By Jonathan David Faulkner.
Since January GHFT has ran two articles concerning popular Facebook Evangelist Joshua Feuerstien. The man who gained national recognition when he began the #MerryChristamsStarbucks controversy last fall. He also released a video claiming that “Disney was trying to send your kids to hell” and is one of the people behind the “Facebook Church” movement that has drawn in 1.5 million followers. His live videos showing him doing everything from shooting guns with his four children to ranting and raving about the Obama and the “Gay Agenda.”
Up until now we have tried to approach this with kindness, compassion and understanding. To lovingly rebuke the public figure with the hope of at least some response. However, Joshua has not responded to accusations that he ceases to teach Christian doctrine at all. Recently though it has been harder and harder for us to approach him, or his followers with love because of another problem that was exposed in the Andy Mineo controversy in mid-February.
The whole debate was over Christians and curse words. While God’s Heart does not necessarily condone the use of curse words or abrasive language we are willing to make concessions and we do agree with Andy when he says that the “Words in and of themselves are not evil, but their intentions can be.” Of course, his defense of using such language sparked a twitter war which somehow came to the attention of Joshua Feuestine. Feuestine berated and mocked the rapper, who he claims mocked his (Andy’s) own fans. Stating that: “Mineo needs to start taking lessons in Humility- like Yesterday.”
Of course, we have established in previous articles that Feuestien refuses to acknowledge anything less than perfection from Christians. Stating on Facebook the tired and abused misquotation of Wesley that has somehow morphed into “God will make it so you do not sin.” This kind of innocuous, instant sanctification that they have supposedly received has thus given them the right to pass down judgment on everyone from 14-year-old Disney stars to Christian Rapper Andy Mineo to yours truly. Dismissing any dissenting viewpoint and cheering loudly when anyone in popular society takes a misstep.
Of course, they claim to love everyone. Recently he and his wife Jessica released about the most insincere video in all of what is left of Christendom. Posing before the rainbow they told everyone in the “Gay Community” that they loved them and then told them to go and buy Jessica’s CD. This only a week after a video condemning the NFL for supporting the “Gay Agenda” during the Half-time show (Although if he’d stayed he may have been much more offended by what followed). He did the same when Kanye started a GoFundMe campaign to cover his debts. Contributing $10 to the campaign with a note telling Kanye to “Use it to buy his wife’s CD.” Three days later The Radicals ran a story celebrating Kanye’s downfall.
This makes us wonder, why would anyone follow this guy? Why has he amassed one of the largest facebook followings of a religious page ever? Perhaps it is the same reason Donald Trump has risen to power, he plays one everyone’s fears and then throws in some sort of hope that he things is true hope but really is not. Meaning, he may point to Jesus Christ, but if you were to come to Christ under Feuestien and then allow yourself to be coddled and disciple at his “Facebook Church” you might find you feel more oppressed than you did before you were a believer. And were I not a believer, I would want nothing to do with Christianity after watching Joshua’s video.
As we sat at a birthday party last night a group of us were discussing the topic of Christian Rap and Mineo’s defense of curse words. What it comes down to is this; We are justified at Salvation and the work of Sanctification begins. As a brother said to me once: “People say you have to get your life together, well, I quit doing drugs, got off the street, have a job, quit drinking, I still gotta work on the smoking, but I’m a work in progress brother.” Feuerstien of course had to take a shot at Mineo, which is recorded above. GHFT wonders when Joshua became the judge and jury, and subsequent executioner? Who appointed him to be the Holy Spirit? Yes, we live set apart, but it is a work of sanctification by the spirit, not something we can bully others into doing, which is what Joshua does.
Feuestine’s theology and ideology do not allow for that progressive life change and so, abusively, he demands that all Christians live in some strange perfection, making sure they do not sin, not actually enjoying the freedom of the Gospel. This makes grace unattainable and destroys the young believer who keeps falling into sin. On the love-grace spectrum there is no love and there is no grace when it comes to Feuestien.
So stay away from The Radicals, avoid Facebook Church at all costs and encourage your friends away from Feuestien. We would never follow Westboro like these 1.5 million follow Joshua and his message is not dissimilar to theirs. The difference is the group targeted.
We also charge Joshua to respond, not to start some twitter war or made online debate, but to face his accusers and answer our complaints. If he can show us we are wrong then we will cease running these articles, if he cannot, they will continue. This is not a smear campaign, we believe even the worst of false teachers can be redeemed, that is what we wish, in the meantime, we should would be remiss if we did not warn you of the dangers of the teachings of Joshua Feuestien.
If you are wondering how we have the authority to make these assertions, remember we are called to judge a teaching and a teacher by their fruits. If the fruit does not line up with what Scripture and Church History tells us the fruit should be then we can discern that this is not something we should listen to or perpetuate.
