Face to Face with God—Johnson

Face to Face with God
by Bill Johnson
Charisma House:2007, 227pp.

When I first picked up his book a couple years ago I knew nothing of Bill Johnson. I intended to preview Face to Face with God for our church library. The cover is beautiful. The tagline enticing: “The ultimate quest to experience His Presence”. Ever on the lookout for books that encourage the believer to grow in his knowledge of God, this one seemed promising.

Then I read the first chapter. In it Johnson defends his personal quest for ‘deep encounters with God’. He illustrates by describing his own electrifying experience of being wakened in the night with ‘power surges’ running through his limbs such that he had no control over them. No voices. No visions. Just a sense that this was God’s response to his prayer for ‘more of Him, at any cost’. He interpreted this experience (which returned for consecutive nights) as being ‘actually a face-to-face encounter with God’ and sensed God offering him ‘an increased manifestation of his presence in exchange for [his] dignity.’ (11)

This experience came as the culmination of Johnson’s travels in quest of more ‘power and anointing in his life’ to many cities where God seemed to be working in unusual ways. He went on from this experience to assume the pastorate of Bethel Church in Redding, California and precipitate a dramatic church split with no qualms of regret or questioning of God. A thousand congregants exited as ‘revival’ commenced. Johnson’s dreams and visions made God’s will and favor ‘too obvious to miss’. The year was 1996, the beginning of the Johnson era which is now percolating throughout the world via iBethel TV and ‘School of the Supernatural’ training courses, to even such remote locations as mine. Because of the ongoing attention given to this controversial figure I have dusted off my copy of the book and re-attempted to read beyond the first offsetting chapter in order to write a review.  Unfortunately,  Chapter One’s disconcerting emphasis on subjective experiential reality as the evidence of God’s favor and also the means of personal transformation continues throughout.

Topics covered include:

--God’s favor—how to get it, increase it, and pass it on;

--God’s manifest presence and how to position ourselves to experience it and even ‘attract’ it;

--Jesus, our perfect role model;

--Classic encounters with God—the testimonies of such as Evan Roberts, John G. Lake, Finney, Wigglesworth, T.L. Osborn and the apostle, Paul;

--Healing, as included in the atonement;

--The Joy of the Lord (and holy laughter);

--Reflecting the Glory of God

But the overriding theme of the book is the necessity to “lock into [God’s] manifest presence and live for nothing else”(60), an emphasis that calls into question whether we as believers are really called to live by faith or by tangible experiences? Is experiencing God’s ‘manifest presence’ in this lifetime truly our primary calling? There seems to be confusion over what a growing relationship with God is expected to look like, and an unhealthy emphasis on pursuing subjective encounters with God as the primary means to growth.

In handling his themes Johnson’s matter-of-fact writing style often gives flawed logic and rhetoric the place of sound exegesis of Scripture. Conjecture comes across as established fact. Biblically based objections are brushed aside as irrelevant. These factors make his book an unlikely read for the serious Bible student, while offering a potentially toxic mix to the undiscerning—toxic in its intolerant sectarian bent. Johnson’s inaccurate representation and even mockery of orthodox theological points-of-view that differ from his own is unfortunate. His use of snide aphorisms undermines his ability to communicate effectively with those who oppose him. For example: “Two thousand years ago all sickness was from the devil and healing was from God; today people teach that sickness is from God and those who pursue a healing ministry are from the devil (or out of balance, at best.)”(105) Confusing divisive misstatements such as these and the fluid mixture of truth and error on any given page make this a book I cannot recommend despite the scattered bits of wise insight.

However, it would be inaccurately disparaging to imply that Johnson’s entire book is about experiences, or that none of it is based on objective truth. To the contrary, Johnson does cite Scripture throughout and makes many valid points. For instance, he underlines the importance of such things as: seeking God’s approval rather than man’s, knowing God experientially--not just intellectually, and understanding and extending to the world God’s compassionate nature. Johnson is passionate about seeing the power and love of God transform lives.

Where he errs is in extrapolating from a verse or Scriptural illustration with the use of logic (often flawed) to reach a predetermined conclusion, rather than comparing Scripture with Scripture and confirming his suppositions from a careful exegesis of the whole counsel of God. His self-assured style of writing (similar to his speaking) gives an impression of absolute truth where in fact he is speaking from supposition, conjecture or opinion. His narrowly defined usage of terms like ‘the favor of God’, the ‘manifest presence’ and ‘passion’ give a subjective fogginess to his teaching.

