WORD OF FAITH ERROR

Recently I found material on the Word of Faith "theology" that helped me to understand those Christians who believe in their faith. The most telling point was realizing that "having what I say" puts me in the driver's seat rather than my heavenly Father. Failing to seek God's will earnestly and submitting is to fall short of a rich relationship that He also yearns to enjoy with us. I hope you will find the following site enlightening as I did.

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith.html
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Don't Feel Bad
If you are like me and have ever had a major faith failure, don't let the Word of Faith teachers make you feel bad. They have as many "faith failures" as we have, they just don't mention them much because it hurts tape sales.
Many Word of Faith preachers have built their entire ministry on what Jesus said in Mark 11:24: "What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them". Jesus did say this. Many WOFERS use this scripture as the key to receiving anything you need from God. That especially pertains to healing and finances according to their teachings.
But they don't believe their own teachings themselves, so don't feel bad if your faith isn't as big as theirs.
My wife Coni was a registered nurse and floated around various hospitals in Tulsa, Oklahoma while we were in Faith School there. Did you know that the Giants of Faith were there getting medical treatment? They get cancer too! Even though they believe so hard in confession brings possession, it don't stop them from being sick and attacked by the devil. They talk a big game in the pulpit and on TV but they will be the first in line to see a doctor.
I had a question that puzzled the heck out of me in Faith School. I always wondered why I would ever go to a doctor if I truly believed that I was healed? I mean come on and lets get real! If I truly pray the prayer of faith, then that is it. I am to believe from that moment on that I have received what I have asked for. Then, according to the WOF teachers, I am supposed to talk and act healed. Well, if that is true then why go to the doctor? Going to the doctor would be going against my prayer wouldn't it? Why should I go see a doctor or have surgery if I believe that I am healed?
My point is that the Word of Faith teachers have made a legalistic religion out of this scripture that has hurt many people. It is a burden that they cannot carry themselves. They stick their chest out on TV and brag on their great faith and what it has accomplished and then the poor smucks like you and me walk around in condemnation because we have had failures of faith. Just remember, they fall too. Faith preachers have all the same storms and trials that you do. They fall down just like the rest of us.
Most all of the famous faith preachers died sick. EW Kenyon died of a massive tumor. Brother Hagin died of a massive heart attack. I could name many others.
If you get sick, ask God to heal you. Ask the pastor to pray for you. Go to the doctor! Get your medicine and take it! Don't be a faith idiot! Most of us do not have he kind of faith that can cure cancer without a doctor. Don't kid yourself. many have died trying to believe God when they just didn't have the faith.
Never ever put your faith in faith, always put your faith in God and never let a faith teacher put you under condemnation and legalism.

Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Same Boat
WOW I sure have received my share of hate mail from people lately. I must be stepping on some toes, so let me step just a little harder.
WOFERS are spiritual elitist. They feel like they know more about God than anyone else but they are no better off. WOFERS die of cancer and heart disease just like the ignorant unbelieving denominational folks do. Even Brother Hagin battled heart disease and finally died of a massive heart attack. His WOF theology did him no better than a Baptist guy that believes sickness is the will of God. I have been told this week by many WOFERS that I am being judgemental and critical. But I heard Brother Hagin crack on the Baptist for years and we all thought it was funny.
The WOFERS love to preach about prosperity and healing more than anything else. Money and health are the icons of the Word of Faith. Sad thing though, many WOFERS are sick and broke. They zero in on the Faith Message but cant get it to work. They are no better off than the Baptist that they disdain so bad. I know one WOF pastor that has to take valium to fly, but he sure can preach Psalms 91. Faith preachers have the same problems as regular christians do.
I had lunch today with a Baptist preacher. He is every thing the WOFERS want to be. He pastors a large church in an affluent area. He is an avid jogger in excellent health. He lives in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town. He is very educated with several degrees. He is a commercial pilot. He loves Jesus. His children are on fire for God. These are the things that WOFERS confess for themselves daily. This pastor didn't get his blessings by making faith-filled affirmations. He didn't call those things which be not as though they were. He simply serves Jesus and strives to be in the will of God.
There are no Scriptures in the Bible that tell us to chant blessings over ourselves. If I had a dollar for every time I called myself rich, I would be pretty well off by now. What a ridiculous concept!
Word of Faith people are no better off than any other believer. They just believe that they are.
They are just as sick, just as needy, just as scared and just as human as the denominational people that they look down on. I know, because for years I looked down on denominational people.
The Word of Faith message creates an enormous sense of spiritual pride and elitism. I should print some of the love filled email that I receive. All I know is this: God helped me to pull my head out from up my rear end and showed me that all my faith was in everything BUT God.
I'm am glad that people are being set free from the Word of Faith. It is an endless sea of works and fear. It is great just to trust Jesus for everything and not be tripping over my stupid confession.

