Among the many conservative Christians who feel misunderstood by the general public, the six televangelists under investigation by a Senate committee are an embarrassment.

The ministers’ on-air faith healings and fundraising, backed by self-serving misinterpretations of Scripture, reinforce offensive stereotypes of greedy preachers and put their followers at spiritual risk, critics say.

But traditional Christians aren’t universally celebrating the inquiry. Some are wondering whether the investigation led by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is the right way to end any wrongdoing, especially if the result is more government oversight of all ministries.

“We’re not representing any of the parties involved, but when I see a senator charging into organizations, wielding this kind of budget ax and laying bare religious figures and expenditures, huge constitutional questions are being raised,” said Gary McCaleb, senior counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty legal group founded by James Dobson of Focus on the Family and other influential evangelicals.

Craig Parshall, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Religious Broadcasters, a trade association, said the questions that Grassley sent the six ministries about their finances were too broad. None of the televangelists is a member of the NRB.

“We don’t have any inside information of the financial workings of the six ministries involved,” Parshall said. “What we’re concerned about is the future of Christian broadcasting and Christian ministries — nonprofit ones — if this inquiry is either broadened or ratcheted up and hearings are held and new legislation is considered.”

Grassley, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has asked the ministries to submit records by Thursday on compensation, board oversight and perks — from oceanside homes and expensive furniture to flights on private jets. IRS rules for nonprofits prevent pastors and other insiders from excessive personal gain through their tax-exempt work. Even so, the groups are not legally required to disclose financial information to the Senate.

The ministries under review include Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla.; Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas; David and Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo.; Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas; Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.; and Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga.

All the ministries preach a form of Word of Faith theology, known as prosperity gospel, which effectively teaches that God wants believers to be rich. The ministries have said separately that they are committed to following the tax laws, but it is not known whether they will all comply with Grassley’s request by the deadline.

“This has nothing to do with church doctrine,” said Grassley, who has been investigating nonprofit compliance with the tax code for years. “This has everything to do the with tax exemption of an organization.”

But Grassley irked some religious leaders when he quipped about the lifestyles of the preachers under investigation, saying Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a Rolls Royce.

J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, said he believes Grassley has “the best of motives,” but his donkey comment gave the impression that the inquiry pits one religious view against another.

“They’re supposed to enforce the law evenhandedly without regard at all to religious expression,” Walker said. “There is a fear of government theologizing and government overreacting to isolated problems.”

Conservative Christians have worked hard for years to avoid this exact type of inquiry. In the late 1970s, then-Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon told influential Christians that they should create a voluntary financial watchdog agency to keep the government largely out of their work.

The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability was formed in 1979, requiring its members to fully disclose their finances to donors. None of the six televangelists belongs to the group, according to its president, Kenneth Behr.

Pentecostal leaders and defenders of Christian orthodoxy have also challenged the TV preachers about their lifestyles or beliefs.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute, an evangelical apologetics group in Charlotte, N.C., has written and spoken extensively for more than a decade about what he considers the dangers of teachings by Hinn, Meyer, Dollar and others.

But even he says he has concerns about the impact of the Grassley investigation.

“I can assure you,” said Walker, of the Baptist Joint Committee, “that people are watching this very closely.”
 

David W. Myland In 1907 seems to have coined the term “Latter Rain Movement” first, in a book of songs entitled “Latter Rain Songs.”  In 1910 Myland wrote his book “The Latter Rain Covenant” in which he tried to associate the rainfall in Israel, with the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that occurred at Azusa.  He also wrote of the concept of deeper truth in the Scripture and different levels of interpretation.

The Latter Rain revival first began in Canada at Sharon Orphanage and School, a young woman at the Bible school prophesied that a great revival was about to come Ernest Hawtin tells that the very next day, it did just that as the Holy Spirit fell with great power.  It was called “The Last Great Outpouring that was to consummate God’s Plans on this Earth.”

They had been prepped by previously read Franklin Hall’s book, “Atomic Power with God Through Fasting, and Prayer”, and began to practice his method of fasting.  Hall believed the Church was hindered in power and answered prayer, he claimed that even the prayers of pagans would be answered if they fasted.  His solution, by fasting for long periods, Christians can receive a powerful anointing that would be that they would never be sick and would lead certain “overcomers” to holiness by stages of spiritual transformation who would attain sinless perfection and immortality.  That an immortal substance from Christ would come upon their bodies, a golden substance visible to all, (gold flakes and teeth?) that would glorify them and people would see and feel the fire of the Holy Spirit.  He taught a BODY-FELT salvation – the fire of God, the glory, had to be applied to the body for thirty days and would purge out all sickness, tiredness and weakness of the flesh and bring them to immortalization.  These Perfected believers would experience power over the forces of gravity, they could teleport to wherever they wished.  And there were practical benefits to this spiritual state where their clothes would not wear out, they would have no body odour, so they would never need to wash.

Ernest Hawtin wrote: “The truth of fasting was one great contributing factor to the revival.  One year before this we had read Franklin Hall’s book, entitled ‘Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer.’  We immediately began to practise [sic] fasting.  Previously we had not understood the possibility of long fasts.  The revival would never have been possible without the restoration of this great truth through our good brother Hall.”  Richard Riss, (The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening, p.89)

Franklin Hall, had a tremendous influence on the key players in the Latter Rain movement.  Hall’s book on fasting and prayer was a major influence in the ministries of Oral Roberts, A.A Allen, O.L. Jaggers, Gayle Jackson, David Nunn, Tommy Hicks, and W.V. Grant.  Clearly influenced from Halls baptism of fire, O.L. Jaggers established a whole church teaching around this as the true gospel.  With the Golden altar, the 24 elders and a three fold way to be born again, which if received will bring the promise of bodily immortality escaping death now. (see Hawaii UniversalChurch)

Richard Riss in his work “The Healing and Latter Rain Movement A survey of 20th-Century Revival movements in North America States.”  “Two of the earliest and most influential healing evangelists of the mid- twentieth century were William M. Branham and Oral Roberts.  Other Important figures included T. L. Osborn, Jack Coe, William Freeman, A. A. Allen, and David Nunn, Gordon Lindsay, who had helped to bring the ministry of William Branham into widespread recognition, used his talents to supply the movement with a degree of cohesiveness.  Many of these men are the key players in the Latter Rain movement of which Riss is sympathetic to.”

During the fall of 1947 Gordon Lindsay arranged for Branham to hold a series of meetings in Vancouver, B.C.. At that time Ern Baxter was added to Branham’s team.  The meetings in Vancouver were attended by a few pastors and teachers from North Battleford, Saskatchewan.  Several of the school’s teachers who went to a Branhams meeting had him lay hands on them for an impartation.  They returned to Battleford with the impartation which began the “Latter Rain” movement.  From there it exploded among the Pentecostals throughout North America and then throughout around the world.  Many other new healing ministries had risen to prominence out of this, taking it to various parts of the world, Branham’s continued to be one of the most widely known to the early 60’s.

An excerpt taken from their newsletter The Sharon Star recorded the Branham meeting: “All the great outpourings of the past have had their outstanding truths.  Luther’s truth was Justification by Faith.  Wesley’s was Sanctification.  The Baptists taught the premillenial coming of Christ.  The Missionary Alliance taught Divine Healing.  The Pentecostal outpouring has restored the Baptism of the Holy Ghost to its rightful place.  But the next great outpouring is going to be marked by all these other truths plus such a demonstration of the nine gifts of the Spirit as the world, not even the Apostolic world, has ever witnessed before.  This revival will be short and will be the last before the Rapture of the Church.”( Richard Riss, Latter Rain, Honeycomb Visual Productions, pg. 56-57)

This is exactly what Branham’s message was, as he was taught by his personal angel that he was the Elijah before the 2nd coming.  That he was the messenger of the last Church age Laodicea.  Branham becomes a key figure in the Latter Rain scenario that many in the Pentecostal Church are operating in even today.

Out of this new thing came the doctrine of Restoration.  Lost truths were supposedly being restored and God was revealing new revelations.  Signs & Wonders and moving in the Supernatural realm became the modus operandi.

A new emphasis began from the laying on of hands, “The movement was characterized by many healings and miraculous phenomena . . . There was an emphasis on spiritual gifts which, were to be received by the laying on of hands.”  (DICTIONARY OF PENTECOSTAL AND CHARISMATIC MOVEMENTS)

Ern Baxter, ministered with Branham several months every year from 1947 until 1953.  Whenever Em Baxter was given a card containing information on the individual’s medical history, testified “that he never saw Branham’s diagnosis miss once,” in every case he correctly diagnosed the disease without ever knowing what was on the card in his hand.  While this article is to focus on the historical and doctrinal teachings of the Latter Rain something needs to be mentioned.  Accuracy does not prove something is from God.  The very same people who teach these doctrines today actually claim a low percentage of accuracy in prophecy and words of knowledge than their mentor Branham.  That 60, 80, 90% is well accepted as they improve in their gifts with practice.  While accuracy is not the final test of truth (Deut.13 God tells us this), inaccuracy certainly is a sure way to prove it is not from God, this is what they have fulfilled more often.  God who is the author of prophecy and the word does not grade on a curve if one is 80% accurate they are 20% wrong.  No one would fly in a plane with these chances explained beforehand and we certainly shouldn’t be flying spiritually this way either.

Branham who was the main hub in the wheel did not attribute the supernatural works, miracles and words of knowledge he manifested to the Holy Spirit.  He attributed them to his angel.  Although once a Baptist he was influenced by Oneness Pentecostals which led him to deny the Trinity of God.  He taught that Eve had sex with Satan to birth Cain, believed in pyramids and UFO’s, and despite those who point to a flawless record he gave prophecies that were proven false.  When he died in a car crash, many Latter Rain ministers (some of those who are still around today) prayed for him to be raised from the dead.  His followers expected results in three days which never happened.

Is this Latter rain or acid rain? It has begun to fall all over again.  The Latter Rain movement started in the 1948 influenced almost all Pentecostal churches and groups in the 1950’s.  We can look back on this and see the revival was short but did not produce what they had hoped for.  But today there is a whole new army to bring about what went dormant.

WILLIAM BRANHAM’S INFLUENCE
 
Branham has left his mark despite his proven falsehood.  He is revered by the new apostles and is referred to as great by Rodney Browne.  “When the great healing Revival started in 1947 with great men of God”…… along with AA.Allen, Jack Coe, T.L. Osborn and Oral Roberts (“The Coming Revival,” p. 13, by R.H. Browne).  This becomes clear when Browne refers to drinking at Joel’s place, or this is the first drops of rain falling, he is preaching the Latter Rain heresy.  The holy ghost bartender is serving mickeys to those attending.

Paul Cain considers William Branham as the greatest prophet in the 20th century.  This was due not to Branham’s doctrines but to “his gifting in the word of knowledge.”  (Paul Cain, Armstrong in Michael Horton ed. Power Religion, 1992, p.67)

Marilyn Hickey promotes Branham saying “his influence continues today because of his teaching on prosperity and the power of the spoken Word.”  Which shows that she believes he is part of the word faith connection.

Earl Paulk, “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that Oral Roberts is a prophet to the Church to bring us back to the healings.  Many of them Branham and many others – …… I believe there are other apostles and prophets God is raising up.” (Earl Paulk, “Praise The Lord,” TBN, March 4, 1986.)

Oral Roberts visited the Branham team in Kansas City, March 1949.  His picture is next to Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Gordon Lindsay.  (in “All Things Are Possible” By David Edwin Harrell, Jr.)

Kenneth Hagin identifies Branham as a prophet as do many others, Copeland, Hinn, Browne, Hickey etc.

INTERPRETING THE SCRIPTURE
 
The Latter Rain doctrines roots are founded in the old heresy of Gnosticism, which teaches that an elite spiritual group possesses the “hidden knowledge” of the spiritual realm.  Today they place their personal spirit revelations, experiences, and new interpretations of Scripture above the plain reading of God’s Word the Church has known and practiced.

The Latter Rain changed how to interpret the Bible.  The hermeneutic principle is that typology and allegory were used to illustrate doctrine.  Instead they took it literally, they would then spiritualized or interpreted literal doctrine into allegories so it no longer meant what it said in its context.

At the First Coming of Jesus the religious leaders of His day rejected him and his claims because they were following extra-biblical teachings (the tradition of the fathers) and did not take the Scriptures of the virgin conception or God coming as man literally.  Today the same thing is happening all over but from a different slant.  There is a movement to turn from the literal interpretation of Scripture and allegorize it or make it symbolic.  Modern Gnostic revelators lead the way in belittling what Jesus commissioned as our lifeline to truth.  Doctrines especially for the last days are changed.  No more Rapture, or the revealing of Antichrist, the Tribulation and the pre-millennial coming of Jesus Christ.  Instead in its place we have only victory and our conquering the earth and ruling until Christ comes.  If you think about it if we can rule and reign who really needs Christ.
 
