Arnold Murray is the founder and pastor of Shepherd’s Chapel, a Christian church with a worldwide television and radio outreach based in Gravette, Arkansas. He teaches many doctrines that are controversial and considered unbiblical by mainstream Christian churches. This article will examine some of Murray’s core teachings and compare them with what the Bible says.
Serpent Seed Doctrine
One of the most controversial teachings of Arnold Murray is the “Serpent Seed” doctrine. This is the teaching that Eve had sexual relations with Satan in the Garden of Eden and bore Cain as a result. Murray bases this doctrine on his interpretation of Genesis 3:13-15, where God is cursing the serpent and says “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.”
According to Murray, this verse proves that Satan had “seed” (offspring) with Eve that was in enmity with the seed (offspring) Eve had with Adam. Murray identifies the “seed of the serpent” as Cain and his descendants, in contrast to the “seed of Adam” which began with Abel.
However, this doctrine is not supported by Scripture. Genesis 4:1 states clearly that Cain was the biological son of Adam and Eve: “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”” Jesus also confirms Cain’s parentage in Matthew 23:35, identifying him as the “son of Adam.”
Furthermore, the Hebrew words translated “seed” can refer to offspring but also have a wider usage, often referring to descendants or people groups. There is no need to interpret Genesis 3:15 as referring to literal offspring of Satan. The verse is stating that there will be ongoing conflict between Satan and humanity, without making any statement about biology.
For these reasons, the vast majority of Christians reject the Serpent Seed teaching as an erroneous doctrine that contradicts Scripture. The Bible nowhere states or implies that Eve had sexual relations with Satan or that Cain was conceived by anyone other than Adam and Eve.
Soul Sleep
Arnold Murray teaches a doctrine known as “soul sleep.” This is the teaching that when people die, their soul goes into an unconscious state of sleep until the time of the resurrection. Murray rejects the mainstream Christian teaching that believers go immediately into the presence of God at death.
He bases this doctrine primarily on verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, which states that when Christ returns, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Murray interprets this to mean that the dead are not conscious now but will regain consciousness at the resurrection.
However, there are significant biblical reasons to reject the doctrine of soul sleep. First, Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This indicates conscious existence with Christ immediately after death, not an unconscious sleep.
Secondly, the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 shows awareness after death, not soul sleep. The rich man is tormented in Hades while Lazarus is comforted in “Abraham’s bosom.”
Finally, Philippians 1:23 expresses the apostle Paul’s desire to depart and “be with Christ,” indicating he expected to have conscious fellowship with Jesus immediately upon death, not after rising from an unconscious state.
While Murray denies the immortality of the soul, the Bible distinguishes between body and spirit and presents death as the separation of the two (James 2:26). Nowhere does Scripture teach that the spirit enters an unconscious sleep state. The doctrine of soul sleep is not biblically supported.
Pre-Adamic Races
Arnold Murray teaches that God created races of human-like beings before he created Adam and Eve. He bases this doctrine on his belief that the earth is millions of years old and gap theory interpretations of Genesis 1.
According to Murray, God originally created and destroyed the earth and several pre-Adamic races lived during those previous times. Adam was eventually created around 4000 BC as the ancestor of the Adamic race that God chose to use to bring forth the Messiah.
However, the Bible nowhere mentions or hints at the existence of pre-Adamic races. Genesis 1 provides an overview of all creation, stating that God made mankind, male and female, in His image, and this occurred at the end of the creation week (Genesis 1:26-31). The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 trace all human ancestry back to Adam.
While there are debates over the age of the earth and the length of the creation days, Scripture simply does not allow for gaps of millions of years within the creation week during which pre-Adamic races could have existed. The doctrine of pre-Adamic races is pure speculation without biblical support.
Denial of the Trinity
In alignment with other groups that hold to a modalist view of God, Arnold Murray denies the Trinity – the doctrine that God exists eternally as three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Murray teaches that God merely manifests Himself in three modes or offices: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This view teaches that the three Persons of God are not distinct but all the same Person displaying different roles, similar to an actor playing different parts.
However, this view contradicts the clear biblical teaching that the Persons of the Trinity relate to each other personally and ontologically. Jesus prays to the Father (John 17:1), the Father knows and honors the Son (John 8:54, 5:23), and the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ (John 16:14). These activities only make sense if the Persons are separate.
Furthermore, all three Persons are present at Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21-22) and during the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Their coexistence requires their distinction. The doctrine of the Trinity arises from clear biblical revelation, not outside philosophical ideas as Murray claims.
By denying the eternal distinction between the Persons of the Trinity, Shepherd’s Chapel aligns itself with cult groups like Oneness Pentecostals rather than the historic orthodox Christian faith expressed in Scripture and early creeds.
God Is Not All-Knowing
Arnold Murray’s teachings diminish God’s omniscience by claiming that God does not fully know the future. Murray believes that while God can accurately predict the future, He does not predestine all things, allowing mankind free will to thwart His plans.
However, Scripture presents a God who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10) and “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).
