References are numbered in the article and given at the bottom of the page.

A Brief History

On the 08 May 2006 Monica Dennington set up her YouTube account under the name of Tictoc Ministries. Her account states "A video-on-demand webcast that is focused on God's word as revealed in the Holy Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ. These videos are from Jesus Freaks, people sold out and obedient to their Commander, Jesus Christ." [1] Since the launch of her web based ministry the numbers of subscribers has grown.

Who is Monica Dennington?

There is little information about Monica Dennington. What we do know is that Monica is a song writer who comes under the contemporary Christian music category. Her web statement states “As both a Christian music artist and women's speaker, Monica Dennington delivers God's word with a direct, no holds barred approach.” [2]

Monica claims that she is in love with Jesus Christ, I do not doubt her sincerity but Monica is sincerely wrong, if you want to know what Monica believes, you can check out her Statement of Faith on her website, view her lyrics, or watch the video about Tic Toc Ministries. Monica states “she puts her faith into action.” [3]

When looking at Monica’s web casts we must test her claims to see whether or not what she is teaching coincides with the Word of God, especially in light of Monica’s statement about her “putting her faith into action” in everything.

What Monica Dennington teaches?

Having watched a number of her teaching videos I have found what she is teaching is adding to and taking from God’s word. This web page is to explore and examine what she actually teaches. Monica falls foul of following scriptures, Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Monica has gained growing interest from both her critics and supporters. When examining her teachings I have found many inconsistencies and doctrines that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

Monica Denington’s teachings examined.

The role of women in the church.

In her 25 min video entitled (“women in the church the contradiction”)

This shows her resentment toward the scriptures that define what those roles are and Monica pushes a feminist ideology. Monica starts off her teaching by reading John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Here Monica is clearly in no position to teach anyone, she makes 2 John 1:6 into a perversion. Through emotional manipulation, Monica stipulates that when we seek truth we have to obey whatever truth we find. Then by misquoting James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves," Monica is implying that if you do not see everything from her point of view then she is not willing to hear the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul.

One thing most people in Monica’s position are good at is mind games. What she is also committing, In the Video, is the very thing that she is accusing others of. She goes on “when we are wrong we are going to have to admit to something that we were really proud that we knew any place that we would have to crucify our flesh, were not going to see it because we have already decided in our hearts even when we may not admit this to ourselves in our minds we have already decided in our hearts that there are things we won’t do for God, we have to go in with an understanding, somewhere along the line we are going to have to be corrected and humble ourselves, and we will have to make sacrifices that we really did not want to make.” Question is will Monica do the same?.

I have attempted to contact Monica as have others only for her to reject my comments, in fact she has not even responded to the issues that I had raised concerning her teachings. In this particular video “Women in the church the contradiction” she quotes from the new age Gnostic’s, Westcott and Hort, NIV version of the Bible [5] quoting 1 Tim 2:11 – 5 and 1 Cor 14:33 Monica says “if you’re a woman minister of the Gospel these are the 2 verses you wish you did not have to deal with”.

Monica is wrong, there are actually a number of references, such as (KJV) 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 9, Genesis 3:16, Gods order and headship Romans 9:20, Revelation 2:20 in 2 Timothy 2:1-3 the command was given to men not women, 1 Peter 3 is another Chapter in the Bible that gives clear instruction and a commandment concerning the role of women in marriage, the wife is always told to be giving in marriage and refuse not your husbands, to be above all obedient to them, as men are under subjection to Christ and 1 Cor. 11:2-3 “Keep the teachings just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (means a rule authority or source, there is no mention of church offices of pastor, or even elders here).

In the video (8:24 on youtube) Monica misquotes the account concerning Miriam in Exodus 15:20, Micah 6:4. In Micah it states that Miriam was in fact leading the women not the men. In Exodus 15:20 it says that “Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and and with dances.” There is no mention of men in being led by Miriam it was the women. Micah 6:4 does not say that Miriam had led the whole of Israel, Miriam was with her brothers Moses and Aaron. Exodus 15:20 makes it very clear that the prophetess Miriam had only led the women of Israel who sang the song of Moses this was her only function as well as being the example to the women in the nation of Israel, God had used Moses as the law giver and had Authority over Israel, Aaron was appointed to pray and watch over the people of Israel.

