Word of Faith

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Word of Faith, also known as Word-Faith or simply Faith, is a movement within Pentecostal and charismatic churches worldwide. Its central doctrine is that health and prosperity are promised to all believers, and are available through faith. For this reason, it has also become known as "Health and Wealth" and "The Gospel of Greed", although these are terms usually applied pejoratively by its critics.[citation needed] Other names, reflecting major aspects of the movement, include "Name it and claim it", "The Prosperity Gospel", and "Positive Confession".

Contents

[edit] Origins

Word-Faith teachings trace their roots to E. W. Kenyon (1867-1948), a New England evangelical Bible teacher, schoolmaster, and prolific writer. Kenyon authored eighteen books that form the basis of much Word-Faith theology. He coined a number of phrases still heard in the movement including, "What I confess, I possess."

Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was heavily influenced by Kenyon's writings. Hagin is often referred to as the "father" of the modern Word-Faith movement. He elaborated on Kenyon's theology of confession, preaching a four-part formula for receiving God's promises: "Say it; do it; receive it; tell it." although there are biblical guidelines that need to be followed in order to see results, such as the well known commandment of walking in love towards others.

Other preachers in Tulsa were mentored by "Dad" Hagin, and began to preach the same doctrines. The most prominent of these is Kenneth Copeland.

The Word of Faith movement's origins are shrouded in a number of overlapping theories. The 'Kenyon Connection,' a thesis proposed by D.R. McConnell of Oral Roberts University, declares that Kenyon adopted the teachings of the cult of New Thought and relabeled them. Thus, the Word-Faith movement in McConnell's view constitutes a Trojan horse. This argument was the primary conclusion reached by McConnell's Master's thesis published as a book, "A Different Gospel." At the opposite end of the spectrum is the theory of Pastor Joe McIntyre, now head of Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society in Washington State. McIntyre argues that the primary influences of Kenyon were A.B. Simpson and A.J. Gordon of the Faith Cure branch of Pentecostalism. McIntyre's version is told in the authorized biography "E.W. Kenyon: The True Story."

In between these two extreme views are the similar arguments of William DeArteaga and Robert Bowman, formerly of the Christian Research Institute. DeArteaga concedes some New Thought influence in Kenyon's teaching, but he argues that Kenyon's theories helped the church rediscover some biblical truths. The primary work in defense of this theory is DeArteaga's "Quenching The Spirit." Arguing similarly but in an opposite direction is Bowman, whose "Word-Faith Controversy" is more sympathetic to Kenyon's historical background yet more critical of his doctrine than DeArteaga.

[edit] Teachings

[edit] Healing

The Word-Faith movement teaches that physical healing was included in Christ's atonement, and therefore is available here and now to all who believe. Frequently cited in favor of the doctrine is Isaiah 53:5: "By his stripes we are healed." They also point to Jesus' healings, especially Matthew 8:17, which says that he healed the sick so that "it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the Prophet, 'Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses'."

Because Isaiah speaks in the present tense ("we are healed"), many of the most prominent Faith preachers teach that believers should overlook the symptoms of sickness, and instead positively believe and confess that they are already healed.[1] Sickness is an attempt by Satan to rob believers of their divine right to total health.[2]

Most do not openly advocate dispensing with medical treatment, although some, such as Fred Price, have claimed to be strong enough in faith that they no longer need medicine.[3]

Critics frequently argue that Isaiah 53:5 refers to forgiveness of sins, rather than physical healing. The entire verse in context: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."-Isaiah 53:5 <NIV> .

While the Bible records many acts of Jesus and later His disciples healing the sick, critics argue that the gift of healing died with the last apostle and that the church, will have to endure sickness and disease. Proponents argue that the church (aka believers), being referred to as Jesus's bride (2 Cor 11:2) and Jesus's body (1 Cor 12:27) have been provided with the gift of health and healing through faith in the Word of God and no longer need to endure sickness or disease.

