Responding Again to the Documentary, "Holy Ghost"

It was brought to my attention recently that filmmaker Darren Wilson, who created a blasphemous documentary entitled Holy Ghost, wrote a blog that seems to respond to the critical review I wrote of the film. Whether or not he had my review in mind, many others have made some of the same accusations that I first made, pointing out the film falls far short of presenting the truth of the Holy Spirit. It is false teaching.

Rather than listen to sage counsel, Wilson tries to explain himself be responding to three of the most common questions (criticisms?) about the movie. I present those questions below as well as my own response, once again warning everyone reading to stay away from this wretched documentary. If you haven't yet, please read my review by clicking here. Wilson's comments from his blog are indented in italics, and my response follows...

1. Why is the Gospel not presented in the film?
I find this one interesting, as it seems to me that a large portion of the Korn concert is given over to Todd White doing just that! He explains at length about the saving work of Jesus, the need to repent of your sins, and the need to have a relationship with Christ.

No, he doesn't. Todd White is a liar. At the same Korn concert, he talks to an atheist who says he has a bad back. White convinces the atheist that he's able to make one leg grow longer than the other to even his back out. They "show" this on camera. It's a gag, and White knows he's not actually making this guy's leg grow longer. He is not of God. He is of the devil (John 8:44), and the "gospel" he preaches is not leading anyone to eternal life.

Many people, it seems, prefer their gospel to focus on God's coming judgment and therefore want to push people to repentance right there on the spot. I much prefer to focus on God's love for people, and the offer He is making to save them from their sins and His desire for a relationship with them.

If that statement is not heresy, it is dangerously close. Wilson has drawn a distinct line between talking about God's judgment and talking about his love as if the two things are diametrically opposed to one another. Though Christ spoke heavily on the subject of God's righteous judgment, Wilson considers the topic one of God's "bad" qualities that we just shouldn't talk about.

What Wilson and the Holy Ghost team at large do not understand about the gospel is this: God is a good God, and as a good God, he cannot pardon sin. He is that holy and that righteous that blasphemy against his name, which is what we do every time we sin, cannot merely be pardoned. It must be paid for.

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ died on the cross and took the full wrath of God upon himself in our place. If we are in Christ and his Spirit dwells within us, we are righteous in the eyes of God. He doesn't avert his eyes at our filthy sin (Habakkuk 1:13), but rather looks at us with the same love that he loves his own Son. And instead of the death we deserve, we get to inherit his eternal life.

We are justified because of Christ. We are forgiven because of what Christ did in our place. And THAT'S THE GOSPEL!!! Oh, with all my heart, soul, and being, that's the gospel! If I could grab Wilson by the shirt collar and preach to his face until he understands it, I would. He just doesn't get it! And neither does anyone else in the film. They will drag people to hell before they ever care to end this stupidity and receive discipline and knowledge (Proverbs 12:1). God, bring them to repentance.

Wilson doesn't know what "save them from their sins" means. He thinks talking about God's love means avoiding anything that points to his judgment. But the Bible says that God showed his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us to save us from the wrath of God (Romans 5:8-9). If Wilson is not willing to share that, if he's deliberately against talking about anything related to God's judgment, then he's only sharing his own version of what he thinks love is. He's not sharing the gospel.

I prefer the let the Holy Spirit convict them of their sin (which is what the Bible says He will do, by the way), and am fully confident that He will do what He says He will do. I think many people don't trust God to do God-type things in people's lives and hearts, so they feel the need to do it all themselves. This, in my opinion, is a mistake.

Not only can I not convict a person of their sins, I go as far as preaching that a person on their own can't repent of their sins. It is God who grants repentance. Unlike Wilson's vague "what the Bible says" references, I'll quote chapter and verse on that (Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25). Wilson is making excuses for not having to know or share the gospel. That's all. And he shrugs it off by saying, "Oh, just trust God to do God-type things." Well God-type things would be to teach what Jesus commanded us to teach (Matthew 28:20).

2. It seems like Will Hart and Jamie Galloway in the Salt Lake City scene are just doing what mediums do, and it's all about the experience with no gospel message. Is that accurate?
I will agree that there is definitely a skew towards "experiencing" the Holy Spirit in the Salt Lake City portion of the film...