"The Same Boat"
3 Comments -
Ben_There said...My man. you are not just treading on toes. You are stomping on them with hob nailed boots.

Keep on teaching the truth, stay strong.
July 3, 2008 6:02 PM
Anonymous said...AMEN!
July 3, 2008 8:53 PM
Anonymous said...This one needs a standing ovation! I actually don't know any faith preachers who are in as good of shape as this pastor you speak of.
July 4, 2008 6:11 PM
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Out Of Context
Many of the scriptures that WOF ministers use are taken out of context. They are twisted out of their setting to prove a "faith" point. I will g
ive you a couple of examples:
"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" Romans 10:17 The context of this scripture is hearing the salvation message to receive Jesus as Lord.
"We believe therefore we have spoken" 2 Corinthians 5:13 is talking about sharing the Gospel even in hard times.
"By his stripes you were healed" 1 Peter 2:20 is talking about our spiritual healing.
If you will do some research, you will find out that many of the prominent WOF teachers are unschooled and have not received sound training. Most WOF ministers got their training by listening to tapes and Cd's of erroneous teachings by older WOF ministers.
How I wished I had attended a reputable seminary where I could have been trained to rightly divide the Word of God. I am having to unlearn quite a bit of erroneous teaching. I have spent the last few months reading and studying after some great men of God who are mocked by the WOF Movement.
When you hear a WOF teacher quote a verse to fit his fancy, make sure you read the surrounding verses. Sometimes you need to read the whole letter to know the context.
The WOF ministers are the Kings of Twisting scripture to fit their faith and greed doctrines.
They love to pick and choose which Scriptures to camp on. I spent fourteen years ignoring many wonderful New Testament truths. I spent many years ignoring the writings of great men of God that had revelation of God because I was told by the WOF that these men were full of doubt and unbelief.
I would encourage any Christian to broaden their studies. Read all that you can. Do research.
The WOF has painted God into a hole. They have limited God to only operating in their world of faith rules and formulas. Expand your mind. Read Spurgeon and Moody. They had a lot of revelation of God.
If all you watch and listen to are the WOF ministers on TV, you will miss out on a lot. Most of them have never been to seminary. Study the Whole Counsel of the Word of God, not just happy snippets. All of the Word is good.
The Word of Faith is a dangerous, erroneous and deceptive message. Satan is using it to deceive thousands of well meaning people that love God. It is New Age with the Name of Jesus. It puts you in control of your life by telling you that you are a god and that you speak as a god and that you are in control with your words. You end up having faith in your faith and not in God. The WOF is full of greed and materialism. Just flip on any WOF minister and see how long they can go before preaching money. WOF is obsessed with money.
The Word of Faith is a cultic movement. Click on Justin Peters web site in my links and watch his video exposing the Word of Faith. Never be afraid of the truth. The TRUTH will set you free!
"Out Of Context"
5 Comments
D said...One of the best things about coming out of that movement was discovering the wealth of good Gospel truth we found OUTSIDE the circle! We couldn't believe it but Presbyterians, Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists (of course), and all kinds of folks know God.
The WOF doesn't have the corner on the market, but they sure want you to believe they do. It's a tiny little world they live in. It's good to be FREE!
July 2, 2008 11:10 AM
John Edwards said...AMEN, great comment. It is very exciting, sorta like finding new rooms in your house!
July 2, 2008 11:54 AM
GF said...It is incredible how great God has become since I started obeying His Word instead of trying to get Him to obey by mine.