[edit] 'Little gods' Controversy

Word of Faith Ministers have been accused of teaching that believers are "little gods". Kenneth Hagin wrote that God "made us in the same class of being that He is Himself," and that the believer is "called Christ" because "that's who we are, we're Christ!"[4] According to Hagin, by being "born again", the believer becomes "as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth".[5] Kenneth Copeland says Adam was "not a little like God ... not almost like God ... not subordinate to God even",[6] and has told believers that "You don't have a God in you. You are one."[7] A common theme in Word-Faith preaching is that God created man as "an exact duplication of God's kind."[8]

The promulgation of this teaching is one of the most contentious doctrines with the movement's critics, who consider it heresy. Hank Hanegraaff contends the 'little gods' doctrine is on a par with the teaching of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Jim Jones.[9] In response, Faith defenders have claimed the teaching is simply underscoring the biblical view of the believer's "true identity in Christ", and is no more heretical than similar-sounding claims by C.S. Lewis and the Eastern Orthodox Church.[10]

[edit] Prosperity

According to Word-Faith theology, financial prosperity and wealth was also included in the Atonement. This is based on an interpretation of the words of the Apostle Paul: "Yet for your sakes he became poor, that you by his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Critics believe Paul was speaking of spiritual riches, rather than material prosperity. Faith proponents support their view by arguing that the context is the giving of material wealth.

It is often taught by Word-Faith proponents that Jesus and the apostles were rich, and therefore that believers should expect the same financial success.[11] Supporters such as Kenneth Copeland have argued that Prosperity Gospel is validated by the teachings of the Apostle John: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 2). Copeland posits that “as the seeds of prosperity are planted in your mind, in your will and in your emotions…they eventually produce a great financial harvest."[12] Critics argue that interpreting the salutation of John at the beginning of the epistle as a promise of prosperity is not consistent with New Testament teaching.[13]

[edit] Faith & confession

In Word-Faith teaching, the central element of faith is "confession". The doctrine is often labelled "Positive Confession". Noted Word-Faith teachers such as Hagin and Charles Capps have argued that God created the universe through the power of the spoken word (Genesis 1), and that humans were created with the same power to speak things into being by their words. Thus, making a positive confession (by reciting a promise of Scripture, for example) has the power to cause things to happen. Word-Faith preachers have likened faith to a "force".[14]

Conversely, according to Word-Faith teaching, "negative confession" can bring about negative results, and therefore believers should be careful to watch their words. This is often based on a literal interpretations of Proverbs 18:21: "Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and they that love them will eat the fruit thereof."

[edit] Jesus died spiritually

Often referred to simply as "JDS", this is the teaching that in order to atone for sins, Jesus had to die both physically and spiritually. As a consequence of his 'dying spiritually,' the Faith movement argues that Jesus thus needed to be born again just as any other sinner. While making it clear that Jesus Himself was NEVER a sinner, they argue that Jesus was 'forsaken by God' just as if Jesus had committed every sin in human history.

E.W. Kenyon was the first to explicitly articulate the doctrine in a number of his works, including "What Happened From The Cross To the Throne" and "Identification: A Romance In Redemption." It was later taken up by Hagin, Copeland and many of their followers.[15] The doctrine asserts that Jesus' bodily sacrifice was but the beginning of the Atonement, which continued with Jesus' suffering in Hell. It is often said that Jesus took on humanity's "satanic" nature, and was "born again" in Hell.[16] . Hagin's teaching was featured in his book, 'The Name of Jesus,' 1978 edition. Yet in a 1991 letter to the Christian Research Institute, Hagin's son, Kenneth Hagin Jr, argued that Hagin Sr had never taught the born again Jesus or the adoption of Satan's nature.

Many critics have labelled the teaching heresy, believing it compromises the teaching that Jesus' blood atoned for sin.[17]. But the larger controversy concerns the notion that Jesus had to be born again, something nowhere mentioned or even implied in the Bible.

