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How do I help my daughter see that her evangelical pastor isn’t the prophet he claims to be?

Catholic Answers Staff

Question:

I’m worried about my daughter. She left the Catholic Church and goes to this "Bible believing church." Her pastor says he’s a prophet. He’s always saying,"God told me to do this" or "God told me to do that." Then he asks his congregation to foot the bill for his projects, many of which never get finished. I think he’s doing a lot of harm and is going to make lots of people unhappy. How can I get my daughter to see through this baloney?

Answer:

Just because someone claims to be guided by the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean he is. Sometimes people in extreme Pentecostal churches say God told them to do something when they really mean they feel like doing it or they think God wants them to do it.

Ask you daughter why, if her pastor gets such clear messages from the Holy Spirit, anyone needs the Bible. After all, if the Spirit ordinarily speaks so directly and clearly through her pastor, why should she waste time looking in the Bible for answers?

Also, be sure to keep track of these alleged prophecies and messages from the Holy Spirit. Over time you’ll see a certain amount of vacillation: God supposedly saying one thing now, something completely different later on. You’ll also see how some projects are begun as “what God wants to do with his people right now,” only to peter out when the enthusiasm (and funds) drop off.

Your daughter needs to be reminded that these prophesied events haven’t come to pass. Then have her read Deuteronomy 18:22 and come to her own conclusions about this alleged prophet.

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