Word of Faith

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Word of Faith (also known as Word-Faith or simply Faith), is a family of local Christian churches[1] as well as a teaching movement kindred to many Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and individuals worldwide. The basic doctrine preached is that of salvation through Jesus Christ[2] and what that “Salvation” entails. It is based on Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings concerning the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven and the state man can receive through the atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This state of new being or creation (Found in the Biblical passages 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15[3](Spirit, Soul and Body) can be received only through faith in the Word of God.

It diverges from traditional Christian denominations in that it emphasizes speaking, stating, or confessing verses found in the Bible, called the Word of God. The belief is that if one believes the Word of God and confesses it then the believer shall receive what they confessed. This act of believing and speaking is described by Jesus of Nazareth in Mark 11:22 and 23. The term itself “Word of Faith” is derived from the Biblical passage Romans 10:8[4] which speaks of "the Word of Faith that we preach."

Contents

[edit] Origins

One of the first proponents of Word of Faith was E. W. Kenyon (1867-1948). A New England Bible teacher, schoolmaster, and prolific writer, Kenyon authored eighteen books that are used still today by many who call themselves Word of Faith. One phrase he coined can still be heard in the movement today, “What I confess, I possess.”[1]

Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was heavily influenced by Kenyon’s writings. Hagin has been referred to as the “father” of the modern Word of 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.”

Many Bible preachers and teachers have been influenced either directly or indirectly by Kenneth "Papa" Hagin and his "revelation". The most recognized include Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Jerry Savelle, Bill Winston, Joel Osteen, Charles Nieman and Hobart Freeman.

An origin of Word of Faith was proposed in the Kenyon Connection, a thesis proposed by D.R. McConnell of Oral Roberts University, proposes that Kenyon adopted the teachings of New Thought and relabeled them. Thus, the Word of 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”.

Similar observations were made by 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 views 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.

Baptist evangelist Justin Peters, an outspoken critic of the Word of Faith movement who wrote his master's of divinity thesis on Benny Hinn and has appeared frequently as an expert on Word of Faith pastors in documentaries and TV news stories, traces the movement's origins to the metaphysical cults of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Aimee Semple McPherson's Foursquare Church, Phineus Quimby's New Thought Movement, Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science) in his seminar "A Call for Discernment". Peters further traces the movement's deviation from traditional Christian doctrine to Hagin's most controversial tenet of faith: If scripture cannot be found to justify a particular teaching, claim divine inspiration from a {vision/dream/other manifestation} of {God/Jesus/other heavenly figure}[2].

In contrast, Pastor Joe McIntyre, now head of Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society in Washington State, argues that the primary influences of Kenyon were A.B. Simpson and A.J. Gordon of the Faith Cure branch of the Evangelical Movement. McIntyre’s version is told in the authorized biography, E.W. Kenyon: The True Story.

[edit] Teachings

[edit] Healing

The Word of Faith teaches that complete healing (Spirit, Soul, and Body) is included in Christ's atonement, and therefore is available here and now to all who believe. Frequently cited is Isaiah 53:5: "By his stripes we are healed." and Matthew 8:17, which says that Jesus 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"), Word of Faith teaches that believers should accept the reality of a healing that is already theirs. Accepting this healing is done by confessing the verse or verses found in the Bible declaring they are healed (i.e. Word of Faith). It is not an act of denying the pain, sickness, or disease, but an act of receiving the gift mentioned in Isaiah 53:5. [3] According to adherents, sickness is an attempt by Satan to rob believers of their divine right to total health.[4]

Some teachers of Word of Faith claim to no longer need pharmaceuticals, such as Frederick K.C. Price, who has claimed to be strong enough in faith that he no longer needs medicine.[5] Critics of such claims note that Price's wife Betty, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, chose to undergo traditional cancer treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation), and even wrote a book about her experience, Through the Fire and Through the Water: My Triumph over Cancer (ISBN 978-1883798338).[6]

Critics of the "faith healing" doctrine frequently point out the duplicity of Word of Faith teachers who urge their followers to claim their healings and either turn their backs on traditional Western medicine or defy the diagnoses of traditional Western medicine in public, while turning their own health or their family's health over to traditional Western medicine behind the scenes. Discernment Ministries International provides a partial list of Word of Faith teachers and family members who chose to claim their healing through the hands of doctors and the power of pharmaceuticals[6]:

  • John Osteen, pioneering Word of Faith pastor and father of pastor Joel Osteen:
    • Osteen's wife Dodie developed breast cancer in the 1980s which later spread to the liver; she underwent traditional treatment and survived.
    • Osteen himself developed a number of medical problems (including heart disease) and died of a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 73, despite declaring himself healed to his congregation and declaring that God had told him he would be preaching into his 90's.
  • Daisy Washburn Osborn, wife of international faith healer T.L. Osborn, died of lung cancer in 1995 despite declaring to her congregation that she had received a supernatural healing in 1994 after doctors had given her less than a year to live following traditional treatment. Doctors later determined her 1994 "healing" was merely a short-lived remission and a product of the traditional treatment she had received rather than a supernatural healing.
  • Peggy Capps, wife of Word of Faith teacher Charles Capps, underwent traditional treatment for unspecified cancer and survived.
  • Joyce Meyer, one of the newest Word of Faith teachers, developed breast cancer in 1989 and was cured through traditional cancer treatment. Meyer even admits in her teaching "Overcoming Adversity" that she chose to undergo traditional treatment and stand on the Word of Faith doctrine of claiming her healing. [7]
  • Oral Roberts, one of the pioneers of faith healing, suffered a heart attack in 1999 and had angioplasty to treat it. He also fractured his hip in 2006 and underwent surgery to repair the break at a California hospital.
  • Kathryn Kuhlman, groundbreaking faith healer and mentor of Word of Faith superstar pastor Benny Hinn, was diagnosed with an enlarged heart in 1955. Despite numerous faith healing attempts as well as the best medical treatment available at the time, Kuhlman eventually succumbed to heart failure in 1976.

[edit] Prosperity

Word of Faith teaching holds that God wants His people to be financially prosperous, as well as have good health, good marriages and relationships, and to live generally prosperous lives. Word of Faith teaches that God empowers His people (blesses them) to achieve the promises that are contained in the Bible. [8] However, most Christian theologians[who?] view these teachings as heretical.[citation needed]

The recent trend is to include financial success within the definition of "prosperity" but not to limit it to financial success.[citation needed] Thus, good health is "prosperity in your body," and a good marriage is "prosperity in your relationships," etc. Financial success as a definition of prosperity would not be considered incorrect, merely incomplete.

Some[who?] argue that Jesus and the apostles were also financially wealthy[9], owning homes, having monetary resources and businesses. The following arguments have been offered for this claim: (1) Jesus' ability to travel without apparently working to earn a living for three years, (2) Jesus and the apostles references to owning homes[10], (3) Jesus had a treasurer (Judas Iscariot)[10], (4) Jesus consorting with the upper echelons of society, and (5) the businesses that each of the apostles apparently owned/worked in.[11] This is contrary to the traditional view of Jesus who is often viewed as being a poor, wandering teacher.[12]Based on the concept that Jesus and His apostles were arguably wealthy, as well as the historical examples of His people having great wealth, and the promises for financial prosperity throughout the Old and New Testaments, Word of Faith proponents teach that modern believers also have access to the "blessing" and may also become financially wealthy.[13] Teachers like Kenneth Copeland assert the 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."[14]

This view is not contradicted by the teachings of Jesus, ...I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, but with God all things are possible Matthew 19:24, as Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused themselves a lot of pain."[5], and in Acts 4 on the early church, "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."[6]. The view that Jesus and the apostles were rich is not refuted in Matt 6:19-24, Matt 8:20, Acts 3:6, 1 Cor 4:11-12, 2 Cor 8:9, Matt 13:22-23. (all opinion)[11]

Christian Apologists and others who consider the Prosperity Gospel an aberrent teaching [15] note that interpreting the salutation of John at the beginning of his third epistle as a promise of earthly prosperity is not consistent with New Testament teaching, which stresses spiritual prosperity and heavenly rewards.[16]

[edit] Faith & confession

Within the Word of Faith teaching, a central element of receiving from God involves "confession". This doctrine is often referred to as "Positive Confession" or "Faith Confession" by practitioners and "Name it and Claim it" or "Blab it and Grab it" by detractors. Noted Word of Faith teachers, such as Kenneth E. Hagin and Charles Capps have argued that God created the universe simply by speaking it into existence (Genesis 1), and that humans have been endowed with the ability [power] to speak things into existence. Thus, making a "positive confession" (by reciting a promise of Scripture, for example), generates power which enables things to come into fruition. This teaching is interpreted from Mark 11:22 and 23.Word of Faith preachers have likened faith to a "force".[17]

Likewise, according to Word of Faith teaching, "negative confession" can yield negative results, and hence believers should be conscious of their words. This is argued on the interpretation of Proverbs 18:21: "Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and they that love them will eat the fruit thereof", also Numbers 14:28 "...saith the Lord, as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do" among other scriptures.

