Dangerous Teachings In Church
Part 5: Word of Faith Movement
In this series on Dangerous Teachings in Church, we have discovered the progression towards self-sufficiency by using former New Age and positive thinking principles. We learned about those who developed and repackaged these principles under different names, but the ultimate goal remained the same: to achieve our own goals and outcomes. However, this shift in thinking left out the will of God in our lives and how He can use the troubles and issues of our life to glorify Him. As it says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “He hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Our faith has not been tested like gold and we overlooked the obedience of believers like Abraham, Habakkuk, Job, and New Testament believers like the Apostle Paul, who depended on God in the midst of their personal trials.
We discover the works of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Marry Baker Eddy, and Emma Curtis Hopkins who all influenced the idea of self-healing by overcoming illnesses. With the change of our thoughts and words taken from Christian Science, teachers like Ernest Holmes, who founded the Science of Mind movement, which emphasizes the power of positive thinking and visualization to achieve prosperity and success. Similarly, New Thought leaders such as Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale have popularized the idea that one can achieve success and abundance by aligning their thoughts with God’s will and affirming positive outcomes. These teachings emphasize the importance of one’s thoughts and beliefs in shaping their reality, and encourage individuals to claim God’s promises of health, wealth, and success through faith.
Birth of The Word of Faith
Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003)
“Kenyon’s influence on my ministry has been minute. Only his teachings on the name of Jesus have much to do with my theology. I absolutely deny any metaphysical influences from Kenyon. I teach not Christian Science, but Christian sense.”
“Thoughts may come and they may persist in staying. But if we refuse to put those thoughts into words, they die unborn. Cultivate the habit of thinking big things. Learn to use words that will react upon your own spirit. Faith’s confessions create realities. Realization follows the confession. Confession precedes possession.” – Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Hagin Faith Lesson No. 21 – The God Kind of Faith
“Real faith will say the same thing about one’s self as the Word says. You have what the Word says you have. You are what the Word says you are. If you want God’s Word to work for you, you will have to get in agreement with it.”
“God’s method of physical healing is spiritual. It is not mental as Christian Science, Unity and other metaphysical teachers claim. Neither is it physical as the medical world teaches. When man heals, he must do it either through the mind or through the physical body. When God heals He heals through the human spirit, Life’s greatest forces are spiritual forces. . . . Love and hate, faith and fear, joy and peace, are all of the spirit.” – Kenneth Hagin, Spirit, Soul, & Body; Part Three: God Heals through the Spirit of Man,” Word of Faith, December, 1977, pg 5.
There are two things to notice about the God kind of faith. First, a man believes with his heart. Second, he believes with his words. It isn’t enough just to believe in your heart. In order to get God to work for you, you must believe with your words also. Jesus said, “Whosoever shall say … and 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” (Mark 11:23). This is the unalterable law of faith.” – Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Hagin Faith Lesson No. 21 – The God Kind of Faith
Quotes From Kenneth Copeland
“You don’t have a god in you, you are one.” – ‘The Force of Love,’ audiotape Kenneth Copeland, 1987
“The only suffering we encounter in sharing His victory is spiritual. That’s what the Word is talking about when it says we are to be partakers of Christ’s suffering. In other words, the only suffering for a believer is the spiritual discomfort brought by resisting the pressures of the flesh, not a physical or mental suffering. Jesus has already borne for us all the suffering in the natural and mental realms…That’s why it’s to God’s glory when we are healed or delivered physically and mentally, for we only have to fight in the spirit realm.” – What About Suffering With Christ?
“Well, He created all those planets, how come you can’t create something? You don’t know as much about it as He does. He has a greater working knowledge of that faith than you do. But we’re learning. Our time is coming. And in some ways its already here.” – Kenneth Copeland, Cornerstone Church with John Hagee, San Antonio, Texas, August 18, 1999.
Quotes From Joel Osteen
“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.”
“God has already done everything He’s going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you’re going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family.”
“I want to challenge you today to get out of your comfort zone. You have so much incredible potential on the inside. God has put gifts and talents in you that you probably don’t know anything about.”
“When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it… You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.”
Similar Quotes From New Age Proponents
“Every prayer – every thought, every statement, every feeling – is creative. You were created to create – not to react. Creation is the highest form of Divinity, and your birthright. Truth is, you are creating all the time. The central question in your life is whether you are doing this consciously or unconsciously.” – Neale Donald Walsch
“You are the masterpiece of your own life. You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David you are sculpturing is you. (Dr. Joe Vitale)” – Rhonda Byrnes, The Secret
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer
You become what you think about most…But you also attract what you think about most. (John Assaraf) ” – Rhonda Byrnes, The Secret
Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body’s reaction to your mind — or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body. – Eckhart Tolle
“Remember that your thoughts are the primary cause of everything.” – Rhonda Byrnes, The Secret
“There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstances of your life can change!” – Rhonda Byrnes, The Secret
New Thought Preachers Today
Aimee Semple McPherson
A.A. Allen
Benny Hinn
Charles & Annette Capps
D.L. Moody
Dwight Thompson
E.W. Kenyon
Frederick Price
Jack Hayford
Jerry Savelle
Jesse Deplantis
Joel Osteen
John Avanzini
Joyce Meyer
Kathryn Kuhlman
Kim Clement (Modern Prophet)
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Hagin
Marilyn Hickey
Mike Murdock
Morris Cerullo
Norman Vincent Peale
Norvel Hayes
Oral Roberts (Oral Roberts University)
Paul Crouch (TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network)
Paul Yonggi Cho (David Cho)
Robert Schuller
Robert Tilton
Rod Parsley
T.D. Jakes
Who do you think should be on this list?
Created 2015/08/03 | Updated 2023
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