Thursday, 19 July 2012
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My Experience with Word of Faith Teaching
I grew up as part of a conservative Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation whose pastor identified himself as “thoroughly evangelical,” meaning that he had a high view of Scripture, believed that Jesus is the only way of salvation, and opposed any liberalization of Christian beliefs. In that church I received a good basic theological education, memorized many Scriptures, and became a decent, Christian boy who didn’t drink, smoke, or swear.In my young adult years I visited some non-denominational churches where I was exposed to other “forms” of Christianity including what is commonly referred to as Word of Faith (WOF) teaching. At one particular WOF church I heard some of the best, most practical sermons of my life including teachings on forgiveness, walking in love, keeping control of my tongue, being generous to others, and simply believing God’s Word as true. Here my relationship with God was transformed from mere theological knowledge to a living, vibrant daily walk of faith. It was life-changing.
So it pains me to see Word of Faith teachings and teachers so viciously attacked by others in mainstream Christianity, labeling the message as a false “prosperity gospel” or “health and wealth” or some other derogatory tag. WOF preachers are routinely denounced as heretics for certain statements they have made, or criticized for an overly lavish lifestyle. Familiar targets include Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth W. Hagin, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, and others.
Not all of the criticism is undeserved, but many WOF detractors focus on a few extreme teachings and personalities. I didn’t see much of that at the church (1,000 members) I attended. For that reason I’d like to share my views on the good and the bad of Word of Faith teaching and some of the more well-known WOF preachers. First:
What I Don’t Like:
1. I don’t like that some WOF preachers have made strange doctrinal statements from time to time. Sometimes I wonder “Where did that come from?” when I hear a strange statement about the origin of Satan, or what Jesus was doing in the heart of the earth, or the nature of Adam’s relationship to God. But then again, some mainstream preachers do the same on one subject or another. We all see through a glass darkly on some subjects… it doesn’t mean we’re wrong about everything.
2. I don’t like that some WOF preachers claim multiple visitations from Jesus or other supernatural revelation to back up their teaching. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but when someone constantly trumps every argument by saying they received this teaching directly from Jesus, one has to wonder.
3. I don’t like the overly lavish lifestyle being lived by some WOF preachers. Some cling to the idea that, as “King’s kids” we are entitled to literally live like royalty on earth. In my view, to life a life of luxury amidst a world of extreme poverty flies in the face of Jesus, who laid aside every luxury for the sake of serving and redeeming others. Having our needs met – even abundantly met – is one thing. Million dollar homes, luxury cars, and 300 pairs of shoes is consuming upon one’s own lusts, period.
What I Like:
1. I like that Word of Faith teaching encourages us to actually believe what Jesus said. When he said we can wither a fig tree, move a mountain, or receive whatever we ask for in prayer by believing and not doubting, he meant it. Peter walking on water is a prime example that – when we really believe – the impossible becomes possible, but when we doubt we begin to sink. Faith is believing and not doubting. Faith is knowing with certainty in the heart. It’s not intellectual… it is a heart/spirit issue.
2. Along with that, I like that Word of Faith teaching affirms that all things are possible to him who believes… nothing is impossible with God… that God is, and always has been, a God of miracles. He is a God of power – not just affirming in a theological sense that God is omnipotent – but affirming according to Scripture that God is both able and willing to respond to faith in a supernatural way.
3. I like that Word of Faith teaching encourages us to speak in line with God’s Word; to speak words of faith and affirmation rather than doubt and negativity. The power of our words is repeatedly emphasized in Scripture, and Jesus tells us that our mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. Speaking words of fear and doubt indicates a bad heart condition. We ought to renew our minds on Scripture and constantly affirm the truth of Scripture. That’s how real faith (heart faith) is produced.
