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Jeffress Defends Endorsement of Paula White’s Book, But Admits He Hasn’t Read it “Word for Word” or Researched Her Theology

By Julie Roys

Prominent Southern Baptist Preacher, Robert Jeffress, is defending his decision to endorse a book by controversial preacher, Paula White, saying her book does not promote “prosperity gospel.” However, when pressed about whether he’s certain that there’s nothing in White’s book that supports prosperity gospel, Jeffress said: “My schedule is so busy, I can’t read every book word for word. But what I did see was really her autobiographical account of her past and how God redeemed her life.”

Jeffress and several other prominent evangelicals—including Jack Graham, Ralph Reed, Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, and Jerry Falwell Jr.—are facing criticism for endorsing White’s new book, Something Greater. All the evangelical leaders who endorsed White’s book, except Franklin Graham, sit on Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, which White chairs. Franklin Graham and Greg Laurie have since removed their tweets endorsing White’s book.

Jeffress told me in an interview yesterday that White describes her theology as “Reformed” and “100-percent Trinitarian.” He added that she “denounces some of the theological error that has been attributed to her.”

Yet when I asked Jeffress if he’s sure that White’s theology is orthodox, and that she is not a proponent of the prosperity gospel, Jeffress said, “All I can say is she claims not to be.” I asked Jeffress whether he’s investigated what White teaches for himself and he answered, “No, no . . . I’m too busy in my own ministry to launch an investigation.”

White has been accused of denying the Trinity due to a nine-year-old video where she agrees with  an interviewer that Jesus Christ is not the only begotten son of God, but just the “firstfruit.”

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In 2016, White publicly denied that she believes in the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God rewards those who have faith with physical health and wealth. However, as the Gospel Coalition notes, White says in an appeal for money at her website: “I Prophetically Decree and Declare Deliverance & Prosperity are Yours in 2019. This is the Year YOU Inherit YOUR Promised Land!” White adds:

With obedience to this first-fruits instruction and your faith, I believe your purpose, your year, your prosperity, and power will release blessing upon your entire year! Amen! And I declare the weight you have been carrying is lifted, let every yoke break off you NOW. For I decree you are about to INHERIT your Promised Land! 2019 is a year of deliverance and prosperity for you. It begins right now with the biblical principle of First Fruits.

She also has been married three times and was the target of a Senate investigation into her finances, for which she refused to provide full information. One of her former churches, Without Walls International Church, filed for bankruptcy in 2014 despite receiving $150 million from 2004-2006 (the only financial information from the church made public).

I asked Jeffress what he thought of the Senate investigation and White’s former church going bankrupt. “You are the investigative reporter,” he said. “You know a lot more than I know about it. I was not even aware of that.”

Something Greater is currently ranked #1 in three categories on Amazon—Christian Self Help, Christian Spiritual Growth, and Christian Inspirational.

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20 Responses

  1. Endorsement

    (v) an act of giving one’s public approval or support to someone or something.

    Acts 20:28a “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers”

    These pastors need to WAKE UP. Do they not believe the warning of Jesus and Paul about false teachers and deception in the church? They have lost connection with the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. They allow false gospels and prophets to confuse their flock not scrutinizing errant worship and popular teachings.

    Not only should they investigate THEY SHOULD REBUKE false teaching publicly!

    Titus 1:9 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

    Titus 1:13 Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.

    These are the Bible’s warnings to pastors who do not do their diligence.

    James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be JUDGED with greater strictness.

    Revelation 3: 1-3 “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

    Shame on any pastor for attacking Julie who is calling you to account.

    Friends in Christ, avoid any teacher who is promoting false teaching and not rebuking it. READ YOUR BIBLE. Be a Berean. Test everything because Matthew 24 says “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

  2. I have always tended to wonder whether many of the famous people endorsing books had actually read the books that they were endorsing. This seems very unlikely given their very busy schedules. It would be wise for people to be more careful with book endorsements particularly when core Christian beliefs are involved.

  3. It may turn out that neither Robert Jeffress, nor Paula White actually read the book.

    It is a scandal and dirty secret. But all too often our big name pastors endorse other people’s books, in a “tit for tat” for those other people returning the favor.

    The other dirty secret is that the big name pastor whose name appears on the cover, often wrote little if any of the book bearing his name. Might not have even read it. Or at best skimmed it. The book is credited to the big name author because more people are likely to buy it. Hence it is more profitable to the organization and to the publishers.

    Another scam is that sometimes a pastor A of church A, will have the church buy bunches of copies of a book by pastor B of church B as part of some special study by the membership. Meanwhile, guess whose book past B has church B buy? Yep, you guessed it.

    Judgement Day is going to be VERY interesting, when that which is done in secret….

  4. I have been very respectful of Dr. Jeffress, i watch his church sometime live on line, and sometimes view his replays. I have a couple of his books too.
    But this exposure hinders my further acceptance of his statements without a little bit of doubt. Too bad for him because he otherwise has much good material to share.

  5. Has Pastor Jeffress commented on our President’s recent use of crude language in public rallies in Minnesota or Louisiana? Why do pastors seem to suddenly lose all spiritual discernment when cozying up to anyone with political power?

  6. Very sad commentary on Robert Jeffress. We are to know those who labor among us. He cannot protect his flock or the church of our Lord from wolves because he is too busy? Very sad indeed.

  7. Makes more sense based on what I see at times him saying on Fox news. A question about the teaching of Paul White is easily found. Monday to Friday (if not seven days a week) she is on “Christian” TV speaking what she speaks which is a formula of how to control life which in turn requires a control of God. Does this mean many of things he talks about in general he really has done little investigation to know?

  8. Having to admit that you haven’t read the whole book is possibly the worst admission you could make! If you had read the book and deemed it biblical but didn’t know her history then that could possibly be excused. This admission brings to mind the question: how much of your other work is sloppy or misguided or un-biblical?

  9. This reminds me of the certification Boeing’s 737 Max. People put faith on engineers, pilots, government agencies, etc, BELIEVING the aircraft was SAFE to fly. 347 passengers/crew members lost their lives, and 1 rescue diver on the Lion Air crash recovery process. Endorsing a book, with possible controversial/heretical content, due to a controversial and possible heretic, without reading it completely, and examining through the lens of Scripture, sure speaks of lack of discernment from the endorser. And his excuse? “I was too lazy to really take my time to examine it….and endorsed it anyways.” So, we, the unsuspecting readers, are supposed to purchase the book first, before we find out what’s in it? Does the book come with a “guaranteed returned money”?.
    Now, I was saved during a “Summer Harvest Crusade” by Greg Laurie, back in 1991. According with Roys’ article, Greg has “un_Tweeted” her, but does he still sit at Trump’s Evangelical Board?…with the author of the book?
    I’ve donated to Greg’s ministry, but I need to get in touch with the ministry and find out what are they going to do next.
    Thanks Julie for the update.
    Be Blessed in Him!
    In Defense of the Faith,
    Uve
    (Jude 3)

  10. As the days and nights unfold for the Kurds and the “hell” they are living in, one wonders where President Trump’s Advisory team is? Silent for sure.

  11. These celebrities are all about leveraging the name and authority of God in order to increase their own fame which increases their annual intake of Mammon. God’s actual Kingdom has nothing at all to do with any of that. You cannot find it in a book written by a celebrity snake, endorsed by other celebrities who are just as corrupt. You will find it in the life of simple people who have had their own lives radically changed for the better by meeting and following Jesus. Few will write books (I have) and the ones, like me, who have, no one reads them. We are like lemmings following those who have one of the dark triad of personality traits (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy.) There is plenty of evidence both of these celebrities have NPD. Such as these possess the character traits of Satan and not Jesus Christ.

  12. At best most people who endorse books have maybe skimmed them. Many don’t even do that. Authors, publishing houses, agents, etc. will solicit endorsements from well-known people in a field and it’s sort of a scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours type of thing. Many of them share the same publishers, agents, friends, etc. and it’s just part of the publishing game to offer an endorsement if asked. Some are paid in some way for endorsements as well. There are honest endorsers out there but in my experience, not many.

  13. The church has been hijacked by greedy business people masquerading as pastors, bible teachers, and I dare say Christians. It’s really distressing to me and so many other Christ-followers. I can’t say that I’m surprised that any of those listed would endorse Paula White.

  14. I bet he only endorsed it because Paula was Trump’s advisor and even prayed at his inaugural. And Jeffress is a huge supporter of Trump. It is all very sad. I thought better of him.

  15. The guy is a total wimp and talks like one! He uses that good ol’e boy Gomer Pile act to disarm the flock ti gain fame money and all the worlds good!

    2 John condemns practices of endorsing wolves with false doctrines!

    The judgment is equal to that of the wolf !

    John says anyone that even gives Godspeed to these frauds are a partaker of their EVIL DEEDS!

    That says it all

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