[edit] Critics and controversy

[edit] Critics

One of the earliest critics of the teaching 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 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 teaching, that Hagin had plagiarized his doctrines from Kenyon, and that the unique doctrines of the Word of Faith 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 personal 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] Hanegraaff is derided within the Word of Faith community as a present day "Christian Witch Hunter."[citation needed] Hanegraaff has focused a significant portion of his anti-heresy teaching since the 1990s on addressing and refuting Word of Faith teachings.

Other critics, such as 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.[20] [21]

The "health and wealth" teachings had been heavily criticized with opponents arguing that Faith teachers[citation needed] tend not to stress some scriptures warning against emphasis on material prosperity and telling of the importance of helping the poor.[citation needed]

John Piper points out that Christ warned the apostles that they would suffer great persecution[7] for the sake of his name (except John, all eleven, after Judas Iscariot, suffered Martyrs' deaths). In a January 2006 sermon entitled "How our suffering advances the gospel," Piper stated bluntly that "the prosperity gospel will not make anybody praise Jesus; it will make people praise prosperity."

[edit] 'Little gods' Controversy

An increasing number of Word of Faith Ministers are propagating the 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!"[22] According to Hagin, by being "born again", the believer becomes "as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth".[23] Kenneth Copeland says Adam was "not a little like God ... not almost like God ... not subordinate to God even",[24] and has told believers that "You don't have a God in you. You are one." Based primarily on the book of Psalms 82:6, which says "I have said, Ye are gods and all of you, children of the Most High"; this was also corroborated by Jesus making reference to this scripture in John 10:34. [25] A common theme in Word-Faith preaching is that God created man as "an exact duplication of God's kind." (Hebrews 1:3, John 14:12, etc) [26]

Suffer the Children, a documentary highlighting some of the teachings of the Word of Faith movement, has a video clip of Creflo Dollar teaching the "little gods" doctrine to his congregation based on the notion that "everything reproduces after its own kind":[27]

Dollar: "If horses get together, they produce what?"
Congregation: "Horses!"
Dollar: "If dogs get together, they produce what?"
Congregation: "Dogs!"
Dollar: "If cats get together, they produce what?"
Congregation: "Cats!"
Dollar: "So if the Godhead says 'Let us make man in our image', and everything produces after its own kind, then they produce what?"
Congregation: "Gods!"
Dollar: "Gods. Little "g" gods. You're not human. Only human part of you is this flesh you're wearing."

The promulgation of this teaching is one of the most contentious doctrines to its critics, who consider it heresy. Mormon scholar Stephen E. Robinson, whose religion teaches that man can become gods after eons of exaltation, has declared the "little gods" teaching heretical as well in his book Are Mormons Christians? (ISBN 978-1570084096). Conversely, Christianity regards this Mormon teaching as heretical also, and entirely unsupported by the Bible. Many Evangelical critics have asserted that the teaching is in fact, cultic; Hank Hanegraaff, for example, contends the 'little gods' doctrine is on a par with the teaching of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Jim Jones.[28] Justin Peters, whose first encounter with Word of Faith doctrine came at the age of 16 when a faith healer "slayed [him] in the spirit" in an attempt to cure his cerebral palsy, states in "A Call for Discernment" that the reason the Word of Faith movement holds so tenaciously to "health and wealth" tenets is because of the "little gods" teaching: "A god should never be sick, and a god should never be poor."[29] 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.[30]. However, the Orthodox dogma of "Theosis" does not teach that man becomes, or can become, one in essence with God: being "born again" in baptism does not create another incarnation, it establishes a participation in the one incarnation, Jesus Christ. Other than Christ, Christians believe that man partakes of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), his grace and power working in creation, never in his essence. [31] Furthermore, C. S. Lewis underscores that Christians are to "act like little Christs". This is not to be confused with "being little Christs".

Critics, such as Christian Apologist and CARM founder Matt Slick and bible critique author W. Gary Phillips, believe referencing scriptures Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34, where it is said that men are gods, is taking and using these Scriptures out of context[32]. The biblical application of these verses is addressed to the Judges of Israel where they were called gods, not because they were divine, but because they represented the true and only God when they judged the people. The Hebrew and Greek words used in both Scriptures for "gods" can also be applied to magistrates and used to describe someone as "mighty".[33] Nearly all Word of Faith teachers who quote Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34 in defense of the "little gods" doctrine do not add the verses that follow the "Ye are gods" declaration in Psalms 82:6 which make clear the ultimate fate of the Judges of Israel[34] to both the reader and the Pharisees to whom Jesus addressed the reference in John 10:34[35]:

Psalms 82:7: But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Psalms 82:8: Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

[edit] Jesus died spiritually

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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, one of the founders of the doctrine that eventually became known as Word of Faith, 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 supposedly taken up by Hagin, Copeland, and many of their followers.[36] 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.[37] . Hagin’s teaching was featured in his book, The Name of Jesus, 1978 edition. Yet, in a 1991 letter to the Christian Research Institute, Hagins son, Kenneth Hagin Jr, denied the interpretation by McConnell and claimed that Hagin Sr had never taught the born again Jesus or the adoption of Satan's nature[citation needed].