4. When it comes to money, the WOF teachings I received placed emphasis on 2 Corinthians chapter 9, where Paul directly addresses the issue of money and giving. Paul states that we are blessed in order to be a blessing, and that if we give generously to the kingdom of God (not necessarily one particular church) God will replenish our supply so that we can continue to be generous. We sow generously / we reap generously – all for the purpose of blessing others. It was also taught that if we are indeed putting God first in life, our needs will be supplied. At times we may have more or less, but we will always have enough.
5. Lastly, I like that Word of Faith teaches that God’s will is often knowable if we only believe what the Scriptures say. Tradition tells us that God has a mysterious “master plan” and we can never really know his will, so we always have to pray “if it be your will.” However, real faith is only possible where God’s will is known, therefore God’s will must be knowable. In many cases we can discern God’s will by looking at the words and actions of Jesus, who is the very image of God: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father… I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” From that basic premise we can know God’s will regarding a number of disputed issues, including God’s willingness to heal the sick.
Despite some things I don’t like concerning some Word of Faith preachers, I can say that my relationship with God went from years of lukewarm/powerless to passionate & vital by the teaching of God’s Word at a Word of Faith church.
What have you heard about Word of faith teaching? Do you agree or disagree with its theology? Have you ever attended a Word of Faith church?
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- From: IfIOnlyKnewThen@xanga
- Name: Don
- About Me: I'm just trying to live a God-pleasing life... learning and growing and praising and thanking... Jesus is Lord!
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Comments (14)
Boy oh boy does it sound like a cult. "King's Kids"? That sounds like the name of a cult to me. Sorry to burst your bubble.
We're told to examine those who would become our teachers and it is their lifestyles that most often expose them for the wolves that they are; you're absolutely right when you say the lavish lifestyles they live fly flatly in the face of every teaching Jesus gave. MAYBE you could excuse this on the account of a new Christian who was raised under poor leadership, however, it is inexcusable in teachers and preachers who need to be above reproach and must know better.
Additionally, they do not teach the whole counsel of God- they typically stay away from preaching His judgments or teaching about the cost of following Christ (namely picking up your cross to follow Him). The "hope" they preach is usually carnal and temporal and does not have an eternal focus that is detached from fleshly things.
I feel like it is relatively obvious that pretty much all "name it and claim it" preachers are heretical. But there are 100's of 1,000's of people who would flatly disagree with me on that one.
The only thing I don't like about WOF is the implication that of guilt in the lack of God's answering. But considering the things I've seen in other denominations, I'll take that any day.
My experience with WOF teachers, has not been a pleasant one. My first mission trip, was with a certain organization that will remain nameless. I raised $888 to go on that first trip. It was for two weeks. The group claimed to be nondenominational, and accepting of all christian churches. I read the statement of faith, had no issue with it, and signed up to go. I raised the money, went to TX where the group has it HQ and that is where the trouble began. While the group claimed to be accepting of all christian churches, it took me about 10 mins to realize that the people picked by the organization to lead the group, were all members of charismatic churches. The project director was the pastor of an AOG church. the Team Leaders, were also members of pentecostal churches. One of the guys I became friends with, went to a baptist church, and he tried out to be a TL, and he was turned down, and a younger man who went to a pentecostal church was chosen instead. Believe in Spiritual gifts was not a requirement for the trip, and there was a lot of speaking in tongues. As a new christian of only a few months, this was certainly a new expeirence. I shared my doubts on it to a couple of people, and it got back to my TL, and he ended up removing me from ministry. I was kept on the team, but I was told I could not witness to anyone. I would remain off ministry, until I was willing to accept Speaking in Tongues as biblical, and spoke in tongues myself. It never happened. I spent over $1000 to go on that trip, as I had to raise money for my bus ticket to get to texas and back. I managed to minister for about 2 days of the two week trip, all because I would not speak in tongues. It was also suggested to me by a couple of people in authority on the trip, that I had asthma, because of a lack of faith, and God would cure me if I only let him.
