The Prosperity Gospel: A Distortion and Heresy Part 2

Errors in Understanding the Nature of Biblical Faith

Another area in which the prosperity gospel proponents depart from the Bible is in their doctrine and unbiblical understanding of faith. Robin A. Brace has an article on his website which offers helpful insights here. Brace writes: “Biblical faith is best described as a complete trust in the will of God, even in all opposition to all appearances which might suggest that our faith might be misplaced.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) says this, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Brace points out that God expects us to through-out our lives on this earth have full trust, confidence and acceptance of the fact that God has revealed to Christians that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Savior of the world. He adds, “Faith, then, necessarily recognizes the sovereignty and jurisdiction of God in all areas of one’s life.” He comments further: “It is no exaggeration to say that the prosperity teachers take the faith which is taught in the Bible and substantially cut it loose from its biblical anchoring within the sovereignty of God.”

And John Macarthur, Jr. once again helps us to understand the “wrong faith” of the prosperity gospel movement. “Word Faith teaching sees faith as an immutable, impersonal ‘law’ that, like gravity or the laws of thermodynamics, rules the universe a principle that works regardless of who is exercising it—or for what. Applied to the ‘law’ of faith, that reasoning means all who claim a blessing without doubting, can have whatever they claim—whether they are Christians or not. Faith, according to the Word Faith doctrine, is not a submissive trust in God; faith is a formula by which to manipulate the spiritual laws Word Faith teachers believe govern the universe.”

Errors in Positive Confession

MacArthur explains the following errors about positive confession: “Words governed by spiritual law become spiritual forces working for you. Idle words work against you. The spirit world is controlled by the word of God. The natural world is to be controlled by man speaking God’s words.” “As the name ‘Word Faith’ implies, this movement teaches that faith is a matter of what we say more than whom we trust or what truths we embrace and affirm in our hearts. A favorite term in the Word Faith movement is ‘positive confession.’ It refers to the Word Faith teaching that words have creative power. What you say, Word teachers claim, determines everything that happens to you. Your ‘confessions,’ that is, the things you say—especially the favors you demand from God must all be stated positively and without wavering. Then God is required to answer.”

“Those ideas have bred festering superstition within the movement. Word Faith disciples believe, in effect, that all their words are magical incantations, determining their fate.”

“Positive confession would seem to rule out confession of sin. Indeed, Word Faith books on prayer and spiritual growth are utterly lacking in any teaching on confessing one’s sin. They have undermined the crucial teaching of 1 John 1:9, which indicates believers should be constantly confessing their sin. In fact, positive-confession teaching actually encourages believers to ignore the reality of their sins and limitations. It has produced multitudes who perpetually wear emotionless smiles out of fear that a negative confession will bring them bad fortune.”

“Remember, positive confession teaches people that their words are determinative. God is no longer the object of faith; Word Faith devotees learn to put their faith in their own words—or as Hagin bluntly puts it, ‘faith in [their] own faith.’”

“Nevertheless, Word Faith believers view their positive confessions as an incantation by which they can conjure up anything they desire. ‘Believe in your heart; say it with your mouth. That is the principle of faith. You can have what you say,’ Kenneth Hagin claims.”

Vow of Faith Error and Materialism

MacArthur further makes these points about Word Faith’s errors: “Such teachings have led many Word Faith proponents into the grossest kind of materialism.”

“Robert Tilton goes a step further: ‘Being poor is a sin, when God promises prosperity.’ ‘My God’s rich! And He’s trying to show you how to draw out of your heavenly account that Jesus bought and paid for and purchased for you at Calvary.’ Tilton says, ‘New house? New car? That’s chicken feed. That’s nothing compared to what God wants for you.’ How is this cargo to be obtained? Tilton suggests that his followers make a ‘vow of faith’ in the form of a gift to his ministry…” “Tilton encourages his listeners to pray the prayer of faith, ‘not one of those, “Lord, if it be Thy will”— I know what the will of God is when it concerns healing, and prosperity, and divine direction…I don’t have to pray a prayer of doubt and unbelief.’” In other words, Robert Tilton wants you to make a thousand-dollar vow of faith to his ministry, especially if you can’t afford to give away that much money. He doesn’t want you to pray for God’s will on the matter. After all, you can demand what you want and God must give it to you. Set your vow at a thousand, and demand that God provide the money. That’s deceitful, blasphemous folly, but literally millions are sucked into such traps.”

