Paranormal Christian Media…No, It’s A Real Thing
By Keith Bradley, ThM, Pastor
We easily reference and understand terms such as the paranormal community, UFO community, Bigfoot community, or experiencer. Of course, we are all familiar with the various Podcasts, radio, and television programs that cover these topics and names such as Nick Redfern, Peter Levenda, Giorgio Tsoukalos, George Noory, and Richard Dolan are commonplace. But names such as Skywatch TV, Steve Quayle, Into the Multiverse, Tom Horn, L.A. Marzulli, or Michael Heiser are not as familiar. These names belong to alternative Christian media. Yes, alternative paranormal Christian media does exist. In this article, I intend to offer a short bio on several person or program and some comment on their work.
The word religion carries a lot of baggage. Some of this baggage is justifiable. While some of the baggage is uninformed bias. We label these folks as narrow-minded or myopic. And many times, they are narrow-minded. But if we simply write off these voices because of their religious beliefs we are the ones being myopic. It is my gut belief if we are going to move forward in our understanding of the paranormal not to mention the supernatural, we will have to join the scientific and the religious worlds. Being in both worlds, so to speak, I can see this already taking place. The “scientific” view is looking at a spiritual element in UFOs and the “religious” a material aspect to what was always seen as spiritual. The American physicist and astronomer wrote, “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries” I would change this by saying, “The theologians call to the scientists saying, ‘Thank the Lord you came’”.
Let’s talk about filters. We all view the world through filters. We create filters are by how we are raised, race, economic condition, nationality, life experiences, biology, and yes religion. These paranormal Christian pundits view everything through a Biblical filter. Every paranormal, supernatural, and cryptid encounter will be first seen in the light of what the Christian Bible may have to say on the subject. Albeit, making the Bible address some of these topics strain credibility. Also, because of their religious faith, they feel compelled to make followers of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, these attempts can be ham-fisted and not my style. These two things may might you tune out what they are saying. Don’t let it. There is an old saying, “Chew the meat and spit out the bones”. Even then there will be a lot of things you will not agree with. That is ok. I don’t agree 100% with anyone. I even disagree with myself from time to time.
Before I get into specific programs and people some general broad-brush observations. First, this group is politically conservative. In some cases, very conservative. Second, they are conservative religiously, identifying as Evangelical Protestants. Third, most if not all would consider themselves to view the Bible literally. Fourth, prophecy and end time events take center stage in their thinking. They see the world as we know it as coming to an end and many of the paranormal/supernatural occurrences are evidence of the truth of their belief. Fifth, the scholarship, science, and research could be better. However, this could be said about people on all side of these issues. Sixth, much of what the produces is in response or to refute “secular” paranormal assertions, especially the ancient alien theory. Seventh, most of their answers are speculative. This could be said about many dealing with the paranormal and supernatural. Eighth, they do not believe that earth has been visited by aliens from other planets. They favor a multidimensional approach. Finally, demons and the devil/Satan/Lucifer/fallen angels/Nephilim can be easy answer for everything. “I’m not saying it’s a demon but…It’s a demon”. Sound familiar? However, I am seeing more nuance in their answers. It could be improved upon. With all this being said let’s look at some of the players. What follows is a very short biography and does not include all the players. In addition, I am not endorsing their views, business, or ministries.
“SkyWatch TV is a non-profit television studio affiliated with Defender Films and Defender Publishing Crane, Missouri. The studio produces Christian programming that is aired on satellite television, local stations, Roku, and YouTube. All people highlighted in this article have appeared on SkyWatch TV. The channel is not overly “preachy”, but viewers need to remember it is Christian program. This is who they are and if your offended by this message don’t watch. However, I feel you will be missing some information to help in your understanding of the paranormal and supernatural. At time it seems that their programing is geared to sell books and DVDs. However, the same can be heard of C2C. Do not confuse SkyWatch TV with televangelists.
Tom Horn Dr. (h.c.)
