Deception in the Church

 A growing number of pastors, teachers, and evangelists within the Charismatic/Pentecostal/Evangelical/Prosperity circles of the Christian church are advancing what has come to be known as the "Word Faith" movement. Its major leaders include Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Frederick K. C. Price, Jesse Duplantis, Sid Roth, Joyce Meyers and David (Paul) Yongii Cho, who pastors one of the largest churches in the world in Seoul, Korea.  Other well-known Word Faith personalities include Gloria Copeland, Robert Tilton, John Avanzini, John Osteen, T. L. Osborne, Charles Capps, Marilyn Hickey, Jerry Savelle, J.D. Jake,  Morris Cerullo, Casey Treat, Dwight Thompson, Hinn, John Hagee, Rodney Brown, Creflo Dollar and Richard Roberts. The Christian Broadcasting Networks that endorse and support these people are Daystar and Trinity Broadcasting Network.

I want to make it clear I do not believe that every word these ministers/teachers say is deception.  I listen to Joyce Meyers and Joel Osteen regularly, but they do freely stray from the Gospel when it fits their needs.  That is why it is so important for everyone to study and know scripture for themselves so they can discern truth from deception.  Christians are told to compare any teachings, and the gospel they bring, to the Word of God and to cast off any that contradict Scripture (Acts 17:11; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Trinity Broadcasting Network’s worldwide platform has mainstreamed Word Faith theology to the lives of millions of Christians who would not otherwise have encountered Word Faith theology.  Christianity in the western world has been so heavily influenced in many quarters by this movement that now many consider it the main thrust of the charismatic movement. 

In Europe these doctrines are brought in through visiting USA speakers and their materials, and by influential local pastors and leaders (all looking to get rich) - and also through the "GOD Christian Channel" which concentrates on many of these teachers/evangelist/pastors via Satellite and Cable TV. Recently England refused to allow Hinn to enter their country because they did not want their citizens exposed or conned by him anymore.  The Word Faith movement took hold in Africa rapidly because local ministers were influenced by the wealth of the evangelist from the United States.

The leaders of this movement are quick to attack anyone who questions their teachings.  They claim those that question are "sowing division in the body" or lack faith or lack belief in God’s ability to heal, or they may even claim they are demon possessed. No man on earth today has the power to instantly heal one after another.  Why is there never any medical proof of these healings?  

A classic example of this can be seen in a quote from Word-Faith teacher Kenneth Hagin: "When the Lord was dealing with me concerning the prophet's (HIS) ministry, GOD said that if a church doesn't accept my ministry then I should go my own way, shake the dust off my feet against them (CURSE THEM) so to speak; but GOD would remove their candlestick (THEIR POWER).  GOD said that judgment must begin in the house of God, and If a church won't accept  MY ministry, then they wouldn't accept His Word if it came from His own mouth and even GOD can't help them."

If a person reads into the sacred text something that does not belong there and is not consistent with sound exegesis and hermeneutics, then Christians have a right an should challenge and expose error and point out who these mistaken teachers are (Acts 20:28-31 & 2 Timothy 2:16-18).  It does not mean that these teachers are not true Christians, although they may not be.  It does not mean that we should love them any less.  It simply means that an error has been found and exposed and should be dealt with in love for the truth, and compassion for those that could be damaged by the deception.

The spiritual mentor of today's Word-Faith teachers is Essek W. Kenyon, a man who was greatly influenced by the metaphysical mind science cults such as Christian Science, Unity School of Christianity, and Church of Religious Science and who received his theological training from the Emerson School of Oratory in Boston, Mass.  The founder of that institution, Charles Wesley Emerson, is on record as being a member of the Mother Church of Christian Science from 1903 to 1908.

After leaving the school - it is not clear from records whether or not he graduated - Kenyon settled in Seattle, Wash., where he was pastor of the New Covenant Baptist Church and broadcast a radio program, "Church of the Air," until his death in 1948.  Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society published materials from his writings and broadcasts.  It is from these publications that most of the presumptions of the Word-Faith teachings are drawn, but most believe they originated from Kenneth E. "Dad" Hagin. The truth is that Hagin got most of his doctrines from Kenyon and his daughter, Ruth Kenyon Houseworth.