“If it is that simple to get the cargo, why do so many Word Faith believers ‘claim’ material blessings they never receive? ‘Fred Price explains: “If you’ve got one-dollar faith and you ask for a ten-thousand dollar item, it ain’t going to work. It won’t work. Jesus said, ‘according to your [faith],’ not according to God’s will for you, in His own time, if it’s according to His will, if He can work it into His busy schedule. He said, ‘according to your faith, be it unto you.’”

Ron Carlson and Ed Decker offer us further insight about the materialism inherent in the prosperity gospel: “This message is uniquely American charismatic humanism whose emphasis is on man’s desire for wealth and his power to direct the actions of God. It is the idolizing of the American value system of success, financial prosperity, and devotion to the here-and-now. It take secular values and overlays them on Christian teachings, claiming that the real Christians will be at the top of the worldly system, because that’s where they deserve to be.

“Never mind that our Lord left a secular estate of one torn garment, that He asked one of His disciples to take care of His mother, that He owned no property, that He had no house, that He had no second pair of sandals. Truly His kingdom was not of this world, but was in the heavens. Our King said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, New King James Version).

“Yet preachers who claim to be following the Carpenter from Nazareth, who didn’t even have a permanent place to lay His head, offer vast material riches if viewers will only support their cause. Sometimes the challenge is so blatant as to say, ‘If you call our toll-free number right now and pledge what God lays on your heart, you can expect great financial blessings this very week.’ Usually this is followed by someone’s testimony who says, ‘I was sick, I was broke, I was a business failure, and then I gave my life to Jesus. Now I am healthy, wealthy, and a great success.’

It all sounds so wonderful: Be a Christian and get a bigger home, a boat, and a vacation in Hawaii. For all too many people, prosperity is becoming the goal of applied Christianity and the mark of true spirituality.

It is no longer, ‘You shall know them by their love,’ but ‘You shall know them by their material possessions.’ This teaching is creating a generation of Christians who believe that God and all His universe revolve around their own personal comfort and well-being. But it isn’t true.” Note 9.

Cult Derivation

MacArthur notes the heretical and cultish doctrines of Word Faith: “The concept that the universe (including God) is governed by impersonal spiritual laws is not biblical. It is a denial of God’s sovereignty and providence. It is nothing less than deism. Furthermore the notion that we can use words mystically to control reality is far removed from the biblical pattern of faith, especially as revealed in Hebrews 11. Both ideas have more in common with the cult of Christian Science than with biblical truth.”

“…Word Faith teachings are corrupt. Their undeniable derivation is cultish, not Christian.”

Harm to Word Faith Believers

MacArthur discusses harm that comes to Word Faith followers: “In addition, the Word Faith denial of diseases and problems as ‘lying symptoms’ robs believers of an opportunity to minister compassion and understanding to suffering people. How can you help someone whose symptoms you believe are lies of Satan—or worse, the result of sinful unbelief in the sick person’s life? Consequently, many Word Faith devotees tend to be unfeeling, even to the point of being coarse and abrasive toward people they assume do not have enough faith to claim a healing.

Barron tells of a pastor and his wife, unable to bear children, who, ‘were told by a member of their church that they needed to “confess” a pregnancy and display their faith by purchasing a baby stroller and walking down the street with it!’ A few years ago I received a heart-rending letter from a dear woman who, deceived by ‘positive confession’ theology, believed God wanted her to write everyone she knew with a baby announcement for the child she was hoping to conceive. Tragically, the poor woman was physically incapable of bearing children. Months later she had to write to everyone again to explain that the expected ‘faith baby’ had not arrived. She was quick to add that she was still claiming a pregnancy by faith, however. She was obviously fearful that someone might take her second letter as a ‘negative confession.’

Hagin seems callous even about the death of his own sister from lingering cancer: ‘My sister got down to 79 pounds. The Lord kept telling me that she was going to die. I kept asking the Lord why I couldn’t change the outcome. He told me she had had five years in which she could have studied the word and built up her faith (she was saved), but she hadn’t done it. He told me she was going to die, and she did. This is a sad example, but it’s so true.’

“Word Faith theology makes the healer a hero when miraculous cures are claimed, but always blames the seeker for a lack of faith when a healing does not happen. Hagin describes an incident when he was attempting to heal an arthritic woman. Her disease had crippled her so badly that she was unable to walk. Hagin became frustrated at her unwillingness to let go of her wheelchair. ‘I pointed my finger at her and said, “Sister, you don’t have an ounce of faith do you?” (She was saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit, but I meant that she didn’t have faith for her healing.) Without thinking she blurted out, “No brother Hagin, I don’t! I don’t believe I’ll ever be healed. I’ll go to my grave from this chair.” She said it, and she did it. We weren’t to blame.’”

