"The prosperity gospel is Christianity's version of professional wrestling: You know it is fake, but it nonetheless has entertainment value." ( John MacArthur's Strange Fire )
Back in the day, before all the glitz and glamor, my grandfather was a wrestler. Although I was never a wrestling fan, I listened with curiosity to his theatrical stories that detailed all of the tricks of the trade performed during the matches.
Even when he retired and became a referee, he was still a major player in all of the drama, deception, and showmanship that took place inside of the ring. Dad remembers sitting in the old American Legion Auditorium watching the action as a small boy. I don't think Granddaddy could live without being involved somehow. He said that after the matches everyone went out eating and drinking together, winners and losers. "We were all friends," he would laugh as he recounted his crazy life.
The Prosperity Gospel/Faith Healers/New Apostolic Reformation/Seed-Faith/Word of Faith movements have so many tricks, scams, and bad theology up their sleeves it would be impossible to explain and counter them all in one single blog post.
I can't perform that trick, so I've decided to tackle one at a time.
I also want to say that I have repented of not always displaying graciousness in the process of blogging about these teachings. Even if I believe them to be false and harmful, even though they have caused me personal harm, that in no way gives me a license to sin in having a holier than thou attitude toward those who hold to these teachings.
I also want to be clear that not everyone who follows these teachers or movements are whole sale believers of everything these ministries embrace. We all have bits and pieces of false teaching in our belief system simply from breathing in American air. I'll probably reiterate that every post.
The thing I will argue, the thing that rings true of all of the above, the one thing they all have in common is that they all take Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and his atoning work for the sins of the world, his beautiful sacrifice, and move our Lord from the center to the fringes.
He's replaced with faith formulas, divine healing, prophecies, financial blessings, favor, success, material possessions, transfers of wealth, power, your dreams, your will, your goals, your desires, in other words: Me! They put me, myself, and I at the center. This is what all of their sermons or teachings ever consist of: How can I get what I want.
Friends, if the true gospel of Jesus Christ isn't center, how can it be Christianity?
This stirs up a hurricane of emotions for me as I was in a couple of word of faith/prosperity gospel churches for about eight years back in the late 80s and early 90s. When I left these churches, sadly, the false doctrines didn't stay behind. I carried them in my belief system for decades, even instilling some of them in my children.
I apologize ahead of time if I get fired up, and I pray I don't come across with both barrels blazing. Please forgive me.
The spiritual abuse we and others have experienced in these church settings, whether it be the guilt and blame placed upon us for lack of faith, not receiving our healing or other prayer requests, or whether it be the unapproachableness and arrogance of the leaders or the admonishment for simply asking theological questions, can evoke many bad memories when the pain resurfaces.
It's counterfeit Christianity, and it hurts people. It deceives and keeps its followers from the truth, meaning those who believe these doctrines full sale can't see it. Again, I also want to be clear that not everyone who inhabits the charismatic world is involved with these teachings. In fact, I've found them to be some of their greatest opponents. Even though I'm "reformish," I can become quickly defensive of my Penecostal/charismatic brothers and sisters who are lumped into many of these ministries. That's not fair.
We are commanded to contend for the faith and to help snatch others out of the fire. ( Jude 1-25 ) Remember, someone prayed that we'd be snatched. God extended grace to us, now we are to help lead others gently. And remember that we're still being sanctified as well. It's a life long process.
There are at least ten main teachings within the Word of Faith movement that I plan to unpack and argue to be false; you be the judge. How this is different from progressive Christianity, and what makes it tricker to uncover, is that where progressives have questioned the authority and errancy of Scripture and the core doctrines of orthodox Christianity, the above mentioned faith/prosperity movements actually hold to them. However, I'll argue that they've been twisted and taken out of context.
Not only do I have first hand experience with much of these teachings, I've also spent a great deal of time studying their histories and their organizations, and as I dive deeper and deeper into the drama and deception, I find fear replacing my anger. I told the Farmer that some of these movements are scaring me more than a secret society one might investigate in a dark corner of the underworld some place. I know, it smells of conspiracy theory. Why I wondered?
Because we expect the enemy to attack the world. Satan is the god of this world, but we don't really expect him to infiltrate the church, and yet that's exactly what the writers of the New Testament warned us he would do.
"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw the disciples after them." ( Acts 20:29 - 30 )
My pastor, Milton Atkins, is taking us through Jesus's seven letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation on Sunday mornings, and he has pointed out the severity in which Jesus warned the churches to rid themselves of the false teachers in their midst. ( Revelation 2-3 ) I had overlooked this before.
When these particular movements I mentioned above arose post World War 2, gaining momentum throughout the 1950s, and began to tempt the church with their sparkling promises of health, wealth, and power on demand, evangelicals swung open the church doors and welcomed the wolf inside. In so many ways, it began to dawn on me that we've done this to ourselves. And to our dismay, we've discovered that wolves travel in packs.
They're sly and tricky. They honor and slap each other on the back.
They're in sheep's clothing. They look like us. They talk like us. Someone is saying, "I don't look or talk anything like Kenneth Copeland." Okay, you know what I mean. Some laugh at all of the nonsense and parodies like it's a match on WWE network, my metaphor is more of a three-ring circus, but either way, I can't help wondering now after much research, if that buffoonery isn't part of the trickery as well.
Whatever the case may be, Jesus warned and prepared us in Matthew 10:16 "Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
Here's an assignment for the rest of the year: I'm doing it too! I promise. Read deeply the four Gospels and Acts. Would you do that?
Make a note as you read if you ever see Jesus or the Apostles telling anyone who needed a physical healing or deliverance to first make a seed-faith offering into their ministry so they could receive their miracle? Did they engage in such trickery?
Did they pray for people, warning them that if they didn't receive their healing, it would be their fault?
When their healing didn't manifest immediately did Jesus and the Apostles tell the sick person to just speak positive words over themselves, ignore the symptoms that persist, don't go to the doctor or take medicine because that exhibits a lack of faith?
When they reached out to touch sick people, did they ever exhibit force, pushing them to the floor against their will and off their crutches?
Did Jesus or the Apostles ever teach the people not to pray humbly but instead to demand and declare things from God? Did they ever instruct the people on how to fabricate a faith formula to get the Word and God to work for them?
Did Jesus and the Apostles ever preach sermons instructing the people to chase their dreams and follow their hearts or lay out steps on how to acquire wealth and success in this world?
My friends, the Bible is so much better than this. Jesus is so good. No matter what you've heard, He is and always will be the greatest show on earth!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Stay biblical, my friends!
Happy Tuesday!
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| The Farmer's Hibiscus and Butterfly Pea Flower Tea I know, seriously, I usually just make plain old Lipton |
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