The bedrock of Word-Faith doctrine is what Kenyon calls "new creation realities." For the rest of the Word-Faith assertions to work, man first must be exalted to a high position.  Word-Faith teaching puts man on the same level as Jesus Christ.  This is done by assembling Scripture passages to purportedly prove that once a man is in Christ, then the "new creature" spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5:17 has the same spirit as God.   Kenyon writes: "You see, man is a spirit being.  He is in the same class with God.  He was created in the image and likeness of God.  He had to be in order to become a partaker of the Divine Nature.  Creflo Dollar today says “We are little “gods” all of us that accept Christ become “little gods”.   Creflo Dollar says the only thing human about us is our physical bodies all else is the a same as God.

Kenneth Copeland writes in “Now We Are In Christ Jesus, p. 5”. that Hagin says, "The believer is as much an Incarnation as Jesus Christ.”  Kenneth Copeland says, "Jesus is no longer the only begotten son of God" (Now We Are In Christ Jesus, p. 24). "We are the Word made flesh, just as Jesus was."  So, in the Word-Faith teaching, Jesus loses his uniqueness.  The believer is elevated to the position of being a God-man the same way Jesus was a God-man.  They claim that the only difference is Jesus obtained his position by birth and the rest obtain it by a re-creation of the spirit.  Read  Isaiah 44:8: "Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any" ( Isaiah 43:10; John 1:18;  John 5:44; John 17:3; James 2:19; 1 Timothy 2:5; Colossians 1:14-17; Hebrews 1:2-3).  Joyce Meyers teaches the same thing we are all Sons of God just as Jesus Christ is.  Christ is no longer the only begotten Son of God.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and Fredrick Price say the blood of Christ did not pay for ours sins.  Christ suffering and blood on the cross was not enough to pay our sin debt.  That Jesus lost all his spirituality and God the Father forsake Christ and sent Him to suffer in hell for three days.  Christ paid our sin debt in hell not on the cross.  Gloria Copeland even added if the cross had been enough the two thieves that hung on crosses by Jesus could have paid our sin debt.  Read Hebrews 12:2: "Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross [not torture in hell], despising the shame.”  "In whom [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).( Psalm 139:7-8; John 5:26; 10:17-18; 19:30;  Colossians 1:19-20;  2:13-15; Revelation 1:5). 

the Word-Faith plan of redemption says:  Man was created as the "same order of being as God."  A spirit temporarily housed in a body.  He was given dominion over the Earth.  When he committed "high treason" by following Satan instead of God, man then gave up the divine nature and took on the nature of Satan.  Satan then became the god of this world and man thereafter was born with the satanic nature.  "Suddenly, God was on the outside the earth looking in", (Kenneth Copeland, Our Covenant With God, p. 8).  They say Satan rules the earth and God is ruling heaven and God has no power on earth until Jesus Christ comes again.

On the cross, the plan of redemption merely began.  It was there that Jesus took on the nature of Satan, lost His divinity, became a mortal man, and went to hell.  There He suffered torture at the hand of Satan until God said "enough." Having kept the Law of God perfectly, the man Jesus was declared to be "illegally" in hell.  At that point, Jesus' spirit was re-created.  He again had the divine nature - Jesus was then born again!   Just as we are born again or recreated when we accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  Re-created men "now have the nature of God... the ability of God" (E.W. Kenyon, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, p. 82).  There are no verses in Scripture to support this blasphemous theology - read Exodus 8:10: "There is none like unto the Lord our God"  Exodus 9:13-14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; 2 Samuel 7:22; Isaiah 46:9; Jeremiah 10:6; Hosea 11:9).

Word Faith ministers use different interpretations of words that are not the correct Greek or Hebrew.  They make the words fit their needs for example I was amused when Charles Capps said Concerning the statement in Job 1:21, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away," Word-Faith teacher Charles Capps says, "Job did say it, but it is not a true statement.  It is a lie. ... Job was not under the anointing when he made that statement" (The Tongue - A Creative Force, pp. 8-9).  A few weeks prior the same teacher said EVERY WORD IN THE BIBLE IS TRUE!!