Thank you the truth that you are sharing.
July 2, 2008 3:01 PM
Anonymous said...Wow, you are so wise toward passages in the Bible. I guess the lady who was healed in your church on May 25th must feel really lucky that she was healed physically since healing is spiritual according to I Peter 2:24
July 3, 2008 10:59 AM
John Edwards said...I think Cebrina was healed by God and not by a verse. I have seen many non-wof people get healed, I have seen a lot of WOFERS die sick.
July 3, 2008 2:30 PM
Monday, June 30, 2008
DANGER!
Sometimes what you say and how they hear are two different things. Sometimes what you say and how they hear are the same thing. This can be very dangerous if what is being said is in error.
I found this out the hard way. It has taken me eight years to finally gain some understanding concerning my daughter Jennifer's death. John and I graduated from a Word of Faith School and began a "Word" church in 1998. In 2000 we relocated our church to a new building in another part of town. Six weeks after we had moved, our fourteen year old daughter died of a malignant brain tumor. It was a tumor as big as an orange in the middle of her brain and touched many different parts of her brain. At the time we found it the doctor said that if he had operated on her he would not have been able to remove it all and that she would have suffered severe deficits. Of course this is one of the most devastating things that can happen to parents. Being a WOF person following such tragedy is difficult enough but being a pastor's wife and a trained minister was agonizing. John preached healing and layed hands on the sick the Sunday following Jenn's funeral. I went through the motions. I attended church faithfully and put up a pretty good front for the sake of the ministry, but inside I was dying. I had been taught that confession and words were of tremendous importance in a believer's life. I was taught that words have the power to create good things in our life or bad things. That through wrong words we can create poverty, sickness, tragedy or even an early death. I was taught that the words that I spoke when mixed with faith could literally create circumstances. I believed this with all my heart. Until Jenn died. After she died I could not help but question "How?...how did this happen?". How did I "confess" my daughter's future for 14 years and she literally drop dead of a brain tumor in 2 days? I made plans with her as all parents do. We talked about college and marriage and children. She always said she wanted to be a "traveler" or an actress. She and her friends planned their futures and talked about the upcoming year as freshmen in high school. This question has plagued me for 8 years. I asked every faith minister that I knew this question. No one had any answer for me. I even received some ridiculous answers. Some said that maybe she was in sin. Some said that children usually die of tragedy when the father commits adultery. Some said that I didn't have enough faith. Some said that she didn't have enough faith. Some said that maybe she caused it herself because she said her head hurt or that maybe she harbored unforgiveness toward her parents. All of these responses came from preachers of word of faith. None of them brought me any comfort. I mean if words mixed with faith are capable of creating circumstances in our lives then why isn't Jenn in college right now? or married? or just traveling all over the place like she planned? I never said that she would one day die of a brain tumor. I just don't believe it anymore. The danger is that it almost shipwrecked my faith in God. I know many true believers that love the Lord but they have been so abused by the erroneous teaching of the Word of Faith doctrine. I know I led people down a path through my teaching that was paved with heartache, self doubt and bitterness toward God. I taught confession to people for years! I honestly believed that if I said that my children would never suffer tragedy or sickness then they wouldn't. I believed I had authority over my children's lives in this regard. I began to look at myself as the one who was responsible for everything in my life. I had heard Brother Hagin say that he didn't pray for his family anymore than at the most three times. To pray about it anymore would be doubt in the first prayer that he prayed. I got to where I didn't pray for them anymore because I thought that would be doubting God and my confession. I once had an argument with a fellow believer over a mutual friend that had terminal cancer. His point was that it was dangerous to offer unreasonable hope to someone. I argued that he only had to confess and believe and he would receive his healing. My friend died and I wonder if I made his wife and child feel guilt at his death. I don't know.
I found Jenn's diary the week after she died. I read it of course because I wanted to feel close to her. The diary was full of things young teen girls talk about. Boys that they think are "hotties", petty squabbles with friends, grades and plans for the weekend (plans, always plans, lots and lots of plans). Jenn wrote all the way up until the week before she died. In almost every entry she said she woke up in pain or that she felt extremely nauseated. She said she would confess God's Word and take some Advil and go out and play. I found a bottle of Advil in her dresser drawer after she died. I wonder if she was afraid to talk about her pain? Afraid that if she did then something bad would happen to her. I wonder if I had not been so delusional about my faith that maybe I would have heard or seen something sooner. I wonder if I was in denial because I thought that nothing could ever happen to us. My youngest son just recently revealed to me that he has always been afraid to tell me when his throat hurt or when he felt bad. He had heard that by speaking about it, it would make it so. He was rebuked in children's church once for saying something "tickled him to death". The children's minister said "Oh, don't say that! You may die of laughter." It seems comical but it is so sad. How many people could have been saved if they had told someone that they felt bad? How many lives have been lost because someone thought that to show their faith in their healing meant to stop taking their insulin or heart medications? How many people didn't ask for help when they needed it most? I am not consumed with guilt although I am remorseful. I once saw a student in bible school leave class with chest pain. He had all the classic symptoms of a heart attack. He was short of breath, holding his left arm, sweating profusely and pasty white. Some fellow students jumped up and ran after him and began walking him up and down the hall confessing that he would live and not die! Instead of calling 911 they were ignoring his symptoms! If the teacher had not stopped class and corrected their behavior I have no doubt that he probably would not have survived. The message in WOF is erroneous and dangerous. We are not taught in God's word to deny anything. To deny a reality to the extent of saying that it doesn't exist is negligent. If there is a lump in your breast then it is there no matter how much you deny it. Just because you say it doesn't exist doesn't make it so. Ask the Lord to heal you and get to a doctor fast! I believe that a lot of the confession message is really a lot of hope and pride. Well in my observation, the WOF people are just as sick, broke, divorced, on drugs, and suffering moral failures as the rest of humanity. Jesus said, "Hey guys, just be glad your name is written down in the book of life." We don't always know everything because guess what?... We are not God! No matter how much you call yourself the creator of your own world, you are not. I know Jenn is with Jesus now. She will never suffer this life again and frankly at times that brings me great comfort and joy. No matter how much I miss her, I will see her again. She is actually in a much better position than her brothers. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Would I change the circumstances if I could? Of course. But to pull her out of the Savior's arms now would be selfish. What I hope and pray is that someone will read this and maybe a light will go off and they will begin to question some of this teaching. It's okay to do that you know. It might just save your life.
Posted by John Edwards at 6:24 PM 5 comments
"DANGER!"
5 Comments -
Myra said...I think you are a very brave and courageous mom to have written this blog. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and I admire you very much.

