Defining Deception: Freeing the Church from the Mystical-Miracle Movement

My husband and I left the Pentecostal/charismatic church just six months ago, after 25 years in the movement. We have been reading and researching for years trying to make sense of what was preached and practiced. We are now out of confusion and oppression and making good progress.This book is excellent. It really exposes how spiritually corrupt the movement is. I was particularly grateful to the authors for referencing Roberts Liardon’s book, “God’s Generals” and exposing this terrible book. I grew up with that book and I saw it have an influence on many around me in New Zealand when he use to visit through Trevor Yaxley Ministries.I do feel it is too brief in parts though and the authors would have a hard time turning a long-term Penti around based on those short bios of the generals. I even found I had to go and further research about Smith Wigglesworth to break down the thought processes in my head that he was a great general of faith.Hopefully a distributor will be found in Australia or the book will be sold on book depository and then I will buy hard copies to give my friends.Thank you to the pastors who have written this book. My prayers are with you.

As one who has recently come out of a Pentecostal background, most people (including myself) were confused about where certain theologies and practices came from within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement generally. This is a must read for anyone inside or outside of those circles, as it will help to understand what is going on theologically and practically in many churches worldwide (whilst it addresses Bethel, much of the information applies to Pentecostal/NAR/WOF practices that aren't necessarily associated with Bethel). Anthony and Costi's love for those within the movement is clearly shown, and practices are rightly called out in love. A must read, I can't recommend it more.

Very sound teaching on the deception that has crept in to the Church.Must read for all discerning Christian believers.

I agree with many of the positive reviews of this book and commend the authors for their exposure of the NAR movement's lack of a true biblical foundation and the worrying influence this is having upon many contemporary churches and young Christians who are being taught to base their lives on subjective experiences instead of the Word of God.It is always difficult when somebody comes out from one extreme to not swing to the other and completely reject any elements of truth that might be within the other movement. As a Pentecostal, fundamentalist I would disagree with some of the arguments presented such as the rejection of the truth of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as restored at the start of last century, the cessation of the gifts of the Spirit and miracles, and how some of the mid 20th century healing ministries were used by God. Yes there was "flesh" and there were those who operated the gifts of the Spirit who fell into areas of sin - but this does not negate the truth of scripture and that God would use those men and woman as He has always done through Bible history even with sin in their lives.Each move of God has experienced these same extremes where God would revive truth and man would bring it into the realm of the flesh. The sad truth is that with every restoration or revival the previous churches or 'movements' have 'pitched their tents' around past truth and rejected what God is doing. We all do well to search our hearts in this respect and not swing to one extreme in response to another.I do not see the current NAR movement, prosperity gospel, and Kingdom Now teaching as a revival or restoration of truth - many of the proponents lives do not reflect Christ and much of their teaching is "another gospel & another spirit" that is subtlety corrupting the church. I do however believe that the authors response to this swings or errs on the side of conservatism without considering more carefully some of the truths they reject.I would have liked the authors to have presented a more considered and balanced view and presented this without the lens of the conservative Baptist theological viewpoint that comes through very strongly and to have seen a much more comprehensive evaluation of the issues by evaluating the scriptures more thoroughly. When we simply present scripture and draw out of scripture what God has said people can evaluate what is right and wrong. I did feel the authors viewpoints would 'read in to the scripture' their theological views.I do commend this book to anyone that is ignorant of these issues. Well done to the authors for raising this very important and timely call to leadership to look at what they are letting in to their churches through the influence of this current movement and its determination to influence the world.

To mix metaphors this book is a bit of a curates egg and throws the baby out with the bath water. From its discernment of the heinous heresies and posturing of Johnson and Hinn with which I can wholeheartedly agree it then goes on to a totally cessationist dogma. As someone nurtured from an early age as a cessationist I can affirm that I was healed of a chronic crippling skeletal disease at a time when it was ordained that I believed in the healing power of the blood of Jesus. Since then I have followed the instructions in James 5 and received healing as promised.The authors also ignored Acts 19: 1-4 when discussing the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the appendices. The gifts of the Spirit have not ceased but there is biblical guidance on the efficacy of these gifts. Rather than try to be discerning about the nature and use of the gifts the authors have condemned them outright.