Filter results by source database — Scripture Commentary, Theology, Mike Winger, or Pulpit. Click a tab to narrow to one database.

...more
All (4093) Mike Winger (4093)
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Reductio ad absurdum of 'just copy Jesus': should we have 12 disciples, be itinerant, stay single, eat kosher, visit Jerusalem at Passover?

Mike extends the logical implications of the Jesus-only hermeneutic to show its practical absurdity

hermeneutics whole counsel of God imitatio Christi
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Matthew 6:10 ('on earth as it is in heaven') is the central practical scripture of Bethel's theology — they interpret it as God manifesting heaven's conditions on earth right now

Mike identifies and challenges Bethel's key proof text for their present-kingdom expectations

Matthew 6:10 Bill Johnson Matthew 6:10 kingdom of God
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Revelation 6:16-17 and Revelation 11:15-18 show that the coming of God's kingdom involves wrath and judgment, not just signs and wonders

Mike cites specific Revelation texts to establish what Scripture means by 'the kingdom coming'

Revelation 6:16-17 Revelation 11:15-18 kingdom of God eschatology Revelation 6:16-17
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bethel's standard for 'heaven on earth' is too low: they aim for physical healing while Revelation 21:4 promises no death, sorrow, or pain — which has not yet come

Mike argues that Bethel's version of heaven-on-earth falls short even of its own claim

Revelation 21:4 Kris Vallotton healing theology kingdom of God
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Nabeel Qureshi visited Bethel for healing from stomach cancer and received hundreds of failed prophecies of healing

Mike uses the case of Nabeel Qureshi as a concrete example of the consequences of Bethel's healing theology

Bethel Church healing theology Nabeel Qureshi
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bethel systematically lowers the threshold for confirming healings: vague words of knowledge, mass prayer, and immediate crowd celebration regardless of actual outcome

Mike explains the mechanics of how Bethel creates the appearance of widespread healing

Bill Johnson Bethel Church healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

'You lost your healing' — Bethel reframes failed healings as loss rather than non-occurrence, requiring a program on 'how to keep your healing'

Mike discusses how Bethel's theological framework handles apparent healing failures

Bethel Church anointing healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bill Johnson's son has significant hearing loss — Johnson says he was told the son is 'already healed' but cannot think about it because it 'ruins the anointing'

Mike uses a personal example from Bill Johnson's own family to illustrate the psychological suppression required by Bethel's healing theology

Bill Johnson anointing healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bill Johnson video quote: 'We're coming into a day when the presence of the Lord will be so pronounced in a meeting that everyone who walks into the building will be healed — that's already happened'

Mike plays a direct video clip of Johnson making an extreme healing claim

Bill Johnson revival healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth — a movement that tolerates and encourages fake healings is not operating in step with Him

Mike gives his theological summary on the healing practice issues

healing theology Holy Spirit Spirit of Truth
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

How Bill Johnson started the prophetic in Weaverville: asking people around a table 'what do you think Jesus would say?' then declaring they had just prophesied

Mike plays a direct video clip of Johnson explaining his methodology for launching the prophetic ministry

Bill Johnson spiritual gifts prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Critique: what Johnson did in Weaverville is not wrong as an imaginative exercise, but calling it prophecy crosses a theological line

Mike carefully distinguishes between the legitimate practice and the mislabeling

Bill Johnson prophecy false prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Three sources of prophecy in Scripture: from God, from Satan (false prophets), and from the prophet's own heart — the third type is what characterizes most Bethel prophecy

Mike introduces a biblical taxonomy of prophetic sources from Jeremiah and Ezekiel

Jeremiah 23:16 Ezekiel 13:2 prophecy false prophecy Jeremiah 23:16
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Jeremiah 23:16 — prophets prophesying 'a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord'

Mike cites the specific Jeremiah text that establishes the third category of prophecy

Jeremiah 23:16 Jeremiah 23:25-26 prophecy false prophecy Jeremiah 23:16
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Ezekiel 13:2 — 'prophesy against the prophets who prophesy out of their own heart'