Do you know how damaging it can be to a new christian, to be told that God wants to heal him, but he is preventing God from doing it?
Back home locally, I was told by one AOG attending church member, that the amount of time we spent praying in tongues everyday was directly proportional to how saved we are.
I did not know, that there were levels of salvation.
Jesus said that we would know them by their fruit. All I have personally seen by several church members and groups aligned with the more charismatic denominations, including one person who has spoken at WoF churches, is judgement, ridicule, pride, and false judgement. based on my experiences, it would take a lot of work, for a WoF teacher to overcome these experiences and prove to me the movement is biblical.
What a koke -- is it any surprise to anyone that Christians are becoming more and more marginalized in american society? These snake oil salesman are the real anti christ - not some guy with horns coming out of his head.....it is todays TV preachers and prosperity evangelists.
I don't like it myself, I've listened to sermons and read a few books with their POV but I just don't like their basics premises. It's particularly annoying to me though that many churches that don't agree with it are very deficient in the positives you mention. I have managed to find balance but it should be... should be much easier to find that balance and too often it's not.
@Shadowrunner81@xanga - Heh, no bubble has been burst. :) "King's kids" is just a casual way of saying we are adopted into God's royal family as sons and daughers (no cultish overtones).
@dustysojourner@xanga - That I "like" these thngs is less important than "Are they true?" So I'll ask you: Do you believe we can take Jesus at his word? Do you believe that all things are possible to him who believes? Do you believe we ought to speak things that are in line with God's Word? Do you believe God wants us to be generous, and that he will supply all our needs? Do you believe we can know God's will? I like these teachings because I see them so clearly in Scripture.
As far as "wolves" I think that describes a teacher who denies that Jesus is the Christ, or denies the need for repentance from sin, or denies the blood of Jesus as our atonement, etc. Not only to these preachers affirm those truths, but the church I attended focused heavily on holy living, loving our neighbor, forgiveness, living by the Spirit, etc. There was not a heavy emphasis on suffering for Christ, but they do acknowledge that we will all suffer, but that we ought to believe God's promise to deliver us and restore us (e.g. Psalm 34:7). So like I said, the teaching was very practical and useful for daily living in Christ.
For me, that some live lives of wealth doesn't invalidate all their teaching. For all I know they may be extremely generous with what they earn. I just wish that some would tone it down a little. At my church there was no lavish living, the pastor lived modestly. As @Lynnjynh9315@xanga - mentioned, I was never taught to "name it and claim it" - that's just a slander promoted by critics.
@ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga - Yeah, that's a bad experience. Keep in mind that Pentacostal, Charasmatic, Word of Faith, do noit all describe the same doctrines and teachings, and sme of what you experienced was no doubt due to that particular organization and their leadership. I've never been taught different "levels" of salvation or that not speaking in tongues makes one inferior. Charasmatic gifts ought to be taught and encouraged in love, not critically. I believe some of the bad fruit you mentioned exists in all types of churches. In my Presbyterian church there was fruit like apathy, laziness, lukewarmness, and little evangelism. At the WOF church people were taught and encouraged to share the gospel, love their unsaved friends and neighbors, pray and read God's Word every day... we had food/clothing/gospel outreaches to the low income housing projects where no other churches were even going. We visited homeless on cold nights and brought blankets and food (and Jesus). Lots of good fruit.
@MrTrololo@xanga - I wholly agree that some preachers / churches are out of balance. It helps to not put all of our beliefs in the hands of one particular preacher or church. We have to read and pray and maintain a living relationship with Christ on our own as well.
I have been in church for over 50yrs. And in many different denominations. I have been in Christian retail for over 11 yrs. I can tell you plainly that there is ugly and sin in EVERY congregation and pulpit on the planet - bar NONE. That is because we live on a fallen planet and no one except Jesus himself is perfect this side of Heaven.
I have seen close family members & close friends deeply hurt and ruined because of church teachings and also seen many saved in both extremely conservative and "Spirit-Filled" types.
