so here is my history:
My Grandfather stumbled across Shepherd's Chapel when I was about 11 or 12 years old (I'm 32 now). He started sending my parents some of Shepherd's Chapel's tapes and teachings. We started doing Bible studies at my Grandfather's house and his doctrines were heavily influenced by Arnold Murray's teachings. A couple of years later my Dad purchased a C-band Satellite (the big dish). I was able at that point to watch Pastor Murray anytime I wanted (they have a 24-7 channel). I got one of my best friends involved with the group as well and my brother studied with Shepherd's Chapel. I have been to 3 Passover meetings (annual meetings they hold usually in Branson, MO). I studied and believed in the doctrines of Shepherd's Chapel until around February of 2011. That would put me at about 20 years knowledge of their doctrines and teachings. God opened my eyes to the false teaches of that group and I go to a Reformed Baptist Church now.
I renounce Shepherd's Chapel as a heretical cult that is outside the scope of orthodox Christianity!
Here is a list of the heretical and unorthodox teachings of Shepherd's Chapel:
- They teach we existed before we where born in the flesh and there was a first earth age that we all lived in. (Zechariah 12:1 refutes preexistence)
- Satan rebelled in that first earth age and God destroyed it. (no scriptural support)
- The elect where chosen because they stood against Satan in the first earth age. (Romans 8 and 9, Ephesians 1 and 2 refutes this claim)
- Satan had literal sex with Eve and Cain was the offspring of Satan and Eve. (Genesis 4:1 refutes this claim)
- Cain's decedents are called Kenites. (no scriptural support)
- Kenites wrote the book of Esther. (no scriptural or historical support)
- Caucasians are the true descendants of the 10 lost tribes of Israel. (no scriptural or historical support)
- Anybody that believes in the Rapture will be deceived by the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:8 and Matt. 24:22 and John 10:28-29 refutes that Christians can be deceived by Antichrist or his system)
- The Antichrist is Satan himself and not a man. (2nd Thess. chapter 2 distinguishes between the man of sin and Satan)
- They teach Annihilationism. (Matt. 25:46, Rev. 14:9-11 and many others refutes this)
- They are unclear as to the Trinity and teach modalism (God uses three offices not that God is three persons). I've heard Pastor Murray say "a smart man doesn't discuss the Trinity". They leave it ambiguous, but Pastor Murray's teachings are clearly modalistic and thus heretical.
- Christians must uphold the kosher food laws (Romans 14:17, 1st Timothy 4:3-4, Mark 7:19 refutes this claim)
- We are in the end-times because in 1948 the good and bad figs returned and created the state of Israel. (This is dispensational stuff with a twist. They say the bad figs are Kenites. There is no scriptural support for this position)
- If your church doesn't teach who the Kenites are they are not a true church (they try to use Smyrna and Philadelphia from Revelation to try and prove that but there is no scriptural or exegetical support for their assertions).
- They teach there is a distinction between free will Christians and elect Christian. (absolutely no scriptural support for this position. Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 disproves this heresy)
Why is Shepherd's Chapel dangerous? Well as you can see there is no scriptural support for a first earth age that the elect where chosen in. To teach that you are elect because of something you did is heretical and against everything written in the New Testament. The doctrines they teach were not taught by Christ, Paul, or any of the Apostles. Their doctrines are not found in any early church writings and was never taught by the Christian church. Again there is no scriptural support for these aberrant doctrines. They deny the Trinity although they will say they don't. Ask one of his students if they believe that the one God has eternally existed as three co-equal, co-eternal persons. Shepherd's Chapel teaches a false gospel and false gospels cannot save!
As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:9 ESV)
Soli Deo Gloria!