July 2, 2008 11:20 AM

Vickie said...I admire you too, Coni. You are a wonderful mom. Thank you for your honesty and sincerity. That was very powerful and I know it will help many people. I'm glad you are my friend.
July 2, 2008 2:17 PM

Ben_There said...I read this yesterday and then came back and read it again. I wanted to try and understand it. The more I thought about what was written the more I agreed with it. We put our faith in mere words and not GOD.

A personal note, is when I lost a loved one I first blamed myself for not having enough faith to save her. Why couldn't my faith save her? Then I got to thinking that she did not have enough faith to help me save her. There had to be some reason my confession did not work. What am I missing? Can't I have what I say? If I confess, believe and do not doubt I can move mountains. I believed and confessed but what happened, she died. There had to be a reason why. I blamed myself, her and every sin that I have done or even thought of doing. Then I got to thinking and this came to my mind. Didn't Jesus die so our sins were forgiven. Then in GOD's eye we were forgiven WE HAD NOT SINNED. There had to be another reason why my words could not save her.

DO YOU SEE WHAT IS MISSING HERE? I did not have GOD in the equation, it was MY faith and HER faith. Not faith in GOD.

It is true that words are a powerful tool. With words one can destroy a person's self esteem, reputation and life but to teach that YOU can control your life by your confession is wrong. It is not a sin to have a goal, believe you will accomplish that goal and work for it is not wrong. To let it control your life is.

