It’s no secret that the religious right has bowed down to Donald Trump. It’s also no secret that the nation’s so-called moral guardians have convinced many of their followers to join them in doing so, often by bullying them. After all, well over 70 percent of white evangelicals approve of Trump’s performance–more than double what the nation as a whole thinks of his performance.
On one hand, those staggering numbers are easy to explain. The religious right has convinced its followers that the opposition to Trump is being driven by witchcraft, demons, and the devil himself. Additionally, they’ve been told that opposing Trump amounts to opposing God’s plan for America–and therefore, joining it not only puts you at risk of getting “smacked” by God himself, but could put you and your family at risk for being cursed.
But how in the world could the likes of Rick Joyner, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Lance Wallnau, Franklin Graham, James Dobson, and Ralph Reed be so willing to throw their weight behind a guy who has cheated on two of this three wives, revels in degrading women, plastered a private cell phone number on social media, and mocks the disabled, among other things? As someone who has spent the better part of his adult life trying to understand what makes the fundie mind tick, I’ve been at a loss to understand.
Well, I may have found part of my answer. Last weekend, Wallnau invited a number of hypercharismatic business leaders to a “Destiny Weekend” retreat in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. At that gathering, Joyner revealed what he called a vision of the “prophetic meaning” behind Hurricane Irma. People for the American Way’s Right Wing Watch got a clip.
Joyner recalled a vision from Bob Jones, who was regarded as a prophet in the New Apostolic Reformation, an overtly fascist offshoot of the religious right that believes it can bring about the Second Coming by taking over the world. Wallnau and Joyner are considered heavy hitters in this movement as well. Joyner claimed that just before Jones’ death in 2014, he claimed to have received a visitation from two angels named Charles and Irma. The angel named Irma said that she had been charged with releasing women into “a higher purpose and a higher authority.”
Fast forward to this past weekend. Joyner recalled that he was watching the Weather Channel, and noticed that when Irma turned west–thus lessening the impact for Florida’s Atlantic coast–it began following the same path that Hurricane Charley took in 2005. He believed that there was “a message in these storms.” If there is anything even remotely related to women being released here, I’m not seeing it.
In this case, though, the messenger is more problematic than the message. Right Wing Watch dug into the archives to find a 2013 article that shed a rather alarming light on Jones. Just days after Joyner fawned over Jones and called him “one of the most remarkable prophetic voices” of modern times, the folks at Right Wing Watch stumbled on a recently published book by John MacArthur, “Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship.” He revealed that Jones had briefly been forced out of his post on the ministerial staff of Metro Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Kansas City after using bogus prophecies to gain the trust of women before sexually abusing them.
MacArthur has been a particularly harsh critic of the charismatic movement, and doesn’t believe that the gifts of the Spirit are legitimate. But it turns out that he was on to something. In 1991two female members of Metro Vineyard’s campus in Olathe, Kansas–across the Missouri River from Kansas City–claimed that he had used his gifts to manipulate them for his “personal desires.” According to an article that ran in The Olathe Times soon after the incident came to light, this behavior ultimately led to “sexual misconduct,” but not intercourse.
According to a 1993 article in Charisma magazine, Jones used his “prophetic anointing” to get the women to disrobe in front of him while they were in his office. While Metro Vineyard’s leadership held Jones and not the women responsible for the incident, no criminal charges were ever filed. Jones was ultimately allowed back into ministry, and was active almost until his death.
It would be one thing if this were a case of a minister having an affair. But having women strip in front of him? You can’t just come back from that after a period of “restoration.” Anyone who thinks you can do so has a seriously warped moral compass.
Now who does this remind you of? Oh, that’s right. The man currently in the White House is on record as saying that he can “grab ’em by the p*ssy” just because he’s a celebrity, among other instances in which he revels in degrading women. But just like Jones’ “prophetic anointing” was enough to let him back in ministry, Trump only had to make the right clucking noises on social issues to get the fundies to bow down to him.
I already had ample reason to be wary of Joyner. For instance, back in 2012, he and Jones actually laughed–yes, LAUGHED–about the destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy. As they saw it, the Northeast had it coming after legalizing marriage equality. But at the very least, he should have made it his business to know about this outrageous debauchery on Jones’ part.
Even if I were a Trump supporter, there is no way I would be able to overlook this. If you’re reading this and you’re a member of Joyner’s church, MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina, or its three affiliated churches, get out! You’re being led by a man who failed to protect you from a debauched jerk masquerading as a minister.
(featured image: screenshot courtesy YouTube)
