Throughout my years, I have unfortunately witnessed countless religious groups with distorted beliefs and cult-like tendencies arise as ferocious attack dogs, intent on ripping apart the very body of Christ. These self-proclaimed prophets of apostasy often come in many forms, yet they always prey upon the same innocent targets. On one end of the spectrum, we have the radical, far-left liberal watchdogs, such as Julie Roys and the New Evangelicals, whose sole mission is to “be obsessively scouring through John MacArthur’s every last possession”expose” John MacArthur for holding to conservative, biblical views. On the opposite side, we find the legalistic watchdogs, exemplified by such people as Servetus Christi, who cowardly attack the Church from behind. But, never before have I encountered such a vile and treacherous cult, as the one that has recently emerged under the name New Protestant.

The New Protestant cult is a group of people who are setting themselves up as challengers to the historical and biblical beliefs and practices of evangelical Protestantism. According to their manifesto posted on their website, this group, similar to the Pelagian heretics, rejects the teaching that salvation is based solely on faith and instead argues that strict obedience to God’s law is a necessary prerequisite for salvation. They also reject the doctrine of eternal security and believe that a person’s salvation is conditioned upon their behavior. This group also rejects the idea of penal substitution, which is a cornerstone of evangelical and Protestant theology.

New Protestant is a group that appears to be dominated by a handful of contributors who share the same family name, further demonstrating the group’s cult-like structure, where a small group of people exerts a significant amount of control and influence over the group’s activities and beliefs. The team of New Protestant contributors includes Scott Jarrett, Andrew Bales, Kasey Bales, Josh Collier, Luke Kuenning, Josiah Bales, Lina Bales, Andy Kuenning, and Ryan Stinnett.

The New Protestants claim to align themselves with Judah Maccabee, a historical figure who led the Maccabbean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire’s forced Hellenization and oppression of Jewish religion and culture. However, their declaration seems to be more of an attempt to legitimize their radical and extreme beliefs rather than a genuine connection to history. Frankly, The New Pelagian “Protestants” bear more of a resemblance to the swine that would desecrate the Temple anew by their trampling pearls on the altar of God, said one commenter on this publication, than they do to Judah Maccabee, who was cleansing the Temple from the presence of the Unholy. The Maccabees would be horrified to even think of being associated with the “New Protestants.”

The New Protestants’ main objection to biblical Christianity and Evangelical Protestantism appears to be with the doctrine of penal substitution, or the penal substitutionary atonement. In one article on their website, the author claims that Christ did not suffer the punishment for our sins, attempting to refute the historic orthodox understanding of Galatians 3:10-14The Bible teaches that Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross and that His sacrifice was the only way for us to be reconciled with God. This is confirmed throughout the New Testament, including John 3:16, which states that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In addition, Romans 5:8 tells us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The New Protestants’ interpretation of Galatians 3:10-14 is deeply flawed and easily refuted. The passage is not about the mechanism of Christ’s death but rather about the fact that the law cannot justify us before God. The passage explains that we are all under a curse because we cannot fully obey the law, but Christ redeemed us from that curse by becoming a curse for us. This does not mean that Christ only fulfilled a technicality of the law, but rather that He took upon Himself the curse that we deserved for our disobedience to the law. The passage also teaches that we are justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the law. Therefore, the New Protestants’ interpretation of Galatians 3:10-14 is not in line with orthodox, biblical Christianity.

Despite their deeply aberrant theology and cult-like tendencies, their focus appears to be on tearing down John MacArthur, his church, and anyone associated with him. After showing up to the Shepherds’ Conference earlier this year to litter the grounds with propaganda promoting their false gospel, one cult member published a vile and disgusting attack against Grace Church elder, Phil Johnson, calling him names and demanding that he participate in a showdown to prove that his (Johnson’s) gospel is “false.”

“For those of you that haven’t seen,” Andrew Bales says in the video, “Philly Johnson over at Grace Community Church is still obsessed with us. So, Phil, this goes out to you. We’ve tried to be nice and diplomatic. We’ve tried to say, let’s go to Scripture, figure out the truth.”

“And you’ve taken that to be a sign of our weakness and ignorance. We want you to understand neither of those things are true. We’re neither weak nor ignorant. And as a matter of fact, we have some very strong words just for you, Phil.”

Arguing that Phil Johnson has “no idea” what he’s talking about, Bales continues his diatribe, “So if that’s the only defense you have, you obviously haven’t read your Bible, don’t know what you’re talking about, and we want you out here all the more. Second, if all you got are misinterpretations of a few verses, if you’re that stupid, and if your position is what you’re preaching, that lame little sermon of yours, then please come out.”

He then demands that Phil, being “pathetic,” should “Come out here like a man for a real cross-examination, on camera, so the world can see when we destroy every argument you have, leaving you exposed without answer. Come out for a real discussion so everyone can see when we mop the floor with you and send you huffing and puffin back home with your tail between your legs.”

Here’s my advice to anyone who comes into contact with them: the Bible is very clear on how to handle such foolish people. “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself,” it tells us in Proverbs 26:4. Satan’s mission is to destroy the gospel, an impossible task, by attacking it from every deceitful angle that he can. And the more you engage with these people, the more you legitimize them. Don’t take the bait, mark them and avoid them.