“In the name of Jesus, we command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now. We declare that anything that has been conceived in satanic wombs will miscarry. It will not be able to carry forth any plan of destruction, any plan of harm.” – Paula White, January 5, 2020
These words spoken by popular Evangelical leader and televangelist Paula White went viral over the past month. Although not too different from other “deliverance” style prayers, this invocation (which came at the end of a string of other odd requests) was particularly jarring for a number of reasons. Firstly, White is a “spiritual adviser” to President Trump. Secondly, White is openly pro-life, and this strange entreaty seems anything but supportive of that ethic. Thirdly, the plea itself seems antithetical to anything Jesus would seem likely to honor and honestly just straight up disconcerting and weird.
I grew up Catholic, so the world of Evangelical faith and practice was somewhat foreign to me until my adult years. As I slowly transitioned toward a non-denominational/Evangelical school of thought, I found that most things were falling into place doctrinally. However, in some places I also discovered an undercurrent that made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t quite place it. It felt emotionally manipulative. It felt over-dramatic and demonstrative, and I encountered it from time to time. Eventually I settled in a church with a down-to-earth pastor, focused on Biblical truth. The church is not showy or loud, and yet it is not quiet. They do not hold back the truth, but there is nothing calculated or self-aggrandizing about it. It has allowed me to forget that there is an extreme subset of the Evangelical (and even more so the Charismatic) movement that brings back that uncomfortable feeling that not all is as it should be. I was reminded again of this reality when Paula’s “prayer” came to light.
I recently saw an art film that didn’t make it to many of the big theaters. It focused on a rare, extremist subset of the Charismatic Christian movement. This movie (Them That Follow) featured a snake wielding pastor and a small but willing congregation deep in the backwoods, eager to test their faith at the feet of the serpents. The film was anything but flattering to a Christian audience, capitalizing on one of the strangest cult-like offshoots of the much more mainstream church. Nevertheless, one thing did strike me. When I saw this pastor yelling, and chanting, and jumping up and down, I thought to myself, “This actor studied pastors like this. I’ve seen this before.” Now let me make this clear- I have never seen a pastor heretically teaching that the bite (or lack thereof) of a serpent can prove or disprove faith. What I have seen is a religious leader capitalizing on EMOTION and calling it faith.
Having studied Psychology for so many years, I am both fascinated by the concept of group manipulation and angered when I see it in a religious setting. I believe what Paula White and others like her do is just that- group manipulation. I am no scholar of White’s ministry, but from what I have seen it is a blend of “prosperity gospel” positivity and “casting out” negativity (or alleged demonic influences that could destroy said prosperity). It is easy to work a large audience into a frenzy by capitalizing on their fears, and their hopes, and their vulnerabilities. Whether the goal is to receive money from them, or to build a large following, or merely to achieve power and recognition, a religious leader has no place using such tactics. Politicians often do the same, but they are at least held to a lower standard than someone who claims to speak for God.
Manipulative religious leaders use real biblical precedent (like prayer, spiritual warfare, and incidences of healing) to put themselves in the role of God or to twist the message. One must actually know scripture well enough to hold it up against their message and see if it rings true. White has since stated that she was taken out of context for political purposes and that she meant “anything that has been conceived by demonic plans…to not prevail in your life.” The plain reading of her quote does not seem to lend itself to this metaphorical interpretation, but it would be a strange choice of words in any case. What we know as Christians is that the Bible tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (Jer 1:5) and “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.” (Psalm 127:3) I can find no basis for her presumed assertion that a pregnancy can be Satanic or her desire for God to destroy such a pregnancy. I find no basis for many of the things she claims.
As an aside, I find it equally disingenuous for pro-abortion activists to claim horror at her remarks. At the most, they can call her a hypocrite. To act, however, like the idea of a spiritually induced miscarriage is a grave and disgusting affront while a medically induced abortion is just business-as-usual and a right worth fighting for is just as hypocritical. If White thinks she can pray away “Satanic” pregnancies, then she’s not pro-life, but she shares their ideal that not all life in the womb is worth saving.
Lastly, it’s worthwhile to address the elephant in the room- the fact that White is one of President Trump’s “spiritual advisers.” I do not actually find this to be surprising because I do not think that the president is a particularly religious person, based on his own descriptions of his religious life. What I do think is that he has taken on the causes of traditional religious voting blocs. In many cases, that has been a boon to me as a conservative religious thinker. In other cases it is obvious that he is surrounding himself with Evangelical trappings as a show of his support for this group, although he probably has little understanding of the group itself. His group of advisers is a mix of some very tried-and-true religious thinkers and some popular fringe personalities with far fewer legitimate credentials. I think it matters little to him which is which.
It should matter to us as Christians and Evangelicals, however, and we should push against the “prosperity gospel” culture and the cult-like leadership of some of the more popular faces. We should weed out those who may be good at posting inspirational tweets or selling books, but who are less focused on the true Gospel message of self-sacrifice, repentance, and redemption. I will not be on the bandwagon calling President Trump to “fire” Paula White, but I will kindly suggest that Christians everywhere “fire” her themselves and find other leaders to represent us better to an already skeptical and confused culture.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to Click here to Subscribe!About the Author
|
Jackie Chea is a blogger from San Antonio, Texas who holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She writes on political and cultural issues from a conservative, religious standpoint. She lives in the Lone Star State with her husband Nick, her 5-year-old son Lincoln, and her rescue dogs. |
Facebook Comments