The Lord knows this is happening. Just read the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. He is not unaware of the happenings in the church today.Somethings to keep in mind:1) The church will not save anyone - ONLY Jesus can do that. 2) do is stay close the Lord, stay in His Word try to find some place that helps you do the same with as little trouble as possible. Pray for help with that one too!3) Trust the Word by the Word. Not Trust Word based solely on the Opinions & teachings of Others. Test every teaching against the Word with prayer and fasting if need be.4) Most importantly- your relationship with the Lord is between you and the LORD no matter What anyone pastor says.
Because in the end it will be YOU standing before the Lord for what you do - Not the pastor! And if they are a Good pastor- they will tell you to check out what they say against Word. And it is best to have more then one scripture passage as proof. Part of verses and single verses don't count.
If they tell you just to take their word for it- Leave, as in make a breeze as you fly out the door!
No insult to pastors - I have many close pastor friends but even they will tell you- they are human too!
Hope this helps ya out! :)
Money and politics is like in some ways money and Churches. Will big money corrupt politics? There is a big difference between whether or not there is transparency and whether or no a person is a sell out.
How to tell a sell out preacher and a honest preacher? All you have to do is look at them closely. I wonder if any of them that are possible sell outs will allow a newspaper man to follow them all day?
Still money helps fund organization and some of the organizations are really big. The bigger they are the larger the message of help fund us.
It is sad that Churches that do homeless ministry are not well publicized but that typically is the way the truly good organizations work.
@Shadowrunner81@xanga - I don't know what denomination you follow but I am Southern Baptist, right in the middle of the bible belt and I think you might want to study a little more of their beliefs before you call them a cult for addressing their youth ministry as King's Kids. I know not everyone ascribes to the same beliefs as we but I don't think I have ever heard anyone thinking us a "cult". Our youth group is referred to as Royal Ambassadors. What is an Ambassador other than one who is representing someone else and behaves accordingly. Why is Kings Kids any different. Familiar with the Bard? "A rose by any other name smells as sweet".
Please understand I am in no way challenging your religious affiliation, I don't even know what it is. But I am saying to challenge a denomination only because of a name...is questionable at best.
@PPhilip@xanga - It is sad that Churches that do homeless ministry are not well publicized but that typically is the way the truly good organizations work.
I have wondered myself how many homeless could be fed with just 3/4 of the electric bill of churches like the Crystal Cathedral. I don't remember Jesus building, although he was a carpenter, buildings in which to teach.
@mommachatter@xanga - Some accounts that I've read interprete Jesus being an all round carpenter. I suppose he could have built just furniture or concentrated on building homes. Jesus selected his disciples like a carpenter, different wood for different uses.
we give generously to the kingdom of God (not necessarily one particular
church) God will replenish our supply so that we can continue to be
generous. We sow generously / we reap generously – all for the purpose
of blessing others. It was also taught that if we are indeed putting God
first in life, our needs will be supplied. At times we may have more or
less, but we will always have enough.
I challenge anyone to start "planting seeds" with there money and "expect a harvest". I promise you it will not come and your finances will get smaller and smaller. It would be wiser to play the lottery.
Revelife I had a similar upbringing as yours & transition from
mainstream denomination to WOF church as well. As someone else posted my
main frustration is the guilt trip if someone is not healed or gets a
job or what have you, then it's all their fault. I thought your list of
what you like/ don't like was pretty much what I would have written. In
spite of the negatives of the WoF church my walk with Jesus has
catapulted because of the encouragement & bible-based teaching, and
the practical life application the WOF churches tend to teach. If I had
stayed in the church I grew up in, I can't imagine anything but boredom.
In fact I might have given up on Jesus if I hadn't found a WOF church.
Just wanted to say thanks for the post. Jesus will meet a person right
where they are at anyway but as for me I prefer WOF over a lack of faith
church any day.