[edit] Critics and controversy

One of the earliest critics of the movement was Oral Roberts University professor Charles Farah, who published From the Pinnacle of the Temple in 1979. In the book, Farah expressed his disillusionment with the movement's teachings, which he argued were more about presumption than faith.[18]

That same year, Pentecostal scholar Gordon Fee wrote a series of articles denouncing both the health and the wealth gospels. In 1982, one of Farah's students, Daniel Ray McConnell, submitted a thesis to the faculty at Oral Roberts University arguing that Kenyon was the father of the movement, that Hagin had plagiarized his doctrines from Kenyon, and that the unique doctrines of the Faith movement were heretical. McConnell's thesis was published as the book, "A Different Gospel," in 1988.

One of McConnell's classmates, Dale H. Simmons, published his own research in earning a doctorate at Drew University. Simmons argued that Kenyon was influenced by both the metaphysical cults and the Faith Cure movement of the nineteenth century. 1990 saw the publication of "The Agony of Deceit" as a conglomeration of critiques of Word of Faith doctrines. One of the authors, Christian Research Institute founder Walter Martin, issued his judgment that Kenneth Copeland was a false prophet and that the movement as a whole was heretical.

In 1993, Hank Hanegraaff's Christianity in Crisis charged the Faith movement with heresy, and accused many of its churches of being "cults." He accused the Faith teachers of "demoting" God and Jesus, and "deifying" man and Satan.[19]

Other critics, such as Ole Anthony, Norman Geisler, Dave Hunt and Roger Oakland, have denounced Word-Faith theology as aberrant and contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Critics have also condemned the teachings on wealth, arguing that the Bible condemns the pursuit of riches (Proverbs 23:4, Proverbs 28:20, 1 Timothy 6:7-10, Matthew 19:23-24, Mark 10:23-25, Luke 18:24-25).

The "health and wealth" teachings have been heavily criticized, with opponents arguing that Faith teachers tend not to stress the multiple scriptures warning against material prosperity (eg. Luke 6:20, Matthew 19:24, Ezekiel 16:49, James 2:5) and telling of the importance of helping the poor (eg. Isaiah 58:5-7, Luke 12:33 Mark 10:21, Proverbs 22:9, Acts 20:35, Psalm 82:1-5, Proverbs 24:31, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 29:7, Proverbs 21:13, Luke 20:37-42, Acts 10:5).

[edit] Relevant passages

[edit] Resources

[edit] Criticism of Word of Faith

[edit] Support of Word of Faith

[edit] Notes & references

  1. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking, (Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1966)
  2. ^ Jerry Savelle, If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy..., (Harrison House, 1982)
  3. ^ Frederick K.C. Price, Faith, Foolishness or Presumption?, (Harrison House, 1979)
  4. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, (Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., 1989)
  5. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, "The Virgin Birth" in Word of Faith Magazine (December 1977)
  6. ^ Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham", (Teaching tape, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989)
  7. ^ Kenneth Copeland, "The Force of Love", (Teaching tape, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987)
  8. ^ Charles Capps, Authority in Three Worlds, (Harrison House, 1982)
  9. ^ Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, (Harvest House, 1992)
  10. ^ James R. Spencer, Heresy Hunters: Character Assassination in the Church, (Huntington House, 1993)
  11. ^ John Avanzini, "Was Jesus Poor?" (videotape)
  12. ^ ”Kenneth Copeland, How to Prosper from the Inside Out, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, http://www.kcm.org/studycenter/finances/pdf/prosper_inside_out.pdf
  13. ^ Leland Ryken, How Much Does 3 John 2 Promise? Christian Research Journal, Volume 28, Number 1 (2005), reprinted at http://www.equip.org/free/JAJ302.htm
  14. ^ Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith, (KCP Publications, 1989)
  15. ^ D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, updated edition, (Hendrickson, 1995), p117
  16. ^ Kenneth Copeland, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne (audiotape)
  17. ^ D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, updated edition, (Hendrickson, 1995), 114-131
  18. ^ Charles Farah, From the Pinnacle of the Temple, (Logos, 1979)
  19. ^ Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, (Harvest House, 1993)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Criticism of Word Of Faith Movement
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