Cultic Origins Of Word Faith Theology Within The Charismatic Movement

32

Cultic

Origins

of Word-Faith

Theology Charismatic Movement

Within

the

H. Terris Neuman*

“Idolatry is worshipping anything that was meant to be used, or using anything that ‘

was meant to be worshipped.”

St. Augustine

Introduction

One of the most

prevalent teachings

within the

present-day

charismatic movement is a doctrine called

“positive

confession.” This doctrine is accompanied by

a basic

presupposition:

that all Christians are to be physically healthy

and

materially

rich. The

presupposition

controls the confession. Thus, if one is in need of physical

healing

one must find a verse

concerning healing,

such as Matthew 8:17, and then

audibly quote this verse in the face of all

physical

circumstances to the

contrary. By believing

in one’s heart and

speaking

with one’s mouth this

verse,

the healing

will

eventually

be manifested

by faith. The result is always

to be positive, hence, “positive”

confession.

It is my

purpose

in this article to show that this charismatic doctrine originated

in the 19th

century mind-healing cults, along

with the basic presuppositions

of health and

wealth,

and has been

incorporated by teachers within the charismatic movement. The

methodology employed here is as follows. The

teaching

will be

presented

first from one of its leading spokespersons,

Kenneth

Hagin. Although

he is not the

origina- tor of these

teachings,

he

represents

well the doctrines of this school of thought

and

virtually every

charismatic teacher

today

within the health and wealth movement has been influenced

by Hagin.

As will be shown later, Hagin

plagiarized

E.W.

Kenyon extensively

in

formulating

these and other

concepts. Next,

the doctrine of

“positive

confession” and its relationship

to health and prosperity will be presented from the

teachings of New

Thought,

Christian Science and the

Unity

School of Christian- ity.

Various

responses

will be noted from within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements to these

teachings

and from the wider

evangeli- cal circle. Evidence will be

presented

in those

responses

which will demonstrate the entrance of these cultic

concepts

into

segments

of Christianity.

*H. Terris Neuman serves as Assistant Professor of Bible at South- eastern

College

of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland,

FL 33801.

1

33

I. Doctrinal

Analysis

‘

‘ The Basic

Presupposition

This

teaching

has at its foundation one basic

presupposition upon which

everything

else is built: that

every Christian,

without

exception, should be physically

healthy

and

materially prosperous.

Kenneth

Hagin expresses

this well when he states:

. I am fully convinced-I would die saying it is so-that

it is the plan of

Our Father God, in His

great

love and in His great mercy, that no

believer should ever be sick; that every believer should live his full life

span

down here on this earth; and that every believer should finally just

fall asleep in Jesus.l I

He also

says

that Jesus “became

poor materially

for us. He was our substitute … And the Word of God teaches that Christ has borne poverty

for us.”2

The Bible is revered almost to the

point

of its

being

an object of wor- ship

or at least confused with the

person

of Christ.

Hagin states,

“We should treat His Word with the same reverence that we would treat Jesus if He were here in the flesh.”3 In

fact,

Christians are sick because

they have sinned

against

the Word of God and have broken its laws.4

People are

promised

that as

they

side with God’s Word it will “work” for them.5 It is upon this basic

presupposition,

that all Christians should be healthy

and

wealthy, supported by

a careful selection of

Scriptures (but omission of

others),

that the doctrine of

positive

confession

emerges. The

presupposition

controls

Scripture

selection and one’s confession. Positive

Confession

According

to this

teaching ,

there are three kinds of confession: (1)

confession of the

Lordship

of Christ

by

an

unbeliever, (2)

the believer’s confession of

sins,

and

(3)

the

confessing

of our faith in the Word, in Christ and God the Father.6

Hagin

asserts that the Bible nowhere teaches that all one has to do is believe in his or her heart to receive an answer to

prayer,

but one must also

say

it with his or her mouth. He refers to the confession unto salvation itself for

parallel support (Rom. 10:9, 10).7

.

.

lkenneth E.

Hagin,

Seven Things You Should Know About Divine

Healing (Tulsa:

Faith Library Publications, 1979), 21.

2Kenneth E. Hagin, Redeemed From

not

Poverty, Sickness, Death (Tulsa: publisher

given, n.d.), 2.

3Kenneth E. Hagin, How to Turn Your Faith Loose (Tulsa: Faith Library Publi- cations, 1979),

17.

4Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know, 24.

. 5Kenneth E. Hagin, What Faith Is (Tulsa: Faith Library Publications, 1976), 3.

6Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 3.

7Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 12.

2

34

Using

Mark

11:22-24, Hagin

notes that Christ mentions

“believing” once but

“saying”

three

times; therefore,

what a person says

determines what shall

happen.

If people are

believing correctly

then what

they say will show

it,

but if their confession is

wrong

then their

believing

is wrong.8

Concerning

Romans 10:10,

Hagin

states that the text

says

“unto salva- tion,”

but asserts it is also true

concerning anything

else that one receives from God. In fact, it is maintained that

everything

one receives from God comes

by believing

and

confessing.9

9

Faith

grows

with one’s confession. It is asserted that one cannot real- ize

anything beyond

what one

says.

“If

you say you

can’t then

you can’t. You

get nothing.

But if

you say you

can then

you

can.”10

God “works

through

the Word in our ‘

lips

“The

wrong

confession defeats us.”12

The assertion that one is to state or confess that

something

is

there, when in reality it is

not,

leads

Hagin

to the inevitable result of his

logic: the denial of

reality.

“Your

right

confession will become a reality, and then

you

will

get

whatever

you

need from God.”13 “Faith’s confessions create

reality.”14

These two statements show that this

teaching places within the

power

of humans a prerogative that

only

God

possesses:

the ability

to create.

In

fact,

if a

person

thinks

rightly,

believes

rightly,

and confesses rightly, nothing

shall be

impossible

to him or her. 15 It is this

concept

of positive

confession and its

consequence,

the denial of reality, that links this

teaching

to the

mind-healing

cults of the 19th century.

Denial

of Reality

Hagin

sets

up

a dualism which allows him to

deny

the

physical.

He asserts that there are two kinds of truth: truth based on God’s Word and truth based on the

physical

senses. The

physical

is true

only

so long as it does not contradict

Scripture. 16

He maintains that human

beings

have a two-fold nature: the inward man or woman,

(the spirit),

and the outward man or

woman, (the body). Thus,

to believe with the heart means to believe with the inward man, but to base one’s faith on

physical

evi- dence is to believe with the outward man or woman.17 Most

impor-

8Hagin, How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 12, 17.

9Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 12.

1°Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 23. l

lgenneth Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking (Tulsa: Faith Library Publications, 1979), 9.

l2Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking, 21.

l3Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 32.

l4Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 23.

lSHagin, Right and Wrong Thinking, 23

l6Kenneth Hagin, The Real Faith

(Tulsa: publisher not given, n.d.), 5.

17Hagin,

The Real Faith, 13.

‘

.