It is very clear by Monica’s interpretation of this story, that not only is Monica Dennington Biblically ignorant but she is also misusing and twisting the scriptures. The scripture concerning Miriam does not teach, neither does it suggest that Miriam had any authority over any man much less the entire nation. Scripture does not even suggest that women can be in positions of authority over men on spiritual matters, this is purely deceitful and it would appear that Monica Dennington is adding her own words to scripture.

In the video (at 9:14) Monica makes mention of the name Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22 – 28) which are quoted out of context. 2 Kings 22:13 says that they went to her, Huldah had just communicated what God had spoken to her she did not expound on the scriptures, which was the duty of the high priest. Huldah did not teach, Huldah simply did not have such authority over the King. The King did not seek Huldah to see what Huldah had to say about any scriptures, in the text it talks about the events that had occurred. The King had recognised that what Huldah said was from God, the king submitted himself to God’s commands, this did not show any indication that the King was in submission to Huldah, Huldah was simply a prophetess, she was there to give messages.

In the Video (10:48) Monica makes mention of Deborah in Judges 4:4 – 10 and Judges 5: 31. She reads Judges 4:4 – 10 and mentions that Deborah was the Leader of Israel. She then refers to Judges 5:31, stating that Deborah had authority over men. Thus she totally tears apart the references in the Bible mentioned earlier on (see: Judges 4:4 and 5:31 in Judges 4:4) this was a governmental issue, if you read the scripture it also says “the wife of Lapidoth;” this reference was not designed to justify women in positions of authority over men to the point where in Judges women expounded the scriptures in order to instruct the men in spiritual matters.

The reason why God raised up this woman was because the men did not obey God and it was a judgement on Israel. God’s raising up of this woman in governmental authority was to show his displeasure of their idolatry. It was not simply that Deborah had authority over them it was given to her as judge over Israel.

Deborah received instruction directly from God, she did not get this from reading scrolls to a congregation and expounding them, was Deborah in a synagogue when she gave instruction? Nope she simply judged Israel.

Judges 5:31 does not say that prophetesses are interpreters of the written word, this was the issue Paul had in the New Testament.

Monica here is seeking to use this as a proof text for her own personal agenda; the passage teaches us the opposite to what Monica is saying. Just because Deborah is a prophetess does not mean to say that the rules have changed in respect to women in the position of pastor, elder or deacon. If you read in Judges 17 it says “In those days there was no King in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; cf. also 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). This is not a statement of doctrine it is teaching us a lesson that we should not disobey a Holy God. Monica is using Deborah’s account as the ideal situation for women to have positions of authority in the churches. If this was the case then would this mean that Sampson in the Bible was a excellent example that men should become like him? In the book of Judges these are very real people that God had serious issues with, God at this point used Deborah simply because Deborah listened to God.

Let us not forget example and a warning concerning the account of Eve in the Book of Genesis chapter 3, Paul stated that this shows that women can be more easily deceived than men. The story of Deborah, in Judges, does not set the principle that women should be leaders over men and have spiritual authority over them. Nowhere in the passage did Debora ever seek to put herself in the position of being a leader. God appointed her to be judge simply because the men were effeminate; and because of this God would bring shame on the men. “[As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” (Isaiah 3:12). The problem in today’s churches is that men have been feminised so much they have become weak; more so having their senses seared with a hot iron they no-longer feel ashamed or guilty of their lack of piety. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, headship of women was not seen as common practice. Monica Dennington seems to be pushing an idea that again is not taught in scripture.

Monica makes mention of Anna (14:03) in the video giving reference to Luke 2:36 – 38. Where in Luke 2:36 – 38 does it say that Anna was a priest? Paul the Apostle has no quarrels and says women can even prophecy but with head coverings, it makes mention of this in 1 Corinthians 11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with [her] head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. Whereas men are not to cover their heads, in 1 Corinthians 11:7, in Anna’s case this was a gift that God gave specifically to her this was not applicable in every circumstance, we cannot make a doctrine out of it in order to justify women in positions of being a pastor etc.