Instead of using the principle of hermeneutics for correct interpretation, they allegorize the Scriptures or by personal prophetic revelation as a Gnosis.  Spiritual insights come frequently and lead them into this move of God.  The new wave is Gnostic in their understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, in that they separate Jesus from ‘the Christ’ as a person.  They will not say this outright but it is laced throughout their teachings.  Kenneth Copeland seems to be clear voice on this revelation “Once you start re-translating the word Christ, as anointing you’ll realize how the message of the anointing permeates the entire New Testament.” (K Copeland, Voice of Victory: Vol. 23, No 4, April 1995)

Copeland goes far and wide to prove that the word Christ only means anointing.  So when you come to the word Christ in the Bible correctly retranslated to the anointing.  This means Jesus was a man who was “christed,” which is a early heresy in the church.
 
A letter in the archives of the Assembly of God written by George Hawtin, says this: “Soon we found that the familiar doctrines previously taught and the subjects studied had a strange sense of being removed from us, as though they had become past truth instead of present truth.”  (Discernment Newsletter)

“The Lord did not say when He went away He was going to leave us a book to lead us into all truth, but that He was going to give us His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.  We should be very thankful for the priceless book that He left to us, but He never meant for it to take His place in our life.  When it does, it is being misused … we can elevate the written word above Him and make an idol out of the Scriptures, allowing them to supplant our relationship to Him, and remove the Holy Spirit from the church … ( Rick Joyner, The Morning Star Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3.)
 
This is a subtle twist of what is meant.  Has God said?  We find that he has spoken.  The Holy Spirit leads us into the truth which Jesus said were the words he spoke.  Jesus is the word that became flesh, that all of God’s wisdom and reason is in Jesus.  Jesus said we are to continue in his word if we love him.  The word is the truth that the Spirit is to lead us into.  The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth since he is the author of the word.  So whatever the Spirit may say today is not going to be different than the word he originally wrote, but agree.  He will not contradict it nor add to it.  Under the inspiration of the Word he has said through the apostle Paul “do not go beyond what is written lest we become puffed up.”  He will not lead us beyond the word but make us wise in it.  This is not what is occurring from these man.  (all one has to do is read Joyner’s book “The Final Quest” and see he has new “prophetic revelations,” many of them which go beyond the word and contradict the written word)
 
Anyone who asserts on our fellowship is to be based on sound doctrine are labeled as legalists or of the old order.  The new order imposes unscriptural conditions by following them based on their dreams, visions and power displays.  Despite they are contrary to the revealed word already delivered, their teaching ‘authority as apostles and prophets are given equal authority with Scripture, which is not unlike the Roman Catholic Church’s Magisterium.
 
George Warnock came to live at Sharon Orphanage in 1949.  He had been a secretary to Ern Baxter (an associate of William Branham and later part of the “Fort Lauderdale Five” of Shepherding fame).  In 1951, Warnock wrote a book which in was the evolutionary model of the church as seen by the Latter Rain adherents entitled: “Feast of Tabernacles” a manual for Latter Rain Doctrines & Practices, in which he laid out a specific doctrine for the Latter Rain Movement.  He taught that the Church was about to usher in the completion of God’s feasts through perfection of the saints and their dominion over the earth.  Three great annual feasts of the Lord in Israel’s worship (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) typify the whole Church Age, beginning with the death of Jesus on the cross, and consummating in “the manifestation of the Sons of God”-the “overcomers” who will become perfected and step into immortality in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (George Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles pp. 14-20, 1951)

In Warnock’s “The Feast of Tabernacles,” he makes the feasts a pattern for church progression through time.  Starting at Passover, which is Calvary, the church has been passing through the different feasts, over the years, to Pentecost.  Warnock writes that we, the church, still have got to go through the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Trumpets, and come into the Feast of Tabernacles, where “God will finally dwell within His people.”  Three feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) pre-figure and fulfill in type the whole Church Age, from the death of Jesus on the cross, and consummating in “the manifestation of the Sons of God” – the “overcomers” who will become immortal and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
 
Biblically the feasts do show a fulfillment in the Messiah and a prophetic scenario.  There is truth to what he states, however its how he changes the meanings and application that is twisted.  Four of the feasts were fulfilled by Jesus in his first coming within the 50 days from the time of his death to Pentecost just as they were in the Old Testament.  Christ was our unleaven bread (sinless) our Passover lamb (his crucifixion).  The first fruits (in his resurrection) and our Pentecost (sending the Holy Spirit).  What is important is to understand he fulfilled it personally and will do the same for the last three feasts.  The first four feasts correspond to the early rain season all held in spring.  The last three all correspond to the Latter Rain in the fall season.  The difference is Jesus fulfills these as well.  The Feast of Trumpets(the rapture and resurrection), Day of Atonement(the salvation of the Jewish nation – Romans 11), and the Feast of Tabernacles which is his second coming, Christ (God) dwelling with man (not in man which he already is by the Holy Spirit by the new birth).  He fulfills these by bringing his kingdom rule to earth.  Warnock instead applied it to the Church.  There was no Church until the Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost (although some believe it was after the resurrection when Jesus breathed on the apostles the Holy Spirit).  Either way the Church was not participants in all the feasts.

Trish Trillian points out in banner ministries (Looking beyond Toronto) what doctrines came from the Latter Rain:

•• Replacement theology: The Church is Israel.

•• Rejection of pre-millennial doctrines, of the classic understanding of the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Second Coming and the Millennium.

•• The wicked raptured, (i.e. taken in judgment) not the Church.

•• The dominion mandate – the Body is to “possess the land” and rule on earth BEFORE the return of Christ.
 
•• New revelation and Secret Doctrines that only the overcomers can understand,

•• “Without spot or wrinkle” – The Church must be purged before Christ can indwell it.  His indwelling will bring about the sinless perfection of the Church.

•• Restoration of the Apostles and Prophets – The vital need of discipling in the Body and submission to Elders (Shepherding) to bring about the perfecting of the saints.

•• Unity of all believers necessary and vital since Jesus cannot incarnate into an undivided Body.

•• Manifestation of the Sons of God which is the fullness and glorification of the Church on the day that “Christ is formed in his people”.  They are a mighty Army of the Lord (Joel’s Army).  This is various described as the Birth of the Manchild – i.e. those in the Body who are perfected by the work of the Apostles, Prophets and Teachers and brought (literally) to ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

I think we can trace the Latter Rain and the anointed class in its embryonic form even before this 1947 outbreak.  If we go back to the teachings of C.T. Russell of the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult who believed that the body of Christ would be become the mighty God corporately, they would be sinless and share in Christ’s rule becoming part of is nature. C.T. Russell was a Mason.

“The Scriptures present that when we gave ourselves to the Lord and He gave us His Holy Spirit, we there passed through a transformation and became embryo spirit beings…’ (Watchtower, 10/15/1913, p. 309)

“The New Creature does not need any imputation of merit, for the New Creature is sinless … The New Creature needs no justification because it does not sin … Would the merit of Jesus be involved in the forgiving of the New Creature’s trespasses?  No!  Jesus has nothing to do with atoning for sin on the part of New Creatures… There is no atonement for New Creatures.” (1916 Convention Report, p. 213) Who needs atonement if you’re sinless.
 
“that they feel that we are guilty of blasphemy when we speak of being ‘new creatures’- not any longer human, but ‘partakers of the divine nature.’ …it is claiming that we are divine beings-hence all such are Gods.  Thus we have a family of God …. Now we appear like men, and all die naturally like men, but in the resurrection we will rise in our true character as Gods … Then the whole family- head and body are addressed as one, as they will be under Christ, their head, saying: Arise 0 God, judge (rule, bless) the earth: for thou shaft inherit all nations.  The Mighty God, and Everlasting Father of the nations is Christ whose members in particular we are.”  (Watchtower, 10 & 11/1881, p. 10, Reprints, p. 301)
 
“…… under him as our head constitute the whole body of Christ, the ‘Mighty God’ (El-powerful one) to rule and bless the nations- and the body with the head, shall share in the work of restoring the life lost in Adam, and therefore be members of that company which as a whole will be the Everlasting Father to the restored race.’  (Watchtower, 10 & 11 / 1881, p. 10, Reprints P. 298)
 
Out of these teachings came the anointed 144,000 mediators that the earthly class must have a right relationship to receive the benefits of the new covenant.
 
Now lets look at a few quotes from those promoting this transformation that is founded on the Latter Rain teachings:
 
“And the Church that is raising up the government will be the head and the covering for them . . . There is a ministry after the five-fold called the ministry of perfection – the Melchizedek Priesthood . . . your children will be moving into the ministries of Perfection . . .coming into that Divine Nature of Jesus Christ . . . they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet . . . because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the GOD-MAN!” (Bob Jones, Kansas City Fellowship tape from 1988)
 
Paul Cain tells it like it is.  “I don’t know what the Second Coming means to you, there’s so many different returns of the Lord, or comings of the Lord, I don’t know, we have a cardinal doctrine like that, but let me tell you He’s coming to YOU.  He’s coming to his Church, He is coming to abide in you, to take up his abode in you.”

“I want you to know He’s coming to the church before He comes FOR the church.  He’s gonna perfect the Church so the church can be the Image, and be Him, and be His representation.” (Paul Cain: Nov 88, Tape: “My Father’s House”)

“Before Jesus Himself returns, the last virgin Church shall become pregnant with the promise of God.  Out of her travail, the Body of Christ shall come forth, raised to the full statute of its Head, the Lord Jesus.  Corporately manifested in holiness, power and love, the Bride of Christ shall arise.”  (Francis Frangipane, “In the Presence of God” New Wine Press 1994.  “The Virgin Shall Be With Child” pg. 153-157)

Christ is our Melchizedek priest no one else qualifies, there is only one God/man.  The Church is not the God man collectively, these men are writing their own bible, just as Charles Russell of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was.

OMEGA POINT
 
It needs to be said that this model is typical of modern spiritual futurists who believe that the collective human race is moving toward its next stage of man’s evolution (transitional leaps) birthing Godhood.  This is called the Omega Point by new agers and those in the latter Rain.  Bob Jones says of PAPA [God], “His Son was a ALPHA SON, your children are the OMEGA sons and daughters.”  (prophecy, Session 7, Vineyard Ministries, 1989) (quoted in Discernment Newsletter) Does this seem odd that a prophet would say the same as the New Agers, none of which is Scriptural.

Catholic Priest turned New Ager Pierre Teilhard de Chardin finished one of his landmark works, “The Phenomena of Man,” which explored his vision of the Omega Point and the evolution of consciousness a cosmic union with God.  “After what will soon be two thousand years, Christ must be born again, he must be reincarnated in a world that has become too different from that in which he lived.  (Christianity and Evolution p. 95)

While many may not use the same term ‘Omega’ they certainly have the same philosophy.  Matthew Fox, “There is a real sense in which the Cosmic Christ is not born yet. Even in Jesus the Cosmic Christ has yet to come to full birth, for those who say they believe in Jesus have scarcely brought forth the Cosmic Christ at all.”  (P.136) “Indeed, the birthing of the Cosmic Christ is the purpose of the incarnation … Divinity wants to birth the Cosmic Christ in each and every individual.” (THE COSMIC CHRIST, P.122)

“This Cosmic Christ will lead the way to a … deep worship; deep ecumenism and interaction among all religions of the planet.  (ibid.p.8) Here is the new wave of the Spirit, the River runs deeper than anyone can be imagined.  It will eventually converge into one big ocean that everyone can drown in.

Barbara Marx Hubbard, “Finally, you start the transition. . . During the transition, millions of members of the body AWAKEN TO THEIR POWER to be natural Christs, full humans in the model of the first person to manifest the next stage in the development of humanity. . .

Ms. Hubbard, states there will come a time when “the divisions of the religions would be over……We would each know that God is within us……If all who feel we are connected to each other, to nature and to God join in a planetary Pentecost, we shall be transformed in this lifetime.  I believe in the peaceful second Coming.”  ( Barbara Marx Hubbard and “The Armageddon Alternative,” p. 49, Brooks Alexander, Vol. 19:2/3, 1995)
 
To the New Age movement, “any individual or group who denies the divinity of man” … or is to be in opposition to “Christ in you”-the indwelling Christ ……is anti Christ.  We must question this movement and the men involved, since they appear to be saying the very same things only on different terms.

Sources used:

Banner ministries- Tricia Tillin Banner Ministries

Media Spotlight and “Vengeance is Ours” by Al Dager

Discernment Newsletter, Joel’s Army, the New Order of the Latter Rain by Jewel van Der Merwe

Founder/Founding date: As a movement rather than an organized group, there is no founder or founding date, per se.  The philosophical roots extend to Gnosticism.  E.W. Kenyon (1860-?) was perhaps the earliest modern exponent to blend the movement’s eastern mystical and New Age elements with Christian teaching.