‘

3

35

tantly, Hagin

asserts that the

body

is not the real

person

but the house in which the

person

leaves.18 The real

person

is

spirit

which

operates through

the soul

(here

he adds a third dimension to the person) which in turn

operates through

the

body.19

All of this indicates that the

concept

of humanity

is based

upon

a Gnostic dualism of spirit versus matter.

This

teaching

maintains that God is a Spirit who has created all physi- cal

things-20

Here is a clear contradiction-for if God has created all physical things

then

they

must be true. A further contradiction is ob- served in the

following

statement: “We live in Satan’s unreal world.”21 This

implies

that the

physical

world is not

trustworthy

because it is dominated

by

Satan. But if God created the

physical

world then it must be reliable. The outcome of this contradiction is to deny God as Creator and it implies another Gnostic element: the physical is evil.

Based

upon

the dualism of

spirit

versus

matter, Hagin

is able to deny physical sickness, claiming

that the natural senses are not reliable

per- ceivers of reality. He states that the

greatest things

will

happen

when a person

moves

into the

spiritual realm, although

one’s intellect and physical

senses will

fight against

this because the mind has not been renewed

by

the Word.22 One

may

not

always

understand what the Bible says

but it will still work if one’s confession is right

(Mk. 11 :22-24).23 The

problem

here is that one does not have to understand the

plain meaning

of the Bible to use it. Hagin’s disdain for the intellect leads him to the peculiar notion of God

responding

to human

ignorance.

In regard to healing,

therefore,

one is to accept the

testimony

of God’s Word instead of one’s

physical

senses.24

Hagin asserts,

“It is a mistake to start

looking

at

your body

to see if

you

are healed.”25

“Physical senses build life fences.

They

fence God out and fence a

person,

his sickness, and

the devil in.”26 “Once I say that God has heard

my prayer, I never

go

back to it. I do not care what I see, what I feel, or what

my senses tell me. I stay with it, take hold of it with the

tenacity

of a bull- dog,

and I do not turn loose of it

How does

Hagin get

around the fact that he is

denying reality?

He does it by maintaining that the sickness is not there-that what seems to be sickness is

only

a symptom. This is a definite link to the

teachings held

by certain mind-healing

cults.

Hagin

claims to have been healed of

18Hagin, The Real Faith,

14.

l9Hagin,

Redeemed From Poverty, Sickness, Death, 24.

20Hagin,

The Real Faith, 9.

2lHagin,

The Real Faith, 29.

_

22Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 24.

23Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 24.

24Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 29.

25Kenneth Hagin, The Key to Scriptural Healing (Tulsa: Faith Library Publica- tions, 1979), 30.

26Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know,

71. ……

–

27Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 20.

4

36

a heart condition and

paralysis

as a teenager. A few

years

later he was troubled with

“alarming symptoms”

but

through

a positive confession the

symptoms

left.28

Hagin

maintains that one is to “confess” that the sickness is not there. He states,

“By believing

what

your physical senses tell

you, you

would

say,

‘I don’t have

healing-I

am sick.’ But

by believing

the truth of God’s Word

you

can

say,

‘I am healed.

By

His stripes

I have

healing.

“’29

A person should look to God’s

Word, not to his

symptoms.”3°

“If I walk

by sight, by

what

my physical

senses tell me,

I would have to

say,

‘I’m not well. I’m not healed.’ But

walking by faith, I know

I am healed in Jesus’ Name.”31 “Start

saying, ‘According to His Word, I am healed.’ If someone asks

you

how

you

are

feeling, instead of

getting

in the natural with them and

answering according

to the

natural,

answer

according

to the Word.”32 “I haven’t had a headache,

and I’m not

expecting

to have one. But if I had a headache, I wouldn’t tell

any body.

And if

somebody

asked me how I was

feeling

I would

say,

‘I’m

fine,

thank

you.”’33

“We know that the

pain, sickness, or disease that seems to be in our bodies was laid on Jesus.”3a

These statements are in error when

compared

with the

totality

of Scripture

and their

plain meaning.

Nowhere does Jesus Christ or anyone else call sickness a symptom nor is

anyone

called

upon

to deny that the sickness is actually present.

Attention

will. now be turned to the

background

of the

mind-healing cults.

II.

Background

to the

Mind-Healing

Cults

Historical Factors

Gail T. Parker has

suggested

that there were three historical factors characteristic of the late-nineteenth

century

times which favored the growth

of these cults:

(1)

Protestant churches were

deeply

involved in an aristocratic Arminianism. This caused

many

either to turn to the Social

Gospel

or to anti-revivalistic

mental-healing

cults to restore the connection between faith and works.

(2)

Americans

began

to have psychosomatic

illnesses,

possibly

due to urbanization, industrialization, the

growing impersonality

of economic life,

underworking,

overwork- ing

and the success ethic. This caused

many

to turn to mind-cure.

(3)

A basic distrust of the medical

profession began

to emerge.35

28Hagin, The Key to Scriptural Healing, 27-29.

29Hagin,

The Real Faith, 9.

30H.agin,

The Real Faith, 13..

3lHagin,

The Real Faith, 20.

‘

32Hagin,

The Real Faith, 26.

33genneth Hagin, “Words,” The Word of Faith, (January 1979), 10.

34Hagin,

Seven Things You Should Know, 54.

35Gail T. Parker, Mind Cure in New England-From the Civil War to World Warl (Hanover, N. H.: University Press of New England, 1973), 13,14.

‘

5

37

Basic Characteristics

The

mind-healing

cults are

part

of the

metaphysical

movement of the 19th

century,

a movement concerned with the

“practical application

of that absolute Truth of

Being

in all the affairs of our

daily

and

hourly living.”36

J. S. Judah has listed several characteristics of this movement which

may

have contributed to its

growth.37

Some of the more

promi- nent ones are as

follows: (1)

The inner self is described as real and divine.

(2) They

seek to be united with God as Principle or Law.

By

the use of

spiritual laws,

one

may gain health, prosperity, peace

of mind or anything

else one desires.38 It should be stated here that

although

the concept

of God held

by Hagin

is different, the

principle

of receiving is the same-“do” this and

you

will

“get”

that.

Hagin

maintains that “God has certain laws He works

by….39

He also offers a formula of faith to be used to receive

things.40 Although Hagin professes

that God is per- sonal,

in practice he treats God as an

impersonal

force or

power. (3)

In the

metaphysical

movement,

God is seen as the all in all. This leads them to conclude that the world of so-called “matter” is an error of our minds. This attracts

many

because it makes God immanent and

readily available to people. It also asserts a humanism that allows

humanity

to create its own conditions.

(4)

All

metaphysical philosophies

are

prag- matic.41 The basic belief is if it works it must be right and the

proof

is seen in the results.

Hagin

also works on a

pragmatic

foundation

by stating

that “His Word will work for us.”42 But there is no evidence to show that the

teaching works,

for when one is sick, one

simply

denies it until it

passes (if

it

passes).

It should also be noted that a “Biblical” miracle is externally verifiable on the

spot by believers

and non-believers alike. This is not true of the charismatic ministries. If pragmatism equals truth,

then New

Thought,

Christian Science and the

Unity

School of Christianity

would all be true since their founders and followers all claim to have received

healings. Therefore,

the basic notion that

pragmatism equals orthodoxy

is false.