Enough rambling, thank you Coni for sharing your thoughts with us.
July 2, 2008 8:12 PM
Somebody you might know... said...AWESOME. I know this will affect MANY people.
I was not of course in an immediate life threatening situation. Though, because I had been told a few times to "BE CAREFUL you should have what you say” when I would mention on Sunday, or Wednesday nights when asked how I was feeling, that “I feel really nauseated”, or “my heart is beating way too fast”, or something about how I was REALLY feeling poorly. I was repeatedly rebuked as if I were a small child saying potty words out loud in the Sanctuary. Even though my heart REALLY WAS racing (often) at over 150 bpm (at rest), and I was very sick. I then quit sharing with anyone about how sick I was getting (since January) I kept it between God and the Doctors and tried not to scare my little girl (in retrospect, how sad and lonesome for her to not be able to speak to a supportive adult about it.) Bless God, it’s behind me now. I am recovering from surgery as I write this. But, it is a VERY sickening, sad, isolated feeling, when you've surrounded yourself with people you love and respect, but who's questions you can't seem to answer correctly at all. It made me wonder why those people couldn’t understand, that Jesus would want them to be the hands and the feet for Christ. Instead of the judge speaking so loudly for the enemy. I knew I wasn’t "writing contracts" with God or the devil with my words. It made me want to stay home, instead of surrounding myself with the people I perhaps would have needed most, (if their words hadn’t been so confusing).
Church is a "Spiritual Emergency Room", NOT a Country Club for those who have “already arrived”, and "those who have become so perfect through their own works and WORDS".
It always felt as though they were thinking that my Faith was just not on a level to receive anything. There I was, knowing differently but unable to communicate it. So, I became quiet, and worked it out with God and my Doctors.
Another thought as I close here: Isn’t it “judging others” when we correct their words? Then, are those “Word Police” not sinning? How then, could THEY be in the position to receive anything, if they are already in sin? Especially a sin they would be already aware of. A “pet sin” of sorts, that they keep around to make themselves feel better.
July 3, 2008 10:09 AM
Anonymous said...Great Comments from Ben There and Some one you might know!
July 4, 2008 8:34 AM
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Brother Hagin
I have been a great fan and follower of Brother Kenneth Hagin for fourteen years. I have read many of his books, listened to hundreds of his sermons on tape, heard him preach in several revivals and was his student in Bible School. I believed everything that he taught and said, just like hundreds of thousands of others from all walks of life do. I was ordained by Kenneth Hagin.
When I first began to listen to him in 1994, I was OK until I heard him talk about his visions of Jesus. It made my spirit flip flop and gave me a sick uneasy feeling. I quit listening to him for awhile. Then I thought, what the heck, God's Word promised us visions in the last days so I started listening to him again.
One of his visions never did sit well with me. It was the one where he said Jesus sat down with him and told him how we could write our own ticket with God. That sounded kinda New Age to me. Another vision that bothered me was the one where he claimed Jesus anointed his hands with a special healing power. He was to tell people that if they believed that he was anointed that they would be healed. I never saw it work. I have seen him pray for people in wheelchairs for years. Never saw any one get up. We had students die of cancer. He had heart disease himself. His family members had cancer.
It is amazing how scared people are to question the "Prophet". I think that any man that has claimed to have had eight one on one face to face meetings with Jesus Christ and received extra revelation and special anointing should be examined and questioned.
That's how the Mormon Church got going. Joseph Smith claimed that Jesus and God appeared to him. People believed him unto death, and now we have 13 million Mormons.
If Jesus really did appear face to face with Brother Hagin, sometimes for hours, shouldn't we add these visions to our Bible's? If Jesus Christ really appeared to Brother Hagin, then every word that Jesus said was the Word of God right? Maybe we should add "The Book of Hagin" right after Revelations!
Do you realize that Jesus Christ has appeared to Brother Hagin more times than he appeared to the Apostle Paul? Do you realize that somethings Brother Hagin said that Jesus said are not in the Bible? It is extra revelation. But people believe it and quote things from those visions all the time.
I wish I had a dollar for every faith preacher that I have ever heard that tried to prove a point in the Word of God based on something Brother Hagin said in a vision.
Think of this. Here is a man that has been to Hell, got saved when he was out of his body, went to Heaven more than once, saw the figure of Almighty God sitting on His throne, had Jesus Christ personally disciple him, face to face, one on one, has had conversations and bible debates with Jesus, and has talked with his personal angel, and has received a one of a kind personal healing anointing from Jesus Christ that no one else has ever had! WOW!
Brother Hagin said that Jesus told him that clapping was neither praise nor worship. And thousands of people will no longer clap in church because of what Brother Hagin said that Jesus said.
As I look back on the thousands of hours that I spent listening to his personal spin and interpretations of the scriptures, I have to pinch myself. I cannot believe that I fell for this deception, hook, line and sinker.
The Word of Faith and New Age are very similar in that their teachings elevate man to be a god. Anyone that will do some honest research will find hundreds of unscriptual quotations by Brother Hagin and other faith preachers all over the web.
You know why Word of Faith people are afraid of asking questions? Because they have been brain washed for years that if they question or reject the teachings that something bad will happen to them. Brother Hagin said Jesus told him that if people didn't receive what he had to say when he was in the Spirit, that they would die! He said preachers would die.
So here you have a man that says he has meet with Jesus Christ several times and that if people will not receive him when he is in the Spirit that they will die. That has built fear into thousands of well meaning people.
I am praying that God will open the eyes of my dear friends that are deceived and set them free into the love and freedom that Jesus intended them to have. These are sincere people that love God but they are sincerely deceived. Lets pray for them to have their eyes opened and to have the guts to come out of this cultic movement. It is hard to. I have found out first hand. You lose a lot of friends that know you are right but are afraid to make the move out of fear.
Posted by John Edwards at 10:43 AM
13 Comments -
Leatherneck said...You just kicked the hornet nest at 100 Derby Parkway.
Semper Fi
June 26, 2008 6:59 PM
GF said...If you can't say Amen, say OH ME!
All that you say is so true, but so many will not listen to the truth. They are deceived and do not have ears that hear. I pray that their eyes will be opened. The only one that we should reverence that much is Jesus. When we put the words of a mere man above those of Jesus then all I can say is OH ME.
June 27, 2008 10:52 AM
cullen said...You are right, but I am fearful to say anything. I don't want to get struck by lightning. Oh no! I said it. I must confess now that I don't believe what I just said so it won't come to pass! hehe