Official Publications: None.  Two prominent publications are Kenneth Copeland’s “Believer’s Voice of Victory” and Kenneth Hagin’s “The Word of Faith” magazines.  There are scores of books, newsletters, pamphlets by various authors Hagin, Kenyon, Copeland, Capps, Price, etc.

Organizational Structure: Has no key universally acknowledged leader or central headquarters.  The teachers of the movement all have their own churches and followings.

Unique Terms: The God-kind of faith; the force of faith; the Anointing; spirit-man; spiritual death of Christ; born-again Jesus; authority of the believer.

Other Names: Word-of-Faith, Positive Confession, Faith-formula, Health & Wealth Gospel.
 
HISTORY

Born in 1860, E. W. Kenyon is generally recognized as the founding father of the modern Word-Faith Movement.  Beginning as a Methodist, he became quite ecumenical, associating with the Baptists.  Some of his work even resulted in the founding of a few Primitive Baptist Churches.  Late in life, Kenyon moved into Pentecostalism.  At the same time, he combined elements of the metaphysical cults, such as Christian Science, New Thought theology, and Unity School of Christianity (D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, pp.31-35).  “The doctrines of correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession, with the result of calling a sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them.  Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that the doctrine originated and developed in these cults, and was later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry” (H. Terris Neuman, An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of Positive Confession, p. 43).

Though obviously not the movement’s originator, some have also called Kenneth Hagin the “grand-daddy of the faith teachers” (Sherry Andrews, “Kenneth Hagin < Keeping the Faith,” Charisma, October 1981, p. 24).  In a survey of readers of Charisma (a major Charismatic magazine) concerning those ministers that influence them the most, Kenneth Hagin was 3rd, ranked behind only TV evangelist Pat Robertson, and the heir apparent to the Word-Faith movement throne, Kenneth Copeland (Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Charisma, “Trend Toward the Faith Movement,” August 1985, pp. 67-70).

DOCTRINE – GOD
           
Word-Faith teachers claim that God operates by spiritual law and is obliged to obey the faith-filled commands and desires of believers.  He not only reveals prosperity teaching supernaturally to the Word-Faith teachers, but personally and verbally confirms their unique interpretations of Scripture (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 60-62).

They say the Abrahamic Covenant is the basis for commanding God to do His part in the covenant.  Robert Tilton says, “we make our own promises to do our part, then we can tell God, on the authority of His word, what we would like Him to do.  That’s right, you can actually tell God what you would like His part in the Covenant to be” (God’s Miracle Plan for Man, p. 36). Kenneth Copeland says, “as a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus.  Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent, because it is His Word” (Our Covenant with God, p. 32).  Copeland goes so far as to say that “God was the lesser party and Abraham was the greater” in the covenant between them (Copeland, Legal and Vital Aspects of Redemption, 1985, Audio Tape #01-0403).

The Faith teachers also make God into a big man.  Copeland says, “God is…a being that stands somewhere around 6′-2,” 6′-3,” that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds, little better, and has a hand span of nine inches across” (Spirit, Soul, and Body, 1985, Tape #01-0601).  Morris Cerillo, in an alleged out-of-body experience, describes God: “Suddenly, in front of this tremendous multitude of people, the glory of God appeared.  The form that I saw was about the height of a man 6 feet tall, maybe taller, and twice as broad as a human body, with no distinguishing features such as eyes, nose, or mouth” (The Miracle Book, pp. x-xi).

DOCTRINE – MAN

Word-Faith teachers say that not only is God a big man, but man is a little god.  Kenneth Hagin has asserted, “man…was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority…. He made us the same class of being that He is Himself…. He lived on terms equal with God…. The believer is called Christ, that’s who we are; we’re Christ” (Zoe: The God Kind of Life, pp. 35-36, 41).  “God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself…He was not a little like God.  He was not almost like God.  He was not subordinate to God even” (Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham, 1989, Tape #01-3001).  He also proclaims, “You don’t have a God in you < you are one!” (Copeland, The Force of Love, 1987, Tape #02-0028).  Morris Cerillo says “the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. …you’re not looking at Morris Cerillo, you’re looking at God, you’re looking at Jesus” (The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God, Audio Tape 1, Sides 1 & 2).

DOCTRINE – CHRIST

The deity of Christ is compromised.  Kenneth Copeland, in relating what Christ supposedly told him, says, “don’t be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God…the more you get to be like Me, the more they are going to think that way of you.  They crucified Me for claiming that I was God.  But I didn’t claim I was God.  I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was with Me” (Copeland, “Take Time to Pray,” Believer’s Voice of Victory, #15, 2 February 1987, p. 9).  “Jesus was on the earth just a man, not the son of God” (Frederick K.C. Price, Tape #RP 19, May 1993).  And Kenneth Hagin says, “You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was” (The Word of Faith, December 1980, p. 14).

DOCTRINE – ATONEMENT
 
The very important doctrine of the atonement of Christ is distorted.  Frequently Word-Faith teachers unduly over-emphasize the spiritual death instead of the physical death of Christ.  “Physical death will not remove sins” (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 29).  In other words, it took the spiritual death of Jesus to atone for sins.  “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, p. 7).

According to Word-Faith teachers, when Adam rebelled, or “committed high treason,” he not only betrayed God by turning over to Satan what God had given him, he also took on the nature of Satan.  So, to redeem mankind and creation from Satan’s legal control, Jesus, as the second Adam, had to die not only physically but spiritually.  This may be acceptable among some evangelicals.  But where it has led Word-Faith teachers is not.  They say Jesus not only bore our sins on Calvary, but also took on the actual nature of Satan himself.  “Just as Adam died spiritually, Jesus died spiritually.  The spiritual death He suffered caused His physical body to die…. When Jesus accepted the sin nature of Satan into His Spirit He cried ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ He was separated from God… He was ushered into the bowels of hell” (Kenneth Copeland, Classic Redemption, p. 13; emphasis added).  “Spiritual death means having Satan’s nature” (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 31).

Just a man on earth, and taking on the nature of Satan at the cross, Jesus becomes just a sinner in need of redemption.  At the resurrection Jesus is a born again man from the pit of hell.  “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).

OTHER DOCTRINES
    
1) Positive Confession: The Theology of the Spoken Word (Rhematology), or thought actualization, is commonly known as positive confession.  It stresses the inherent power of words and thoughts.  Each person predestines his own future by what he says verbally and by how well he uses spiritual laws.  As such, it is as if we live in a mechanistic universe instead of a personal one (see, Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 15; Charles Capps, The Tongue A Creative Force, pp. 117-118; Releasing the Ability of God, pp. 98-99, 101-104).

2) The Gospel of Health: Isaiah 53 is used to justify blanket coverage for the physical healing of every Christian who has enough faith.  “…it is the plan of our Father God in His great love and His great mercy that no believer should ever be sick, that every believer should live his life full span down here on earth and that every believer should finally just fall asleep in Jesus” (Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing, p. 21).  Hagin also denies having a headache for forty-five years, labeling such as “simply symptoms rather than any indication of a headache” (In the Name of Jesus, p. 44).

3) The Gospel of Wealth: A central tenet of the prosperity gospel is that God wills the financial prosperity of every Christian.  If a believer lives in poverty, he/she is living outside God’s intended will.  “You must realize that it is God’s will for you to prosper” (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 51).
 
BIBLICAL RESPONSE

1) God is the unique, Sovereign of the Universe (1 Timothy 6:15).  God is pure spirit (John 4:24).  There is no biblical basis for teaching that God has His own body, as an essential part of His nature or being.  This would be more in line with Mormonism than orthodox Christianity.

2) Man is unique from the rest of Creation, but is not Divine.  He was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but bearing God’s image does not make him a “little god.”  By definition, God is an “uncreated” or self-existent Being.  Obviously, humans were created and therefore are not self-existent or divine; only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalms 8:6-8).

3) Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the Only Incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 15; 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1).  In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).  By receiving the limitations of humanity (Philippians 2:6-7) Jesus forwent the exercise of some of His prerogatives as God.  But He did not cease to be God.  It is also impossible for the natures of God or man (Christ was both on earth) to cease being what they are.

4) The nature of the atonement had to do with Jesus’ physical death on the cross being the payment for sins (Hebrews 9:22).  Christ said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), which translates tetelistai meaning “paid for in full.”  Payment for our sins took place on the cross (Matt. 26:28; 1 Pet. 2:24; Col. 1:20-22; Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 19 20). There was nothing more to pay beyond the cross (Heb. 10:18).

5) God is the only One who ever created reality by the power of His Word (Genesis 1:3).  He does not have or need “faith.”  Faith is depending on something outside ourselves.  If God depends upon something outside Himself, He is not Supreme and therefore not God.  Man, not God, is in need of faith.  The faith referenced in Mark 11:22 and Hebrews 11:3 is clearly “the faith which has God as its object,” not “the kind of faith that God has.”

6) The use of words for Positive Confession < One may help or hurt another by words of encouragement or condemnation, by telling the truth or misleading, etc.  But to treat words as if they were some “star wars” type weapon by which reality is manipulated or altered is not biblical, but occultic.
 
RESOURCES
           
A Different Gospel (Updated Edition) D.R. McConnell. Warns of the movement’s cultic nature in its doctrine of healing and its understanding of the atonement, and demonstrates how far the movement’s doctrine of prosperity is from Scripture’s true teaching. Chapter end-notes, Bibliography, 195 pages, softcover. $8.

Christianity in Crisis, Hank Hanegraaff.  Documents the antibiblical doctrines of the Word-Faith Movement and shows their systematic subversion of the historic Christian faith.  Appendices, Notes, Bibliography, Scripture and Subject indexes, 447 pages, hardcover. $17

Profile is a regular feature of the Watchman Expositor published by Watchman Fellowship, Inc. Readers are encouraged to begin their own religious research notebooks using these articles.  Back issues of Profile are made available at a nominal fee.  Resource items are subject to changes in availability and price.  Free subscriptions may be ordered from the subscription page.
          
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Recently I was invited into a prison to teach about the shofar and, of course, to blow it . .  . At the end of the teaching, I explained how the breath of God is released as the shofar is blown…

In the Spirit as the shofar sounded, I immediately saw a Jacob’s ladder being extended down inside of many prisons and jails with angels ascending and descending . . . . I saw angels with swords drawn ready to cut time for some prisoners . . .

SOME PRISON FILES AND RECORDS WILL STRANGELY DISAPPEAR THIS COMING YEAR — I SAW ANGELS SNOOPING INTO FILING CABINETS.

In the Spirit I could overhear some prison wardens and officials discussing some of the prisoners’ destinies who were doomed with lengthy sentences, saying, “How can this be? Where are those records and files? Without that record or file there is not enough evidence to keep him here! He will walk out the front gate a free man!”

Death row angels were descending to interfere in the affairs of men and women and the death assignments over them. Some angels were present to stay the hand of death, while other angels were present to welcome others into the presence of Jesus.

http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=5273 [1]

[Mr. Yount declared his vision of a heavenly "jail break" was made possible not by prayer but by the blowing of a ram's horn. Yount's "prophetic words" are promoted by the Elijah List, and he is a favored speaker at New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) conferences. Mr. Yount teaches that blowing the shofar operates according to scientific and spiritual "laws" so that the physical properties of sound has a profound heavenly impact, which in turn releases favor and God's "breath" upon the earth. In contrast to Scripture or early church practice, no such tools or methods are taught in God's Word. One might also wonder why the Lord needs to rifle file cabinets in order to accomplish his will.]
Source URL:
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/5432
Links:
[1] http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=5273

Such is the message being propagated by Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Charles Capps, Fred Price, Robert Tilton, Doyle “Buddy” Harrison and Ray McCauley. (These people have international followings numbering thousands, several having their own TV broadcasts.) Many believers who see these ministries at a distance know that something is not right about them, but most see them as the Gospel plus healing and prosperity on demand.

Research carried out in 1994 among a number of Christians from many different backgrounds has confirmed this. Almost 100% held this idea that the `Faith’ message was only the Gospel plus. None had any idea of the extent of its error. In fact, a certain well-informed Baptist pastor expressed real surprise when he read what Kenneth Copeland teaches about the Creation, Fall, and Redemption of man. “I never knew it was this bad,” he said. “…This is sheer heresy.”

You might think it a fair question to ask whether these `Faith’ teachers themselves are aware that they are teaching anything other than the historic, Biblical Gospel. After all, you could say, all of us make mistakes at times – maybe they’re just a little confused about what happened on the Cross. But the following comment from Copeland’s tape “What happened from the Cross to the Throne” indicates clearly his thinking that traditional Christianity has covered up his beliefs in `traditional church teaching’: “Tonight I want to show you some things from the Word of God . . . It’s very little talked about, almost non-existent in traditional church teaching . . . because it’s been covered up and hidden in tradition… The thing that’s necessary for the life of a Christian is knowledge of what happened from the cross to the throne, what took place in the three days and three nights.”

