The “Covering” Heresy
Steve Wetzel
MTTU News
7/1/20078
If you are reading this article, you should be aware of the Flip Benham, Troy Newman, Randall Terry controversy. I have had difficulty identifying the root cause of the Benham attacks on Newman. Even finding the right grouping of words to identify it was hard to do. Is it spiritual authority or servant leadership or spiritual abuse – or even a cult? Finally, I searched the words “Covering Theology” – and found it.
John Bevere released a book called, ‘Under Cover’ stressing the importance of covering in the life of an individual believer. This is not a biblical teaching. We are to submit to authorities, both inside the Church and in the world, as long as what they ask us to do is not in conflict with God’s commands (1 John 2:1, 5:2). We are to obey the laws of the land (1 Pet. 2:13-16) “but as the servants of God” (1 Peter. 2:16). We are to submit to the authorities in the Church (Heb. 13:17), but they are also not to lord it over people (Mark 10:42-45), and we are to be Bereans (Acts. 17:11) and test what they teach (1 Thess. 5:21, 1 John 4:1, 1 Cor. 10:15), and reject them if they are heretics (Titus 3:10).
Here are three reviews/ warnings of the book Under Cover (the reviewers are not named, so credit cannot be given):
Again, Bevere is brainwashing Christians into not testing leadership in the churches so that false apostles, prophets and teachers may gain control of people and their money. This is a hallmark teaching of Third Wave heretics.
The message of this book is a very dangerous message for Christians. It promotes a very unhealthy view of how a believer is to submit to authority in the church. Very little actual Biblical support is used to support this message. Instead, John Bevere uses many personal experiences to build his support for the message of Under Cover. These examples have an emotional pull to them and can be very convincing to individuals. However, there is a great danger in this message. As believers, our covering is the Lord Jesus Christ. In his book, Mr. Bevere points people to look at their pastor as their covering. This is serious error and has the potential to shipwreck people’s faith. My recommendation would be to not read this book, or, if you are compelled to read it, be sure to balance the message of the book with what the scripture says.
This Undercover book is nothing but heresy. I read the Bait of Satan, it was a good book. Where did this come from? Page 147 shows without a doubt this false teaching. Bevere says that God “told him” that He (God) never intended for His people to get all they needed from His Word. And that we must have pastors tell us what to do. The veil was torn in two when Christ died on the cross, and we are not in the Old Testament where we have to have a priest go into the temple for us. We can all come boldly to the throne of Christ. Nowhere in the New Testament do pastors have any more authority than anyone else. … But in Americanized Christianity, the “pastor” has been put on a throne that the Word does not establish. Pastor means shepherd, and maybe John Bevere and others who hold pastors as little gods should read in Jeremiah and Isaiah what God said about shepherds who lead His people in to false teachings. Sadly, the people who followed the false shepherds were themselves destroyed. God did not spare them from their ignorance. We are all responsible for our own salvation, with fear and trembling. As a Pentecostal person, I am very disappointed with this book. It is heresy.
As with anything, a kernel of truth can be taken and reshaped and twisted so that it does not even resemble the original truth it was supposed to convey. Instead of the man being the head the woman, and Christ being the head of the man – the pastor has been injected between the man and Christ. Access to Christ is denied, and His role as Mediator now falls to a man – this case – his pastor. It is the bastardization of what a covering is supposed to be in God’s Word.
Flip Benham is a follower of this “covering” theology. Mr. Newman (and others) ran afoul of Benham because they rejected his supposed “covering” authority over them. If one rejects this supposed covering, you become anathema and an unbeliever. (This will vary depending on the ego and angst of the coverer.) You are viewed as worse than a heathen, and subjected to attacks. This is at the core of the Benham attacks on Troy Newman.
There is nothing new about Covering Theology. It is simply pride, power grabbing, and personal kingdom building – all rolled into one. The only thing that changes is the flavor. It just morphs into different shades so the Christian gullible will say, “Wow – that is new and exciting!”
Saints – nothing ever changes. Everything remains the same except the skin it wears. Child sacrifice became pro-choice. Personal kingdom building has become our modern day “covering.” Sin is sin, regardless of its title or the skin that it wears.
Beware of this heresy. Bad theology begets bad behavior.
Being forewarned, is being fore-armed.