jesus in public when actually others had done the challenging.

"Then there are also many instances of misquotes, such as when the film has Jesus saying, “I am the way and the truth and the Love” when it actually is “…and the life” (John 14:6). There are no interpretations of the Bible that can account for these errors.

"Lastly, there is dialog that both average believers and Biblical scholars would be hard pressed to believe—Jesus saying John the Baptist was the “greatest teacher” he ever knew, Nicodemus calling Jesus “clever” in a condescending way, a fellow disciple asking Peter where he was after the arrest, since he was supposed to be the “rock” or, to mention just one more, when John closes the film by saying that “…with Peter as our leader” they went out to the whole world."

Such concerns seem to be insignificant to Roma. After all, her aim was to make the movie "a sweeping reminder of God's love":

"We hope audiences leave theaters feeling they know Jesus more and also that they are reminded of how deeply he loved us," she said.... "At the end you feel incredibly humbled and loved – reminded that we are all children of God."... 

 "We have felt support across all denominations … businesses are buying out whole theaters and donating the seats to churches, encouraging folks to come opening weekend and to bring a friend and to bring the whole family," she said. "We believe this message of hope and love will touch the lives of millions."[5]

Hope and love sounds good to people. But any lasting foundation for spiritual victory involves the vital Truths of God's Word. In the past, when God's people ignored His warning, our Lord allowed enemies to conquer their nation. Then, when the people repented, wept and cried out to God, He forgave their sins and restored the land. The same standards apply to us today.

These are critical times! In the midst of church's downward slide, we need to stand firm on His Word. The pathway ahead may be full of thorns and challenges, but God's Word tells us that  all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37 

Spiritual Warfare

"..the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ..." 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

In preparation for February 27, the day before the public opening of the "Son of God," prominent leaders, pastors and patrons had reserved whole theaters for an early showing. Among the sponsors were Saddleback's Pastor Rick Warren, Texas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes, Roman Catholic Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, Houston megachurch leaders Joel and Victoria Osteen and other influential people. Many of these "Christian leaders" have, through the years, felt free to twist God's Word according to their own aims and claims.[6]

Last year, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett chose to dismiss any reference to the devil. Ignoring God's timeless warnings, they shaped a more "positive" message that would hide God's much-needed corrections. They decided to "cast out" Satan -- an unwanted "distraction" -- from their new movie, the "Son of God:

"The producers of History Channel's miniseries 'The Bible' decided not to include Satan in their upcoming biblical film 'Son of God,' after the evil character sparked controversy over the actor's resemblance to President Obama...."

"At the time, the 'Touched by an Angel' actress issued a statement denouncing the comparison. 'Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our President, who is a fellow Christian,' she said....

OBAMA: I am a Christian. So, I have a deep faith.... I'm rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people....

FALSANI: Have you always been a Christian?                  

OBAMA: I was raised more by my mother and my mother was Christian. ...a deeply spiritual person, and would spend a lot of time talking about values and give me books about the world's religions....

FALSANI: So you got yourself born again?

OBAMA: Yeah.... And I'm not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I've got a monopoly on the truth.... I'm a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at it's best comes with a big dose of doubt....

 

FALSANI: Do you have people in your life that you look to for guidance?

OBAMA: Well, my pastor [Jeremiah Wright] is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.... I am a great admirer of our founding charter... and its resolve to prevent disruptive strains of fundamentalism from taking root in this country....

FALSANI: Do you believe in heaven?

OBAMA: Do I believe in the harps and clouds and wings?  ...if I live my life as well as I can...I will be rewarded....

FALSANI: What is sin?

OBAMA: Being out of alignment with my values....

 

FALSANI: ...An example of a role model, who combined everything you said you want to do in your life, and your faith?

OBAMA: I think Gandhi is a great example of a profoundly spiritual man who... never slipped into intolerance or dogma."[7]