(5)

Most of the

metaphysical groups

have placed great emphasis upon prosperity,believing

that God

gives freely

to all who realize their

unity

with him

by using

laws.43

(6)

These

groups believe in the inner

meaning

of words that are revealed

intuitively.44

As far as Hagin’s interpretive method is concerned, his

authority

is not

only

36J. Sullson Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements in America (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1967), 11.

37Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements. 12-18.

38Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements. 12,13.

39Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 29.

40Hagin,

41

What Faith Is, 27.

Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements, 14.

42Hagin,

The Key to Scriptural Healings, 26.

43Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements, 17.

?Judah,

The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements, 17.

6

38

the

Bible,

but whatever God

may say

to us in the

Spirit.45

Thus he opens

the

way

to read whatever

meaning

he wants the

Scripture

to say to fit in with his basic

presuppositions. (7)

All of these

groups

make heal- ing through

the mind or

spirit

a part of their

message

and work.46

Hagin is aware of the

metaphysical teachings: “Many people

because of the metaphysical,

mind-science

religions,

will

get

mixed

up

with

them, because

they

think that man is just a mental and

physical being.

But man is more than this. He is also a spiritual being.”47 It is hard to believe that Hagin

does not believe that

healing

is mental when he makes such statements as: “The reason

they

are not

getting

healed is that

they

are thinking wrong”48

and that “…

nothing

shall be

impossible

to

you

if you

think

right,

believe

right

and confess

right.”49

New

Thought,

Christian Science and the

Unity

School of

Christianity will now be examined to demonstrate some of these characteristics and to show

parallels

with

Hagin’s teaching.

III. New

Thought ¡

Background

New

Thought

is a development based on the

concepts

found in Hegel, Emerson, German

idealism and New

England

Transcendentalism.50 Phineas P.

Quimby (1802-1866)

was the

originator

of the movement and

his teachings

were

expanded by

Warren F. Evans. New

Thought preceded

Christian Science and the

Unity

School of

Christianity

which owe their existence to it.51

New

Thought

believes that mind is fundamental and causative, which means “that the real cause of

every

event is an

internal,

non-material idea.”52

According

to its various teachers, if one holds

thoughts

of health,

wholeness and

success,

these

thoughts

will create their corre- sponding physical

realities.

By changing

one’s

thoughts

one can

change the

physical

world.53

Phineas P.

Quimby

In

1938,

a Dr.

Collyer began

to lecture and demonstrate the

concept

of mesmerism,

which had been introduced in America in 1836

by

a Frenchman,

Charles

Poyan.

Mesmerism

caught

the interest of

Quimby.

45Hagin, What Faith Is, 17.

46Judah, The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements, 18.

47Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 3.

48Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 19.

49Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 23.

5ORobert S. Ellwood Jr., Religious and Spiritual Groups in Modern America (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1973), 80.

Walter

Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Minncapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1977), 144.

52Ellwood, Religious and Spiritual Groups, 79.

53Ellwood, Religious and Spiritual Groups, 79, 80.

7

He

began

to

experiment developed

his

theory

disease

perceive remedy.54

placed

nected to request

asserted

39

he had the

ability

to

diagnose

a

on a certain Lucius Burkmar and

eventually

of mental

healing

from these encounters. When Burkmar was in the state of

hypnotism,

the internal condition of the sick and to

prescribe

When

Quimby experienced pain

in his back he did not tell Lucius. But one

day,

while

entranced, Lucius described

Quimby’s pain,

his hands on his back and confirmed what

Quimby

knew from the doctor’s

report:

that one of his

kidneys

was half

gone, being

con-

the rest

by only

a slender thread. In

response

to

Quimby’s

for a cure, Lucius

placed

his hands on

Quimby

and said, “I can put

the

piece

on so it will

grow,

and

you

will

get well,55 claiming

that the

pieces

he had

joined

would

grow together.

A day or two later Lucius

that the

healing

had occurred and,

Quimby says,

“from that

day I have never

experienced

the least

pain

from them.56

caused

Quimby

to think that the

absurdity

of the

remedy

made him doubt the fact that the

kidneys

were diseased. He also

questioned whether it

was just

a mistaken belief which had caused his

condition, and if

so,

then the trouble was

essentially

caused. He concluded it was mental and based his

teaching

on this

This

premise.57 He reasoned

mental, something

he had

suggestion

that he had

accepted by

faith the doctor’s

which resulted in illness. But

acting

on the

suggestion

of

Lucius,

his ‘

condition had been

changed

which resulted in

healing.

He concluded

that

by

the correction of a wrong belief the cure had been effected.58

A comparison of a few doctrinal statements of Quimby and

Hagin

will

are

teaching parallel concepts.

show

they

Phineas

Quimby

“… an individual is to himself just

what he thinks he

is, and

he is in his belief sick. If I believe I am

sick,

I am

sick, for my

feel- ings

are

my sicknesses,

and

my belief

in my mind.”59

Kenneth

Hagin “The reason

they

are not

getting healed is that

they

are

thinking wrong.”

“…

nothing

shall be impossible

to

you

if

you

think right,

believe

right

and confess right.”60

Thought (Dallas:

55Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 51. ..

56Braden, Spirits

in Rebellion, 52.

57Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 52.

in Rebellion, 54.

54 Charles S. Braden, Spirits in Rebellion-The Rise and Development of New

Southern Methodist University, 1963), 44 ff.

Crowell, 1921),

60Hagin, Right

58Braden, Spirits

59Horatio W. Dresser, ed., The Quimby Manuscripts (New York: Thomas Y.

186 (italics mine).

and Wrong Thinking, 19 and 23 (italics mine).

8

40

“When the material mind en- tertains an idea

of

disease and communicates it to the

spirit,

the erroneous

thought

initiates a disharmony causing

the

spirit

to form disease,

after the form the spirit gives

the mind. II 61

1

“The real man is

spirit

which operates through

the mind which in turn

operates through

the body.”62

“… when

people

are educated to understand that what

they

be- lieve

they

will create,

they

will cease

believing

what the medical men

say …”63

“Your

right confession

will become a reality, and then

you

will get

whatever

you

need from God.”64 “Faith’s confessions create

reality.”65

From these

quotations,

one can observe the

similarity

of thought. It may

also be observed that

Quimby began

the

concepts

of right thinking and

right believing.

It was not until Warren F. Evans that affirmations (positive confessions) began

to be used.

Warren F. Evans

.

Warren F. Evans and

Mary

Baker Glover Patterson

(later Mary

Baker Eddy)

were

among

several who

sought healing

from P. P.

Quimby. These two

people, along

with Annetta G.

Seabury

and Julius A Dresser, were

responsible

for the

spread

of

Quimby’s

ideas and methods. All claimed to have been healed

by

his methods.