Below is a recent article from CNN internet news Note 10. written upon the harm prosperity gospel followers have endured. “The message flickered into Cindy Fleenor’s living room each night: be faithful in how you live and in how you give, the television preachers said, and God will shower you with material riches.

“And so the 53-year-old accountant from the Tampa, Florida, area pledged $500 a year to Joyce Meyer, the evangelist whose frank talk about recovering from childhood sexual abuse was so inspirational. She wrote checks to flamboyant faith healer Benny Hinn and a local preacher-made-good, Paula White. Only the blessings didn’t come. Fleenor ended up borrowing money from friends and payday loan companies just to buy groceries. At first she believed the explanation given on television: her faith wasn’t strong enough.

‘I wanted to believe God wanted to do something great with me like he was doing with them,’ she said. ‘I’m angry and bitter about it. Right now, I don’t watch anyone on TV hardly.’

All three groups Fleenor supported are among six major Christian television ministries under scrutiny by a senator who is asking questions about the evangelists’ lavish spending and possible abuses of their tax-exempt status.

The probe by Se. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has brought new scrutiny to the underlying belief that brings in millions of dollars and fills churches from Atlanta to Los Angeles—the ‘Gospel of Prosperity,’ or the notion that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches.

All six ministries under investigation preach the prosperity gospel to varying degrees.

Proponents call it a biblically sound message of hope. Others say it is a distortion that makes evangelists rich and preys on the vulnerable. They say it has evolved from ‘it’s all right to make money’ to ‘it’s all right for the pastor to drive a Bentley; live in an Oceanside home and travel by private jet.’

‘More and more people are desperate and grasping at straws and want something that will alleviate their pain or financial crisis,’ said Michael Palmer, dean of the divinity school at Regent University, founded by Pat Robertson. ‘It’s a growing problem.’”

What Attitude Should a Christian Have Toward Wealth?

Ronald Sider writes about correct Biblical attitudes towards wealth, possessions and poverty in Rich Christians In an Age of Hunger: “The Danger of Riches. An abundance of possessions can easily lead us to forget that God is the source of all good. We trust in ourselves and our wealth rather than in the Almighty. When we focus on ourselves, we forget not only God but also the people He created. In our self-absorption, we are fooled by the pleasure of possessing.

“Most Christians in the Northern Hemisphere simply do not believe Jesus’ teaching about the deadly danger of possessions. Jesus warned that possessions are highly dangerous—so dangerous, in fact, that it is extremely difficult for a rich person to be a Christian at all. ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’ (Luke 18:25). Christians in the United States live in one of the richest societies in the history of the world, surrounded by a billion desperately needy neighbors and another two billion who are poor. We are far more interested in whether the economy grows than in whether the lot of the poor improves. We insist on more and more, and reason that if Jesus was so un-American that he considered riches dangerous, then we must ignore or reinterpret his message.”

“Riches are dangerous because their seductive power frequently persuades us to reject Jesus and his kingdom.”

“A desire for riches prompts some people to do almost anything for the sake of economic success. The result, Scripture warns, is anguish now and damnation later.”

“Possessions are positively dangerous because they often encourage unconcern for the poor, because they lead to strife and war, and because they seduce people into forsaking God. Even more, they put people in the never ending loop of covetousness.”

“Possessions are dangerous. They lead to a multitude of sins, including idolatry. Christians today desperately need to turn away from their covetous civilization’s grasping materialism.”

“The Ring and the Beloved. Yes, possessions are dangerous. But they are not innately evil. Biblical faith knows nothing of the ascetic notion that forsaking food, possessions, or sex is inherently virtuous. To be sure, these created goods are, as St. Augustine said, only rings from our Beloved. They are not the Beloved himself. Sometimes particular circumstances—such as an urgent mission or the needs of the poor—may require their renunciation. But these things are part of God’s good creation. Like the ring given by the beloved, they are signs of God’s love. If we treasure them as good tokens of his affection, instead of mistaking them for the Beloved himself, they are marvelous gifts that enrich our lives.”

“Biblical Balance. The Bible does not romanticize poverty. It is a curse (2 Samuel 3:29; Psalm 109:8-11). Sometimes it is the result of sin, but not always. A fundamental point of the book of Job is that poverty and suffering are not always due to disobedience. In fact, they can be redemptive (Isaiah 53). Even so, poverty and suffering are not inherently good. They are tragic distortions of God’s good creation.”