Like White, Hart and Galloway deliberately con people with goosebumps and cold readings and tell them it's the Holy Spirit. Whatever "gospel" they preach (Wilson assures us it happens though we don't see it on camera) is given under false pretenses. The ends do not justify the means -- which, ironically, is how a Mormon preaches. They will straight up lie to your face if it means you'll become a Mormon, just like Hart and Galloway do with Christianity.

I have also heard many people criticizing that we don't present the gospel in this section at all. Maybe they missed the four boys getting saved? Again, while it may not be on camera, it was certainly discussed with people, which is why those four boys prayed for salvation.

We've already established that Wilson and company don't know what the gospel is. The viewer has every reason to believe that those boys (whose faces were blurred out) didn't actually know what they were praying for, and at least in the context of the documentary, they are not saved.

3. How can Brian "Head" Welch call himself a Christian and be a member of Korn at the same time?Okay, so this seems to be the big one. There are a few things going on here, so let me deal with them individually the best I can.

Uh huh...

Regardless, it's a great question, and one that I have posed to Brian directly. While you may not agree with the answer, hopefully it will help ease your mind a bit. The first thing to note, especially if you are not a fan of Korn's music or that style of music, is the music they make is not Satanic. While it is true that a few of their songs glorify things that are truly dark and horrific, Brian and Fieldy have both stated that they will not play those songs onstage anymore, and the band has acquiesced.

Meanwhile, lead singer Jonathan Davis is singing from a custom-made microphone stand of a nude woman. How disgusting that Wilson is defending this. And yes, Korn is satanic. Not meaning that they openly worship Satan or wear pentagrams and conduct ritual sacrifices. Their music is godless with vulgar and violent lyrics containing multiple drug, suicide, and demonic references. I'm just basing this on their newest record. I'm not considering anything older than that.

Brian and Fieldy are the only Christians in the band. The others are decidedly not believers, especially the lead singer, who is the one who writes all the lyrics.

Oh, THAT MAKES IT OKAY!

That being said, this is the culture that Brian and Fieldy came out of, this is their 'tribe' so to speak, and them playing these songs -- the ones about pain, struggles, and anger (which, honestly, is found in many of the Psalms) -- is simply them relating to the ones they are trying to reach with the gospel.

That was so blasphemous, I can't even begin to explain. In every single Psalm of pain and anguish, the psalmist is crying out to the Lord. Korn is godless. Wilson is so utterly careless with how he handles scripture, I fear for his soul if he doesn't stop this and repent. And Brian and Fieldy did not come "out of" that culture. They're still in it.

The other point to note is, what is the alternative? Would you prefer there to be no Christian in the band at all? Is it worth it for the kids who are getting saved at every show for Brian and Fieldy to be a part of this band? For you, maybe not. For the kids getting saved, absolutely.

Wilson is attempting to defend his movie by appealing to his own human-based logic, and even then, his logic is inconsistent. Earlier he said, "Many people don't trust God to do God-type things in people's minds and hearts, so they feel they need to do it all themselves." Now he's trying to convince the reader that Brian Welch and Fieldy need to be in Korn in order for God to do God-type things.

There is no "Christian presence" in the band, and kids are not getting saved at every show. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles (Matthew 7:16)? What fellowship does light have with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Scripture says to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Wilson cannot give one scriptural reference to justify two supposed Christians in a satanic band.

The alternative is that the entire band repents, they confess that their music has been demonic this entire time, they encourage everyone to stay away from it, and they leave it all behind and follow Christ. Yes, Brian and Fieldy, too, who have yet to repent. If the whole band doesn't repent, they should still leave it. Today. Right now.

My prayer is that the Body of Christ will stop judging them and stop throwing dirt at them, and instead start lifting them up in prayer so the Holy Spirit might do even more in and through them!

The Bible says to judge anyone who bears the name of brother and yet continues in sin (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). The natural person -- Wilson, White, Hart, Galloway, and the band members of Korn among them -- does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. (1 Corinthians 2:14-15)

Speaking to the crew of Holy Ghost, repent, you guys. Destroy the remaining copies of your film and count it all as loss. You have no idea the souls you're destroying with what you're doing.

EDIT
Our church has been blocked from the Holy Ghost Facebook page. Other members from our congregation have also been blocked for linking to this blog. They're now forced to have to see Holy Ghost ads in their feed, but are unable to comment on or respond to them.