So, then, we see that far from being a misunderstanding of what happened at the Cross, Copeland has uncovered a previously `hidden’ teaching (what the `Faith’ movement terms `Revelation knowledge’) which you will see presents us with another `Jesus’ and `another gospel’. The quotes which follow are all from Kenneth Copeland: “This man [Jesus] is a carbon copy of the one that walked through the garden of Eden.” (”What Happened from the Cross to the Throne”, tape.)

“Every prophet that walked the face of the earth under the Abrahamic covenant could have paid the price if it were a physical death only” (”What Happened…”)… “When he said `It is finished’ on that cross, he was not speaking of the plan of redemption. The plan of redemption had just begun, there were still three days and three nights to be gone through.” (”What Happened…”)… “When His blood poured out it did not atone.” (Kenneth Copeland: From a personal letter to D.R.McConnell, dated 12/3/79. Cited in A Different Gospel, p.120)… “Jesus went into hell itself and suffered the penalty for sin” (Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, May 1994, page 5.)… “[Jesus] accepted the sin nature of Satan in His own Spirit, and at the moment that He did so, He cried `My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’.” (”What Happened…”)… “He [Jesus] was down in that pit and there he suffered the punishment for three horrible days and nights for Adam’s treason… There is a new birth takes place in the very depths of the earth, when the command of God says `That’s enough, loose him and let him go’.” (”What Happened…”)

A good summary quote of this teaching from a fellow `Faith’ teacher is this: “Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case the two thieves could have paid your price. No the punishment was to go into hell itself and serve time in hell separated from God… Satan and all the demons of hell thought they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus, and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence.” (Fred K.C. Price, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, June 1980, p.7)

It has become obvious that Copeland’s belief about “what took place in the three days and three nights” has nothing to do with orthodox Bible teaching, and has not been “covered up and hidden in tradition”! Yet Copeland ends his tape “What Happened from the Cross to the Throne” with the following remark: “`Go into all the world and preach the gospel’ – what is the gospel? Just exactly what I have been telling you for the last hour.”

So Copeland believes that it is not what happened ON the Cross (when the real Jesus poured out His precious blood to pay for our sins), but what happened AFTERWARDS that really matters – when his imaginary `Jesus’ (who had died spiritually and become “one with Satan” on the cross) was being tortured by Satan (his “step-father”) in hell. Commenting on this teaching the late Dr Walter Martin, a world expert on cults, said the following: “It is the height of theological folly to reduce God the Son, the second person of the holy Trinity, to a lost sinner with the nature of Satan and then send Him to hell with the requirement of regeneration before He can complete the work of redemption.” (p.104, Agony of Deceit, Moody Press: Chicago, 1990)
 
Before looking into more of the specific teachings of the `Faith’ movement (also called the prosperity movement and the `Word-Faith’ movement) it will be helpful to see where it comes from. Many Christians have been taken unawares by it because they think it comes from the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. Such is not the case at all. In the latter half of this century, the acknowledged father-figure of the movement has been Kenneth Hagin. It is from him that Copeland and others have directly borrowed their message.
However, the real father of the `Faith’ message is E.W.Kenyon, who was teaching the same things before Kenneth Hagin was even born (Kenyon died in 1948). To the casual observer, the `Faith’ movement has certain similarities in experience, etc., to the Pentecostal and charismatic movements. However, the core of the message, and its origins, are widely divergent. Kenyon, its founder, inadvertently `borrowed’ from the ideas taught by Christian Science, New Thought and Unity School of Christianity. In the book A Different Gospel, D.R. McConnell documents clearly the progress of Kenyon’s ideas while studying at Emerson’s New Thought college in Boston.

Though Hagin has tried to deny his obvious plagiarism of Kenyon’s “The Wonderful Name of Jesus”, saying that he only saw the book in 1978, as McConnell points out, “The problem is that two years prior to 1978, the first date that Hagin admits to having read Kenyon’s The Wonderful Name of Jesus, he had already copied extensively from this book for an article published in his magazine in 1976. That article never mentions the name of E.W.Kenyon.”"He has plagiarized Kenyon both repeatedly and extensively. Actually, it would not be overstated to say that the very doctrines that have made Kenneth Hagin and the Faith movement such a distinctive and powerful force within the independent charismatic movement are all plagiarized from E.W.Kenyon.” (p.7, A Different Gospel).
 
He also points out the very obvious similarities between statements of Kenyon and those of New Thought writer R.W.Trine. Trine wrote concerning the `law’ of prosperity: “To hold yourself in this [positive] attitude of mind is to set in operation subtle, silent irresistible forces that sooner or later actualize in material form that which is today merely an idea. But ideas have occult power and ideas rightly planted and rightly tended are the seeds that actualize material conditions” (R.W.Trine, In Tune with the Infinite, p.138 [emphasis mine]). Those familiar with any of the modern writings on prosperity and positive confession will see, in the light of this quotation, that they have more in common with the writings of Trine (via Kenyon and Hagin) than with the Scriptures.

(Under each heading the position of the `Faith’ teachers is outlined, with any relevant quotes, and then follows the Biblical view on each topic.]

Adam:
They teach that he had the nature of God and great inner creative power as God had. E.W. Kenyon taught that man “must partake either of God’s nature or of Satan’s nature”, and therefore he has no distinct nature of his own. Charles Capps puts it like this: “God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. The word likeness in the original Hebrew means “an exact duplication in kind.”… Adam was an exact duplication of God’s kind!” (Authority in Three Worlds, p.15-16. [Emphasis in original]. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Harrison House, 1982.)

What Capps is putting to us here is made crystal clear for us by his fellow Faith-teacher Kenneth Copeland when he states quite emphatically that “God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself, and in the Garden of Eden He did that. He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even…. Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus – When He came into the earth He said `If you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father’. He wasn’t a lot like God – He’s God manifested in the flesh. And I want you to know something: Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh!” (”Following the Faith of Abraham”, part I, side 1). [Cassette obtained from Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Bath, UK, Summer 1994]

What the Bible says:
In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 the Hebrew word Elohim is used only of God, not of man (who was only a creature). Adam was created with a sinless human nature. He had a nature that was made `in the image of God’ but was distinct from it. (Genesis 1:26 and 2:7)
 
Adam’s Dominion:
They teach that he was a little god who owned the planet earth and all God’s creation. According to Kenneth Hagin, man “was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority… Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on equal terms with God.” (Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, p. 35-36, Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc. 1989.) According to some of the `Faith’ teachers he was given total ownership for a 6000 year period. His spoken words would cause food to grow and feed him. Meanwhile, God was “outside looking in” (as Copeland tells us on his tape, “What Happened…”) and “powerless to do anything” – He had given the Earth to man freehold.

What the Bible says:
Adam’s dominion was only a stewardship to look after what God had made, to tend the garden of Eden and look after the animals (Gen. 1:28; Gen.2:15). The Earth and everything in it still belonged to God – Adam was God’s tenant. (See, for example, Lev. 25:23, Deut.4:39, Jer. 27:5, Psa. 24:1- “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it”). Andrew Brandon, in his book Health and Wealth (which gives an excellent overview of the movement), gives the following illustration: “Man was given dominion over the earth, but this must not be confused with legal authority.

Man was God’s viceroy, representing him in Creation. The situation was not unlike the position of Mountbatten in India before independence. As viceroy of all India, he represented the power and interests of the British government. Because of the authority delegated to him, he was allowed to use his own initiative in some matters. Nevertheless, he was answerable to the British government and could be deposed at will if he was found to be unsatisfactory.” (Health and Wealth, p.104, Kingsway Publications, 1987)

The Fall:
They teach that Adam lost God’s nature and suffered `spiritual death’ taking the nature of Satan, and so he became “a step- son of Satan”. He became powerless; he lost his creative power. Again, I quote from Charles Capps’ book Authority in Three Worlds: “Adam had revelation knowledge that flowed from God, the Father. But when Adam bowed his knee to Satan, he shut God out. God found Himself on the outside looking in. His man, Adam, had lost his authority. Satan… had… become the god of the world system…. Satan had gained ascendancy in the earth by gaining Adam’s authority, and God was left on the outside. God couldn’t come here in His divine power and wipe them out. He had to move in an area where it would be ruled legal by the Supreme Court of the Universe.” (pages 50-51)
 
Now observe how clearly Frederick K.C. Price states the belief of the `Faith’ teachers: “Adam, as I said, gave it [the earth] away to the serpent, to the Devil. As a result of it he got his behind kicked out of the garden. He went out of Eden, out of the garden. He began to wander around, and he has troubles from day one. Now God was out of the business. God was out of the earth realm. God had no more stock in this earth realm. No more. None at all. Nothing He could do. Not a thing in the world He could do…. The only way God could get back into this earth realm, He had to have an invitation. Ha-hah! He had to have an invitation.” (”Ever Increasing Faith” program on TBN [1 May 1992], audiotape #PR11.)
The Earth, then, had become the legal property of Satan: “When Adam gave that creature the authority that God had given him, he made Satan the god of this world.” (Copeland: “What Happened…”) This meant that God was not only “outside looking in” but was also utterly powerless to do anything on Earth. Without man’s cooperation God was LOST!

What the Bible says:
At the Fall, Adam’s distinctive human nature became sinful. He was separated from God by his rebellion (Rom.5:19). Again, Brandon’s illustration is helpful: “Man, like Lord Mountbatten [see above], was God’s representative on earth. He was permitted a certain degree of freedom, such as naming the animals, but was ultimately responsible to God for his stewardship of the planet. The fall, rather than being the exile of God from earth, was the exile of man from God. It is significant that after the fall, God excluded Adam and Eve from Eden and left angelic guardians barring their return (Gen 3:24).” (Ibid. p.104)

God’s Plan of Redemption:
The `Faith’ teachers say that since Adam’s sin deserved suffering in hell, someone had to go there and suffer in Adam’s place. Kenneth Hagin states it like this: “He [Jesus] tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner man went to hell in my place. Can’t you see that? Physical death wouldn’t remove your sins.” (”How Jesus Obtained His Name”, side 1, tape #44H01. Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries.) The quotation earlier by Fred Price also promotes this view. (Can he really compare the death of Jesus Christ with that of a guilty thief? You must judge for yourself.)
 
What the Bible says:
God brought to fulfillment His blood sacrifice system; hence the statement of John the Baptist, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) One perfect [i.e. not just a prophet or any other sinner] blood sacrifice was to be made which would pay for our sins (Isaiah 53:5,10 and 11; Hebrews 10:10).

Jesus:
Copeland (and the rest) inform us that He was a `carbon copy’ of Adam (e.g. Copeland: “What Happened…”). It is clear from many statements on the subject that they deny the pre-existent Jesus, since Copeland teaches that Jesus is only the product of God’s positive confession: “The angels spoke the words of the covenant to her [Mary]. She pondered them in her heart, and those words became the seed. And the Spirit of God hovered over her and generated that seed, which was the word that the angel spoke to her. And there was conceived in her, the Bible says, a holy thing. The Word literally became flesh.” (”The Abrahamic Covenant”, side 2, audiocassette #01-4405, Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1985.)
 
Elsewhere (as we saw) Adam and Jesus were both “God manifested in the flesh”. In the `Faith’ message the fact must be seen that neither is `God’ in a Christian understanding. Rather, both are said to have the `nature of God’. Copeland says that Jesus “has got to be all man. He cannot be a God and come storming in here with attributes and dignities that are not common to man. He can’t do that. It’s not legal.” (”The Incarnation”, side 1, audiocassette #01-0402, emphasis in original, Fort Worth, TX: KCM, 1985.)

What the Bible says:
Jesus is the only one (Greek: monogenes – meaning ‘One of a kind’ or ‘Unique’) who is God Himself come in flesh. He is fully human and fully divine. (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9) Although called the eternal Word of God, he is not one of God’s spoken words.
 
Born Again ~ An Incarnation?:
E.W.Kenyon said, “The Lord Jesus was not, however, a `one-of-a-kind.’ `Incarnation’ can be repeated in each and every one of us. Every man who has been `born again’ is an Incarnation.” (E.W.Kenyon: The Father and His Family, p.100)
Hagin says, “You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was. Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” (Kenneth Hagin: Word of Faith, December, 1980, p.14)
“You don’t have a god in you. You are one!” (Kenneth Copeland: “The Force of Love”, tape.)
Dogs beget dogs, and cats beget cats, and God begets gods. You are all little gods” (Kenneth Copeland, speaking on Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise the Lord show)
“Jesus is no longer the only begotten Son of God… Jesus is known as the first begotten from the dead. If there is a firstborn, then there has to be a secondborn, a thirdborn, a fourthborn, etc.” (Copeland: “Now Are We in Christ Jesus”, p.24, Kenneth copeland Publications, Texas.)

