To be perfectly honest I had never heard of this name before until coming across a post on another blog. I followed the link from the blog post to a site that held the following two videos from youTube. One was this guy Gortner, and immediately next to it was a video from Todd Bentley. All I can say is that it gave me shivers watching the two together, especially because of the fact I still have close friends who refuse to accept that Bentley and his teachings are false, and the Lakeland debacle was not a revival from God Almighty.
I recommend you watch these two short videos and try to deny the obvious similarities, the only difference being as far as I can see, is that Gortner has decided to blow the whistle on himself for personal reasons, whilst Bentley desires the masquerade to continue.
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Hi all
I had also never heard about Marjoe until now. I did a bit more investigation after watching the 3 videos -(two here and one at Charismatic Chaos) and came up with this transcript of an interview with him. Please know upfront, that this site is an aethiest site, but it is a worthy read to see into the mind of this type of charlatan and to understand the tricks and mindset required to do what they do. http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/marjoe.htm
The 2 things I find most horrific is how easily too many people will be taken in when they hear the name of “Jesus” or “God” or “Holy Spirit” without any further thought or discernment; and the other thing is that although Marjoe shows remorse towards his audiences (in one of the videos), there is no remorse shown towards God as he has absolutely no belief in Him whatsoever and after the way he has been brought up by his parents especially his mother (most definitely not a Christian herself), that is the picture he has of God and of course it does not hold for him.
What has been made very clear here is that the other gospels that have been, and still are being, preached by so many of the churches, bring no Truth and eternal life, instead they bring lies and eternal death.
Another thing that has again been made very clear is Matthew 7:13-25
The Narrow Way
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Build on the Rock
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
He is the only Rock upon which we build our lives. No man or woman or following after any other, other than Jesus Christ, is to have any sway over us. If we are properly grounded in Christ, we will not be deceived.
Matthew 24:24
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Dear God have mercy
Wow that is just Gross! I don’t think I’m ever going to look at those telepreachers the same again-I’ve always thought that they must be crazy because I couldn’t imagine anyone being that evil… Sick sick sick…
Yes this man was something else. He was also in a movie or two in his day.
One of the many things that I was attuned to was the use of a false tongue in the services.
this is upsetting. i’ve been thinking about this for days. its one thing to write off the experiences people have with televangelists and evangelists inside these big arenas..but how much different is this from what we experience in the small churches. i’ve been slain in the spirit, and i would swear to the end that i was touched by the Lord. but now i’m not so sure.
i have to admire this guy for his honestly, but my faith is seriously shaken.
Hi Johnny,
I would like to guide you to this study on Spiritual Gifts which provides a clear biblical exposition of what they are, how they should be used and how they have and can be abused. I would encourage you to ask God to show you the truth as you read both parts of the study using your bible to test what is being taught.
http://www.gty.org.uk/Resources/Study+Guides/40-5100
You say that your faith is seriously shaken by this and forgive me if I have taken what you have said in the wrong context but I believe that if our faith is based on Jesus Christ and what he has done for us through his death and resurrection and not on experiences such as being “slain in the spirit” then we are like the wise man who built his house on the rock, which when the storms came did not fall because it was built on the rock, unlike the foolish man who built his house on the sand and when the storms came it fell, and great was its fall.
May God bless you.
If we are reaching out to God and looking to Him for our healing, etc.. and have faith in Him then it doesn’t matter who it is or what they are saying that matters.. what matters is our FAITH and who that FAITH is in!
Mat 9:22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
Mat 9:29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”
Mat 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Mar 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Mar 10:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Luk 7:50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Thank you April for your comment.
You commented that :-
In all the scriptures you gave Jesus was actually present, so the people could be sure that their faith was directed to Him.
Today however false teachers such as these can and do lead people away from the one true God so that their faith is placed in something or someone other than Him, hence the need to be discerning.
God bless you.
I totally agree with Andy. Whilst it is clear that God can reach people right in the midst of the most apostate and heretical cults in operation, with both spiritual and physical healing, we have to be fully aware of the times we are in, and the wolves in sheeps clothing that have been sent to lead us astray.