The critic D.R. McConnell has labeled the teaching heresy, believing it compromises the teaching that Jesus' blood atoned for sin.[38]. Critics have also expressed concern regarding the notion that Jesus became one in substance with Satan.

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Support of Word of Faith

[edit] Criticism of Word of Faith

[edit] Notes & references

  1. ^ Kenyon, E.W. Hidden Man. Ed. Ruth A. Kenyon. Lynnwood, WA: Kenyon Gospel Publishing Society, 1981.
  2. ^ Peters, Justin, "A Call for Discernment", 2005-2006; retrieved 2008-03-18.
  3. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking, (Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1966)
  4. ^ Jerry Savelle, If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy..., (Harrison House, 1982)
  5. ^ Frederick K.C. Price, Faith, Foolishness or Presumption?, (Harrison House, 1979)
  6. ^ a b Sick Healers: It's Not Working For Them, Either!, Discernment Ministries International, retrieved April 25, 2008.
  7. ^ "The Preacher Who Doesn't Tell It Like It Is", Personal Freedom Outreach, retrieved April 25, 2008.
  8. ^ Creflo Dollar, Tru Prosperity v. False Prosperity, http://www.creflodollarministries.org/Public/Bible/Article.aspx?id=97
  9. ^ Was Jesus Wealthy? Atlanta Journal Constitution 10/22/2006 http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/faithandvalues/stories/2006/10/18/1022SLJESUS.html
  10. ^ a b Jesus was not poor, http://www.harvestchurch.org/Jesus%20was%20not%20poor.htm
  11. ^ a b Was Jesus Rich?
  12. ^ Televangelist spreads the 'Gospel of Bling,' lands himself in hot water, Mike Aivaz and Adam Doster (article and associated video), http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Nightline_The_Gospel_of_bling_0118.html
  13. ^ John Avanzini, "Was Jesus Poor?" (videotape)
  14. ^ ”Kenneth Copeland, How to Prosper from the Inside Out, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, http://www.kcm.org/studycenter/finances/pdf/prosper_inside_out.pdf
  15. ^ Christian Research Institute, http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2876197/k.BF71/CP1100.htm
  16. ^ 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
  17. ^ Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith, (KCP Publications, 1989)
  18. ^ Charles Farah, From the Pinnacle of the Temple, (Logos, 1979)
  19. ^ Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, (Harvest House, 1993)
  20. ^ "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Luke 18:24-25.
  21. ^ "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort" Luke 6:24.
  22. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, (Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., 1989)
  23. ^ Kenneth E. Hagin, "The Virgin Birth" in Word of Faith Magazine (December 1977)
  24. ^ Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham", (Teaching tape, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989)
  25. ^ Kenneth Copeland, "The Force of Love", (Teaching tape, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987)
  26. ^ Charles Capps, Authority in Three Worlds, (Harrison House, 1982)
  27. ^ Suffer the Children, a Trevor Glass film, 2006; retrieved April 25, 2008.
  28. ^ Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, (Harvest House, 1992)
  29. ^ Peters, Justin, "A Call For Discernment", 2005-2006; retrieved 2008-03-18.
  30. ^ James R. Spencer, Heresy Hunters: Character Assassination in the Church, (Huntington House, 1993)
  31. ^ "Deificiation," The Orthodox Study Bible", (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993), p. 561.
  32. ^ Christian Apologists Bible Commentary, John ; retrieved May 15, 2008.
  33. ^ Dictionary to the Hebrew Bible by James Strong, no. 430
  34. ^ Psalm 86, King James Version, retrieved April 25, 2008.
  35. ^ John 10:34-36: An Apologetic Study, W. Gary Phillips, originally printed in Bibliotheca Sacra, September-December 1989 edition; retrieved May 15, 2008.
  36. ^ D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, updated edition, (Hendrickson, 1995), p117
  37. ^ Kenneth Copeland, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne (audiotape)
  38. ^ D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, updated edition, (Hendrickson, 1995), 114-131

[edit] External links

[edit] Major Word Of Faith Ministries

[edit] Word of Faith educational institutions
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