When this kind of fanciful Bible interpretation is used, the Scriptures can be made to say anything you want them to say.

Stop making Christianity look like the religion of fools!

 I feel much more comfortable now that I know GOD told Televangelist Frank Amedia, who leads Touch Heaven Ministries in Ohio, that Donald Trump would be the GOP presidential nominee and he believes God "raised up" the real estate mogul to help pave the way for the Second Coming. I would be more comfortable with his prophetic message if he would have made it public before Trump clinched the GOP presidential nomination.

Amedia also revealed during the interview that he has healed cancer with the power of prayer and stopped a tsunami by appealing to Jesus. If you want to learn more of what GOD  has told this man just watch the evangelical Daystar network. I wish God would have advised Amedia in advance about 9/11, ISIS, Bengasi and the burning of 19 girls in Syria that refused to have sex with ISIS soldiers.

I am not mocking Christianity, but I think men like Amedia do more harm for Christianity than good. People around the world are mocking Christianity because some Christian preachers like Amedia make these ridiculous claims for personal fame and money. I do not really know what Donald Trump thinks of Amedia’s prophecy, but I would be willing to bet he has had a few laughs over it with his family.

I thought Donald Trump would win the primaries not because God wanted Grump to issue in the Second Coming, but because Americans are sick and tired of Republican and Democrat politicians. Just like Filipino's are sick and tired of their government leaders and elected a man like Trump. I think Trump has a chance to win the Presidential election if he stops letting his mouth engage before his brain engages.  I still believe in free will and it is up to voters to make the right choice not God. 

The Bible states - God will not put more on you than you can stand - NOT TRUE!

The Bible states, “God will not put more on you than you can stand” – NOT TRUE!

If you believe me wrong read 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 and Matthew 11:28-30 again it does not say what you may have thought it said or some sentimental Christian or religious leader told you it said.

People are surprised to find that at no time in the movie Casablanca does Rick ever say, “Play it again, Sam.”  It is also surprising to know that in over 79 Star Trek episodes and 6 movies, no one ever actually says, “Beam me up, Scotty.” But people all assume that those clichés and many others are from the films and movies they attribute them, too.

It works the same with the Bible.  There are all kinds of things that people assume the Bible says but it actually doesn’t.  At the top of that list is “The Lord helps those who help themselves” with something like 80% of Christians believing that quote is from the Bible. It’s actually from the Ancient Greeks by way of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.

But in a close second is the statement: “God never gives you more than you can bear.”  It is frequently “quoted” to people in times of distress with great certainty.  Everything will be alright—the suffering one is told—God wouldn’t have given you this trial if you couldn’t get through it. It is quite comforting to those suffering until they find out it is not true and then they begin to doubt God because of you ‘YOUR’ biblical untruth.

There is a quote like it; but there is nothing that says “God will never give you more than you can bear.”  The quote that is frequently used to back up the idea, from 1 Corinthians, doesn’t really say what people think it does. It actually says, “No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people … God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities ...”

Paul is reminding his readers that God will not allow people to be tempted beyond their abilities.  That is, there is no temptation that you should feel you are powerless against, because God would not allow you to be tempted by something you couldn’t resist. If you’re being tempted, in Paul’s thinking, it’s something you are strong enough to resist. That is a far different thing from claiming that nothing bad will happen to you or that you will not have to bear a burden that you cannot bear alone, without God.

Paul even states they suffered burdens they could not bear in their own strength, “We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive.” (2 Corinthians 1:8). We are also told in Psalm 38:8, “I’m worn out, completely crushed; I groan because of my miserable heart” and in Psalm 38:4, “My wrongdoings are stacked higher than my head; they are a weight that’s way too heavy for me.” Elijah was told by an angel:  “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7). Let us not forget Jesus, too, who died in agony on the cross, cried out “My God, My God, why have you left me?”

Not only is it not found in scripture our life experiences do not bear it out. There are all kinds of things that happen that we cannot bear. Sometimes our lives come crashing down around us.

Trite platitudes that are designed to make people feel better are harmful to Christianity. Can you imagine someone saying to an inmate at Auschwitz don’t worry - God never gives you more than you can bear or saying it to a woman whose children are killed by a long buried landmine while they were playing or a refugee who survived the massacre of her entire village or someone who has just been given a diagnosis of a terminal illness?