Tom Horn is a television and radio personality, author and publisher. He is a retired Assembly of God pastor. Horn received an honorary doctorate in 2007 from professor Dr. I.D.E. Thomasof the California Pacific School of Theology, a non-accredited, non-denominational school known for holding conservative evangelical doctrine. It is somewhat unorthodox to refer to yourself as Doctor when receiving an honorary degree. Hornserves as the Chief Executive Officer of SkyWatch TV and is listed as the Principle in Defender Films and Defender Publishing LLC. He is the author of numerous books and article. I have read only one of his books Exo Vaticana, personally I was not over or underwhelmed. It seemed he had become a little obsessed with Vatican issues. I hope to read some of his other works so that I can get a feel for his writing and point of view.Horn has been a guest on various TV and radio programs including Coast to Coast.
Josh Peck is a private researcher of fringe topics and the host of Into the Multiverse on SkyWatchTV. He is the founder of The Sharpening Report and of Ministudy Ministry. Peck combines his research into quantum physics and the Bible to explain phenomena surrounding mysterious topics like UFOs and CERN. Peck is the author of a number of books including;Quantum Creation: Does the Supernatural Lurk in the Fourth Dimension?, Cherubim Chariots: Exploring the Extradimensional Hypothesis, Disclosure: Unveiling Our Role in the Secret War of the Ancients, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches. Josh has a high energy gregarious personality that makes him enjoyable to watch. I have not yet read any of Josh’s works but hope to do so soon. I am not qualified to review his scientific assertions. In my opinion his biblical stances are not extreme but would not be found in your typical church. The church is not conditioned to think on these topics.
Steve Quayle is a researcher and author of numerous books dealing with advanced ancient technology and civilizations. His documentary film production company Gensix Productions films the “True Legends The Series” in search of the Lost Cities and the giants of history who were the builders of the great megalithic structures of the ancient world. Steve has appeared on various late-night radio shows. He is right of conservativeand some would consider him a conspiracy theory proponent. Some of his theories include; Using advanced technology, the weather can be manipulated and cause extended periods of drought or storm, The Nazis didn’t lose World War II and built an empire under the ice, Giants, transhumanism, genetic manipulation in accordance with Bible prophecy and the end times. Quayle also runs a precious metal and emergency food storage company. Mr. Quayle’s interview style is a monolog that is a constant stream consciousness. At times it makes him extremely hard to follow as he jumps from thought to thought. To understand what he is saying is like looking at a Monet painting…from a distance. However, I enjoy listening to him even if he leaves me exhausted.
The following is taken from his website. “L. A. Marzulli is an author, lecturer and filmmaker. He has penned 12 books including The Nephilim Trilogy which made the CBA best sellers list. He received an honorary doctorate for the series from his mentor Dr. I. D. E. Thomas, who was the Provost at Pacific International University.…L. A. Marzulli teamed up with film producer Richard Shaw to create The Watchers series. There are now 11 installments in the series and Watchers 7: UFO Physical Evidence, won UFO Best Film and the Peoples Choice Awards, at the UFO Congress in 2014! …Marzulli has launched a new series, The Watchman Chronicles and his first independent film was released in March of 2017. The title of the series is In Their Own Words: UFOs are Real! This is a hard-hitting expose on the burgeoning UFO phenomena. The series is geared toward the skeptic as a wake-up call to what Marzulli calls: The Coming Great Deception….Marzulli is a frank super-naturalists who has lectured on the subjects of UFOs, The Nephilim, and ancient prophetic texts, presenting his exhaustive research at conferences and churches, as well as appearances and interviews on numerous national and international radio and television programs”. https://lamarzulli.net/about_lynn_marzulli.htm
M.A. and Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before attending UW-Madison, he earned an M.A. in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania (major fields, Ancient Syria-Palestine and Egyptology). Heiser is able to do translation work in a dozen ancient languages, among them Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Phoenician, Moabite, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He has also studied Akkadian and Sumerian independently. Dr. Heiser taught on the college level for twelve years before taking hiscurrent position as Academic Editor ancient languages with Logos Bible Software in Bellingham, WA. His main academic interests are in ancient languages and texts, biblical archaeology, ancient Near Eastern religions, Egyptology in general, textual criticism and ancient manuscript transmission, epigraphy, paleography, the history of the alphabet, biblical theology, and Intertestamental (Second Temple Period) Jewish writings, like 1 Enoch. He has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal, particularly the UFO phenomenon. Heiser has spoken out critically against proponents of ancient astronaut theories, especially Zechariah Sitchin. He is also the author of six nonfiction books and two fiction. My opinion of Dr. Heiser is very high. I have used his book Supernatural as a basis for a study in my church.