Evans,

like

Quimby, related correct

thinking

and

believing

to healing. In The Divine Law

of Cure

(1881),

he

says,

“… our

bodily

condition is the result of our thinking.”66

If we desire a better

condition,

“let us

imagine,

or think or believe,

that the desired

change

is

being effected,

and it will do more than all other

remedial agencies to bring about

the wished for result,.”67 To the

concepts

of

thinking

and

believing

is added a new doctrine: “With Evans

begins

the New

Thought

reliance

upon

affirmative

prayer or

positive thinking-the

affection of the condition desired.1168 Evans asserts that the

patient

must not talk of his or her trouble and his or her diseased condition for “to

express

a feeling in words intensifies it.”69 His advice for a headache: .

6lDresser, The Quimby Manuscripts, 812 (italics mine).

62Hagin, Redeemed from Poverty, Sickness, Death,

24 (italics mine). 63Dresser, The Quimby Manuscripts,

263 (italics mine).

64Hagin, Right

and Wrong Thinking, 32 (italics mine).

65Hagin,

How to Turn Your Faith Loose, 23 (italics mine).

‘ 66Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 89.

67Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 101, 174.

68Judah,

The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements, 167. 69Quoted

in Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 121..

9

41

Suggest

to yourself that it is gone or is

leaving you, will and believe is at

and it will be

instantly relieved… whatever you suggest and

once

done. The body obeys the hint of the mind … If

will to be

slightest sovereign you

any change effected, and believe it, it is certain to be so, for

the whole system now comes under the law of faith … You are not

called upon to exercise a blind faith, but an intelligent confidence in the

operation

of the divine laws of nature

So in Evans one observes the

concepts

of correct

thinking, believing

and confessing.

These ideas were written in 1881.

Henry

Wood

Henry

Wood

(1834-1908) spread

New

Thought by publicity

and

gave it a rational

expression.

Wood

appealed

to common sense and avoided theological

terms.

He was plear, simple,

direct and

practical

which attracted

many people

to his

writings,.71 Concerning

correct

thinking Wood

says,

Select thoughts of harmony, love, good-will, health, purity, and beauty,

and just in proportion as you hold them they will and crowd out

their

opposites.

You thus command the situation displace if you will … Just

think of creating your own world! The chief cause why our bodies give

us so much trouble is that they have been dishonored in thought

Wood further teaches that Mark. 11 :24 states the principle that “Demand is the

proof

of

supply already

in store but faith is the vital element which makes it

consciously

ours.73 Wood includes twelve

suggestive

lessons in one of his books which are

examples

of positive affirmations. A few examples

will serve to show the extent to which this doctrine

developed under him:

‘.:Nothing

in the universe can

injure

me but

my

own false and mistaken

thinking.”74

“I

deny

the

slavery

of sense. I

repudiate

the bondage

of matter … We are transformed

by

the

renewing

of our mind.”75 “The Word which is

within,

I speak to externals … I rule

my bodily

conditions.”76 “I heal and am healed … I affirm

peace, healing and love.”77 “I am

building

the world in which I must lives

Other Writers

.

Ralph

Waldo Trine was one of the most

widely

read New

Thought writers. In his

book,

In Tune with the

Infinite,

he states, “The law of correspondence

between

spiritual

and material

things

is

wonderfully

??Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 119.

7lBraden, Spirits

in Rebellion, 154-156.

72Henry Wood,

The New Thought Simplified (Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1903), 21, 22.

73Wood, The New Thought Simplified, 108.

74Wood, The New Thought Simplified, 175.

‘

75Wood, The New Thought Simplified, 178-179.

76Wood,

The New Thought Simplified, 180-181.

77Wood, The New Thought Simplified, 186-187.

78Wood, The New Thought Simplified, 189.

10

42

exact in its workings.

People

ruled

by the

mood of gloom attract to them …

Rags, tatters,

and dirt are

always

in the mind before

being

on the body.”79 Thus, poverty

is due to wrong thinking.

Claude M. Bristol, in The

Magic of Believing states,

“What

you exhibit, outwardly, you

are

inwardly.

You are

product

of

your

own thought.

What

you

believe

yourself

to be,

you

are.”8° Bristol also uses affirmations:

If you are unhappy, use the words, I am happy … repeat it to

or thirty times … I am strong … I am happy … I am

yourself

twenty

convinc-

ing,

I am friendly …

Everything is fine …

are a few simple affirmations

you

can use to change your mental point of view for the better.81 1

The examination of New

Thought

has served to show that the con- certs

of

right thinking, believing

and

affirming (confessing)

are the methods used to create conditions of health and wealth. These

concepts originated

with P. P. Quimby

(about 1838)

and

gradually developed

into a full written doctrine in 1916.82

Since Christian Science and the

Unity

School of

Christianity

were both results of New

Thought, they

will now be examined to observe the same

concepts

of correct

thinking, believing

and

confessing

for the desired results of health and wealth. The examination here will be briefer than that of New

Thought.

IV. Christian Science

Background

Mary

Baker

Eddy (1821-1910)

suffered from a spinal weakness. This caused her to seek

healing

from P. P.

Quimby

who was at that time in Portland,

Maine. She did so in 1862 and claimed to be healed. She

spent much time with

him, discussing

his doctrines and

methods,

after which she would write down her conclusions. P. P.

Quimby

received

praise from Mrs.

Eddy

until she

began

to form the

teaching

which took embod- iment in what came to be the “Bible” of Christian Scientists.83

Though she first attributed her

teaching

to Mr.

Quimby,

she later denounced him as her source and claimed revelation. Walter Martin has

clearly

demon- strated that Mrs.

Eddy plagiarized

P. P. Quimby and Francis Lieber, the German-American

authority

on the

philosophy

of Heel.84

79Quoted in Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults, 146.

80Braden, Spirits

in Rebellion, 369, 370.

glBraden, Spirits in Rebellion, 371.

82Quoted

in Charles S. Braden, These Also Believe (New York: MacMillan Co., 1949), 136, 137.

83Mary

Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 1875, Boston: Published by the Trustees under the Will of Mary Baker Eddy, 1934.

84Walter Martin, The Christian Science Myth Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1955.

11

Doctrine

matter,

evil she

says, point

sin, disease, death)

43

denial of reality comes sick

unconsciously argue its

reality,

whereas

Mrs.

Eddy’s teachings

show that there are four

things

that she denies:

and

sin, disease, and death. In her Miscellaneous

Writings,

“Here also is found the

pith

of the basal

statement,

the cardinal

in Christian

Science,

that matter and evil

(including

all inharmony,

are unreal.”85

Along

with New

Thought

she sees the cause of disease as mental: “The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a mortal

fear,

a mistaken belief or conviction of the

necessity

and

power of ill-health.”86 Thus, if one is sick his or her

thinking

is incorrect. The

into full

expression

in regards to sickness: “The

for

suffering,

instead of against it. They admit

they

should

deny

it.”87 A

comparison

between Christian Science and the charismatic

teaching

of Kenneth

Hagin

will

that both

deny

the

physical.

serve to show

Mary

Baker

Eddy “The evidence

of

the senses is not to be

accepted

in the case of sickness….” g8

8

“Our senses are

deceitful false; they

defraud and lie.”90

and

“When what we

erroneously term the five

physical

senses are misdirected, they

are

simply

the manifested beliefs of

mortal

mind, which affirm that

life, substance, and

intelligence

are

material,

in- stead of

spiritual.

