Shawn Bolz and false prophets: 4 ways data harvesting has been used (part 1)
2. Paul Cain
Paul Cain, the mentor and role model for Shawn Bolz, delivered prophecies for decades, starting in the 1950s. If he truly had the gift of prophecy, there would be abundant proof of fulfilled prophecies.
In 1989, journalist Lee Grady attended a conference at which Cain delivered prophecies to approximately 10 of the attendees. A year later, Grady reviewed the prophecies only to learn they failed.
In his book The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale: Rekindling the Power of God in an Age of Compromise, Grady wrote, “To one pastor and his wife, personal friends of mine, Cain mentioned the number 4001 (their church office was located at 4001 Newberry Road) and predicted they would experience great revival in their Florida city.”
Meanwhile, the exact opposite occurred. The church closed. The pastor and wife later divorced.
How did Cain get the street addresses? Grady has a theory: “It also seemed puzzling that all the information Cain ostensibly received from God (mostly street numbers) was printed in a staff address directory that I knew was easily available to conference speakers.”
Church prayer lines are another source of data mined for profit.
When viewers of televangelist broadcasts call the 800 number on the TV screen, their names and addresses are collected along with the reason for the call, whether it's for prayer, to donate or receive information from the ministry. The callers are added to the televangelist’s mailing list. Those mailing lists then solicit donations and become a lucrative source of income.