“Rich Christians must be careful not to distort the biblical teaching that God sometimes rewards obedience with material abundance. Wealthy persons who make Christmas baskets and give them to relief agencies have not satisfied God’s demand. God wills justice for the poor, not occasional charity. And justice means things like the jubilee and the sabbatical remission of debts. It means economic structures that guarantee all people access to the productive resources needed to earn a decent living. Prosperity without that kind of biblical concern for justice unambiguously signifies disobedience.” Note 11.

A Comparison with Church History

It’s interesting to see the comments of another orthodox writer, David Bercot Note 12. who, in his book, Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up--A New Look at Today’s Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity , writes about the early church’s understanding that she must guard herself against greed: “If our prosperity preachers had checked the writings of (the Apostle) John’s companion (Polycarp), they would have found an urgent warning against seeking material prosperity—not a message of physical health and material wealth. In fact, the early Christians testify that the apostles themselves lived in poverty, not material wealth. Clement warned that ‘wealth can single-handedly puff up and corrupt the souls of those who possess it and turn them from the path of salvation.’ He described wealth as ‘a weight that ought to be removed and taken away as though it were a dangerous and deadly disease.’” And Bercot notes: “But the early Christians didn’t just talk about poverty, they were poor. And the Romans ridiculed them for it. For example, one Roman taunted the Christians, ‘See many of you—in fact, by your own admission, the majority of you—are in want, are cold, are hungry, and are laboring in hard work. Yet, your God allows it.’ Admitting the truthfulness of this accusation, the Christian lawyer Felix answered by saying, ‘That many of us are called poor, this is not our disgrace, but our glory. As our mind is relaxed by luxury, it is strengthened by poverty. Yet who can be poor if he does not long for anything? If he does not crave the possessions of others? If he is rich towards God? He rather is poor, who, although he has much, desires more.’ The anti-materialistic message of Christianity was so strange to the Romans that they ridiculed Christianity. The Roman critic Celsus asked the Christians, ‘How could God command [the Jews] through Moses to gather wealth, to extend their dominion, to fill the earth, [and] to put their enemies of every age to the sword…while on the other hand, his Son, the Man of Nazareth, gave laws quite opposite to these. He declared that no one can come to the Father if he loves power, riches, or glory. That men should no more worry about obtaining food than the ravens. That they should be less concerned about their clothing than the lilies.”

“Hermas wrote, ‘These are those who have faith indeed, but also they have the riches of this world. When tribulation comes, they deny the Lord on account of their riches and business…As a result, those who are rich in this world cannot be useful to the Lord unless their riches are first cut down. Learn this first from your own case. When you were rich, you were useless. But now you are useful and fit for life.’ He therefore advised, ‘Refrain from much business and you will avoid sin. Those who are occupied with much business also commit many sins, being distracted by their business affairs instead of serving their Lord.’”

“Clement warned that ‘wealth can single-handedly puff up and corrupt the souls of those who possess it and turn them from the path of salvation.’ He described wealth as ‘a weight that ought to be removed and taken away as though it were a dangerous and deadly disease.’”

“Cyprian, a wealthy man who gave all his goods to the poor upon becoming a Christian, admonished the members of his congregation with these words: ‘A blind love of one’s own property has deceived many. How could they be prepared for, or comfortable with, departing this earth [in persecution] when their wealth fettered them like a chain?...Therefore, the Lord, the teacher of good things, forewarning for the future says, “if you will be perfect, go, sell all you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come and follow me.” [Matt. 19:21] If rich men did this, they would not perish by their riches…Heart, mind and feeling would be in heaven, if the treasure were in heaven [Matt. 6:21] he who had nothing in the world would not be overcome by the world. He would follow the Lord unfettered and free, as the apostles did…But how can they follow Christ when they are held back by the chain of their wealth?... They think that they own, when actually it is they who are owned. They are not the lords of their money, but rather the slaves of money.’”

“Drawing from Jesus’ illustration of the broad and narrow roads, Lectantius warned against those who promised wealth and prosperity:

‘Satan, having invented false religions, turns men away from the heavenly path and leads them into the way of ruin. That path seems to be level and spacious and delightful with all kinds of flowers and fruits. For Satan places on this path all the things which are esteemed on earth as good things—wealth, honor, leisure, pleasure, and all sorts of enticements. But hidden along with these are also injustice, cruelty, pride, lust, fights, ignorance, falsehood, folly, and other vices. But the end of this way is as follows: When they have reached the point of no return, it is suddenly removed, along with its beauty. It is so sudden that no one is able to foresee this fraud before he falls headfirst into a deep abyss…