“I say this and repeat it so it doesn’t upset you too bad… when I read in the Bible where He [Jesus] says, `I AM,’ I say, `Yes, I AM too!’” (Kenneth Copeland: Spoken during a crusade meeting, 19/7/1987)

What the Bible says:
Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God (John 1:18, John 3:16) The statements by Kenyon, Hagin and Copeland are sheer blasphemy, and surely so obviously so that no Bible references are really needed. Check out just about any book of the Bible! (Try, for a start, Deut. 6:4 and Isaiah 43:10. Genesis 3:5 shows that the idea of being `like God’ was the lure of the serpent in the Garden of Eden.)

Jesus on the Cross:
The `Faith’ teachers insist that Jesus became a sinful, ordinary mortal man with Satan’s nature – a “stepson of Satan”. Ray McCauley has taught that “while on the cross, He (Jesus) was going to have to take Satan as His stepfather.” [McCauley, who was trained under Kenneth Hagin (at RHEMA Bible Training Center), allegedly repented of this teaching (according to a letter dated 17/11/90), but since then has continued selling and distributing materials teaching exactly this message.]
The cross apparently accomplished nothing, being a place of `failure and defeat’. Jesus did not bear our sins in his body on the cross.
 
What the Bible says:
The `Lamb of God’ remained sinless while bearing our sins. He did not become a sinner, but was treated as one. His physical death was the blood sacrifice which paid for our sins. (Heb. 9:12,14,28; Heb. 7:27)

The Atonement for Sin:
Not by the blood sacrifice on the cross, they say. E.g. “if His death paid it then every man could die for himself ” (Fred K.C. Price). “The plan of redemption had just begun. There were still 3 days and 3 nights to be gone through.” (Copeland) He was dragged by demons into hell and tormented for 3 days and 3 nights as the payment for sin. Adam’s suffering in hell was then substituted for. Then `Jesus’ had to be BORN AGAIN to lose his Satanic nature and regain a righteous God nature. Thus we find also that, “Sin was not reckoned to Him. Sin was not set to His account. He became sin.” (E.W.Kenyon, Identification, p.12)

“Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price” (Fred Price)
“Physical death would not remove our sins. He tasted death for every man – spiritual death. Jesus is the first person ever to be born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God. Do you remember how He cried out on the cross, `My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’”… “Sin separates from God. Spiritual death means separation from God… Spiritual death means something more than separation from God. Spiritual death also means having Satan’s nature.” (Kenneth Hagin: “The Name of Jesus”, pp. 29-31).
 
“Jesus went into hell to free mankind from the penalty of Adam’s high treason . . . When His blood poured out it did not atone. . . . Jesus spent three horrible days and nights in the bowels of this earth getting back for you and me our rights with God”. [Kenneth Copeland: From a personal letter to D.R.McConnell, dated 12/3/79. Cited in A Different Gospel, p.120]

What the Bible says:
Sin was paid for on the cross BY THIS SACRIFICE (Heb. 10:10; Matt. 27:51). The veil of the Temple was torn by the Father. This shows that the blood sacrifice was accepted and thus man’s sins were paid for. We can now enter the Holy of Holies by the Blood of the Lamb. Check out the following Bible verses: Ephesians 1:7, 2:13 and 2:15; Colossians 1:20-22; 1 Peter 1:19, 2:24, 4:1.

Centrality of the Cross:
E.W.Kenyon wrote, “We have sung `Nearer the cross’ and we have prayed that we might be `Nearer the cross’ but the cross has no salvation in it. It is a place of failure and defeat” (Advanced Bible Course, p.279) [emphasis mine]. As usual, the others merely echo Kenyon’s ideas about this.

What the Bible says:
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved it is the Power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18) See also Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20 and 2:15.
 
*** Poison! ***
Given that the `Faith’ message has totally different views of the nature of man, of God, of Jesus Christ, of the incarnation, and of the atonement, it must be questioned whether any Bible-believing Christian should have anything to do with the movement. Should Christians attend conferences where even one speaker is a known adherent to such teachings? In the summer of 1994 Ray McCauley spoke at several meetings alongside top names from the British Pentecostal/charismatic movement. Should this kind of thing happen? Do you think that our leaders should share speaking platforms with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses as well?
Not only has McCauley polluted Africa for 15 years (as Kenneth Hagin Ministries) and done nothing about it, but he continues to sell materials in South Africa and the U.K. (as Ray McCauley Ministries) which teach the false atonement of the `JDS heresy’ (as summed up in Fred Price’s statement) and the `little gods’ doctrine.

Many object to such a clear-cut view of the `Faith’ movement, saying that since the Bible is so often quoted in the writings of these teachers they must be Biblical. But again we must ask ourselves a question: How much error is really required before someone’s theology can be labelled `dangerous’ and must be disposed of?

The late Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, speaking on a similar issue gave this helpful illustration: “[Imagine] a man with a bottle in his hand. There is a coloured liquid in the bottle and there are many ingredients in that bottle. There’s water in it and there’s colouring matter, and they’re all excellent ingredients. But there happens to be an amount of prussic acid, and though it’s a very small amount it can kill anybody who drinks out of that bottle! What’s the point of praising the good ingredients when there is rank, lethal poison in the bottle?” The `Faith’ message contains no small amount of poison! To simply acknowledge their `use’ of the Bible and ignore their heretical ideas in the name of `Christian unity’ is surely spiritual suicide.

CULT SAFEGUARDS
It is abundantly clear from what they say and write that the ideas and teachings promoted by Hagin, Copeland, and the rest, are heretical, and so it would be expected that anyone realising this would turn away from the teaching and its propagators. However, this has not often been the case. Although it is not an organised cult in the sense of having one particular leader and an organizational headquarters, the `Faith’ movement has managed to condition those inside and out with its `safeguards’ against Bible-based evaluation. Perhaps if you, the reader, have come under such teaching you may have been clearly warned not to criticise or question “God’s anointed men”. (Also, they are prone to yell “critical spirit” or, “you’re only arguing about words!” Yet such is clearly not the case.)
 
Another aspect of the control by the movement’s leaders is seen in one of Kenneth Hagin’s `revelations’, in which `Jesus’ told him that those pastors who didn’t accept Hagin’s prophetic word would die in their pulpits (see, for example, I Believe in Visions, pp. 114-115). Also a certain leader of one of the Rhema Bible Churches stood up before the congregation with a copy of D.R. McConnell’s book (mentioned already) and told people that if they read it they would lose their salvation. Of course, these are not `God’s anointed’ and need not be feared.
 
People are also very concerned that if they begin to analyse the movement’s teachings for themselves (i.e. think critically) then God might be angered and they will lose their healing and financial security, etc. It may sound rather odd to those on the outside, but to those involved it is a very serious matter indeed.

APPARENT REPENTANCES
Another aspect of this struggle is found in the October ‘93 issue of Alpha magazine (UK). In its feature on Benny Hinn, it quotes him at one point (October ‘91) saying “I really no longer believe the faith message. I don’t think it adds up.” He comments that for 10 years he filled his life with `Faith’ books, but then he adds: “I respect these teachers as men of God.” On 8 June 1992, Hinn told his Trinity Broadcasting Network TV audience that those who spoke out against `Word-Faith’ teacher Kenneth Copeland were “attacking the very presence of God.” Had Benny Hinn really understood that the message he read about and preached for so long has no power to save?

Another more serious example is that of Ray McCauley of Rhema South Africa: In October 1994, a contact in Johannesburg went and bought a copy of What Happened from the Cross to the Throne by E.W. Kenyon, as well as Copeland’s tape Following the Faith of Abraham I, from the Rhema Bookshop. Copeland’s What Happened from the Cross to the Throne was also available there, as well as a plethora of `Faith’ publications. This shows very clearly that 3 years and 11 months after Ray McCauley claimed to have repented of such teaching, he is still willfully propagating it! Yet when people have asked “Do you teach that Jesus died spiritually?” he replies “No”. The difference between `teaching’ and `propagating’ is merely used as a means to deceive.

CHANGE?
Some Christians are convinced the `Faith’ teachers are in fact changing. The scrutinizing of their teachings after such proclaimed revisions is documented by Dan McConnell, the author of A Different Gospel. He comments that “The Faith teachers may have toned down their rhetoric and altered some of their jargon”, but goes on to say that “the Faith controversy has never been resolved at the doctrinal level, nor will it until the Faith teachers recant [their] doctrines and practices. Cultic and heretical doctrine cannot be `moderated’, as if all that is necessary are a few cosmetic alterations and word changes… Moderated heresy is still heresy” (p.188).

Walter Martin has determined that “those who propagate these erroneous views (the little gods, the born-again Jesus, and so on) have sadly crossed over into the kingdom of the cults.” (p.104, Agony…) As Hank Hanegraaff concluded in the book Christianity in Crisis, “at stake is no less than salvation itself.” Evidently, Benny Hinn, Ray McCauley, and all those who have been involved with the `Faith’ movement, need some clear understanding of the choices involved, and their consequences.

Yet those who have sought to help them see the errors were despised. The authors of Agony of Deceit attempted to contact those under scrutiny: “We have sought out those in question,” they report. “We have asked them, `Did we get this right? Do you really believe this?’ We have asked them to reconsider their positions in the light of Scripture and have repeatedly attempted to settle confusion behind closed doors. All attempts have failed…” (p.13 Agony of Deceit)

Many of the movement’s leaders thus simply will not listen to the voice of reason – they have their visions, their `revelations’ from God, and anyone who disagrees with them is automatically dismissed. This is due to their Gnostic claims to have `revelation knowledge’. Those who disagree with them are said to have only `sense knowledge’ (i.e. the Bible’s literal, straightforward interpretation.)

CHRISTIANS?
For a Mormon to become a Christian, he would have to repent of his false beliefs about Jesus and the gospel and then put his trust in the real Jesus. This should be the case for those who realise the errors of the `Faith’ movement, too. Have you ever met a converted Jehovah’s Witness who still thinks that Charles Taze Russell (their founder) was a sound Bible teacher? What about a converted Mormon who thinks that Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormons) ought to be held up along with Daniel, Isaiah and Jeremiah as a true prophet of God?! Of course not!

It is a shame that this booklet had to be written. It would be nice if those teaching `Faith’ and `prosperity’ doctrines would meet with evangelical leaders and scholars and settle matters quietly. Even if they came to no agreement, at least, perhaps, the `Faith’ teachers could agree to stop calling themselves Christians and masquerading as Bible-teachers among the unsuspecting Christian public.

Sadly, this has not yet happened. Instead, the `Faith’ teachers mock sound theology, calling it `traditional church’, and so on. Paul Crouch, the head of Trinity Broadcasting Network (the world’s largest Christian TV network) has hardened himself against all attempts at correction: “To hell with you! Get out of my life!” was his response on one occasion. He referred to sound theology as `doctrinal doodoo’ and in the same broadcast said “I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there! Don’t even call me if you want to argue doctrine, if you want to straighten somebody out… criticize Ken Copeland… or Dad Hagin. Get out of my life! I don’t even want to talk to you… I don’t want to see your ugly face!” He evidently sees his that his `godship’ puts him beyond accountability, resorting on a different occasion to the following outburst on his Praise the Lord show (July 7, 1986): “I AM A LITTLE GOD… I am a little god. Critics be gone!” (This is the attitude of the man).

What should we do?
After examination of the details given above we must come to some conclusions. So, what should we do? The Bible exhorts us to “hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught”, so that we can “encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus1:9). Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul tells us that “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal1:9)

Evidently Paul took these matters very seriously. So should we. If you, the reader, have been involved in the `Faith’ movement, especially if you have accepted the false gospel documented above, then please read the following Bible passage: Acts 19:18-19. This shows the right response to God and His truth.

APPENDIX ~ Useful books on this subject:
Health and Wealth – Andrew Brandon, Kingsway Publications, 1987
This book was widely available in Christian bookshops until 2 or 3 years ago. Stocks of it burned at a warehouse in Cumbria and Kingsway have sadly never reprinted it. After trying unsuccessfully to order it from most of the main UK wholesalers, I eventually found my copy among some second-hand books which came into the City Mission bookshop in Birmingham! For those who would see more of Andrew Brandon’s book on our bookshelves, Scripture Union UK has acquired the copyright and need your encouragement to reprint it. Brandon writes very well, and doesn’t play games when it comes to dealing with the issues at stake, for he exposes the ‘Jesus’ of the prosperity gospel to be other than the real One. Chapter 7, ‘Another Jesus’, under the subtitle A Jesus who is less than God, begins a section which strikes at the heart of the deceptive ‘gospel’, which indeed does not lead to the real Jesus. This book deals clearly with both the spiritual and moral flaws of the teachings emanating from the ‘Faith’ Movement.
 