The Bible makes it clear in places such as 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, that the coming of the lawless one will be with many signs and wonders, but will not be under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. And these false signs will draw many professing Christians to fall away from the truth of the Word of God.
However when we look for Scriptural evidence of the authentic works of the Holy Spirit, there is little mention of miracles. Instead it becomes clear as in the teaching of Jesus in John chapter 15 & 16, that the Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, righteousness and judgement on the hearts of the unbeliever. And who brings testimony to Jesus Christ as Messiah, and draws the attention of all to Him alone.
When we hear ministers claiming to operate under the leading of the Holy Spirit, but draw attention to miracles, angels, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit Himself, but with little mention of sin, righteousness or the wrath of God, and the atoning work of Christ crucified; we must be on our highest guard!
The shocking thing about Marjoe Gortner is that the documentary about him came out in *1971* and won an Academy Award in 1972. We’re talking FORTY YEARS LATER and this stuff STILL goes on. (I’m never gonna forget the money spread out all over the bed in that film, *never*.) And, for the record, this stuff was happening years before that. My dad told me about evangelists shaking down the dirt-poor farmers of east central Oklahoma in the late 1940s (and how he found out that one was living high on the hog in California between preaching tours).
I’d love to think that evangelists have changed as a result of Gortner’s expose, but all that’s changed is the methods of shaking people down have gotten more broad-based. Now anyone can raise money with an Internet connection, a website and a video camera.
Of course, since I’ve left the faith, it really doesn’t matter. The so-called “church” has its priorities totally messed up and has little to do with what Jesus is alleged to have said. I’ll take my chances outside, thanks.
It is amazing to me how many people who profess to “believe” in Jesus, have never done any serious research on the topic. They do not know the derivation of the bible, the stories, what it means to be Jewish or a Rabbi (Jesus was ALWAYS Jewish as were his apostles and diciples – and he instructed them to only preach to Jews). They have not read the gospels that were omitted by the church. They do not know when the gospels were written, nor by whom. They don’t know that many of the bible stories predate Jesus – some by thousands of years, including resurection, healing, et al.
You are known as true believers. You use the word “faith” as a way to alleviate yourself from the hard work of attaining true knowledge. You do not even know who you worship or why – just have faith. You continue to be sold a bill of goods from your elders.
Best wishes to all and may your eyes be opened through your efforts. “I was blind all the time I was learning to see”. If you do not think that we are all steeped in ignorance, then my heart goes out to you, because there is no cure. You are a true believer.
Steve,
I don’t know your background or why you have commented as you have, but I assure you that the use of the word “faith” in this website has nothing to do with alleviating ourselves from attaining true knowledge at all. Quite the reverse actually, for it is only by faith in Christ that true knowledge can be attained at all.
Our faith in Christ as Messiah is established through His Word given in the Bible, as all sufficient knowledge for those who truly desire to follow Him. Through His knowledge imparted to us who believe, by His Word, we find the strengthening of His Holy Spirit indwelling us that we may be born again by the Spirit, and become spiritually new creatures in Him.
This path is a hard path to walk, and only those who God has chosen, and rescued from the effects of sin and death by the blood of Christ, are able to walk in it. It has nothing to do with our own strength and hard work in the flesh, but about trusting in the completed work of our Saviour on our behalf. It is only from this place of redemption that anyone can even begin to serve God, for it is impossible to please God without faith, which in itself is His gift to those He decides to save, and must be firmly secured upon the saving power of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also.
There is a natural desire in the heart of sinful man, which applies to us all, that we must somehow justify ourselves before God by our own works. But no matter how hard or sincere our efforts may be, they will always be as filthy rags before the Almighty, and the road they lead to will be eternal damnation. The only way to avoid this, according to the Bible, is to lay aside as rubbish all the efforts of our flesh to please God, and place our trust completely in the completed work of Jesus Christ on behalf of those who believe. In my opinion, and the opinion of this website as a whole, this is totally the truth on which we stand, and therefore will not even enter into debating the matter of Scriptural innerrancy, its sufficiency, or the power of Jesus Christ as Messiah, to save whomever He desires.
