A manual for church abuse
7 min read
Under Cover: The Promise of Protection Under His Authority, by John Bevere, was published in 2001. The book was a best seller and was translated in over twenty languages.
A dangerous book
The teachings from John Bevere's book, "Under Cover", are very dangerous because they exaggerate the role of church leaders in the lives of believers, even above God himself. This book's teachings turn the church leader into God, and make every word that the leader speaks be interpreted as a word from God. This is simply not true.
Church leaders sin regularly too. Some church leaders commit acts worse than those in the pews. No church leader should ever be put on a pedestal.
Not every individual in a church leadership position is appointed by God. They do not all have a sincere heart and good motives. With his book "Under Cover", John Bevere has made it very easy for any church leader to abuse church members. The book is a manual for church abuse.
The lie of protection
"Under Cover" promotes John Bevere’s teachings on authority, submission and spiritual coverings. The main goal of the book is to emphasize the importance of obedience to delegated authority and the supposed spiritual covering that this provides believers.
According to John Bevere's book, a believer who submits to and obeys their church’s spiritual authority figures will have guaranteed protection from God. Failure to submit to and obey the church’s spiritual authorities will bring a believer out from the spiritual covering provided by God. Once a believer moves out from their spiritual covering, they are exposed to judgments from God and demonic attacks.
Church leaders as God
The grave danger with this book is that it puts church leaders at the same level as God. To disobey a man or woman is now equivalent to disobeying God himself. Another serious danger with this book is that it tells readers to obey a church leader even if we know they are wrong.
According to John Bevere's book, to even question a leader's teachings or advice is rebellion against God himself, which results in God cursing you. This book leaves no room for the personal freedom to reason, learn, and grow together as a healthy church community.
John Bevere's book assumes that a church leader is always right just because of their title. This book is not a spiritually edifying book. It is a manual for spiritual abuse. "Under Cover" by John Bevere should be boycotted and removed from store shelves.
Any church leader can wield John Bevere's book to receive instant submission and obedience from entire church communities. It creates an unhealthy church environment where church members are in constant fear of not honouring or obeying their leader(s) enough.
Turning church into a dictatorship
John Bevere's book coerces church members into going above and beyond in order to treat their church leader like a king, often creating unhealthy competition.
"Under Cover" turns the local church into a dictatorship, with the leader at the top, seated on God’s throne, and the church members below, washing his feet.
Instead, Jesus showed us that he, God made flesh and King of Kings, lowered himself to wash the feet of his friends, the disciples. Jesus taught his disciples to follow this very example of leadership that he set for them.
Using fear to manipulate
John Bevere's book uses many Old Testament texts out of context to frighten readers into obeying John Bevere. However, the concept of having a leader as a spiritual covering is not found anywhere in the New Testament. John Bevere fails to mention that.
John Bevere supports many of his claims by using what he believes God is telling him personally. This is very dangerous because anyone can say that they heard God tell them something. We can't believe everyone who says that God spoke to them. That would be absurd and very dangerous.
John Bevere's book produces spiritual infants who will feel forced to depend on an authority figure in a church to show them the way. The more people feel the need to depend on a leader, the easier they can be controlled and abused.
Pastors as heavenly advocates
In "Under Cover", John Bevere is basically saying that to be successful in life, you need to find a pastor who is more popular with God than you are, so that he can be your heavenly advocate. John Bevere seems to suggest that a believer without a title can't hear from God by themselves, so they need to find a pastor who can, and then obey him. This is complete nonsense. This warped way of thinking is exactly what sets someone up for abuse by church leaders.
Jesus taught the exact opposite of what John Bevere is attempting to teach through his book. Jesus taught that we who believe in Jesus can hear from Jesus directly, not through a church leader.
How dare people like John Bevere think that they can snatch us out of Jesus’ hand and mislead us with books like "Under Cover".
No questions asked
The greatest fallacy of John Bevere's book, "Under Cover", is that it does not give you the right to question the author's claims because he is a spiritual authority. John Bevere treats his readers as simple and lowly peasants who must obey him and other church leaders at all costs.
Conclusion
John Bevere's book, "Under Cover", is a manual for spiritual abuse. Any church leader can pick it up, tell their congregation to read it, and then proceed to enslave them.
A book that exalts church leaders instead of Jesus should not be trusted. While John Bevere may use a lot of Old Testament passages to sell his point, he fails to look to Jesus and his teachings. One look at Jesus in the New Testament exposes John Bevere's entire book as false.
Always be careful with those who try to teach you something that they personally "received" from God. John Bevere is one of them. Don't fall for the lies that John Bevere is trying to sell you in his book, "Under Cover".