The Problems with Contemporary Charismatic Understandings of the "Bag of Magic Tricks Called 'The Prophetic'”

A famous book describing biblically and theologically legitimate understandings of prophecy, especially understood as 'speaking truth to power'. Note Brueggemann was not a charismatic, in case some were wondering.

Have you ever heard charismatic/Pentecostal speakers or leaders use the language of 'the prophetic'? A recent Facebook comment from a friend of mine, who has given me permission to discuss this idea on this blog, reads "The spiritual gifts come from Spirit in Christ not from a bag of magic tricks called 'the prophetic.'" This friend of mine is, in my opinion, absolutely right that charismatic language of 'the prophetic', like so many other things in charismatic theology and practice today, may have started out with appeals to the Bible, but has now morphed into something severely at odds with the teaching of the Bible. For those interested in this kind of thing, consider taking a look at another post of mine from May 2024 called 'Questionable Uses of Prophecy in the Contemporary Charismatic Movement'. That previous May 2024 post will be especially useful for those looking for a fuller definition of the nature and purpose of prophecy in the New Testament church. This post will cover different but related ground.

            I remember back in and around 2020-2021 many charismatic leaders asked their followers not to 'throw out the prophetic' in the wake of so many high-level charismatic 'prophets' incorrectly predicting that Trump would be re-elected at that time. I want to suggest in this post that throwing out this understanding of 'the prophetic' is exactly what Jesus would have us do, and instead return to what the Bible actually does and does not teach about the gift of prophecy in the New Covenant era. First of all, I need to state that I do wholeheartedly believe in and personally practice the gift of prophecy, I am not advocating the abandonment of this practice or of charismatic/Pentecostal expressions of Christianity. In fact, I am trying to do the exact opposite — the gift of prophecy, when understood and practiced in alignment with the teachings of the New Testament (see the May 2024 post), is an essential gift of God that is necessary for the health, growth and witness of the church in our era and all eras prior to the return of Jesus. But, as harsh as it may sound, many leading charismatic preachers, leaders and 'prophets' today advocate and practice prophecy in a manner that they themselves have invented and that is profoundly discordant with the teachings of the New Testament, and is indeed essentially a "bag of magic tricks" that serves to establish their position as hyper-anointed 'prophets' who can then have their way with their churches and congregants. In saying this, I am not saying that every single charismatic teacher or 'prophet' is an ungodly person, as that would be slander — there are people in these circles who are sincerely trying to obey God and serve his people. What I am saying is that this is more than a 'here and there' problem in the contemporary charismatic movement in North America — it is a deeply entrenched systemic problem within the movement that needs to be rooted out like a cancer. People don't need to be rooted out — all Christians are my brothers or sisters in Christ, but this kind of teaching and practice does need to be rooted out because it dishonours Christ, harms his people and oftentimes (not always) props up abusive, ungodly leaders.

            The whole concept of 'the prophetic' being used to predict and usher in 'God's anointed political leader of the hour', whether they be right-wing or left-wing, is a form of Christian nationalism which has no precedent in the teaching of the Bible, Old or New Testament. In fact, even though there are significant differences between the nature of prophecy in the Old and New Testaments, in the New Testament era I do think prophecy must still include a very strong element of 'speaking truth to power', as epitomized by the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and Jesus himself — how can a group of 'prophets' promoting a particular political leader and agenda speak 'truth to power' when this whole 'prophetic' endeavour is really an attempt to secure power for these so-called 'prophets'? Christian nationalism can't speak truth to power because it is itself power hungry. Although many will be quick to say the whole idea of 'speaking truth to power' is 'woke', I would challenge such people to find a better way of describing the role of the Hebrew prophets in the Old Testament. If the Bible is 'woke' it is more likely that your definition of 'woke' is incorrect than the other way around.

            But what do I even mean by 'the prophetic' as a "bag of magic tricks"? Well, the New Testament speaks of "the gift of prophecy". See for example, Romans 12:6 (NRSVUE) "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith". Paul is clear in his teaching on the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and elsewhere in the New Testament that these gifts: A. Come from the Holy Spirit, B. Are to be used in the context of the Christian community for the edification of that community unto fuller Christlikeness, and C. Are meant to glorify and exalt Christ and foster brotherly/sisterly love and diminish pride and the fallen human tendency to exalt the self. How does this compare to the host of teachings and practices often grouped under the banner of 'the prophetic' in today's charismatic movement in North America? Some of these practices (there are many others beyond this short list) are:

A. People telling you that 'God has given you a special anointing for... [fill in the blank]'. Some blanks include - church planting, 'kingdom business', pioneering leadership, influencing one of the 'seven mountains of culture', and so on and so forth. Note that the Bible nowhere discusses special individual 'anointings' as if they were some kind of mini superpower in a video game character. All Christians are indwelt and empowered by the Spirit and given certain spiritual gifts, but we do not have an infinite number of mini superpowers called 'anointings' given to us by 'the prophetic'. See also my blog post from July 2025 called 'Impartation, the Anointing and the Power of the Holy Spirit'.

B. Leaders 'prophetically' commanding certain things in culture or politics or in the world to be changed, or 'declaring' certain things into existence. Romans 4:17 refers to God accomplishing his own promises to humankind, it is not a statement that human beings can magically tell things to happen. I remember the infamous false prophet Kenneth Copeland stating "I execute judgment on you COVID19...", and presumably expecting his words to stop COVID in its tracks. In this way Copeland and other charismatic leaders are acting as if they have some kind of magical power, often called 'the prophetic', which in reality is an illusion of their own making with no referent in the teaching of the New Testament.

            One of my pastoral leaders and mentors in Vineyard Canada, when he read an early form of this blog post to check it for me before I posted it, pointed out that prophecy in the New Testament era originates within particular Christian communities, and it is not clear at all that these prophecies are ever intended for anyone outside of those very communities. The understanding of 'the prophetic' as some amorphous thing which allows special Christians to address massive geopolitical events on a global scale is again, a self-serving (and startlingly arrogant) invention of the North American charismatic movement. The Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament did at times address other nations with prophetic oracles, but that is not the role of Christ-followers in the New Covenant era. The gift of prophecy in the church is for the edification and encouragement of the church and sometimes outsiders who come into a church meeting (see the 1 Corinthians 14:20-25). It does not make a specially 'anointed prophet' today some sort of cosmic puppet master who can predict or command massive geopolitical events and trends.

C. Leaders creating whole 'prophetic storylines' or 'prophetic histories' for people other than themselves which often serve to enhance their own position and subdue other people under their influence by the commanding of loyalty to the 'prophetic storyline' or 'prophetic history'. IHOPKC and Mike Bickle are certainly the most infamous culprits here, but this practice is more widespread than only IHOPKC. I do believe that God speaks to people about his good plan for their lives, and I do believe that sometimes these revelations come to us through our Christian brothers and sisters, but leaders cross a dangerous line when they take it upon themselves to create an entire fictional world or narrative for their followers to base their entire lives on. This is prime territory for spiritual abuse and ungodly leaders' self-aggrandizement.

In closing, I would like to suggest that we do indeed throw these kinds of unbiblical practices often called 'the prophetic' out, and instead practice spiritual gifts with even more passion and fervour but in ways that are never separated from the person of Christ and how he wants us to treat other people (that is, with the dignity due human beings made in the image of God). The key to this is getting back to what the Bible actually does and does not teach regarding prophecy. Colossians 2:18-19 rings just as true now as it did then - "Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God" (NRSVUE).