I am thankful that we Catholic’s have the crucifix and not just a cross for it reminds  us that our faith is driven by the hope and the promise of the Resurrection, but that we still live very much in a world defined by the Crucifixion – pain and suffering.

When you tell suffering people that God never gives them more than they can bear and they are being crushed at the time by problems you are causing them to question what is wrong with them?  What are they doing wrong?  Why isn’t God helping them? You are not bringing them to God you are pushing them away from God. If you do not have more comforting words than that to give them then keep your mouth shut and listen.

If you truly believe no problem comes your way that you cannot bear then you are making it about you and not God. Why do you need God if you alone can bear all your problems? Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Christ did not tell us to go it alone. Our faith is demonstrated by our recognition that we cannot bear the burdens ourselves and trust in the grace of God who bears them with us.

The church should be a place where you can come and say, “I have a burden that I cannot bear” and instead of being judged for having a weak faith, you are surrounded by a network of love and support that will bear that burden with you.  Just as Christ takes upon himself the burdens we cast upon him, unfortunately to many church going Christians and religious leaders have forgotten that.

The Gospel reminds us that our problems do not disappear because we have become followers of Christ, but we are promised that in those sufferings we are not alone. God does not make us suffer alone He is always with us. God will stand beside us in our times of trouble.

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.”

Do not beat yourself up when you fail and give in to temptations that you told God in prayer that you would not do again.  God is happy for all the days that the temptation came up and you did not give in and does not hold against you the days that you did. God will is patient!  Just pick yourself up and try again.  God is a God of more than one chance.

We should not let the Church die

If Christianity is to remain a part of modern day society we must come to understand change.  Organisms that do not respond to their environment become extinct. The Church is no different from any other organization it adapts or loses members and become irrelevant.

How many of you remember the Woodmen of the World or Woodmen of America? If you have visited old cemeteries, you’ve probably noticed the tree stone monuments, especially in the West, Midwest and South. Two organizations are given credit for their proliferation, Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World. They were one of the largest fraternal organizations in the world, but not anymore. They still exist and offer excellent insurance policies, but membership in the organization has dwindled. Many fraternal organizations died off because they did not adapt to their environment.

When people and organizations stop changing they regress. When businesses stop changing they close. When non-profit organizations stop changing they disappear. Societies needs change therefore the things society use must change and adapt.

I submit to you that many churches are dying because they have become boring, unchanging and irrelevant. They have become totally disconnected to the lives of modern men and women.

If today’s Church was a political party if would be an unelectable party. The people in the pews desperately try to discuss what they need to function as a Christian in the 21^st century and the Church leaders point fingers. Perhaps the reason so many Church leaders become overly active in politics today is because they can relate to how it works. Those at the top of politics and the Church have lost sight of what the people really need. They would rather stay the course than admit they could have been wrong. The Church is not dying because the people are less holy. The Church is dying because the leaders have become more focused on the organization and their power than the people.

It is clear the power struggle going on in the worldwide Church today has served to do damage to the Church.  It has left some people in the Church feeling like criminals for example the gays, divorced, etc. It has left people feeling unloved, guilty and excluded. This is not what Christ intended for the Church to do or be. The leaders of the Church must be faithful to God’s truth not their truth and be less interested in their personal power.

For the Church to stand still and stop evolving is eventually to be left behind and face extinction. Many Christians like me have begun to critique the beliefs, teachings and practices of the leadership as God intended us to do.  Jesus Christ questioned the leadership of the Jewish religion and encouraged others to do so. Many in the Church become discussed with the dictatorial power of the leadership and leave the Church.

The Gandhi’s, Mother Teresa’s, Martin Luther Kinds and Thomas Merton’s of the world understood change must occur in to order to survive. They realized they were not perfect and did not have all the answers and were willing to listen to others. Church leaders have taken ordained authority too seriously.

I believe we have a unique opportunity to show how an institution that is widely acknowledged to be out of touch and is being ignored by many of its members can face its fears and explore new ways of being and serving.  Even if change is painful it is vital if the Church is to not only survive, but to grow.