It”s been a quiet week at Firehouse. Marcus suddenly ran off to the airport in the middle of last week with a vague message about promotion. Then nothing. Church went on as usual, chaos and confusion, but no Marcus. He had something more important to do.
Today, someone sent me information about posts on Marcus’ Facebook from fans who saw him at a revival meeting in Florida. Turns out he’s been living it up in Florida with Rodney Howard Browne.
Browne is one of the most prolific false teachers in the hypercharismatic NAR circles.
He rose to fame in the mid-90’s by spreading his laughing “fire” at the demonic Brownsville Revival and Toronto Blessing. He was known for “imparting” a strange spiritual experience he called holy laughter. He likened it to drunkeness, and proclaimed himself the “Holy Ghost bartender”.
Browne is one of the most blasphemous and irreverent of the crowd he hangs out with. His services are often little more than him walking around the sanctuary, babbling in false “tongues” and pointing at people and commanding them to respond to the “fire”.
Browne is leading a leadership conference in Tampa this week and yesterday near the end of a session, he stopped in the front row and recognized Marcus as someone who defended him publicly when Browne was arrested in 2020 for violating a COVID curfew. He was impressed that Marcus also had not shut down his church, though at the time, his church was a few people gathering in his small apartment. He gave Marcus the mike.
Marcus spoke for about a minute, claiming that God provided money supernaturally for his building (it was donated to him) and now he was going to open a school with his school teacher mother (there are no permits to renovate the building after a year). He then capitalized on the Covid response mentioned by Browne and shouted for the crowd “We will not bow down”. Browne ended the moment, talking like a gangster, saying they would help him out.
You tube channel Revealing Truth made a video using rare footage of Browne which he borrowed from Phil Johnson’s video, that Browne had tried unsuccessfully to have removed by You tube. This is most likely because the footage is disgraceful. Below are several short clips taken from the Revealing Truth video
Hank Hanegraff, author of the book Counterfeit Revival, has examined Browne very thoroughly. Here is an excerpt from an article he wrote about Browne for the website equip.org.
The scene was surreal. It looked like a bomb had exploded. Bodies were strewn haphazardly throughout the auditorium. Some lay motionless on the ground. Others twitched spasmodically. Behind me a woman shrieked, “I’m hot! I’m hot!” In front of me a girl was shaking violently. A boy standing in the aisle chopped feverishly with his hands at some imaginary object. Next to him a man whirled round and round in a circle. All the while waves of sardonic laughter cascaded eerily throughout the sanctuary.
A boy staggered drunkenly across the platform and collapsed at the feet of a man who called himself the “Holy Ghost Bartender.” The “Bartender,” Rodney Howard-Browne, screamed, “Git him, Jesus! Git him! Git him! Git him!” Suddenly he spun around and commanded two muscle-bound men to rise. “These men,” he said, “are my ‘guardian angels.’” Then, as if on cue, he moved deliberately in my direction. What happened next was best described by a charismatic pastor, who was an eyewitness: “I witnessed a stalking [by] a barroom bully.”
When the Holy Ghost Bartender (who also refers to himself as the Holy Ghost Hitman) arrived at my seat, he began threatening to have me thrown out of the sanctuary. “I’m telling you right now,” he hissed, “you’ll drop dead if you prohibit what God is doing!”6 Dramatically he gestured toward the crowd and warned them that those like me, who would dare question that what he was doing was of God, had committed the unpardonable sin and would not be forgiven in this world or the next.
The following day he crowed, “The last time I had a confrontation like that…was…with a bunch of Mormons… you could see their spirit, y’know…just a really religious, pharisaical spirit, that’s what it is. Amen?…And I smelt it — y’know, I can smell them religious devils from about a hundred yards —- I could smell them blindfolded, man….You could see, last night we meant business.”7 He labeled his critics “idiots” and warned that they were about to experience either “riot or revival.”8
This phenomenon of “holy laughter” is more than just a disgraceful mockery of charlatans cashing in on Jesus name. It is truly demonic. The Hindu practice of Kundalini includes many spiritual/physical manifestations including glossolalia, uncontrolled body movements and yes, even uncontrollable laughter. Kundalini impartations are spread by using hands placed on the head or abdomen, supposedly to clear chakras to induce the full Kundalini “enlightenment” This clip from a video on You tube channel Grace Mercy and Peace Kundalini manifestations in the church compared with the occult
Browne is also known for conspiracy theory type sensationalism.
- In 2012 he said Ruth Bader Ginsburg should be shot for suggesting that Egypt model their constitution after another country. Link to article.
- He has also claimed to have cured Florida of the Zika virus
- He wishes he would have “beaten the crap” Former National Security Advisor John Bolton for disobeying Donald Trump
Browne may be known for laughing, but his disrespect for God will be no laughing matter when he stands before Him. Marcus didn’t tell anyone where he has been this week. Several of his followers posted on his Facebook posts that they had seen him on that video. Oops. Busted.
You would think Marcus would shout from the rooftops that he had been noticed by such a legendary revival preacher. Perhaps even Marcus knows, this guy is bad news. But does he care? Not really. Marcus is so desperate for unity- somebody please like me! He’s no doubt thrilled.
More info on Browne
- Apologetics Index Article on Browne
- The Holy Ghost Bartender- article from the Tampa Tribune
- The Counterfeit Revival article on Equip.com
- Revealing Truth’s video
- Phil Johnson’s video
- Article: Browne says Supreme Court Justice should be shot
- Newsweek article: I would have beaten the crap out of John Bolton
More about false signs and wonders and kundalini
- Holy Laughter, Yoga Kundalini article on Let’s Please God blog
- Kundalini Warning video
- Kundalini laughing yoga video