LCG has a long history of focusing on "disaster" in order to prop up its doctrinal stances and to keep its members in a constant state of fear. Nothing makes for a better prophecy cover story than for some natural disaster or a man-made event that shocks the world. This is titillating stuff for the prophecy keepers of the church.
LCG also has a long history of delivering "fake news" when it comes to prophetic predictions, bible interpretations, and absurd proof-texting by the ministry. The end product is always a fake news story. No one needs to worry about fake news in the world when one's own church is filled to the brim with it!
I recently recorded a telecast titled “2022 in Bible Prophecy,” giving Bible-based predictions for the year ahead and elaborating on Ezekiel 7:26. That verse tells us that disaster upon disaster will come on the house of Israel, but there is another prediction in the verse: “and rumor will be upon rumor.”
It is easy to focus on the “disaster” part of the sentence and not consider the part about rumors. Was there ever a time when rumors were more prolific than they are in our day? Rumors thrive in times of instability, and social media is a rumor mill on steroids, spreading false information among countless millions. “Fake news” was a political slogan used against the news media, and not without justification, even though the man who made the mantra famous had his own problems propagating fake news. Conspiracy theories have been exacerbated by the politics of the pandemic. Foreign governments and unprincipled individuals routinely post made-up stories for the gullible on Facebook and Twitter, creating confusion and division. Our angry, divided world has become angrier and more divided as a result of the pandemic—all fueled by worldwide electronic media.
This is a challenge for us. As God’s elect, we must strive not to be taken in by rumors. We must not allow ourselves to become polarized over political issues. We must remain objective, not mind-made-up ideologues who take sides, favoring one worldly evil over another. Being convicted about the truth of Scripture is a good thing, but polarization over worldly issues creates an atmosphere where one rashly judges some individuals as evil and always wrong, and others as good and always right. If we do not remain objective, we may immediately latch onto reports that reflect our worldview and tune out those with which we disagree—one political party becomes good, the other bad.
No matter how sketchy the source, anti-vaxxers are quick to spread dubious reports on the evils of vaccines, while those in favor spread flowery reports promoting the jabs. Conspiracy theories thrive in this atmosphere, and objectivity is a casualty. In fact, every side deals in lies and fabrications. The same is true in discussions regarding gun rights, protests and riots, border policies, the efficacy of masking, and the lives of politicians and celebrities.
Sadly, this worldliness even seeps into the Church. Some members are little different from their neighbors in this regard. We all have our personal opinions, which is not inherently wrong, and I am happy to say that the overwhelming majority among us are fair-minded, accepting that a brother or sister in Christ may have a different opinion and still be our beloved brother or sister. Sadly, though, in our current atmosphere of division, some forget who is behind the anger, lies, and divisiveness (John 8:44). Truth really has fallen in our streets, just as the Bible foretold (Isaiah 59:14).
Some rumors seek to titillate, tempting us with juicy tidbits about people, and we are drawn to tales that bolster our world-view over someone else’s. Other rumors are based on fear or a lack of sound-mindedness. Paul’s statement to Timothy can be instructive: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We are to insulate ourselves with God’s Spirit against shadowy and outrageous conspiracy theories, such as those of QAnon. Those of us who have been around for many years have seen such conspiracies come and go—even among members of God’s Church.
