Brian Huffling was our guest this week. We had an interesting discussion of the Word Faith movement. Otherwise known as "Positive Confession," "the Health & Wealth Gospel," or "Name It and Claim It," the Word Faith group is more properly called a movement rather than a cult. While there is no official doctrine, Word Faith teachers and pastors generally adhere, however loosely, to a set of heterodox and heretical beliefs concerning many areas of the Christian faith. Although not all Word Faith teachers are united in what they believe, The Word Faith basically teaches the following,: Christians are"little gods," Jesus paid for our sins in hell, we can change reality through our words, and that God wants us healthy and wealthy.
Brief Background
E. W. Kenyon, born in the 1860's, began his spiritual life as a Methodist but eventually moved into Pentecostalism. He became immersed in Unitarian false teachings and combined these elements with those of Phineas Quimby's mind science cults and New Thought theology. New Thought teaches that correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession has the power to change reality, health, wealth, or sickness. It also teaches the deity of man. Many of the phrases popularized by present-day prosperity preachers, such as "What I confess, I possess," were originally coined by Kenyon. Thus, it was not charismaticism that spawned this new heresy - but it provided the soil in which it grew. In the 1960's the acknowledged "granddaddy" of Word Faith theology Kenneth Hagin (after various visions and bizarre experiences) plagiarized Kenyon's writings verbatim and popularized them. Kenneth Copeland stepped into Hagin's shoes and the movement spread.
Here is what some of them teach about . . .
God
"I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is...The biggest one in the whole Bible is God...I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least - that's a big loss, man....Now, the reason you don't think of God as a failure is He never said He's a failure." (Kenneth Copeland, Audio-Clip)
"Heaven has a north and a south and an east and a west. Consequently, it must be a planet." (Spirit, Soul and Body I, Kenneth Copeland, 1985, audiotape 01-0601, side 1)
Man
In Word Faith theology, man is a little god, and basically on par with Jesus Christ.
"Shut up with that blasphemy!....You are not a sinner saved by grace. You are sons and daughters of the Most High God! You are gods!" (Creflo Dollar, Audio-Clip)
"You don't have a god in you, you are one!" (Kenneth Copeland, The Force Of Love Audiotape,1987)
"When I read in the Bible where He says, 'I Am,' I just smile and say, 'Yes, I Am, too." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Believers Voice of Victory," July 9, 1987)
"The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth." (Kenneth Hagin, "The Incarnation," The Word of Faith, Dec, 1980, 14)
"You are a little god on earth running around." (Benny Hinn, Audio-Clip)
Atonement
Word-Faith teachers cite an alleged spiritual death of Christ in Hell instead of the physical death of Christ on the cross as the means of His atonement. They say Jesus not only bore our sins on Calvary, but took on the nature of Satan.
"Physical death will not remove sins" (Kenneth Hagin, The Name of Jesus, 29).
"Do you think that the punishment of our sins was to die on the cross? If that was the case, the two thieves could have paid our price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God" (K. C. Price, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, June 1990, 7).
"Jesus was born again in the pit of Hell....The Church started when Jesus was born again in the gates of Hell" (Charles Capps, Authority In Three Worlds, pp. 212 -13).
"Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross." (Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Reference Bible, 129)
"There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell." (Joyce Meyer, The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make, 37, 1991)
"Jesus Christ knew The only way he would stop Satan is by becoming one in nature with him. You Say, "What did you say? What blasphemy is this?" No you hear this. . . . He became one with the nature of Satan, so all those who had the nature of Satan can partake of the nature of God." (Benny Hinn, TBN, December 15, 1990)
Positive Confession
Spoken Word (Rhema), or thought actualization, is commonly known as positive confession. It stresses the inherent power of words and thoughts. Each person can change reality by what he says. Faith is seen as a force that is controlled by words.
"Faith is a power force. It is a tangible force. It is a conductive force" (Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith, 13).
"You can literally speak things into existence if you believe in your heart. That is a powerful step towards success, prosperity, and riches!" (Robert Tilton, How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted, 28)
"...Never, ever, ever go to the Lord and say, 'If it be thy will…' Don't allow such faith-destroying words to be spoken from your mouth. When you pray "if it be your will, Lord," faith will be destroyed. " (Benny Hinn, Rise And Be Healed, 47-48)
"I'm going to pray the prayer of faith, not one of those, 'Lord if it be thy will' I don't have to pray a prayer of doubt and unbelief!" (Robert Tilton, audio-tape)
"How would you feel if I announced to you that if you declared something that it had to happen?" (Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power in Your Words," Part I, March 2, 2003)
"What do you need? Start creating it. Start speaking about it. Start speaking it into being. Speak to your billfold. Say, 'You big, thick billfold full of money.' Speak to your checkbook. Say, 'You, checkbook, you. You've never been so prosperous since I owned you. You're just jammed full of money." (Marilyn Hickey, Claim Your Miracles, audiotape #186)
The Health and Wealth Gospel
Word Faith teachers say that God wills the financial prosperity and healing of every Christian. Obviously, then, when people remain sick or poor it is due to their lack of faith and they are living outside of God's will.
