Three Unhelpful responses to false prophecies.
The Church at large is reeling from more and more exposure of sin in the lives of its leaders, whose greed, sexual immorality, abusive behaviour, and lust for attention have left many weary and wary. In the charismatic world, the list of problems includes failed “prophecies” from those claiming to speak for God. It’s no wonder that even many continuationists have become gun-shy about the supernatural. To be clear, by “continuationists” (more commonly, charismatics), I mean those who believe the Holy Spirit still distributes spiritual gifts today, including supernatural gifts like prophecy. People who believe the Holy Spirit ceased distributing spiritual gifts after the apostolic age are called cessationists. Scripture takes these issues seriously. Jesus warns of false prophets (Matt. 24:11, 24), as does John (1 John 4:1). Likewise, Peter and Paul warn of false teachers, prophets, and apostles (2 Cor. 11:13; 2 Pet. 2:1), and all their warnings are relevant for this moment. With that sai...