A Different Gospel – D.R. McConnell, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA., 1988
Originally written as a Master’s thesis this book addresses the ‘Faith’ Movement’s origins and its denial of the blood atonement in a clear, concise manner. McConnell takes us from Kenneth Hagin’s plagiarizing of the writings of E.W.Kenyon to the origin of Kenyon’s beliefs – the occultic thinking of Christian Science and New Thought metaphysics. Here, he says, Kenyon developed his belief in the power of the mind and the confession of the mouth as the source of life’s blessings and difficulties. In other words, man, by his mental attitude and the words he speaks, becomes the creator of his circumstances. Just why Kenyon decided that the blood atonement was ’sense knowledge’ and that Jesus actually had suffered ’spiritual death’ on the cross and then suffered in hell to pay for sins is not known. But that he is the originator of this modern day pollution, via Hagin et al, is absolutely certain. Available from Evangelical Press.

The Agony of Deceit – Various authors, Editor: Michael Scott Horton, Moody Press, 1990
This book exposes an all-important part of the ‘Faith’ teaching which wasn’t covered by McConnell: the denial of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. (For example, “Jesus said ‘I didn’t claim to be God when I walked the earth’” – Kenneth Copeland.) It also deals with the ‘Faith’ belief that the born-again believer is a little god. Although a good portion of the book deals with the question of the validity of TV Christian ministry, this is certainly a good question for us given that an organisation called Vision Broadcasting is sending us Copeland and other `Faith’ teachers via satellite. Available from Scripture Press.
 
Christianity in Crisis – Hank Hanegraaff, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR., 1993
In a unique presentation, Hanegraaff brings together all that has been exposed in these other books. Furthermore he presents a broad account of the `Faith’ message, from Adam to the born-again believer. This is important in understanding the statement, “particular groups within the movement are clearly cults” (p.41). He also provides us with a wide range of short biographical sketches of the actions and beliefs of modern `Faith’ teachers (e.g. Avanzini, Price, Hickey, Tilton, Cerullo) which is really what we needed to be alerted to those who are counted amongst them.

As he progresses through the book he provides ample documented quotations incriminating the `Faith’ proponents in various areas, including the `God’ of their beliefs. For instance, Copeland’s `God’ “measured out the heavens with a 9-inch span. See, God is not 437 feet tall, weighing 4000 pounds, and got fist a fist big around as this room…” Rather, he is “a being that stands somewhere around 6′-2″, 6′-3″, that weighs somewhere in the neighbourhood of a couple of hundred pounds or a little better, has a span of 9 inches across.” (Copeland: Spirit, Soul and Body I, audiotape #01-0601. Cited on p.356 Christianity in Crisis).

Furthermore, his forthright assessment has brought to light the heart attitudes of men who, it is plain, seek greedily the money of the weak, while claiming “Jesus had a nice house, a big house” (John Avanzini on Trinity Broadcasting Network, January 1991.) Such attitudes we find are only equalled by the “don’t touch God’s servant” threats made publicly by Benny Hinn against the author of this book. The true heart of the `Faith’ teachers is laid bare. We are grateful for Hanegraaff’s bold, much-needed assessment of the `Faith’ Movement. Clearly he is right when he states that “the stakes are high – no less than salvation itself.”

by Stuart St. John

Stuart St. John can be contacted at 100732.3316@compuserve.com

I’ve know moments of such anointings, it’s really hard for me to describe those moments. I’ve known moments when I’ve not only felt the presence of God, I’ve smelled the presence of God. I did this morning right here. And others around me smelled the fragrance of frankincense. In Detroit, Michigan, so great was the presence of God, the entire building filled up with a mist and we began to breathe in and smell it, frankincense, presence of the Lord. Steve Brock, you smelled it with me and Ron . . . I’ve seen the presence of God. I’ve not only felt it. I’ve not only smelled it. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“He’s more real to me than my own children. Do you know something? that is difficult for me to explain I’m just gonna tell you. Whenever I talk to Him, I see Him. I can tell you what He wears, I can tell you what color He has on. I’ve seen that so many times. I’m, I’m talking about regular. When I talk to the Lord at times I see Him wearing a, a, a, often most times I’d see Him blue, beautiful, almost like a silkish-looking garment. And under it would be white garment. A white and a scarlet garment. I’ve seen Him at times when just pure white altogether. You say, ‘When do you see Him?’ I don’t know, I just see Him. And often when I see Him, I know whether He is pleased with me or displeased with me. There’s been times when I see Him with a smile. Other times I’ve seen Him with a very serious look. Other times I couldn’t really tell it’s almost like a mist around His face I couldn’t tell. I don’t understand why He allows me to see that. But I do. And He speaks to me so clearly. He tells me to say things and do things and pray even for things. You know, I ask Him questions that most people probably don’t ask Him. Example, I said, ‘Lord, show my my future. Actually, I had a vision. I saw myself as an old man with white hair and I had a dark suit on with stripes, and my girls . . . thirties, old thirties, and they had beautiful curly hair. They looked like Dino’s wife. What’s her name? Dino’s wife? Gary’s sister? Sharon. I said, ‘Lord, how long will I live?’ He told me. He said, ‘Sixty-nine. If you take care of yourself, seventy-three.’ So I want to buy a treadmill. I’ve asked Him these kind of things. I’ve asked him things about people.”

“This is recently. I’m not talking about a long time ago. He was about six feet two. Old man. Had a beard. White-like Norvelles jacket. Glistening white beard. His face was somewhat thin. But, very bold! Eyes – crystal blue. He had on a white garment; whiter than my shirt could ever get. On his head was a shawl, like a, like a covering. He looked like a priest. Every part of him glistened like crystal. And I spoke out and I said, ‘Lord, who is this man I see?’ I know you may, you may think I lost my mind, but the Lord said, ‘Elijah, the prophet!’ I never heard the Lord say that to me you know when that happened? That happened days before the anointing on my life doubled. Literally, the ministries’ anointing doubled after that. I’ve never shared this, I’ve been scared people are going to think he’s gone crazy! And, it happened twice! Two nights; one and the next day. And right after that, the anointing on this ministry doubled. Now, I don’t understand why the Lord allowed me to see that. I’ve not just seen angels; I’ve seen saints. Can I tell you? This might even shock you a little more. The Lord gave me a vision of Kathryn Kuhlman sitting with what seemed to be a group of people . . . and every one of them seemed to be urging me to pray. Now, I know this sounds crazy, but it’s all right. I don’t mind crazy because I liked what I saw . . . I was in prayer at uh, least hours . . . At least fifty to seventy of them sitting in a group, and they were saying to me, ‘Pray! Ask God to give you a healing ministry that will touch the world! And suddenly, I heard Kathryn’s voice and suddenly there she was its crystal clear. And she in her beautiful smile, she said, ‘Ask! We’re waiting for you to ask! We’re praying with you to ask!’ And the vision disappeared. And suddenly I said, ‘Lord!’ And I asked. A week later the anointing hit my life. I believe the saints in Heaven urge us to pray. Urge us to do it! Do you know why I believe it? It’s in the Bible! You say, ‘Show it to me.’ Jesus saw Moses and Elijah who came to talk to Him about His passion on the cross! Ladies and gentlemen, there is way more than what you know about God! And the reason I’m telling you all of this? The Lord said to me only a few days ago. He said, ‘You’re about to come to a new level. Get ready!’ And I’m already feeling the rumblings in the heavenlies. Somebody is about to talk to me again. Something is about to happen again. I don’t know what it is. I’m so excited, I feel butterflies in my tummy. I feel something. I’ve had three prophets lately, absolutely, people that know the voice of God that have said to me, ‘You’re about to walk into a new inheritance in the spirit.’ I don’t know what it is, when it is, but it’s coming. And tonight, the Lord is putting it upon my heart to pray for you that you should walk into a new inheritance in the Holy Ghost.” (Excerpted from message presented at the Blaisdale Arena, Honolulu, HI, 2/28/97).
 

“My Children, who art in Heaven, hallowed is your name. Your kingdom is come, and your will is done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

“You are given this day your daily bread, and you are forgiven your debts, and your trespasses, exactly to the degree that you have forgiven those who trespass against you.

“Lead your Self not into temptation, but deliver your Self from the evils you have created.

“For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever.

“Amen.

(Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations With God, Book 3, Page 366)

[Now compare Walsh's concepts with the following statements.]

“We are on earth as extensions of God to finish the work He began. We are the essence of God, His on-going incarnation in the world.” –Earl Paulk, Held in the Heavens, 1985, p.125.

“The living Word of God, Jesus Christ, was conceived in the womb of a virgin. The Word became flesh in the God-Man Jesus Christ (John 1:1 [1]). Likewise, the Word of God must be made flesh in the Church in order for us to bear witness to the Kingdom which God has called us to demonstrate.” Ibid., p.60.

“When the Spirit of Christ comes into the physical world, He must enter through a physical body… When Christ first entered our world as a child, it was Mary whom God chose to give Christ birth. Mary’s life symbolized the qualities the Church must possess to walk in the fullness of Christ … even now, he trembles and the heavens watch in awe, for I say to you, once again, the virgin is with child. Before Jesus Himself returns, the last virgin Church shall become pregnant with the promise of God. Out of her travail, the Body of Christ shall come forth, raised to the full statute of its Head, the Lord Jesus. Corporately manifested in holiness, power and love, the Bride of Christ shall arise.” –Francis Frangipane, In the Presence of God, 1994.

“Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” –Kenneth Hagin, The Incarnation, December 1980, p.13.

“[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority…God made us as much like Himself as possible…He made us the same class of being that He is Himself…Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God…[The] believer is called Christ…That’s who we are; we’re Christ” –Kenneth Copeland , Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989, pp.35-36, 41.

“Who are you? Come on, who are you? Come on, say it: ‘Sons of God!’ Come on, say it! And what does work inside us, brother, is that manifestation of the expression of all that God is and all that God has. And when we stand up here, brother, you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo; you’re looking at God. You’re looking at Jesus.” –Morris Cerullo, The Endtime Manifestation of the Sons of God, World Evangelism – Tape 1.

“When you say, ‘I am a Christian,’ you are saying, ‘I am mashiach,’ in the Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth, in other words. That is a shocking revelation… May I say it like this? You are a little god on earth running around” –Benny Hinn, Praise-a-Thon, TBN, November 6.
www.thebereancall.org/node/5207

Unique Terms: The God-kind of faith; the force of faith; the Anointing; spirit-man; spiritual death of Christ; born-again Jesus; authority of the believer. Other Names: Word-of-Faith, Positive Confession, Faith-formula, Health & Wealth Gospel.

HISTORY

Born in 1860, E. W. Kenyon is generally recognized as the founding father of the modern Word-Faith Movement. Beginning as a Methodist, he became quite ecumenical, associating with the Baptists. Some of his work even resulted in the founding of a few Primitive Baptist Churches. Late in life, Kenyon moved into Pentecostalism. At the same time, he combined elements of the metaphysical cults, such as Christian Science, New Thought theology, and Unity School of Christianity (D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, pp. 31-35). “The doctrines of correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession, with the result of calling a sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that the doctrine originated and developed in these cults, and was later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry” (H. Terris Neuman, An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of Positive Confession, p. 43). Though obviously not the movement’s originator, some have also called Kenneth Hagin the “grand-daddy of the faith teachers” (Sherry Andrews, “Kenneth Hagin < Keeping the Faith,” Charisma, October 1981, p. 24). In a survey of readers of Charisma (a major Charismatic magazine) concerning those ministers that influence them the most, Kenneth Hagin was 3rd, ranked behind only TV evangelist Pat Robertson, and the heir apparent to the Word-Faith movement throne, Kenneth Copeland (Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Charisma,”Trend Toward the Faith Movement,” August 1985, pp. 67-70).

DOCTRINE – GOD

Word-Faith teachers claim that God operates by spiritual law and is obliged to obey the faith-filled commands and desires of believers. He not only reveals prosperity teaching supernaturally to the Word-Faith teachers, but personally and verbally confirms their unique interpretations of Scripture (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 60-62).

They say the Abrahamic Covenant is the basis for commanding God to do His part in the covenant. Robert Tilton says, “we make our own promises to do our part, then we can tell God, on the authority of His word, what we would like Him to do. That’s right, you can actually tell God what you would like His part in the Covenant to be” (God’s Miracle Plan for Man, p. 36). Kenneth Copeland says, “as a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent, because it is His Word” (Our Covenant with God, p. 32). Copeland goes so far as to say that “God was the lesser party and Abraham was the greater” in the covenant between them (Copeland, Legal and Vital Aspects of Redemption, 1985, Audio Tape #01-0403). The Faith teachers also make God into a big man. Copeland says, “God is…a being that stands somewhere around 6′-2,” 6′-3,” that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds, little better, and has a hand span of nine inches across” (Spirit, Soul, and Body, 1985, Tape #01-0601). Morris Cerillo, in an alleged out-of-body experience, describes God: “Suddenly, in front of this tremendous multitude of people, the glory of God appeared. The form that I saw was about the height of a man 6 feet tall, maybe taller, and twice as broad as a human body, with no distinguishing features such as eyes, nose, or mouth” (The Miracle Book, pp. x-xi).

