In this age of so much media exposure, we are inundated with a ton of conflicting messages put forth by popular personalities. So much focus seems to be on the polarity between different groups, with warnings and doomsday messages being trumpeted by people who want you to believe that they are right and anyone who disagrees with them is not just wrong but dangerous. A dangerous trend is the glorification of some of those personalities who stand on supposedly moral pedestals and make apocalyptic statements. We, of course, have seen this before. Trends tend to be cyclical, after all. However, at no point before did we have so much media ready at our fingertips to broadcast dangerous messages so far and so fast.
As Christians, we need to be wary of anyone (lay people and clergy alike) who proselytizes hatred and divisiveness on the pretense of doing God's work (either explicitly or by implication). We need to be highly suspicious of anyone who generates a cult-like following that elevates their leader to the status of savior, when the true Savior has already come, preached, been killed, been resurrected, and ascended to heaven. Our Savior will be coming again, but I guarantee He won't be coming as a demagogue spinning lies into purported truths, demeaning anyone who disagrees, flaunting immorality, and leading His sheep to slaughter.
The Bible warns us of both false prophets and hypocrites. The Book of Jeremiah contrasts the true prophet, Jeremiah, with individuals who made up stories and made false prophesies in order to gain the favor of others. Recall in 1 Kings 22 that Ahab's messenger told Micaiah to prophesize something positive so that Ahab would be pleased. Ahab only requested Micaiah because Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet different from Ahab's mob of yes-men. Ahab hated Micaiah because the true prophet was the only one who would tell Ahab the truth, instead of flattering him with lies and buttering him up. Micaiah responded to the messenger, "As the Lord lives, I will speak what the Lord tells me to speak." (1 Kings 22:14)
Jesus warned of false prophets in Matthew during his Sermon on the Mount. He said, "Beware of false prophets. They appear in sheep's clothing, but are wolves. (Matthew 7:15). He even told us how to recognize false prophets. He said, "You will recognize them by their fruits....Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." Here, fruit refers to output: what is cultivated, peddled, and sold. The bad fruit might look rotten from the outside, but often it looks appetizing, tantalizing on the surface while inside it is rotten to its core. If bald-faced lies, manipulations, hatred, and bullying taste good to you, you'll need to fix your palate or rot from the inside out due to your poor diet. We are, afterall, what we eat.
Peter also warns of false prophets. In 2 Peter 2:1-3, he says that false prophets walk amongst us, "secretly introduc[ing] destructive beliefs, even denying the sovreign Lord who bought them....Many will follow their wicked behavior and will bring truth into disrepute. In their greed they will manipulate you with made-up stories."
While storytelling can be great entertainment, as Christians we have to be able to recognize evil intent, even when couched in humor or shrouded in self-righteousness that speaks to our longing for vindication or validation. When storytelling is rooted in evil and meant to lead good people astray, it is extremely dangerous and destructive. As scripture indicates, false prophets have already been judged by the Lord and will face damnation. Their ruination is already guaranteed. Peter says, "their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction is not asleep." The question is whether our fate will be the same as theirs. It will be if we follow their lead, regurgitate their stories, and promote their lies--whether we truly believe their stories or rationalize that they were put here by God to stop something we don't like, while all the while sowing the seeds of our own destruction.
A showman who commands a stage by making fun of people or positions you don't like isn't anymore of a God-fearing prophet than a standup comic in a nightclub.
