American Gospel: Spirit & Fire

About Brandon Kimber’s Documentaries

7 min readFeb 1, 2023

An extended trailer for the newest American Gospel documentary, American Gospel: Spirit and Fire, is available to view today.

Why I’m Beyond Excited for This Production

The documentary will be examining the New Apostolic Reformation.

This was the movement/ brand of Christianity I was in for most of my life. I read the books, I sat in the classes, I paid for the conferences…

But it was like a switch got flipped in 2021.

I began having questions and feeling uncomfortable with teachings I was hearing in my church.

I began allowing myself to hear the critiques of the movement. I began revisiting scripture that I thought I knew and reading it in its context.

I took a break from church. I began comparing what was being said in the name of God to the actual Word of God, the Bible.

And ultimately, I decided that I could not in good conscience continue in my New Apostolic Reformation- brand church. I imagined trying to stay there, because I loved the community. I had to ask myself the tough question: Would you want to invite a friend here, if you knew they would learn what you’ve learned over the past 10 years immersed in these teachings? The answer was, No.

I remember explaining to others why I left my church; I felt like I had been the proverbial frog in the water pot who doesn’t realize that the temperature is rising until it’s too late.

Thank God for His grace! It is never too late to get out of a boiling pot if God pulls you out.

The Documentary’s Main Point

The movement this documentary & its conversations examine is influencing many Christians. It is a worthwhile conversation for all believers to engage with and be aware of.

Even if you’ve never heard a Bill Johnson sermon, put hope in a modern prophet’s word, or purchased tickets to a Bethel Music concert- chances are good that people you know have. If it hasn’t come to your doorstep yet, it will.

I hope American Gospel: Spirit & Fire can help people to look critically & BIBLICALLY at the phenomenon of new apostles, new prophets, revivalism, new age practices, over-realized eschatology, and the hyper-Charismatic expressions of faith that are promoted through the movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation.

I can say that the previous American Gospel documentaries have been very helpful resources for me in the past, and I recommend them.

A Balanced Conversation

It is especially cool (though I’m sure many would call it uncool) to see folks like Randy Clark and Michael Brown conversing with the critics and appearing in the film to speak from their perspective.

Why do I say it’s a cool thing? I think the movie will avoid “straw-man” arguments by bringing them in to join the conversation, and I think it will invite those who are in the movement to finally feel comfortable listening to the critique of their beliefs.

It is a frightening reality that some prominent teachers in this movement will promote the idea that if you listen to critics, you are doing actual damage to your faith. You will lose progress and put yourself in danger of losing your breakthrough if you allow the words of critics to reach your ears.

The well-known faith healer and evangelist, Todd White, was given a copy of the previous American Gospel film, American Gospel: Christ Alone, and he told an audience of Christians that he had refused to watch it. He explained that he “shredded the DVD” as well as a letter from Pastor Costi Hinn that was delivered to him by a friend.

He called the film “demonically inspired”, though he made it clear that he did not watch it. He also reported that he thanked his friend for allowing him to strengthen his faith, apparently by way of refusing to listen to his critics and suffering persecution in his knowledge that he was in the documentary.

In another instance, speaking from a stage, White accused the producers of the film of not reaching out to him for his input before critiquing his teachings and accused the filmmaker of attempting to be God’s police and demonstrating a lack of love, akin to the sin of racism.

The documentarian, Brandon Kimber, released images of his correspondence with Todd White’s ministry, Lifestyle Christianity, wherein he explained his intention to create a documentary and requested an interview with White in 2017. Kimber explained his intention to critique White and his desire to portray him fairly.

The interview request was denied. Kimber posted images of these emails on his Twitter on Aug 2, 2020 in order to clear the air, after White publicly accused him of releasing the film without contacting him.

(I have provided links at the end of this article where you can see these incidents as they occurred.)

Scripture Is The Plumb Line

Unlike Todd White, I have watched the films. I can say that overall, I have seen the documentary-maker emphasize the truth, that despite all of our cultural/ American ideas about religion- there is no such thing as an “American Gospel”, there is simply, the Gospel.

The critique of White and others is not a personal one. Instead, it is a comparison of popular Christian teachings and methods to the things outlined in Scripture. The film which Todd White refused to watch, American Gospel: Christ Alone, simply posed the question:

Are these popular teachers giving people the Gospel, or are they giving them the Gospel Plus? And therein was the content of the film- what was being added to the Gospel by popular American preachers, and was it supported in Scripture, or not?

The Gospel is to be understood by study and consideration of the texts of Scripture, the most certain word of prophecy that all believers have, according to 2 Peter 1.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:16–21

The Apostles of Christ had the awesome privilege of seeing and hearing Jesus in the flesh and observing His glory with their eyes.

Our Work As Christians

The work of a church so many years removed from Christ in the flesh is to look past our historical, cultural context to get at the heart of the message of Jesus. Peter clearly states that the way we do this is with a clear understanding of the Scriptures.

I hope that this understanding that Scripture is our True North in all things Christianity will compel Christians to continue to dialog and love one another, despite our differences.

I hope it will compel us to study the scriptures and stop imposing our preferences, ideas, and experiences into their meaning.

I hope it will compel us to listen to our critics, when it is the Scriptures they are using as a measure. It is to our benefit to evaluate all things and to be evaluated through the perfect plumb line of God’s Word.

It does not weaken our faith to hear the Scriptures tested against our brand of Christianity. Likewise, it does not strengthen our faith to ignore when the Scriptures are used to test our brand of Christianity.

The truth is, none of our brands of Christianity are going to be what we see in the end. In the end, when the consummation of all things is complete, we will see Christ. The complete and glorified Christ and the full understanding of what His Word was trying to teach us all along.

Until He has returned in His glory, our work as Christians is to love Him, to love one another, and to embrace His Word as our guide for life and godliness.

In my opinion, the American Gospel films are done in love. It might feel harsh when your theology is being put under fire, but it is the fire of the refining flame of Scripture.

Let the Scripture refine you and your theological outlook. It is the only way that we have, until Christ returns and we see Him in His glory as His Apostles did.

God bless you.