DOCTRINE – MAN

Word-Faith teachers say that not only is God a big man, but man is a little god. Kenneth Hagin has asserted, “man…was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority…. He made us the same class of being that He is Himself…. He lived on terms equal with God…. The believer is called Christ, that’s who we are; we’re Christ” (Zoe: The God Kind of Life, pp. 35-36, 41). “God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself…He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even” (Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham, 1989, Tape #01-3001). He also proclaims, “You don’t have a God in you < you are one!” (Copeland, The Force of Love, 1987, Tape #02-0028). Morris Cerillo says “the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. …you’re not looking at Morris Cerillo, you’re looking at God, you’re looking at Jesus” (The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God, Audio Tape 1, Sides 1 &;2).

DOCTRINE – CHRIST

The deity of Christ is compromised. Kenneth Copeland, in relating what Christ supposedly told him, says, “don’t be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God…the more you get to be like Me, the more they are going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn’t claim I was God. I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was with Me” (Copeland, “Take Time to Pray,” Believer’s Voice of Victory, #15, 2 February 1987, p. 9). “Jesus was on the earth just a man, not the son of God” (Frederick K.C. Price, Tape #RP 19, May 1993). And Kenneth Hagin says, “You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was” (The Word of Faith, December 1980, p. 14).

DOCTRINE – ATONEMENT

The very important doctrine of the atonement of Christ is distorted. Frequently Word-Faith teachers unduly over-emphasize the spiritual death instead of the physical death of Christ. “Physical death will not remove sins” (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 29). In other words, it took the spiritual death of Jesus to atone for sins. “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, p. 7).

According to Word-Faith teachers, when Adam rebelled, or “committed high treason,” he not only betrayed God by turning over to Satan what God had given him, he also took on the nature of Satan. So, to redeem mankind and creation from Satan’s legal control, Jesus, as the second Adam, had to die not only physically but spiritually. This may be acceptable among some evangelicals. But where it has led Word-Faith teachers is not. They say Jesus not only bore our sins on Calvary, but also took on the actual nature of Satan himself. “Just as Adam died spiritually, Jesus died spiritually. The spiritual death He suffered caused His physical body to die…. When Jesus accepted the sin nature of Satan into His Spirit He cried ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ He was separated from God… He was ushered into the bowels of hell” (Kenneth Copeland, Classic Redemption, p. 13; emphasis added). “Spiritual death means having Satan’s nature” (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 31). Just a man on earth, and taking on the nature of Satan at the cross, Jesus becomes just a sinner in need of redemption. At the resurrection Jesus is a born again man from the pit of hell. “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).

OTHER DOCTRINES

    1) Positive Confession: The Theology of the Spoken Word (Rhematology), or thought actualization, is commonly known as positive confession. It stresses the inherent power of words and thoughts. Each person predestines his own future by what he says verbally and by how well he uses spiritual laws. As such, it is as if we live in a mechanistic universe instead of a personal one (see, Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 15; Charles Capps, The Tongue A Creative Force, pp. 117-118; Releasing the Ability of God, pp. 98-99, 101-104).

 2) The Gospel of Health: Isaiah 53 is used to justify blanket coverage for the physical healing of every Christian who has enough faith. “…it is the plan of our Father God in His great love and His great mercy that no believer should ever be sick, that every believer should live his life full span down here on earth and that every believer should finally just fall asleep in Jesus” (Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing, p. 21). Hagin also denies having a headache for forty-five years, labeling such as “simply symptoms rather than any indication of a headache” (In the Name of Jesus, p. 44).

 3) The Gospel of Wealth: A central tenet of the prosperity gospel is that God wills the financial prosperity of every Christian. If a believer lives in poverty, he/she is living outside God’s intended will. “You must realize that it is God’s will for you to prosper” (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 51).

BIBLICAL RESPONSE

            1) God is the unique, Sovereign of the Universe (1 Timothy 6:15). God is pure spirit (John 4:24). There is no biblical basis for teaching that God has His own body, as an essential part of His nature or being. This would be more in line with Mormonism than orthodox Christianity. 

   2) Man is unique from the rest of Creation, but is not Divine. He was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but bearing God’s image does not make him a “little god.” By definition, God is an “uncreated” or self-existent Being. Obviously, humans were created and therefore are not self-existent or divine; only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalms 8:6-8).

            3) Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the Only Incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 15; 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By receiving the limitations of humanity (Philippians 2:6-7) Jesus forwent the exercise of some of His prerogatives as God. But He did not cease to be God. It is also impossible for the natures of God or man (Christ was both on earth) to cease being what they are.

            4) The nature of the atonement had to do with Jesus’ physical death on the cross being the payment for sins (Hebrews 9:22). Christ said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), which translates tetelistai meaning “paid for in full.” Payment for our sins took place on the cross (Matt. 26:28; 1 Pet. 2:24; Col. 1:20-22; Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 19 20). There was nothing more to pay beyond the cross (Heb. 10:18).
   
            5) God is the only One who ever created reality by the power of His Word (Genesis 1:3). He does not have or need “faith.” Faith is depending on something outside ourselves. If God depends upon something outside Himself, He is not Supreme and therefore not God. Man, not God, is in need of faith. The faith referenced in Mark 11:22 and Hebrews 11:3 is clearly “the faith which has God as its object,” not “the kind of faith that God has.”

            6) The use of words for Positive Confession < One may help or hurt another by words of encouragement or condemnation, by telling the truth or misleading, etc. But to treat words as if they were some “star wars” type weapon by which reality is manipulated or altered is not biblical, but occultic.

RESOURCES

A Different Gospel (Updated Edition) D.R. McConnell. Warns of the movement’s cultic nature in its doctrine of healing and its understanding of the atonement, and demonstrates how far the movement’s doctrine of prosperity is from Scripture’s true teaching. Chapter end-notes, Bibliography, 195 pages, soft cover. $8.  Christianity in Crisis, Hank Hanegraaff. Documents the antibiblical doctrines of the Word-Faith Movement and shows their systematic subversion of the historic Christian faith. Appendices, Notes, Bibliography, Scripture and Subject indexes, 447 pages, hardcover. $17  Profile is a regular feature of the Watchman Expositor published by Watchman Fellowship, Inc. Readers are encouraged to begin their own religious research notebooks using these articles. Back issues of Profile are made available at a nominal fee. Resource items are subject to changes in availability and price.

Free subscriptions may be ordered from the subscription page. by Clete Hux, Copyright 2000 Watchman Fellowship, Inc. All rights reserved.

He also pointed out that an attraction for prophecy and future-telling, a longtime staple within Charismatic camps, has made inroads into Evangelical circles as well. Self-appointed prophets are cropping up everywhere.

There is even a “”National School of the Prophets Conference,”" where for $175 you can be trained in the art of “”propheteering.”" C. Peter Wagner, Dutch Sheets, Rick Joyner, Cindy Jacobs, Mike Bickle, Ted Haggard and others can train us to be “”prophets”" (Charisma magazine, Dec. 1998). That magic word gives instant credibility in the mind of some.

Yet most Christians, both Charismatic and non-Charismatic alike, would balk at any implication of even the slightest involvement in the world of psychics and psychic phenomenon. “”After all,”" they may further argue, “”didn’’t faith healer Benny Hinn at one time ask for the donations from his faithful so that his daily telecasts could go head-to-head with the psychic hot lines?”" His aim, he said, was to air on the same secular cable and television networks that were carrying psychic advertising. Clearly Hinn was against Dionne Warwick and her crowd. His followers forget quickly that Hinn himself has made numerous false predictions.

A recent issue of Charisma magazine (April 1999) featured a full-page report that was nothing more than a “”Christianized”" version of what one might expect from the secular and godless supermarket tabloids. The Charisma article, entitled “”Prophets Warn That United States Faces Threat of War, Islamic Terrorism,”" reported on a January “”distress call”" from “”modern-day prophets.”" The band of 18 leaders, who met “”behind closed doors,”" included Wagner, Joyner and Paul Cain. According to the magazine, this oracle of impending judgment was further endorsed by others in the prophetic movement, including Bickle (of Kansas City Fellowship fame), revivalist Tommy Tenney, and Vineyard pastor James Ryle.

The Charisma dispatch is just one more offering from an assembly of already-dubious revelators. Somehow, the Church just doesn’’t seem to get its fill of false and bizarre declarations of these self-proclaimed prophets. Tragically, the Church at large no longer seems to care about an erosion of discernment and a susceptibility to embrace entertainment rather than true spirituality.

Take for example Paul Cain. Hinn has elevated Cain to the distinction of super-prophet and told a Trinity Broadcasting Network audience that “”[Cain] is the most accurate prophet, I believe, on the Earth today. Thank God for such accurate prophets”" (Praise The Lord Show, Nov. 20, 1996). Hinn’’s declaration prompts the question: “”If Cain is the most accurate prophet, are there within the modern-day prophetic movement those who are less accurate than Cain?”" Scripturally speaking, less than 100% accuracy abrogates any claim of being a God-sent prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21), but Hinn’’s criterion is just one more demonstration of how the Church is continually being moved from biblical standards and biblical moorings.

How did Hinn arrive at his conclusion as to Cain’’s status? It apparently came about as a result of Cain’’s past visit to Hinn’’s central Florida church. “”He came to our church one night —— scared me so bad, I began to pray,”" he told the TBN viewers.

According to Hinn, Cain was able to call out people by name from the congregation and disclose certain of their life circumstances. Additionally, Cain had the ability to reveal to the faith healer his home address, describe his house, and even foretell of a future home.

In all, Hinn’’s telling of the event sounds more like Las Vegas entertainment (an act any good stage magician can do) than biblical prophecy. Where, in all of this, do we find a difference from the psychics and their fortune-telling gimmicks? What irony for Hinn to boast of his desire to confront the psychic hot lines on national television.

Then there’’s the absurd and frivolous “”visions”" of Vineyard pastor James Ryle. Ryle asserts a divine word which claims God called, anointed and gifted the Beatles for the purpose of ushering in the Charismatic renewal by way of a musical revival. Unfortunately, according to Ryle’’s revelation, the popular British music group of the 1960s chose to ignore God’’s call and used their talents to serve themselves and the devil.

Ryle has further claimed to receive revelation knowledge regarding collegiate sports. According to a purported dream Ryle said he had in 1989, coach Bill McCartney and his Colorado university football team would be empowered by God’’s Spirit and would have a “”golden season.”" And they did. However, when it came to their last game, played for the national championship, Ryle received a new and different omen from the Lord by way of the team’’s mascot and the Holy Spirit’’s prompting him to Isaiah 21:6.

In Ryle’’s version of his glimpse into the future, the Colorado mascot, Ralphie the buffalo, had a broken horn, symbolizing the Holy Spirit’’s departure from the team. The interpretation was that it would lead to the team’’s downfall in the national championship game. And the team did in fact lose to the University of Notre Dame by a score of 21-6. (Remember Isaiah 21:6?) Interestingly, Ryle kept the prophetic outcome of the contest to himself until after the game! I think all of us could do retrospective prophecy like this. (For more information on Ryle, see further Charismatic Chaos by John MacArthur and Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraaff).

What home addresses, descriptions of houses and collegiate sports have to do with biblical sanctification and true biblical prophecy is well beyond this writer. These are the things from which parlor games and magical illusions are made. Tricks, psychic gimmicks and manipulation have no place in the Christian ministry.

But then there are those prophets who go beyond the scriptural record and report details as historical and biblical fact. Take, for example, revivalist Tommy Tenney of Alexandria, La. In the spring of this year, Tenney was part of the “”Pensacola Outpouring”" at the Brownsville Assembly of God in Florida. According to one report, Tenney’’s brief appearance there was described as “”Two Days of Glory At The Brownsville Revival.”" What was it that Tenney revealed to the faithful of Brownsville? According to his message, titled “”God’’s Favorite House”":

“”There’’s a primary thing that you’’re going to find that’’s different between David’’s [tabernacle] and the rest of them. All the rest of those places of worship had an artifact or a structure in there that was called ‘‘the veil.’’ The veil —— it was a draping in our modern colloquialism. It was stretched across an inner sanctum that separated one portion of that inner sanctum [that] was called the Holy Place and the other portion behind that veil [which] was called the Holy of Holies. And behind that veil is where the Ark of the Covenant rested. That ark of gold-covered wood with the outstretched wings of the cherubim and the blue shekinah flame hovering between them. It was always hidden behind that veil. But something happened in David’’s tabernacle that didn’’t happen at any other point or any other time. And that David’’s was the only one of any of these structures that had no veil.”"
David, after defeating the Philistines, moved the ark of God from Baalah of Judah (i.e., Kiriath Jearim) to Jerusalem and there placed it inside a tent that he had pitched for it (2 Samuel 6:1-17; 2 Chronicles 1:4). It was a temporary tent as God’’s promise to David clearly stated that it would be his offspring, not David himself, “”who will build a house for My name”" (2 Samuel 7:5-16; esp. vv. 12-13). In all of this, there is no biblical basis to conclude that David assembled his tabernacle apart from the scriptural instructions given to Moses. “”Make this tabernacle and all its furnishing exactly like the pattern I will show you,”" the Lord commanded Moses (Exodus 25:9). These initial directives included hanging a curtain or veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33). In 2 Samuel 7:2, David said to Nathan the prophet, “”See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within the tent curtains.”"