These false be- liefs and their

products

constitute the

flesh,

and the flesh wars against

the

Spirit.”92

86Hoekema, The 87 Quoted

89Hagin,

Kenneth

Hagin “It is a mistake to start

looking at

your body

to see

if you

are healed. “89

“The

physical

is true

only

so long

as it does not contradict the Bible.”91

“The

body

is not

the .real you but the house

you

live in.”93 “The real man is spirit which

operates through

the soul which in turn operates through

the

body.”94

85Quoted in Anthony Hoekema, The Four Major Cults (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1963), 186.

Four Major Cults, 188.

in James H. Snowden, The Truth About Christian Science (Philadelphia:

Westminster Press, 1920), 131.

88Eddy,

Science and Health, 386 (italics mine).

The Key to Scriptural Healing, 30 (italics mine).

90Eddy,

Science and Health, 395, 489, (italics mine).

9lHagin,

The Real Faith, 5 (italics mine).

Science and Health, 274 (italics mine).

The Real Faith, 14.

94Hagin, Redeemed from Poverty, Sickness, Death, 24 (italics mine).

92Eddy, 93Hagin,

12

44

“The efficient

remedy

is to de- stroy

the

patient’s false belief by both

silently

and

audibly arguing the

true facts

in regard to harmo- nious

being, representing

man as healthy

instead of diseased …”95

“When the first

symptoms

of disease

appear, dispute

the testi- mony

of the material senses with divine Science.”97

“Start

saying, ‘According

to His Word,

I am healed.’ If someone asks

you

how

you

are

feeling, instead of

getting

in the natural with them and

answering

accord- ing

to the natural answer accord- ing to

the Word.”96

“A

person

should look to God’s Word,

not to his

symptoms.”98

to deny the senses is

It can be observed here that both

Eddy

and

Hagin

teach the denial of reality,

call sickness a symptom and affirm health

(which

is not

actually there). However,

Mrs.

Eddy

was

writing

in 1875.

‘ When

compared

with the New Testament both

systems

are found to be deficient. Jesus Christ never told the sick to deny their

sickness;

neither did he ever call sickness a symptom.

Furthermore,

to deny reality. God created the mind and the senses, not to deceive

one, but to inform a person of reality. To

deny reality then,

is to

say

that what God

has-created

is not

trustworthy.

To

deny

sickness and

pain

is to

one of the

purposes

for which the senses were

given-to

inform one when sickness and

pain

is present.

The

Unity

School of

Christianity

will now be observed. The examina- tion will show its

emphasis

on

prosperity

and

healing

with a well-devel-

deny

oped

doctrine of positive confession.

V. The

Unity

School of

Christianity

Background

The

Unity

School of

Christianity

is an offspring of Christian Science

In

1887,

J. S.

City,

mem-

although

it later came closer in doctrine to New

Thought.

Thatcher founded a School of Christian Science in Kansas Missouri. Charles and

Myrtle Fillmore,

founders of Unity, were bers of the first class,

taught by Eugene

B. Weeks. Since Mrs. Fillmore had tuberculosis

they

went to hear one of her lectures.99

Although

her husband was not

impressed,

Fillmore saw it as a

great turning

in her life. She said that one sentence that Weeks stated came to her as true revelation: “I am a child of God, and therefore I do not inherit

Myrtle

point

97Snowden,

95Quoted in Snowden, The Truth About Christian Science, 129 (italics mine). 96Hagin, The Real Faith, 26 (italics mine).

The Truth About Christian Science, 129 (italics mine). 98Hagin, The Real Faith,

13 (italics mine).

These Also Believe, 150.