Bill Johnson writing is reactionary. Herein lies his greatest vulnerability. He has obviously had many critics and refers repeatedly and disparagingly to ‘some people…’ In his frustration with anything that smacks of powerless religion (59) (or lacks external displays of the supernatural), Johnson voices a strong bias against theologians, Bible teachers, and those well versed and trained in Bible study, likening them to the Pharisees who alone received Jesus harsh judgment. “The ones most trained in Scripture were the ones who didn’t recognize Him for who He was” and claiming it is those aware of personal need that will be enabled to “recognize that which God is doing in the earth.” (112) Johnson sharply condemns ‘self-appointed watchdogs’ who are ‘slandering some of God’s best friends’ (those with ‘signs’ accompanying their ministry). He faults those who want to be ‘doctrinally safe’ at the expense of ‘relationally safe’ and foresees a desirable move away from churches centered around good doctrine (denominationalism) to those gathered around ‘fathers’ (those exhibiting power). In separating power from sound doctrine in this way and calling criticism ‘slander’, Johnson cuts himself off from the part of the Body he most needs in order to grow soundly in Christ. He opens up himself and his followers to the likelihood of serious deception.

Ironically, it is Johnson’s unbalanced emphasis on the earthly ministry years of Christ, to the exclusion of the whole counsel of Scripture, that lead him into some of the most serious doctrinal errors. He teaches that Christ laid aside His deity and became entirely human as a role model for believers of all time to follow. This is the kenosis heresy that was battled in the early church. It is a subtle deception that leads to the assumption that Jesus’ life was primarily about being a role model and that whatever He did, every believer has a mandate to do also. As Johnson states: “Jesus Christ is perfect theology….He is the will of God.”(184) We need not pray “If it be Thy will” as though it were unclear. If we see it in the life of Christ it is God’s will for us today. If not,then it is not God’s will. Johnson specifically cites Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve to: ‘heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse lepers’ (Mt.10:8) as the job description of all believers—the ‘overflow of the face of God encounter’(107) What he neglects to emphasize is that the gospel is about Jesus’ death and resurrection. His miracles were specific evidence that He is indeed the Son of God (Jn.20:31), and are Biblically cited as evidence of His deity (Jn.10:38). Furthermore, God’s will for believers differs from one to another believer. We do not all have the same calling or gifting, nor will each individual relationship with the Father be accompanied by overt supernatural encounters with Him.

I submit to you this review in sincere intent to fulfill my part in the Body of Christ—to promote truth and point out error, for all our sakes.  I close with some of Bill Johnson’s own sayings for your consideration. With which do you agree? Can you find Biblical support? Which contain logical fallacies?

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“There’s no clearer way (to Christlikeness) than through personal encounters with Him.”(70)

“…our commission [is] to imitate Christ in destroying the works of the devil and performing signs and wonders.”(30)

“Most of what we need in life will be brought to us, but most of what we want we’ll have to go and get.” (107)

“Today it is accepted for leaders to teach that God brings calamity because He knows it will draw us nearer to him. If that line of thought were true, then mental hospitals and cancer wards would be glowing with God’s manifest presence as all their patients would have drawn near to God and been transformed into the likeness of Jesus.”(104)

“One of the most important features of the gospel message is that the nature of the Father is perfectly seen in Jesus Christ.”(106)

“What was the nature of God that Christ reveals?”(102)

“If we don’t know how to receive [honor] correctly, we will have no crown to throw at His feet.”(205)

“We tend to manifest his likeness in equal measure to how deep our encounters have been.”(219)

“Powerlessness demands an explanation or a solution. Blaming God seems to be easier than it is to take responsibility and pursue an encounter with Him that changes our capabilities in ministry.” (105)

“The absence of the supernatural is intolerable.”(84) “It’s never ok to live short of the miraculous… We owe Him (Jesus) miracles as a testimony that He is alive and that His face is turned toward us.”(189)

“Full repentance and transformation can only take place through real encounters with God—through actual experiences with His power and grace.”(72)

“God is in a good mood.” (194)

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Until we ‘attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood’…

--LS

Growing Up Amish—Wagler

Growing Up Amish
by Ira Wagler
Tyndale: 2011,271pp.