Mike cites a second OT prophet condemning heart-sourced prophecy

Ezekiel 13:2 prophecy false prophecy Ezekiel 13:2
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bethel's prophetic training exercise: pair off, give a 'word of knowledge' about your partner, then celebrate whether right or wrong — the goal is creating a risk-taking culture, not accurate prophecy

Mike plays a video of a Bethel training session to show how prophetic culture is manufactured

spiritual gifts Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry social engineering
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bethel's prophetic culture is social engineering — a formula developed through experimentation and exported to other churches worldwide

Mike's meta-level analysis of what Bethel is doing with prophecy

Bethel Church spiritual gifts social engineering
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bethel's rule that prophecy must only encourage — inconsistent with biblical prophecy, which often includes rebuke; also leads to 'prophetic art,' 'prophetic dance,' and 'destiny cards'

Mike critiques the artificial filter on prophecy and traces its trajectory into increasingly strange practices

Kris Vallotton Bethel Church prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Summary of Bethel's theological problems: filtered theology, emphasis on experience, superior/inferior truths used to dismiss inconvenient Scripture

Mike's transition into final remarks and Q&A

Bill Johnson hermeneutics healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Direct address to Bill Johnson: Mike thanks him for inspiring greater prayer and trust in God, but challenges his theology and hermeneutic as dangerous

Mike concludes the teaching section with a personal message to Johnson

Bill Johnson hermeneutics revival
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

John 5:19 refutes Johnson's teaching that God responds to human declarations — Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, not the reverse

Mike cites a specific text to challenge one of Johnson's specific claims about how God responds to human proclamation

John 5:19 prayer Bill Johnson healing theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Is lack of faith why we cannot heal? Mike: faith is one factor, but not the only one — Paul's thorn in the flesh demonstrates God can say 'no' even to a man of great faith

First Q&A question from Elizabeth Hernandez

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 prayer 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 thorn in the flesh
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Bethel's view of sanctification through hardship: they do teach righteous living and learning through trials, but avoid applying the 'refining fire' principle to sickness

Q&A question from 'Truth and Grace'

James 1 1 Peter 1 Bill Johnson healing theology James 1
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Did Jesus ever say no to healing? Mike: Not in the three-and-a-half years of recorded ministry, but Jesus did say no through Paul's thorn and other NT instances

Q&A question from Elizabeth Hernandez

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 2 Timothy 4:20 Acts of the Apostles 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 healing theology 2 Timothy 4:20
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Bethel's eschatology: they hold a dominion theology, believing the church should 'disciple the nations' — meaning transform entire nations, not just individuals

Q&A question from Don Schneider about end-times views

Matthew 28:19 Bill Johnson eschatology dominion theology
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Recommended teachers for biblical thinking: James White, Michael Brown, RC Sproul, John MacArthur, Leighton Flowers, Greg Koukl

Q&A question from Judah Matthews

John MacArthur James White John MacArthur RC Sproul James White
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Matthew 21:21 ('if you have faith you can move mountains'): must be interpreted alongside other prayer scriptures — faith, right motives (James 4), and God's will (1 John 5:14)

Q&A question from Judah Matthews

Matthew 21:21 James 4 1 John 5:14 prayer faith Matthew 21:21
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Has Mike ever heard Johnson preach a clear gospel message? No — he's heard Johnson affirm the gospel but it's always followed by a pivot to signs and wonders

Q&A question from Chavita

evangelism Bill Johnson gospel
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Do they teach against the non-negotiables (Trinity, grace through faith, virgin birth, etc.)? Not explicitly — most are present but the Trinity and virgin birth are rarely discussed

Q&A question from Karl Wellborn

Bill Johnson salvation Trinity
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Does Johnson teach 'little gods' theology? No — he teaches something more subtle: 'the Word becoming flesh again' in believers as they speak prophetically and heal