99Braden,

< 13 45 sickness.loo She went home repeating the statement and she claimed this was the beginning of her healing. She embraced Christian Science in 1887 and her husband was later likewise convinced in 1890. Mrs. Emma Hopkins a Christian Scientist who had some disagreement with Mrs. Eddy, founded the Christian Science Theological Seminary in which Charles Fillmore was ordained in December, 1890. Mrs. Eddy’s s attempt at authoritarian control caused the Fillmores to leave Christian Science and begin their own movement.101 On December 7, 1892, the Fillmores dedicated themselves to the society of Silent Unity, known later as the Unity School of Christianity. 102 Doctrine The basic presuppositions of Unity are the same as the charismatic teaching: God is used to get things. Charles Fillmore says, “… You cannot use God too often. He loves to be used, and the more you use Him, the more “103 easily you use Him and the more pleasant His help becomes … Health is al?so to be expected. Fillmore maintains that the only reason people are sick is because of their sins or failure to adjust their minds to the Divine NEnd.104 Prosperity is also held as a basic presupposition. This is observed in Fillmore’s rendition of Psalm 23: The Lord is my banker; my credit is He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of good. omnipresent abun- dance ; He giveth me the key to His strong box. ‘ He restoreth my faith in His riches: He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for His name’s sake. Yea, I though I walk in the very shadow of debt, shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thou preparest a way for me in the Thou fillest wallet with presence of the collector, my plenty; my measure runneth over. and will follow me all the And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.105 plenty Surely goodness days of my life, ‘ Health and wealth are to be obtained by specific affirmations (confes- sions) and denials: . Do not say that money is scarce; the very statement will scare from money away you. Do not say that times are hard with you; the very words – 100Quoted in Braden, Spirits in Rebellion, 234. 101 Braden, These Also Believe, 150, 151. 102Braden quotes their statement of dedication in Spirits in Rebellion, 241. 103Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth, 4th ed. (Kansas City, Missouri: Unity School of Christianity, 1943), 11. 1°4Charles Fillmore, Jesus Christ Heals (Kansas City, Missouri: Unity School of Christianity, 1939), 5. 105Charles Fillmore, Prosperity (Kansas City, Missouri: Unity School of Chris- tianity, 1936), 69. 14 46 will tighten your purse strings until Omnipotence itself cannot slip a dime into it. Begin now to talk plenty, think plenty, and give thanks for plenty.106 The doctrine ofcorrect thinking is also asserted: “Thinking is for- mative-every thought clothes itself in a life form according to the character given it by the thinker. This being true, it must follow that thoughts of health will produce microbes to build up healthy organisms, that thoughts of disease will produce microbes of disorder and destruction.”I07 Emilie H. Cady . Emilie Cady, a homeopathic physician, wrote the basic textbook for Unity at the request of the Fillmores. She believes that people think wrong because their five senses have misinformed them and that our troubles and sorrows are results of false thinking. 1°8 She maintains, in regards to affirmations, that “To affirm anything is to assert positively that it is so, even in the face of all contrary evidence. 109 She uses Mark 11:24, as does Hagin, to support her use of affirmations. “Deny evil; affirm good. Deny weakness; affirm strength. Deny any undesirable condition, and affirm the good you desire. This is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe (or claim and affirm) that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”‘llo She further maintains that if people practice denials and affirmations it will give them a strange mastery over external things and over themselves. I I I ‘ Myrtle Fillmore Myrtle Fillmore describes her healing as a result of correct thinking: “It was a change of mind from the old, carnal mind that believes in sickness to the Christ mind of life and permanent health. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. As he thinketh within himself, so he is.”112 Healing comes from the right mental attitude, and “getting right down into the body and telling it the truth.”‘ 13 She also uses denials and affirmations: The “secret or our power to help others lies in our refusing to be moved by the appearances and the apparent lacks that are reported to us, and in our standing steadfastly 106Fillmore, Prosperity, 103, 104. 107Fillmore, Talks on Truth, 18. 108g. Emilie Cady, Lessons in Truth (Kansas City, Missouri: Unity School of Christianity, 1935), 19, 20. . l?Cady, Lessons in Truth, 41. .. ‘ 1 1°Cady, Lessons in Truth, 49. 111Cady, Lessons,in Truth, 49. 112Quoted in Francis W. Foulks, Letters of Myrtle Fillmore (Kansas City, Missouri: Unity School of Christianity, 1936), 16. 113Foulks, Letters of Myrtle Fillmore, 107. 15 structive thoughts of 47 holding to the truth of being and declaring the working out of the con- and words we have sent forth … “l 14 Concerning affirmations, she says that one is to know that the Word God is in one’s mouth and heart. She says, “… speak the words of Truth with joy, and power, and love. Expect your words spoken and sung to bring results. Weed out all the destructive negative thoughts and words and tones.”115 Lowell Fillmore Lowell Fillmore, one of Charles Fillmore’s Unity doctrine. He also believed sons, continued to teach in the concept of symptoms and attempted to explain why it is not lying: ‘ you dealing You are not teiling a falsehood when say, “I am well,” when the facts seem to be that you you are sick; for you are speaking of your true itual spir- self when will you say you are well. By sticking to this spiritual truth produce a healing effect in your body, because the Spirit you are with causes.and in the material with effects only.116 6 clothes ideas Faith is used with affirmations to obtain results. Lowell says that faith with substance and that it is like a magic wand-if one has faith he or she can speak the word and the sick are healed and the poor are prospered. 117 powerful by repetition. over … You can effectively use and everything He maintains the doctrine of affirmations: It accumulates “An affirmation becomes power by being said over and affirmations for health, prosperity, that is needed.”118 For health, one the success, inspiration, should say, “God is my health. I can’t be sick.”119 For prosperity, affirmation would be, “I am prosperous because my heavenly father is rich.”12o affirmations to obtain health and It is concluded here that Unity uses correct thinking, correct belief and material prosperity. VI. Positive Confession-A Concept with P. began, along Cultic It has been demonstrated that the doctrine of positive confession origi- nated in the mind-healing cults of the 19th century. Beginning P. Quimby in 1838, the concept of correct thinking for healing with a Gnostic dualism which placed the spiritual against 115Foulks, Unity 114Foulks, Letters of Myrtle Fillmore, 121. Letters of Myrtle Fillmore, 108. 116Lowell Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems (Kansas City, Missouri: School of Christianity, 1938), 16. 117L. Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems, 24. 118L. Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems, 29, 30. 119L. Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems, 31. – 120L. Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems, 123. 16 48 the physical. He also developed the concept that one can create what one believes.121 Beginning with Warren F. Evans, the doctrine of affirmation or con- fession emerges. It was the logical outcome of Quimby’s teaching on correct thinking. If one thinks and believes one is not sick, then one should say so. He maintained that a person must not talk negatively but should say that the sickness is gone.122 This statement was made in 1881. The concept of affirmation then grew and developed in other New Thought writers such as Henry Wood, Julius Dresser, and Charles Ferguson. Mary Baker Eddy took Quimby’s concepts and developed an extensive doctrine of the denial of reality. Along with this she added the concept of seeing disease and sickness as only symptoms and used affirmations as a means of obtaining healing.123 Science and Health was printed in 1885. The Unity School of Christianity developed from Christian Science but soon took a form closer to New Thought. It was established in 1892 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. In it one finds a fully developed doc- trine of affirmations and denials which can be observed in the writings of Charles Fillmore, Myrtle Fillmore, Lowell Fillmore and Emilie Cady. Lowell Fillmore demonstrates this well when he says, “You can effec- tively use affirmations for health, prosperity, success, inspiration and everything that is needed.”12a A very important point needs to be made here: the doctrines of positive thinking and believing, accompanied by a positive confession, with the result of calling sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them.125 Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that these doctrines originated and developed in these cults and at some point in time were later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry. VII. The Response of the Church to the Health and Wealth Gospel l The health and wealth gospel has provoked several responses from those within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements as well as from wider evangelical circles Several have pointed out the cultic origins of these teachings. 