Down through time many a teen has packed his bags and run away from home. Not often has running away proven to be the idyllic solution envisioned. And so it was with Ira Wagler, only his story is compounded by the complexities of growing up in an old-order Amish community where one’s unquestioned destiny is to remain Amish and damnation is the sure fate of any who leave the shelter of their Amish upbringing. Ira does run away, not once, not twice, but four times before he can escape the tentacles of obligation and guilt that seem always to insure his reluctant return.

This is his home-spun tale of what it is like to be Amish—the good, the tough, and the stifling aspects of such a ‘world’. And it is his testimony of overcoming the impossible expectation and burden of ‘just decide what’s right and then do it!’ It is a story of struggle and dogged determination and finally of relief coming from an unexpected source.

The story is an easy rambling read, with moments of suspense but mostly of the commonplace details of life in a community where horse and buggy are standard transportation, and courtship is a strictly structured affair. Gossip takes the place of telephones and hymnsings the place of radios. Although not an especially riveting read it is an unusual insider’s view of what it means to be Amish. There is always a sense that the story is building to something, but only in the final two chapters is the angst resolved, this angst of longing for freedom and something more but always returning to the disappointingly tried and true.

Freedom comes after a desperate one-sentence prayer to the God Ira has never addressed without the use of a little black prayer book. An unexpected friendship with someone who has found forgiveness and life in knowing God personally, turns Ira’s life around. Then suddenly with Ira’s discovery of the real key to freedom from the oppressive guilt and obligation that have dogged his life for ten years, the story is over and the reader is left wondering how Ira’s new-found faith in a personal God really played out. How did he find his way in the big wide world outside his Amish heritage? This abrupt two chapter finish after thirty-two chapters of lead-up leaves the book feeling unbalanced and mildly dissatisfying. But its rare glimpse into the world of the little-known Amish makes the read worthwhile, and news is there’s a sequel in the works.

In addition to giving insight into Amish culture, this book offers any parent an opportunity to look at life through a coming-of-age child’s perspective and to consider: how are values best passed on? Ira is quite candid in reflecting on his parents’ virtues and vices and on the values that stuck despite his chafing to be free. So if you’re looking to slow the pace of life for a bit, try Growing Up Amish.  I found my copy at the local public library!

--LS

Called to Controversy—Rosen

Called to Controversy:
The Unlikely story of Moishe Rosen and the founding of Jews for Jesus

Thomas Nelson: 2012, 307pp

“Christ-lover” was the worst insinuation Moishe’s uncle could use to discredit him. To believe in Jesus as the Messiah was to be a traitor to one’s Jewishness. But once Moishe believed he never turned back. When he prayed for God to send a modern-day Paul to bring the Gospel to contemporary Jews, God’s answer was to call Moishe to full-time ministry. His daughter here details the circumstances surrounding his upbringing in a cynical but loyal Jewish home, his conversion to Christianity, his marriage and schooling and then the years of ministry with ABMJ (American Board of Missions to the Jews) which both prepared and propelled him to found “Jews for Jesus” in the early 70’s. His innovative strategies revolutionized Jewish evangelism and what started as a radical independent group of free-thinkers geared to reaching the Jewish hippie subculture of the 60’s and 70’s has grown to become a well-respected international organization committed to introducing Jews to Jesus.

Moishe was an opinionated visionary with a passion that inevitably polarized not only his target audience, but those who ministered with him. Delicately his daughter writes from multiple points of view to give a balanced perspective of Moishe’s strengths and weaknesses. While his life story compels the reader to acknowledge that God uses flawed people, it also inspires and challenges. There is clearly also an agenda here to make peace with those who were rubbed the wrong way by Moishe’s personality and leadership style. The attendant details are often lengthened beyond the average reader’s interest but that is no reason to miss this remarkable story of a man with a single-minded passion to make Jesus known in his lifetime.

This book will be of particular interest to mission leaders and to believers interested in Jewish evangelism. It also lends a counter-perspective to Christian ministries seeking to revive Judaism in the church. A short appendix written by Moishe strongly cautions believers against promoting Judaism at the expense of bringing the Gospel to the Jews.

Not to be missed are Moishe’s sage aphorisms heading each of the thirty-two chapters. The final one being: “Death can be a friendly nap when you know you’ll awake to see your best Forever Friend, Jesus.” (Moishe died in May of 2010.)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via the BookSneeze blogger review program in exchange for an honest review.

--LS