Matthew Henry writes “The account here given of this Anna, who she was. She was, (1.) A prophetess; the Spirit of prophecy now began to revive, which had ceased in Israel above three hundred years. Perhaps no more is meant than that she was one who had understanding in the scriptures above other women, and made it her business to instruct the younger women in the things of God.”

Nowhere does it say that Anna taught from the Torah and the Pentateuch to men, nor did she ever expound the scriptures or teach the followers of the way even though Anna declared to the unbelieving Jews who did not know about Yeshu’a, she did declare to the people about the need for a saviour, this again has nothing to with Anna having authority in the church, the Jewish Temple is not the church, the Jewish Temple was a solitary place for worship in the day of Anna.

Monica Denington’s definition of Anna proclaiming the gospel is her having authority over believers?????

In the scriptures men and women are told that, in Christ, we are all priests, again this has nothing to do with the roles and positions of women in the office of the church. In the case of evangelism this again has nothing to do with exercising authority over the body of Christ, the position again was always given to men never to women.

In the video (15:19) Monica Dennington makes reference to Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:8-9). Again this does correspond with 1 Corinthians 11:7. You do not find Philip’s daughters teaching or expounding scriptures to men, nor is it recorded that they were in a corporate meeting they just entered into the home of Philip. In a meeting women again can prophecy but should have had their head covered, Monica makes mention that the account in the book of Acts was the Acts church, it was not the Acts church but the house of Philip.

At 15:40 Monica makes mention of Priscilla. In the KJ Bible it speaks of Paul’s fellow helpers. Again women can assist, but cannot teach or have authority over men, this prohibition still stands God has not removed this. Monica mentions Acts 18:24 – 26 from a paraphrase called the New Living Translation (NLT). Her lack of understanding about what had happened really shows, when we look at the passage they did not look down on Apollos. Priscilla was with her husband Aquila when they were with Apollos to encourage him in what Paul had told them, as Priscilla and Aquila (who were tent makers) had spent a long time with Paul, it does not say that she had been teaching the word of God to Apollos in the way of interpreting or exhorting the scriptures, nor was Priscilla exercising authority over Apollos. Pricilla was under the authority of her husband, they simply witnessed the gospel to Apollos--this is not teaching.

At 17:29 in the video Monica Dennington makes mention of Phoebe in Romans 16:1 – 2. Here Monica states “Phoebe is merely a servant of the Church she is given a title of deacon, diakonos in the Greek, Phoebe is a member of the church at Cenchrea, in the position mentioned in Romans she was there to assist the Apostle Paul as mentioned in the text in verse 2 "she hath need of you." Phoebe was there to serve the church there are examples in the New Testament were you find the word servant being used instead of deacon, the first example is in John 12:26, when we look at John 12:26 it states "If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be." You can find the word "servant" in Romans 16:1 we know through reading this it would not be proper to use the word deacon as this would not make any sense, would you interpret it this way "And where I am there shall also my deacon be." It is more proper to just call Phoebe by her title "servant." And not deaconess we know from I Corinthians 14 women cannot be referred to as someone who had authority in the Church to a position of teaching or exercising authority over men. Paul addresses the need for worship to be orderly and decent, simply because God always keeps His law this is God’s expression of His will every single time.

It would seem to me that Monica has a superiority complex as she is eager to either get into office of the Church or see other women in this position, this is about what God says, this is not about degrading women or making them inferior to men, this is about God’s rule and his order.

Monica Dennington refutes the Apostle Paul. When Paul spoke it was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The reason why Paul stated such is that it was to protect the Body of Christ against any other influences that did not come from the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us to test all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

Monica Dennington's
Gnosticism Exposed and Refuted.

Refs

[1] http://www.youtube.com/user/TicTocMinistries
[2] http://www.monicadennington.com/
[3] http://www.monicadennington.com/
[4] Video 2:27 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZiT-J-70qk&feature=PlayList&p=47EEC29E84DA89E2&index=0
[5] http://www.christianmediaresearch.com/gnosticism.html