I have decided to let your comment stand to show that we have no fear of those who stand against our faith in Jesus Christ, but it stops right here. Our aim is to stand, fight and contend for the faith delivered once for all to the saints. This does not include allowing a platform for those who seek to undermine the very foundations of what we believe. Therefore I suggest you take your attitude elsewhere, to a place you may find more accommodating.
With all due respect, I ask any further comments on this thread to remain on the subject matter of the post itself. Any further replies related to this or the previous comment will be immediately deleted.
God bless,
John Dunning
I have followed Mr. Gortner’s doings since the early 70′s. He is such a strong and admirable man. To escape the hucksterism of religion and all its fairy tales is commendable. His parents abuse could not be more shameful. On a positive note he became a talented actor and speaker due to his early training. Those who call him a charlatan are blind to the brainwashing of children everyday in the name of faith. He was a victim, not a victimizer. Ask any priest what that means. They are good at violating children’s trust.
Joseph,
Thank you for your comment.
The short reply to your comment is that there are many people today who claim to be Christians, but they are not. Hence we see these so called “Christians” doing sinful things which are an abomination to a Holy God.
In respect of Mr Gortner I would say that the positive note is not that he went on to become an actor or speaker but that he listened to his conscience and acted on it to stop what he was doing. The same conscience that God has given to every human being to enable them to acknowledge His existence and to know right from wrong. (See Romans 1:18-20 )
as a Christian from New York, none of this is surprising at all. The general view of Televangelism, evangelists and tent revivals (and maybe charismatics in general) in New York is that most of it is more about money than Christ and that these guys are all con men. I know in smaller towns, people can take their Benny Hinn’s very seriously, but here, a guy like Hinn is viewed as a joke.
I see these guys doing things like faith healing, and constantly “healing” people that have a bum knee or a little bit of hearing loss, (or sometimes they’ll have them sit in those little canvas wheelchairs so they can “walk again” despite the fact that they is no wheelchair access to the stages) while people confined to real custom wheelchairs, or suffering from things like MS are kept in the back and prevented from getting close to Hinn. For me, that’s the clear sign of a con man. A true man of God, who thought that the Lord could heal through him, would be trying to heal the sickest of the sick, even if it didn’t always work.
I’ve also watched videos on youtube of some of these pastors, guys in smaller churches, particularly the ones in South and Central America that are disgusting. People are slain in the spirit, after the pastor blows into the mic or makes odd sounds amplified around the church and half the church falls down in convulsions. I don’t believe it’s demonic, like so many Christians do, but instead obvious mass hypnosis (so much so, that I think its as obvious as pro-wrestling being staged). and I believe that there is a special place in Hell for guys that use Christ and the Word of God to deceive people to make fast money. When Benny Hinn tells his audience that God will answer their financial prayers only if they include a $1000 “prayer seed”, that is just downright evil, especially when its a family thats struggling to send their kids to college.
but the ones that anger me the most are the ones that “heal” people who require constant medical attention. I’ve read horror stories of people who stopped medication or chemo after being “healed” at a Benny Hinn show only to die a short time later. Even if Hinn is an atheist with no belief in the soul or eternal damnation, I dont understand how a human being can do this to another human being.
I have to give Gortner a lot of credit for outing himself, and I see it as a strange kind of redemption in educating people to the tricks of the trade. I am also not surprised to find out he was an atheist, as I have long suspected about most of these guys.
but the bottom line is that these guys are successful because many Christians are more attracted to fire and brimstone and parlor tricks than the true words of Christ. Jesus had a wealth of lessons for us but unfortunately many people would rather be Slain in the spirit or be promised financial reward than learn what being a Christian is truly about.
I saw the movie when it first came out and again recently after becoming Pentecostal. I admire what he has done and would love to talk to him about questions I have. When I had the baptism of the Holy Spirit, no one taked in tongues around me or even touched me. I had been praying for it, and it happened. And my life drastically changed for the better. I know there are many “fake” preachers who are in it for the money. But I know from personal experience that some of it is real. By the way, I loved the movie.