Good post, PJ. Especially about the number of visitations being more than Paul recorded that he had.
June 27, 2008 12:47 PM
Ben_There said..."It is amazing how scared people are to question the "Prophet". I think that any man that has claimed to have had eight one on one face to face meetings with Jesus Christ and received extra revelation and special anointing should be examined and questioned."

In my opinion, anyone that states that Jesus sat down with them personally (one on one) and revealed different interpretations of the Bible is either a con artist or mentally defective. I don't know the Hagins, nor did I go to RHEMA but I did stay at a Motel 6 last night.

It appears to me that the only one that directly benefited from these meetings were the Hagins. Of course they can and will say that their faith is what brought them the wealth that they named and claimed. Or was it like most of the WOF TV preachers that have conned many poor people out of their money with the mantra, seed, time and harvest. Plant your seed in a good fertile ground and it will be multiplied. Oh by the way, my ministry is a fertile ground send me your offerings and you will be blessed. Of course I might have to buy myself a jet, large house, a luxury car and a new TV show before the blessing begins to manifest itself on you. (HA HA) Don't be discouraged keep on sending in those letters with the checks, not the skinny little postcards. I will have the office staff send you a form letter thanking you for your seed and tell you how you can multiply your blessings when you plant more seed.

People are desperate, reaching out for something to believe in. That is how these "ministries" can and do grow. People wanting to receive and afraid to question the "Pastors" that are offering them this hope. If the congregation question to closely then they are lacking faith and bad things are going to happen to the questioners and the people that are listening to the questions.

Is it a bad thing to ask questions and expect truthful answers? NO, it isn't. So why is it put down and the people that are asking the questions ridiculed? For myself, when in doubt about something I go to the bible, search the scriptures and try to get guidance. I don't take the scriptures out of context and I also read the verses before and after the ones that I looked up. To try and get a feeling on what the writer was saying. If then I am still confused (which is most of the time) I talk to my Pastor and try to get an understanding. Do not swallow the party line completely, ask questions and study. You will be amazed what is in teachings of Jesus our LORD and Savior.
June 27, 2008 2:05 PM
Somebody you might know... said...I think that if Jesus were to talk to any one of us "one on one" HE would have mentioned a lot more about LOVE, and not prosperity. HE was big on leave everything behind, and simply FOLLOW ME. Not, "Bring your things to a pawn and see what we can get for them, and then...we'll have something to talk about." Jesus is always about LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Love is not something I think HE would have overlooked in a "one on one" conversation.
Just my humble opinion.
June 27, 2008 4:01 PM
D said...Yeah, but now what do we do with the hundreds of cassettes, books, and notebooks full of sermon notes?
:)
Seriously though, I don't want to throw the proverbial 'baby out with the bath water'. There are parts of the faith message I believe are true. We've had to allow the Holy Spirit to sort it out for seven years now. It's still a work in progress!
June 28, 2008 7:11 PM
Set Free said...D. You are right.
I just want to be sure the baby that I keep is the right one.

After years of listening to the WOF message there are many who are not very good at hearing the "true" voice of The Holy Spirit.