God’s ability to predict the future is rooted in His status as the One who purposefully directs all things. Prophecies such as Cyrus being named over a century before his birth (Isaiah 44:28) confirm God’s complete knowledge and intentional control of all future events.
Murray’s denial of God’s full omniscience creates logical problems and is contrary to the biblical presentation of an all-knowing God who “known from eternity” what would occur in human history (Acts 15:18). Limiting God’s knowledge limits His glory and trustworthiness.
Denial of Hell
Consistent with other universalist groups, Shepherd’s Chapel teaches that hell does not exist as a place of eternal punishment for the unsaved. Murray instead believes that unsaved souls will be annihilated and cease to exist after physical death.
However, this doctrine contradicts the repeated biblical warnings about the eternal consequences of rejecting Christ. Jesus spoke about the eternal nature of hell more than anyone, comparing it to “unquenchable fire” and describing it as a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mark 9:43-48).
Revelation 14:11 also contradicts annihilationism, stating that the wicked suffer eternally: “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night.” Annihilation would provide rest, not eternal torment. Hell is presented as eternal conscious punishment of the unsaved, not their cessation of being.
By denying the biblical doctrine of an eternal hell, Murray rejects the justice of God and the incentive for unbelievers to repent. Scripture repeatedly presents hell as a literal place of torment that lasts forever, not temporary annihilation.
Salvation by Works
While Murray claims to believe salvation is by grace through faith, in reality, Shepherd’s Chapel combines grace and works for salvation in unbiblical ways. For example, Murray teaches that believers must successfully endure to the end of their physical life to be saved.
Murray believes that while Jesus’ sacrifice provides for the forgiveness of past sins, believers must perfectly keep God’s laws to have future sins forgiven and earn final salvation. This dependence on law-keeping amounts to salvation by works, contrary to Scripture (Galatians 2:21).
The Bible makes it clear that salvation is not based on our works but on Christ’s finished work on the cross (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9). Believers are called to obey out of gratitude and dependence on the Spirit, not to earn or maintain salvation.
Murray’s emphasis on working to keep one’s salvation is not the gospel of grace presented in Scripture. Salvation is a free gift of God received by faith, not something we earn by our efforts.
Replacement Theology
In alignment with some Covenant Theology perspectives, Arnold Murray espouses a Replacement Theology view that the Church has completely replaced national Israel in God’s plan. He denies that any Old Testament prophecies about Israel’s restoration still apply to ethnic Jews.
However, the New Testament affirms the ongoing election of Israel (Romans 11:28-29). The partial hardening and stumble of Israel has allowed Gentiles to be included in salvation, but this is intended to provoke Israel to jealousy so that Jews will still come to faith in Jesus in the future (Romans 11:11-12, 25-32).
Paul sees this as a great mystery that confirms God’s faithfulness. The church has not completely replaced Israel or nullified God’s promises to restore the Jewish people both spiritually and to their land, which Murray denies.
Murray’s perspective ignores key passages about Israel’s future redemption and the timing of events like the rapture in relation to this redemptive process (Matthew 24:34, Romans 11:25-27). A more balanced biblical theology affirms God still has future purposes for ethnic Israel.
Racist Teachings
Controversially, Arnold Murray has made comments over the years with racist implications and ethnic stereotypes. For example, he has referred to African Americans as “beasts in the field.”
Murray defends himself by claiming he is merely paraphrasing verses like Ecclesiastes 3:18, but his interpretive approach is troubling. Christians should reject any perspective that demeans races created in God’s image.
Murray also believes Anglo-Saxons are direct descendants of the Israelites and have a special status in God’s plan. This form of British Israelitism has been used to promote troubling racist ideologies. Christians should avoid any theology that exalts one racial group.
While Murray claims his goal is inclusion of all races, his remarks at times reflect harmful prejudicial attitudes that should be denounced. Christians are called to value and honor people of all ethnic backgrounds equally.
Other Concerns
There are a few additional teachings and behaviors that raise concerns about Murray’s biblical orthodoxy:
- He has made many end times predictions that have proven false.
- His denial of passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-15 undermines biblical authority.
- His church structure lacks accountability with him as the sole authority.
In summary, while Shepherd’s Chapel claims to teach the Bible faithfully, many of its doctrines deviate from orthodox Christianity and biblical revelation. Christians should exercise caution regarding Arnold Murray’s teachings.
Conclusion
After analyzing his teachings and approach to Scripture using the Bible as the ultimate authority, there are definite reasons for Christians to be wary of Arnold Murray and Shepherd’s Chapel.
Several of their key doctrines contradict clear biblical revelation and align more with fringe groups outside mainstream Christianity. Their interpretations at times reflect a questionable approach to the Bible that undermines biblical authority.
This does not necessarily mean everything Murray teaches is wrong or that those attending Shepherd’s Chapel are not saved. However, Christians should exercise discernment and compare Murray’s claims carefully against Scripture to determine their validity and relevance for their own spiritual growth.
Overall, Murray’s teachings push the boundaries of biblical orthodoxy at key points and should be approached with caution by discerning Bible students. The safest path forward for all Christians is to stay grounded in the Scriptures over any man’s interpretations.