‘In contrast, the heavenly path seems to be difficult and hilly, covered with painful thorns and strewn with jagged rocks. As a result, everyone must walk with the greatest care and must take precautions against falling. On this road, God has placed justice, self-restraint, patience, faith, chastity, self-control, peace, knowledge, truth, wisdom, and other virtues. But along with these go poverty, lowliness, work, pain, and all kinds of hardships. For whoever has extended his hope beyond the present life and chosen better things, will be without these earthly goods. Because he is lightly equipped and free of hindrances, he can overcome the difficulty of the way. For it is impossible for a man who has surrounded himself with royal pomp, or loaded himself with riches, either to enter this path or to persevere in the face of these difficulties.’ [Matt. 7.13,14; 19:23,24]”

Conclusion

In light of the findings above I must conclude that the Prosperity Gospel is a heretical teaching and that it must be exposed for the heresy that it is in reality. Indeed, it’s quite possible that the Prosperity Gospel is “another gospel” which Paul curses (Galatians 1:6-10). If the Prosperity Gospel is a message containing the gospel and yet errs because of an unbalanced or wrong conclusion regarding the promises of Christ to give wealth and health, yet then, it must be exposed for the heresy and error that it is. While it’s possible that many followers of the Prosperity Gospel are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of the call to faith and repentance in Christ found in the Prosperity Gospel declaration (a call to Christ and wealth and health), it’s certainly true that these believers are involved in heretical teachings and must be warned of the dangers involved in these false teachings. Conviction requires that we warn the unknowing: “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Colossians 1:28, New King James Version). And God calls us to contend for His truth: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 3&4, New King James Version).

As our study shows, the departures from Scripture in the Prosperity Gospel are in essence a denial of God’s truth and such important and essential truth that is particularly related to His nature and the work of Christ. I’ll close now with these words from Carlson and Decker with which I agree: “This heresy has come to be known as ‘prosperity theology’. It is being taught by many people on television. It is the teaching that God always wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and prosperous—that the goal of Christian life is financial prosperity and health, and if you are not healthy and prosperous, then you are a sinner or you lack faith or you haven’t claimed these things by using the right formulas, the correct powers of the tongue.” Note 9.

Notes

1. Jim Bakker, I Was Wrong ,Thomas Nelson Publishers USA 1996 Pages 531-544

2. All Wikipedia quotes are from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on the world-wide web

3. Scripture references not found in quotes are from the New King James Version of the New Geneva Study Bible ,Thomas Nelson Publishers USA 1995

4. New Geneva Study Bible ,Notes Page 1541

5. New Geneva Study Bible ,Notes Page 1518

6. New Geneva Study Bible ,Notes Page 960

7. John MacArthur Jr., Charismatic Chaos, Zondervan Publishing House Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Quoted Extensively from Chapter 12 Does God Promise Health and Wealth? Pages 264-290

8. New Geneva Study Bible ,Notes Page 1684

9. Ron Carlson and Ed Decker, Fast Facts on False Teachings ,Harvest House Publishers Eugene. OR 1994 Pages 193-195

10. CNN Internet News, found at www.cnn.com on the world-wide web From December 27, 2007 International Edition

11. Ronald Sider, Rich Christians In an Age of Hunger ,W Publishing Group USA 1997 Pages 95-103

12. David W. Bercot, Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up--A New Look at Today’s Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity Scroll Publishing Co. Tyler, TX 1999 Pages 92-95

Index of Topics

Prosperity Gospel Defined……………………………………………………………2

Word of Faith Defined…………………………………………………………………3

Misinterpretation of Scripture…………………………………………………4

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Nature of God………………………………..6

Misinterpretation of Scripture…………………………………………………6

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Atonement……………………………………6

Differences in Prosperity Gospel Doctrine and Bible Doctrine

and Errors and Heresy in the Prosperity Gospel and Teaching…………………..6

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Nature of God……………………………......7

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; Christian Identity…………………………………8

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; Christian Identity

and Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Nature of God……................................8

Misinterpretation of Scripture………………………………………………….9

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Nature of God………………………………...9

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; the Atonement…………………………………..10

Deviation from Biblical Doctrine; Christian Identity and Deviation

from Biblical Doctrine; the Nature of God…………………………………………...10

Errors in Understanding the Nature of Biblical Faith………………………………10

Errors in Positive Confession………………………………………………………...11

Vow of Faith Error and Materialism………………………………………………….12

Cult Derivation…………………………………………………………………………13

Harm to Word of Faith Believers……………………………………………………..13

What Attitude Should a Christian Have Toward Wealth?....................................15

A Comparison with Church History………………………………………………….17

Conclusion………………………………………………