121 Dresser, The Quimby Manuscripts, 263. 122graden, Spirits in Rebellion, 119, 121. ‘ l23Snowden, The Truth About Christian Science, 129. 124L. Fillmore, New Ways to Solve Old Problems, 29, 30. 125I have not found any Christian writings prior to the cultic writings of P. P. Quimby, W. F. Evans, Mary Baker Eddy and Charles Fillmore that use the concepts of affirmation and positive confession. 17 49 James S. Tinney, in an article titled, “The Prosperity Doctrine: An Accretion to Black Pentecostalism,” has stated that the prosperity doc- trine is (1) imprecise in definition, (2) heretical in origin, (3) unscriptural in exposition, and (4) regressive in terms of political economics.126 More specifically, he maintains that the health and wealth teaching origi- nated in anti-Christian and heretical surroundings, stemming mostly from Christian Science and Unity. Concerning the incorporation of these teachings into Christian circles, he states: The entrance of the doctrine of prosperity into Pentecostalism came via the fringe elements and independent ‘healing and miracle’ and ‘deliver- ance’ evangelists who incorporated metaphysicist (and and Christian specifically Unity Science) doctrines into the traditional Pentecostal under- of healing. This was done at a time when the ‘healing and mira- cle’ revivalists were being rejected by the major classical Pentecostal standing denominations primarily because of alleged internal abuses, growing negative publicity, and moral lapses and defections.127 As a whole, Tinney presents the prosperity doctrine as a cultural theology, perpetuated by the American capitalist impulse to have more; he is quick to note its degrading effect upon the poor and its misrepre- sentation of Jesus Christ and Biblical Christianity. He asserts that there is a sinister element to the teaching, for it appeals to the carnal, selfish nature of humanity.128 Antonio Barbosa da Silva, states that the movement owes its origin to Norman Vincent Peale, Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Robert H. Schuller, Paul Yonggi Cho, E. W. Kenyon, Jim Casemann, Ulf Epman (from Sweden) and Hans Braterud (from Norway). He main- tains that the ideological roots are to be found in the optimistic anthro- pology preached by the so-called New Age movement and the positive thinking psychology of Carl Rogers and Roberto Assagioli.129 He con- cludes that this movement represents a subtly attractive, but dangerous distortion of Christian truth. 130 . The fact that da Silva refers to Peale and Schuller should not surprise evangelicals. Peale knowingly uses New Thought concepts. He quotes such New Thought writers as Ralph Waldo Trine who said, “Never affirm or repeat about your health (or circumstances) what you do not 126J?es S. Tinney, “The Prosperity Doctrine: An Accretion to Black Pente- costalism,” Evangelical Review of Theology, 4:1 (April-September 1980), 88. See also Larry Bishop, “Prosperity,” Cornerstone 10:4 (May-June 1981), 12-16 who links the teaching to the mind-healing cults, and Ken L. Sarles, “A Theological Evaluation of the Prosperity Gospel,” Bibliotheca Sacra 143:572 (Oct.-Dec. 1986), 329-352. 127T?ney, “The Prosperity Doctrine,” 89. 128T?ney, “The Prosperity Doctrine,” 88. 129Antonio Barbosa da Silva, “The ‘Theology of Success’ Movement: A Com- ment,” Themelios 11:3 (April 1986), 91. 13°da Silva, “The ‘Theology of Success’ Movement,” 92. 18 50 wish to be true … Stoutly affirm your superiority over bodily ills (or problems).131 In a telephone conversation with him, Charles Braden confirmed that Peale not only has read New Thought writers but has worked out his own system of thinking and a method based on a variety of religious viewpoints.132 Peale once used visualization and affirmation as methods to receive healing for an earache.133 Robert Schuller endorses Peale’s books and also employs similar con- cepts. He states that, “Positive Affirmations Produce Positive Rhythms” and one is to “never verbalize a negative emotion.”134 To receive Christ, Schuller says one should pray: “Jesus Christ, come into my life … I believe you are coming into me now in the form of God-filled ideas Schuller also teaches prosperity, maintaining that, “You Can Earn More Money Than You Think You Can. You Will Attract Money When You Fill a Vital Need. It Always Pays to Serve. You Can Get the Money If You Dare To Ask For It.”136 Another significant name mentioned in the article by da Silva is Paul Yonggi Cho, pastor of the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea, and affiliated with the Assemblies of God. He is a frequent speaker in church growth conferences in America. Cho asserts that if one keeps saying he or she is poor he or she will attract poverty, but the opposite will occur if one says one can achieve success. A person is to speak the words of the Bible, the word of faith, to feed the nervous system with constructive words. If one repeats these words they will control the whole body. But he goes even further when he says, “Jesus is bound by what you speak. As you release Jesus’ power through your spoken word, you also create the presence of Christ. You create the presence of Jesus with your spoken word The most important name referred to by da Silva is E. W. Kenyon who will be discussed below. In his book, The Wall Street Gospel, Joe Magliato also notes that the roots of the positive and negative confession in 138 teaching are imbedded the soil of the mind sciences. 131Norman Vincent Peale, “Peace for a Troubled Mind,” Creative Help for Daily Livin?, (July 1980), 13 Braden, Spirits 5 (pamphlet). in Rebellion, 388. 133Norman Vincent Peale, The Positive Power of Jesus Christ (Wheaton: Tyn- dale House Publishers, 1980) 138. 134Robert H. Schuller, You Can Become the Person You Want To Be (Old Tappan, N. J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1973), 122. 135Robert H. Schuller, Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1975), 145. 136Schuller, Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking, 104, 108, 110. 137paul Yonggi Cho, “The Creative Power of the Spoken Word,” World of Faith (Winter 1980): 3, 4. 138Joe Magliato, The Wall Street Gospel (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1981), 107. 19 51 The theology of the success movement as well as the health and wealth gospel has been addressed by evangelicals. Eternity Magazine re- sponded with articles by Stephen Board, “Is Faith a High Wire Act?”139 and by Cynthia Schaible, “The Gospel of the Good Life,” in which she critiques Zig Ziglar and Richard DeVos.l4o Kenneth S. Kantzer briefly addresses the issue in an article in Christianity Today, “The Cut-Rate Grace of a Health and Wealth Gospel.”141 David Neff, also writing in Christianity Today, briefly addresses the issue of greed in the article “Drunk on Money.”142 The late Walter Martin addressed the issue in two tapes, “The Errors of Positive Confession,” and “Healing: Does God Always Heal?”143 and in his Newsletter in a response titled, “Growing Dangers in the Positive Confession Faith Teachings.”144 But the most penetrating and exposing evaluations of the theology and origins of this movement have come from within the Pentecostal and charismatic circles. A literal explosion of articles, theses and books is probably the result of confronting the teachings and its results upon people firsthand. Some of the more prominent responses will be men- tioned.145 Noted scholar, Gordon Fee, has dealt with the exegetical and interpre- tive errors of the health and wealth teaching in two articles: “The Cult of Prosperity”146 and “The Gospel of Perfect Health.”147 In the 1980 139Stephen Board, “Is Faith a High Wire Act?” Eternity 32:7-8 (July/August 1981), 12-16. 140Cynthia Schaibles, “The Gospel of the Good Life,” Eternity 32:2 (February 1981), 21-27. 141Kenneth S. Kantzer, “The Cut-Rate Grace of a Health and Wealth 29:9 Gospel,” Christianity Today (June 4, 1985), 14-15. 142David Neff, “Drunk on Money,” Christianity Today 32:6 (April 8, 1988),.15. 143W?ter Martin, “The Errors of Positive Confession” (Tape), San Juan Capis- trano, CA: Christian Research Institute, # C-100 and “Healing: Does God Heal?” Always ‘ (Tape), # C-95. 144water Martin, “Growing Dangers in the Positive Confession Faith Teach- ings,” Christian Research Newsletter 1:3 (n.d.): 3. 