Q&A question from Rona, comparing Johnson to Kenneth Copeland

John 1:14 Bill Johnson Kenneth Copeland Word of Faith
Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Closing exhortation: don't pull back from healing, prophecy, or the Spirit because of Bethel's errors — the hunger of their movement reveals a real need the church should meet genuinely

Mike's closing remarks

Bethel Church spiritual gifts revival
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Introduction to the Book of Abraham as the key test case for Mormonism

Setting up the argument

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham Pearl of Great Price
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Joseph Smith purchases the mummies and scrolls for $2,400; claims one scroll was written by Abraham's own hand

The acquisition and initial claims about the papyri

Abraham Joseph Smith Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Smith's diary entries document ongoing 'translation' work on Egyptian alphabet and grammar in late 1835

Documentary evidence from Smith's own journals

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham 1835
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS Church president's diary corroborates that Smith translated Abraham's own handwriting using the Urim and Thummim

Secondary LDS historical witness to Smith's translation claims

Abraham Joseph Smith Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

The LDS Church officially canonized the Book of Abraham as translated from the papyrus by Joseph Smith

The canonical status of the Book of Abraham in LDS theology

Abraham Joseph Smith Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

The original papyri were discovered in 1966–1967 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and given to BYU

The rediscovery of the Joseph Smith Papyri

LDS Church papyrus Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS professor at BYU commented that the rediscovery of the papyri was 'a far more' significant test of LDS claims

Internal LDS academic recognition of the significance of the papyri rediscovery

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham Brigham Young University
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Unlike the Book of Mormon (golden plates taken away), the Book of Abraham papyri CAN be tested — this is unique

The Book of Abraham as a uniquely testable LDS truth claim

translation comparison Joseph Smith testability of religious claims
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

The papyri are pagan Egyptian funerary texts — specifically the 'Book of Breathings' — belonging to a man named Hor

What Egyptologists actually found the papyri to contain

Book of Abraham Joseph Smith Papyri Book of Breathings
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

The LDS Church's own official article on lds.org admits the characters on the papyri do not match the Book of Abraham text

The LDS Church's own admission in its official online materials

translation comparison LDS Church Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Personal testimony: Mike was raised as a Mormon; this evidence would have been world-shattering to him

Mike's personal background and emotional investment in the argument

Mike Winger Mormonism personal testimony
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Central apologetic argument: if Smith lied about one thing as a prophet, he is a false prophet — and the evidence proves he lied

The logical conclusion of the Book of Abraham argument

Mormonism prophetic authority false prophet
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS apologist claim that Smith received direct revelation (not translation) is refuted by his own diary

Responding to a viewer question about the LDS apologetic counter-argument

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham Joseph Smith diary
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Canonical closure argument: the New Testament closes the canon — there is no room for a new book of scripture

Theological argument against the LDS claim to new scripture

Jeremiah 31 Mormonism Islam Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

The Joseph Smith Papers project published the Egyptian Grammar and Alphabet documents, exposing them to scholarly scrutiny

Recent LDS document releases and their apologetic implications

Joseph Smith LDS Church Book of Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS apologist argument #1: the 'Short Scroll Theory' — the recovered fragments are only part of a longer scroll

Review of LDS apologetic responses to the papyri problem

Book of Abraham Great Chicago Fire Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

Refutation of Short Scroll Theory: the facsimile images themselves, which Smith specifically interpreted, ARE on the surviving fragments

Mike's counter to the Short Scroll Theory

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham facsimiles Joseph Smith Papyri
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS apologist argument #2: the 'Long Scroll Theory' — a different, longer, lost scroll within the same collection contained the real Book of Abraham source

Second main LDS apologetic response

Book of Abraham Great Chicago Fire Joseph Smith Papyri
Mike Winger idea 2018-01-31

LDS apologist argument #3: Smith did not 'translate' in the conventional sense — he was receiving spiritual impressions triggered by the images

Third main LDS apologetic counter-argument

Joseph Smith Book of Abraham inspired translation
← Prev Page 28 of 82 Next →