"You must realize that it is God's will for you to prosper" (Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 51).
" You know why some of you haven't got a financial breakthrough? It's because, first--You ain't recognized who you are. And you don't recognize as a god you have territory. So God cannot release your wealth because you still don't know you have a territory..But just as soon as you realize that, 'I am a god.' " (Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"I’m sick and tired of hearing about streets of gold. I don’t need gold in heaven, I’ve got to have it now...But if I hear the thing one more time of how it will be and how it was, I'm gonna kick somebody." (Benny Hinn, Praise the Lord Show, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Dec. 9, 1990)
"A greater than the lottery has come. His name is Jesus." (John Avanzini, "Praise-A-Thon," TBN April 1991)
"Jesus had a nice house, a big house, big enough to have company stay the night with him at the house. Let me show you His house. Go over to John the first chapter and I'll show you His house...Now, child of God, that's a house big enough to have company stay the night in. There's His house." (John Avanzini, Believer's Voice of Victory, TBN, January 20, 1991)
False Prophesy
Word-Faith teachers are not content spewing out these outrageous and unbiblical teachings. To these they add false prophecies.
"Now hear this--I'm prophesying this: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is about to appear physically in some churches and some meetings and to many of his people for one reason--to tell you he's about to show up." (Benny Hinn, Praise-A-Thon, TBN, April 2, 2000)
"The Lord also tells me to tell you in the mid-90’s, about ’94, ’95, no later than that, God will destroy the homosexual community of America. But He will not destroy it with what many minds have thought Him to be. He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed." (Benny Hinn, Orlando Christian Center, 12/31/89)
"And there are going to be multiplied millions upon millions, there's going to be close to a billion people that have been trapped in that religion [Islam], that over the next few months are gonna to come into the kingdom of God. (cheering) That's gonna happen, you watch and see what I'm telling you. Because its been ... I'm telling you Satan's fat is in the fire he pushed it over the line, and God has moved, and for over a hundred years the United States has been an instrument of judgment in the hand of God. That's one of the reasons we're blessed, amen? I'd like to get in there and walk around a while but I don't have the time but I can tell you this, that thing has come to an end, its over, I'm talking about Islam and every, all that that stands for. That's over with. Now, God is making His move." (Kenneth Copeland, Word of Life Christian Center, Honolulu HI, Dedication Celebration Service, Evening, Dec. 2, 2001)
Terror Tactics
Word-Faith teachers are called to the table about their incredible mishandling of Scripture and their false prophecies and claims they typically will attack those who question them. They often like to cite Psalm 105:15 ("Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm"), but this passage has nothing to do with challenging the teachings of church leaders.
"Let me say something else to you and I really don't care if you like this or not. You have attacked me, your children will pay for it." (Benny Hinn, Praise The Lord, TBN, 10/23/1992.)
"There are people attempting to sit in judgment right today over the ministry that I'm responsible for, and the ministry that Kenneth E. Hagin is responsible for....Several people that I know had criticized and called that faith bunch out of Tulsa a cult. And some of 'em are dead right today in an early grave because of it, and there's more than one of them got cancer." (Kenneth Copeland, "Why All Are Not Healed", tape)
"You know, I’ve looked for one verse in the Bible, I just can’t seem to find it. One verse that says, ‘If you don’t like ’em, kill ’em.’ I really wish I could find it...Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun — I'll blow your head off!" (Benny Hinn on TBN’s “Praise-A-Thon,” April 1990.)
"Those coming against you will wish they had kept quiet and never attacked a man of God. They do not understand my ways. They have no fear, Hear this, they have no fear of touching the holy thing. Those coming against you will experience my power first hand. They will see and know it is not a light thing to touch mine anointed one!" (Benny Hinn, Praise The Lord, December 29, 2002. Proudly reading a prophecy from Judy in response to Dateline NBC.)
"Do not attack this anointing! Do not attack this anointing, Saith God! For this anointing gives you the power to get wealth." (Robert Tilton, Success in Life, May 12, 2004, The Word Network)
Conclusion
For the person even remotely familiar with Bible teachings it is enough to simply state word Faith teachings to demonstrate their absurdity. There is so much material on this that this post will be mostly redirecting you to other resources.
First - some must-have books on the topic:
- Dave Hunt, The Secularization of Christianity.
- Robert M. Bowman, The Word Faith Controversy.
- D . R. McConnell, A Different Gospel.
- Hank Haanegraff, Christianity in Crisis.
Second, some informational websites:
