ANATOMY OF A WEBSITE
CHARLATAN SPOTTING MADE EASY!
In previous blogs, I drew some much needed attention to rising star - and charlatan - faith healer, Billy Burke. I had also mentioned that taking a look at someone's website could reveal a lot of red flags for heresy. In this article, we're going to look at Billy Burke's website, as it is a perfect example of how to spot a charlatan heretic. You may reasonably ask why I'm picking so much on Burke; do I have some sort of axe to grind? Well, yes, and I'll tell you why. I have seen firsthand how this man deludes and deceives his followers, and I consider him rather dangerous. His star is rapidly rising among charismatics, and it should be thoroughly doused before he damages any more vulnerable souls.
His website is practically a textbook guide to heresy, so let's see what we can learn from it. First of all, it looks like a virtual shrine to himself. I don't see much that glorifies God, but I do see a lot of glorification of self, with pictures like those here:
Like I've said, in other posts, who's getting the glory? At any rate, his self-aggrandizement is the least of the disturbing elements of his page. The next thing one might notice is the ads for where he'll be "ministering." One large banner enthuses about his upcoming return to the Hawaiian Islands! How nice. You might think someone with the gift of healing would visit places like Haiti, where there is no shortage of impoverished and diseased folk, but Billy Burke prefers to offer his miraculous gifts in much more luxurious settings.
The next banner you see let's you know who he associates with. If you can judge a man by the company he keeps - and you can, this speaks volumes.
Just look at who he's partnering with here; Bill Winston and Jesse DuPlantis, both Word of Faith and Prosperity heretics, and none other than then virtual "Pope" of Word of Faith deceivers, Kenneth Copeland! In my previous blog, Learn To Discern, I go into much greater detail about the Word of Faith movement, and the many heresies these people teach. You can read some of that here
The next thing you might notice is his itinerary. He has a pretty routine schedule of flying back and forth between posh hotel banquet rooms in Toronto and Tampa...and of course, that impoverished, disease ridden place known as Maui.
Strange how his busy traveling schedule never seems to find time for visits to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, etc. But it's not that strange after all, because he has no ability to actually heal anyone, unless you consider relieving backaches, headaches and other discomforts highly susceptible to hypnosis to be miracles of apostolic import.
Next, you might notice his ad for "healing music," with the following claim: "The healing power of anointed music is irrefutable.
Some songs release the presence of God, while some songs release
the presence and the power of God."
Hmmm.....I won't deny that music can have power to soothe and comfort but I would say that it's power to heal is not an irrefutable fact. But of course, you can buy the anointed music in his merchandise section.
Next, you might notice his prayer and ministry section, where one link is entitled, Five Hindrances To Answered Prayer. Items two through four are not too troubling, but item one is a huge red flag for Word of Faith heresy, "The prayer is not spoken." So, if there were any truth to that - and there's not, a mute person would have a very big problem communicating with God. This idea is so offensive, it actually makes me angry. It reflects the typical Word of Faith blasphemies that our God is limited, that He can't act unless someone down here speaks something out loud, which both commands and permits God to act. I'm sorry, Word of Faithers, but God is not limited by anything. He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows the prayers of a mute person just as well as those that might be shouted through a bullhorn.
Next item of interest is his section on communion, where he has a few interesting things to say. He says Jesus knew that people would need something tangible to connect them to physical, emotional and mental healing. Okay, Jesus can do all of those things but the disturbing part is that Burke is saying that taking communion is some sort of ritual that "opens a door to your miracle." I've heard him teach that in person many times. And of course, he sells communion sets on his site. Such a surprise.
The next item is where he offers anointed prayer clothes, as many charlatan faith healers are prone to do. But let's look at the claims he makes regarding them, and consider them in the light of scripture:
The anointing of the Holy Spirit can be transferred to a piece of cloth or any tangible object.
Okay, I do know where he's getting this idea from in scripture, but it bears some examination. Yes, there is an account in the book of Acts where items belonging to Peter were brought to the sick and they were healed, but nothing in scripture indicates that this is something that would always happen. Also, this brings up the fact that Peter was an Apostle, and the Apostles were given specific gifts that set them apart as Apostles. No one today meets the biblical requirements for Apostleship and therefore, we can reasonably question the notion that anyone today carries that kind of anointing. You can read an in-depth discussion of these topics, plus my personal encounters with Billy Burke here:
The next item we'll look at is his Statement of Faith. Anyone interested in discernment needs to know right up front that virtually anyone can make their statement of faith look legit. No one wants to advertise the fact that they are heretics, so we have to look for red flags, and Burke's definitely has a few. The first big one would be his implication about divine healing being provided in the atonement. It's not. The Hebrew word that often gets translated as healed, more accurately refers to being made whole spiritually, and thus, by His stripes we are healed does not mean what the faith healers want you to think it means. He also covers the fact that most of his own so-called healings look like non-events by stating that sometimes healing is gradual, or sometimes God heals through doctors and medications. There is some truth in those statements, but when Jesus and the Apostles healed, the healings were instantaneous, obvious, and required no graduality or medication.
Next, he claims that the Bible endorses prosperity for believers; another red flag for health and wealth nonsense. The Bible teaches no such thing. God may bless some folks materially but His Word has more warnings against seeking wealth than it has positive statements about it.
The next major problem on his website is his Mission Statement and it's disconnect with his actual practice. He claims it is his mission to bring the message of salvation to the world, but in actual fact, he definitely does not do this. I've done the research on this one, been to many of his services and watched many online; never heard the gospel preached, not even once! His services are all about his own self-glorification and his alleged ability to perform miracles, which I saw no evidence of being real.
Also telling is what he calls his so-called church; The Miracle Center World Outreach. I know I may be biased, but if I were starting a church, I would make sure it's name had at least something to do with God, Jesus, the Gospel. Miracles in scripture served to point people to the gospel, but Burke has it the other way around. Also disturbing is his tagline, Bringing Healing To The Nations...Again, a real church would emphasise bringing the gospel to the nations. Healing may or may not be a by-product of that, but it should never be the main focus.
There's a very real reason why the gospel is not the focus with people like Burke. The gospel he promotes is secondary to self-promotion and phony signs and wonders. His is the Word of Faith gospel, where Christ is not preeminent, but rather a genie in a bottle waiting to serve us at our command. In my previous blog, Learn To Discern, I go into great detail about why Word of Faith is a false gospel and the specifics of what they believe. You can read the whole series here:
If I were to cover every reason why Billy Burke's website demonstrates his status as a bona-fide heretic, this article could go on forever. This has just been an overview of things to look for when checking a person out. From his shameless self-promotion to his sale of anointed merchandise, his site exposes him as someone who cares little for the gospel, and is more concerned with making people think he's something special. As I like to say, when checking out anyone, try to get a feel for where their focus is. If it's anything other than Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation, be afraid. Be very afraid.