As you know it is good to be free.
June 29, 2008 1:39 PM
GF said...Be alert oh Faithpreacher. The leaders from Mecca and Wordland may label you as an evil one and send a dragonslayer out to find you. You are much more dangerous than most outcast because you have used your voice to speak out the truth, keep doing so and maybe others will be set free from that great spell. June 29, 2008 1:47 PM

Christella said...I wanted to thank you for informing us and to tell you as well as Connie how very proud I am for having you as my preachers. It takes a lot to acknowledge ones mistakes and to publicly correct oneself. Thank you for leading us in the right direction.
As far as Brother Hagin is concerned I think we just need to pray for him and not dwell on his short comings.
June 29, 2008 10:05 PM
MindBloggling said...Ya know...My dad always told me to never get caught up in a preacher.
June 30, 2008 4:58 AM
Larry-Boy said...Wow. I'm a guy who's blissfully ignorant of most of the Word of Faith doctrine you refer to, Faithpreacher. So this is the first time I've ever heard of Bro. Hagin's ridiculous claims. Some of this stuff is so outrageous, it's almost funny...until you realize how many people are shackled by this misguided doctrine.


Keep on shining the light of truth on that garbage, man. There's so much truth and common sense in your posts, your blog is bound to ruffle some feathers in Tulsa...a small price to pay for the freedom you're giving those who read it and see the light!
June 30, 2008 9:31 AM

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
I Played God
Word of Faith people are taught that they can be the God of their own lives. I taught this heresy for eight years. I used to believe that I could have anything I wanted if I would say it with my mouth and believe it in my heart. Sounds like voodoo huh? It is!
Kenneth Hagin claims that Jesus appeared to him in a vision and gave him personal instructions on "How to write your own ticket with God". Jesus said to "Say it, believe it, receive it and do it". Word of Faith people believe that everything you experience in life, good or bad, is a result of the words that you have been speaking. They believe that they can create and change situations with the spoken word. They believe thier words are creative forces.
This message is the combination of New Age metaphysics and a gross misinterpretation of a Jewish hyperbole that Jesus used in Mark 11:23.
The dangerous thing about this message is that it puts you in the driver's seat of your life because you begin to think that you can plan your future and change your world by speaking the right words. It also creates a tremendous amount of fear. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Word of Faith people believe that you can bring sickness and tragedy into your life by saying the wrong things. They believe a lot of crazy things! I know because I taught the Word of Faith for eight years. I have seen people's faith ruined over it many, many times.
There is a tremendous amount of doctrinal error in the Word of Faith. It is Satan's way of having man become god. It is New Age. Man is not the creator, God is.
My wife Coni will be sharing some insights on this teaching and how people have died from it in the near future. Stay tuned!
Posted by John Edwards at 2:26 PM
Monday, June 23, 2008
Kicking and Screaming
I hate going to church. Not to mine of course but I hate being invited to other churches and meetings because I do this every day week in and week out. I am totally churched out. I have no desire to go listen to anyone. I especially don't want to go to anything charismatic. I don't like having my "mail read" and I'm sick and tired of being prophesied to. When it comes to preachers, I am very picky and extremely cautious.
So last night I went to church kicking and screaming all day about it. I would have rather walked naked down the interstate during rush hour. I would rather have a root canal. I would rather do yard work which I truly hate. The only reason I went was because this really sweet couple at church had invited to to come and hear this dude named Donny Kitchens that was going to preach at their mansion. (they really do live in a mansion) This couple has always been there for me so I had to go, but I dreaded it all week like I would a visit to the dentist. My stomach was in knots. I thought of hundreds of ways to get out of it. The last thing in the world that I wanted was for some Pentecostal showboat preacher in my face for two hours!
Thank God I went! It was totally awesome......the best preaching that I have heard in a few years. It was incredible. God confirmed so many things to me and my wife through the sermon. God talked to me. This preacher was humble and REAL. I was glued to my seat and could have listened to him all night.
As it always happens to me at a charismatic service, I'm the one they always stand up to prophesie over.......and he did.....for like five whole minutes! YEP, HE READ ALL MY MAIL AND KNEW EVERYTHING THAT I WAS DEALING WITH AND GOING THRU. That's real neat, that God would use that preacher to let me know that I am on the right track, and that I am right about some major changes that I have made. Its good to hear from God now and then. I feel sorry for all my Baptist friends that think the gifts have passed away.
If anyone ever invites you to hear a preacher named Donny Kitchens, take'em up on the invitation. Just don't go kicking and screaming!
Posted by John Edwards at 10:47 AM