Prophet James Goll's 'revealing' interpretation of Luke 7:44
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) prophet James Goll gave a teaching about Luke 7:44 that was very revealing -- but not in the way he intended.James Goll is the founder of God Encounters Ministries and author of more than 40 books, including The Seer. He's also one of the most influential prophets in NAR. He spoke on a panel with me earlier this month at the annual conference of the Religion News Association in Nashville, Tennessee.Goll's revealing teaching was featured on GODTV, as part of a Women on the Frontlines conference in Phoenix, Arizona, organized by Patricia King. It can be viewed here. In brief, Goll teaches that Luke 7:44 is a key revelation about the foundation of the church given by Jesus to one of his 12 disciples, Simon Peter, who would later become a key leader in the church. What is this key revelation given by Jesus to Simon Peter? It's that women should be given leadership roles in the church, including roles as preachers, pastors, and apostles. But there are some big problems with Goll's interpretation of Luke 7:44. Here are two.
Problem No. 1
Goll's interpretation of Luke 7:44 is terribly out of context. This verse has nothing to do with the church or leadership roles within it, as can be seen when one simply reads the surrounding text (Luke 7:36-50). It's about Jesus forgiving sins.The question of whether women should have leadership roles in the church is another discussion to be had, based on other passages of Scripture. But this particular verse has nothing to do with that question.It's curious that Goll would give an interpretation of Scripture that pays no regard to the context since he, himself, tells others that paying attention to the context is important. Here are his own words, found in Chapter 5 of his book The Seer:
"Search for proper exegesis and scriptural context. One of the most important issues concerning wisdom is our interpretation of Scriptures—or proper exegesis. Many times, 'prophetically gifted' people seem predominantly to take a type of loose symbolic interpretation of the Scriptures. Although there are different schools and methodologies of interpretation, we should look for the historical context from which the Scripture is speaking."
Given his own advice, how could Goll come to such an odd interpretation of this verse? Only through the NAR practice of "prophetic illumination." Prophetic illumination occurs when God gives a prophet supernatural insight into the correct interpretation and application of a specific passage of Scripture. It’s like a light going on—suddenly the church, through a prophet, develops an understanding of a specific verse that it did not have prior to that time. At least that's what NAR prophets claim they've been given the authority to do.In other words, we're expected to just accept Goll's interpretation because he claims to be a prophet.
Problem No. 2
If you thought Problem No. 1 is a big problem -- and it is -- wait until you see Problem No. 2. Goll's interpretation of Luke 7:44 is based on his understanding that Jesus was addressing Simon Peter, one of Jesus' 12 disciples. But--get this--Goll has the wrong Simon! The Simon mentioned in Luke 7:44 is a different Simon--not the fisherman turned disciple, but rather a Pharisee who invited Jesus to have a meal at his home. Yet Goll's interpretation of the verse--as being about church leadership--hinges on his understanding that Jesus was addressing the future church leader Simon Peter. Since Jesus was addressing a different individual, Goll's interpretation falls apart.These problems in Goll's interpretation explain why I think his teaching about Luke 7:44 is so revealing. It's reveals a woeful lack of ability to properly interpret Scripture. More importantly it raises a sobering question, would a true prophet of God interpret Scripture so poorly?--------Holly Pivec is the co-author of A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement and God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement. She has a master's degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University.