Moreover, in light of the untimely death of Uzziah recorded in 2 Samuel 6:7, it is more sound to conclude that David would be faithful to God’’s direction. True to God’’s orders, David witnessed firsthand the tragic result of His command that the Levites were forbidden to touch the ark upon the pain of death (Numbers 4:15).

Further, nowhere in David’’s makeshift tent, nor in Moses’’ tabernacle before or Solomon’’s temple following, do we have a biblical description of a “”blue shekinah flame”" hovering above the ark. Scripture records, however, that Solomon’’s temple —— not David’’s tabernacle —— “”was filled with a cloud”" so much so that “”the priests could not perform their service”" because “”the glory of the Lord filled the temple”" (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

Perhaps Tenney should not be so concerned with making a name for himself with judgment prophecies and forewarnings, but should desire to become more diligent in properly handling the truths already recorded in God’’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). The unbiblical speculation he dispenses to the Church does not honor the Word of God, but only titillates the naive and gullible with extrabiblical fairy tales and mythology.

Christians must not so easily forget or overlook the spurious oracles of these “”superstar”" prophets. No amount of word games or semantics should permit these self-assuming prophets to distance themselves from the claimed “”revelations”" which they’’ve used as catapults to superstar status. Playing on the tendency in today’’s Church for the “”cult of celebrity,”" they have in an elitist way set themselves up as gurus and an untouchable caste. The Church should demand accuracy and accountability from these deceivers.

We must not forget Benny Hinn’’s proclamation from the “”Holy Spirit”" that “”God would destroy the homosexual community of America”" in the mid-nineties —— “”about ‘‘94 or 95, no later than that.”" Or his divine messages that in the 1990s “”the economy of America is going to fall”" and that “”there will be many raised from the dead in that day”" along with “”many visitations of angels.”" He clearly made it all up. (See further, The Quarterly Journal, Vol. 16, No. 4, or chapter 13 of The Confusing World of Benny Hinn.)

Hinn and those like him who claim the mantle of “”prophet”" must be held accountable for their false and frivolous utterances. They ought to be exposed and held accountable for leading God’’s people away from a respect for the sufficiency of Scripture into Oda mystical land of “”Christianized”" fortune-telling. And there is a responsibility on the part of believers as well. Christians need to forsake the enticing inventions of these modern-day prophets and superstars. They need to return to the safe and simple foundation of Scripture —— nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. As Word-Faith critic Curtis Crenshaw astutely noted:

“”If anything is contrary to Scripture, it is wrong. If anything is the same as Scripture, it is not needed. If anything goes beyond Scripture, it has no authority.”"

It is time to tell the Christian fortune-tellers, who never get it right, to stop the charade.
——MKG

Personal Freedom Outreach, P.O. Box 26062, Saint Louis, Missouri 63136.
 

*** You don’t think earth was first do ya?  Huh?  Well you don’t think that God made man in his image and then made earth in some other image?  There’s not anything under this whole sun that’s new.  Are you hearing what I’m saying?  This is all a copy.  It’s a copy of home.  It’s a copy of the mother planet.  Where God lives, he made a little one just like his and put us on it.  And Adam is as much like God as you could get.  Just the same as Jesus when he came into the Earth..he said if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father. He wasn’t a lot like God.  He’s God manifested in the flesh.  And I want you to know something:  Adam in the Garden of Eden was God manifested in the flesh.  He was God’s very image the very likeness.  Everything he did. Everything he said.  Every move he made was the very image of Almighty God (Following the Faith of Abraham tape #01-3001).
 
*** You see Adam was walking as a god.  Adam walked into God’s class.  Adam did things in the class of gods.  Hallelujah.  What he said went.  What he did counted.  And when he said and when he acted on the fact that bowed his knee to Satan and put Satan up above him, then there wasn’t anything God could do about it.  Cause a god had placed him there.   But in doing so, he bowed his knee to his enemy to God’s enemy and his, Satan, and the nature of Satan was lodged in his spirit forever.  Unless God could do something about it, because man could not.  Why couldn’t he?  I thought you said he was a god?  He was created in the God class, but when he committed high treason, he fell below the god class (Following the Faith of Abraham tape #01-3001).

*** Am I God?  Man was created in the God Class.  He was not created in the animal class.  He was created in the God Class.  He has a uniqueness about him that even angels do not have. And that is the God given right to choose his own words and speak them, thereby setting his own divine destiny.  His own destination.  Cause he can go to hell if he wants to.  He can go to Heaven if he wants to.  And Jesus said, by your words are you condemned, by your words are you justified.  And you will stand in judgment for every empty word you speak out your mouth.  Well, that=s a divine thing.  Now, Peter said, ABy exceeding great and precious promises you become partakers of the divine nature.  All right.  Are we gods?  We are a class of gods@ (APraise the Lord@, TBN, recorded 2/5/86).
 
*** He am healing.  He am deliverance.  He am financial prosperity, mental prosperity, physical prosperity, family prosperity.  It’s terrible grammar, but you understand what I’m saying.  I’m saying it to effect my mind. He am whatever He hath to be.  Because he said he=d meet my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus and I’m walking around saying, Yes my needs are met according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Glory to God.  I’m cousin and kin to the need maker.  I’m cousin and kin to the need meeter.  I’m cousin and kin to the I AM.  Hallelujah.  [applause] And I say this with all respect so that it don’t upset you too bad.  But I say it anyway.  When I read in the Bible where he says I AM I just smile and say, I AM too [applause] (Believers Voice of Victory broadcast, TBN 7/9/87).

*** Now really disease has had its authority broken.  It doesn’t have any more right to stand up in front of you in Jesus name than it had to stand in front of Jesus when he was standing there in the flesh.  Cause you want me to tell you something, You are Jesus in the Flesh [series of Amens from the congregation] (Exposing the Word faith Movement LOGOS outreach,Redondo Beach, CA).

 *** Jesus had to go through that same spiritual death in order to pay the price.  It wasn’t the physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin.  Because if it had of been any prophet of God that had died for the last couple of thousand of years before that could have paid that price.  It wasn=t physical death.  Anybody could do that(What Satan saw on the day of Pentecost tape #02-0022)

Paul Crouch Quotes 
Do you know what else that has settled then tonight?  This hue and cry and controversy that has been spawned by the devil to try and bring discension within the Body of Christ.  That we are gods.  I am a little god.  I have his name.  I’m one with him.  I’m in covenant relationship.  I am a little god.  (Kenneth Copeland:  You are anything that he is.)  Yes. (Praise the Lord TBN, recorded 07/07/86). ***

I want to say to all you scribes, pharisees, heresy hunters, all of you that are going around picking little bits of doctrinal error out of everybody=s eyes and dividing the body of Christ and arguing over splinters and doctrinal hairs and dissipating and wasting all of our time when the world is all going to hell.  I say Get out of God’s way!  Quit blocking God’s bridges!  Or God’s gonna shoot you if I don’t (raise-a-thon TBN, recorded 04/02/91). ***
I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there.  Don’t even call in if you want to argue doctrine.  If you want to straighten somebody out over here.  If you want to criticize Ken Copeland for his preaching on faith or Dad Hagen.  Get out of my life.  I don’t want to even talk to you or hear you.  I don’t want to see your ugly face.  Get out of my face in Jesus’ name (Praise-a-thon TBN, recorded 04/02/91).

Fred Price Quotes
The man said, And shall you’ll say unto this mountain be thou removed and be cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart.  Not in his head.  His mind, but in his spirit.  Shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.  He won=t even have what he believes.  What he says ought to be based on what he believes, but Jesus placed the emphasis on he will have what he says.  But back up a step, provided he believes it in his heart. Back up a step, without doubt.  Now those are the parameters that control this law.  Jesus said, AHe shall have whatsoever he saith. I mean what does whatsoever mean?  Whatsoever means:  house, car, Rolls Royce, airplane, health, healing, financial prosperity, clothes, furniture, churches, bibles, television sets, television stations, television channels, television cameras.  He said whatsoever he saith (Praise the Lord TBN, recorded 09/21/90).*** 

The whole point is I’m trying to get you to see to get you out of this malaise of thinking that Jesus and the disciples were poor and then relating that to you thinking that you as a child of God have to follow Jesus.  The Bible says that he has left us an example that we should follow his steps.  That=s the reason why I drive a Rolls Royce.  I’m following Jesus= steps [Amen, All Right from congregation] (Ever Increasing Faith recorded 12/09/90, tape #CRA2). 

*** Remember I told you that the men that followed Jesus were wealthy-were rich.  Here’s the proof:  And Jesus looked around about and saith unto his disciples, How hard it shall it that they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.  See that Brother Price.  See I knew you were wrong.  See you can’t be in the kingdom of God and have riches.  Wait a minute.  Keep on reading.  AAnd the disciples were astonished at his words.  I just want to wait and let that sink in. Just think about it.  Just listen, listen, listen.  And the disciples were astonished.  Why would they be astonished about rich folk not being able to get into the kingdom?  Because just like it is in our time, it was the same thing back there.  People who had the riches were the ones that got any and everything they wanted.  And these guys said, What do you mean?  We can’t get into the kingdom?  We can get anything we want with our wealth in the earth realm.  Are you telling us we can’t get into the kingdom?  That’s why they were astonished.  It wouldn=t have astonished them if they weren’t rich (Ever Increasing Faith recorded 11/16/90). *** Yeah, God has pleasure in the prosperity.  So he must have displeasure in the poverty.  So if he does, then poverty couldn’t be from God.  Yeah, but Brother Price, but God allows it.  God lets it happen.  You’re right, he does.  He does, because you do.  He can’t do anything about it (Ever Increasing Faith recorded 11/16/90). *** When I first get saved, they didn’t tell me I could do anything.  What they told me to do is whenever I prayed I should say The will of the Lord be done.  Now doesn’t that sound humble?  It does.  Sounds like humility.  It’s really stupidity.  I mean you know, really, we insult God.  We really insult our heavenly father.  We really insult him without even realizing it.  If you have to say, If it be thy will or Thy will be done. If you have to say that, you are calling God a fool.  Because he is the one that told us to ask and if he was going to do his will anyway, why would you need to ask him to do what he’s already going to do.  And how could you, by asking, change what he’s already going to do?  So if he’s going to do whatever he wants to do anyway.  If he’s going to give you whatever he wants you to have anyway.  Then what’s the point in asking?  I’m going to get what God wants me to have anyway.  So what’s the point?  So then that makes prayer a farce.  It leaves petition prayer a farce.  It would make ask and you shall receive worthless.  If God is going to give me what he wants me to have, then it doesn’t matter what I ask.  I’m only going to get what God wants me to have.  So that’s an insult to God=s intelligence (Ever Increasing Faith recorded 11/16/90). 

Benny Hinn Quotes

When you say I am saved, what are you saying.  You are saying I am  a Christian.  What does that word mean?  Means that I am anointed.  Do you know what anointed means?  It means Christ.  When you say I am a Christian, you are saying. I am a little messiah walking on the earth in other words.  That’s a shocking revelation.  We do not a part of him running around our stomach feeling goose bumps.  His spirit and our spirit man are one.  United.  There is no separation, it is impossible.  The new creation is created after God in righteousness and true holiness.  The new man is after God, like God, God-like, complete in Christ Jesus, the new creation is just like God.  May I say it like this, you are a little god on earth running around@ (Praise-a-thon TBN, recorded November, 1990).  Kenneth Hagen has a teaching.  A lot of you have problems with it, yet it is absolute truth.  Kenneth Copeland has a teaching.  Many Christians have put holes in it, but it’s divine truth.  Hagen and Copeland say, you are god, ye are gods-I can’t be God!  Hold it, let’s bring balance to this teaching.  The balance is being taught by Hagen.It’s those that repeat it that mess it up.  The balance is being taught by Copeland, who is my dear friend, but it’s those that repeat what he say that is messing it up.  You see dear brother, when Jesus was on Earth, the Bible says that first he disrobed himself of the divine form.  He, the limitless God became a man, that we men may become as he is (Our Position in Christ tape #A031190-1)