Book Review: "Counterfeit Kingdom"

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. Romans 16:17-18

Sometime within the last few years, I began to have reservations about the songs I was hearing on Christian radio. As I dove deeper into my Bible, into apologetics, and into theology, something didn’t sit right with me with what I was hearing sung by many popular Christian artists.

Many songs sounded great, were catchy, and easy to sing along to, but there was still something…off. I started listening to more hymns, scripture set to music, and Psalms. I started realizing why that music didn’t sound right–the theology wasn’t there. In a lot of cases, the Gospel was missing.

But I didn’t understand why. It didn’t make sense to me why the most popular songs on Christian radio weren’t quite right. It didn’t make sense why the songs I was hearing were off. But then I heard two authors presenting their book on the Alisa Childer’s Podcast, explaining the New Apostolic Reformation movement (NAR), and it all began to click. Despite releasing her own book around the same time, she told listeners that this book was one of the most important books they could read at this point. I ordered it.

Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett outline the New Apostolic Reformation in their book, Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church. They carefully explain who the leaders of this church are, what they believe and preach, and things to watch out for in our own churches, and in the music we chose to listen to. They explain that NAR isn’t something most Christians are aware of, even those most Christians have been exposed to NAR teachings–mostly through music.

The NAR movement started at Bethel Church in Redding, California. No doubt, you have heard about this church, and some of the things that have happened there. If you haven’t, you’ve heard some of their songs. Bethel Music is one of the leading Christian music producers. Others in this movement include Hillsong Worship, Jesus Culture, and even Elevation Worship–this is where I’ll lose people, but I encourage you to keep on reading!

This is where this gets controversial. Many churches sing songs by at least one of these groups. The songs are powerful, catchy, and move us emotionally. At one point or another, these songs have been sung on my lips and I’ve claimed some as favorite songs.

But, as the authors explain in chapter 8, “Music is a means of worship. Music reinforces beliefs. And music prepares us for action.” If we are going to sing these songs, and make them part of our worship to our Lord, shouldn’t they be theologically sound, and align with God’s Word? The authors go as far as to say that the songs we hear on the radio are the equivalent of yesterday’s catechism–this is what people understand to be the truth about Jesus and his Gospel. But what if the Gospel is missing from these very songs?

The authors go through various popular songs and explain how they aren’t quite right. They challenge readers to look up the lyrics to their favorite Christian songs, to take away the emotion from the music, and read the words to see if they align with the Gospel. It’s mind blowing to do this! No wonder I have found myself preferring hymns to contemporary music lately!

The authors do not just focus on the music this movement produces, but dives deeply into a host of issues that this church promotes. The music portion was my original interest in the topic and is what inspired me to read this book, but I am grateful for that opening because of the wealth of information provided aside from it!

Music is just one chapter of the book–the rest is filled with information on the church, the leaders, popular teachings of the church, movements the church has influenced, spiritual abuse, miracles, and deception-proofing yourself and your kids. They provide families with warnings on what to look out for, how to handle speaking about this with their children, and how to navigate relationships with those who are deeply invested in this movement. They advise looking at your own church, and give advice on how to speak with leadership if you do see something creeping in.

They are clear that they are not looking to start a war or conflict–they want people to be discerning, to use God’s Word as the standard for what is right and true. They recognize that many who participate in some way with this movement are “lovely, good-hearted genuine believers who have gotten caught up with faulty beliefs.” But, they are also clear that once they became aware of the dangerous movement, they could not be silent about it.

This book made me reconsider how I worship, and reminded me to always be discerning, especially as I am raising my own daughters. No doubt, it will do the same for you. I truly can’t recommend this book enough.

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