145Cf. Gary M. Burge, “Problems in the Healing Ministries Within the Charis- matic Context,” Paper presented at the Society for Pentecostal Theology, Cleveland, Tennessee, November, 1983; W. R. Scott, “What’s Wrong with the Faith Move- ment ? A Systematic Analysis of the ‘Word of Faith’ Theology in Light of 1 and 2 Corinthians” (n.d.), (photocopied); Dale Hawthorne Simmons, “A Theological and Historical Analysis of Kenneth E. Hagin’s Claim to be a Prophet” (M.A. thesis, Oral Roberts University, 1985). 146Gordon D. Fee, “The Cult of Prosperity,” Agora (Spring 1979), 12-16. This article was republished in a slightly different form as “The ‘Gospel’ of An Alien Prosperity- Gospel,” The Pentecostal Evangel June 24, 1979, 4-8. 147Gordon D. Fee, “The of Pcrfect Health,” Agora, (Spring/Fall 1979), 12-18. Fee’s articles have been Gospel put in pamphlet form under the title of “The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels” and are available from the Christian Research Institute, P. O. Box 500, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. 92693, # P-76. 20 52 meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies at Oral Roberts Univer- sity. Charles Farah, ORU professor, delivered a paper titled, “The ‘Roots’ and ‘Fruits’ of Faith-Formula Theology.” He traced the teaching in Christian circles back to E. W. Kenyon, among others, found Gnos- tic elements within the movement, stated that the movement is an exam- ple of the idolization of the American concept of success and concluded that the teaching should be viewed as a burgeoning heresy.148 He has also responded in book149 and article form. 150 In spite of deficiencies in other areas, Dave Hunt has well-documented the theology of the health and wealth teachers and the mind-science roots of their teachings in The Seduction of Christianityl5l and Beyond Seduction and their linkage to Christianity in the person of E. W. Kenyon.152 The Assemblies of God responded in an official position paper on the subject153 and in several articles and papers.154 Taken together, all this data does demonstrate that these doctrines existed in the 19th century mind-healing cults prior to appearing in Christian writers. The charge of “guilt by association” might be levelled 148Charles Farah, “A Critical Analysis: The ‘Roots’ and ‘Fruits’ of Faith- Formula Theology,” Paper presented at the Society for Pentecostal Theology, Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 1980, 4, 7, 14, 26. 149Charles Farah, From the Pinnacle of the Temple, Plainfield, N. J.: 1979. Logos, i50Charles Farah, “Faith Theology: The Sovereignty of Man?” Logos, 1980), 50, 52-55. See also Dennis W. Roberts, “Christian Prosperity: Is It Really God’s Will for You?” Logos (May/June 1980),42-46. (May/June 151Dave Hunt, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1985), 20, 23, 24, 99, 100, 150, 151, 157 where there are references to New Thought, positive affirmations and parallels drawn to the health and wealth teaching. 15 Dave Hunt, Beyond Seduction (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1987), 33, 51- 55, 58-59, 63-66 where there are references to the positive confession doctrine, its connection to Christian Science and its entrance into the charismatic movement via Kenyon and Hagin. 153General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God, “The Believer and Positive Confession,” The Pentecostal Evangel (November 16, 1980), 8-11,18-20. This is available in pamphlet form from the Gospel Publishing House, 1145 Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri, 65802 order # 34-4183. 154David Warren Baker, “Select Texts of the Prosperity Doctrine: Towards an Analysis of Exegetical Method,” Unpublished Paper, Southern California College, 10 November 1987; Mark A. Barclift, “What the Bible Says About ‘Positive Confes- sion,”‘ Paraclete 21:4 (Fall 1987): 6-10; Kenneth D. Barney, “Satan’s Variety Show,” The Pentecostal Evangel (November 30, 1980), 6, 7; Kevin H. Brotton, “Abuse of the Word Rhema,” Paraclete 14:4 (Fall 1980), 24-26; Richard E. Orchard, “What New Doctrine is This?” The Pentecostal Evangel (January 10, 1982), 4, 5; Anthony D. Palma, “Confession,” Advance 15:11 (November 1979), 26 and Anthony D. Palma, “Word … Word,” Advance 13:5 (May 1977), 27. For the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada see Kenneth B. Birch, “Faith or Presumption?” The Pentecostal Testimony (February 1981), 3, 30 and Ted Boodle, “Biblical Faith vs. Popular Myth,” The Pentecostal Testimony (February 1981), 6, 7. 21 53 against these studies if it were not for the work of Daniel R. McConnell and Judith A. Matta. McConnell has demonstrated, in his MA thesis, “The Kenyon Con- nection : A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement,”155 and in his book, A Different Gospel-A Histor- ical and Biblical Analysis of the Faith Movement,156 that the cultic teachings entered the Church in the person of E. W. Kenyon.157 McConnell refers to this writer’s work as the first to demonstrate paral- lels between the charismatic teaching and the mind-healing cults, 158 and to Judith Matta’s work for showing Charles Wesley Emerson’s connec- tion to Christian Science. 159 But it is McConnell who has demonstrated the specific linkage between these cults and Christianity. The metaphysi- cal environment of Emerson College of Oratory, where Kenyon attended, not only taught oratory but New Thought concepts. According to his friends, E. W. Kenyon freely admitted that he was heavily influ- enced by metaphysical thought and McConnell provides documentation of the metaphysical cults in Kenyon’s writings,.160 Kenyon is aware of these parallels in his writings, disclaims any similarities with the cultic teaching on a particular topic, and then proceeds to teach exactly what the metaphysical cults teach.161 Kenneth Hagin does the same thing.162 McConnell demonstrates from Kenyon’s writings, that Kenyon in fact has incorporated the mind-science teachings into his doctrine of healing. Kenyon’s syncretism of the various metaphysical cults, according to McConnell, is precisely what makes him a threat to the Church.163 155Daniel R. McConnell, “The Kenyon Connection: A and Histori- cal Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement” Theological (M.A. thesis, Oral Roberts University, 1982). 156Daniel R. McConnell, A Different Gospel-A Historical and Biblical sis Analy- of the Faith Movement Peabody, Mass.: Hendricksen Publishers, 1988. 157The teaching may also be found in a small degree in Albert B. Simpson, The Gospel of Healing (Harrisburg, Pa.: Christian Publications, 1915), but especially in F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer (Old Tappan, N. J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1973, originally published in 1924). This demonstrates that the teachings of the 19th cen- tury mind-healing cults were prevalent and known by Christians. 158H. Terris Neuman, “An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of ‘Positive Confession”‘ (Unpublished Paper, Wheaton Graduate School, 1980). 159McConnell, “The Kenyon Connection,” v. 160McConnell, A Different Gospel, 42, 43 ff. but Chapter Two, “The Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement” and especially Chapter Three, “The Kenyon Connec- tion.” 161MeConnell, A Different Gospel, 45. _ 162McConnell, A Different Gospel, 15. – 163McConnell, A Different Gospel, 50. Reference should be made here to Bruce Barron, The Health and Wealth Gospel (Downers Grove: IVP, 1987), who does not perceive the real danger of this movement. Any valid criticisms Barron makes is negated by his out of context quote of “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (170). McConnell demonstrates that Barron’s historical analysis of the health and wealth movement fails at several major points, especially that it has multiple 22 54 One further question needs to be answered, “How did Kenyon’s writings find their way into the health and wealth movement?” Mc- Connell has shown that Kenneth Hagin has plagiarized E. W. Kenyon, not only in concepts, but in words. Abundant evidence is provided for . this word-for-word plagiarism. 164 Hagin’s theology has largely influ- enced the charismatic and Pentecostal movements. Hagin’s Bible Train- ing Institute has graduated about 6,600 students since 1974. His 126 books and pamphlets have sold 33 million copies.165 This does not take into account the daily and weekly television broadcasts via satellite.and the tapes available by mail. The influence of the health and wealth move- ment is international in scope. McConnell’s work remains the definitive statement on this movement. Judith Matta has also traced the health and wealth theology to the mind-healing cults via Kenyon to Hagin.166 She has investigated the Christology of the Word-Faith teaching and concluded with the follow- ing summary of their doctrine: That Jesus was obedient to death and to the creator of death, Satan, thereby creating a new satanic nature in Jesus’ soul and Spirit.167 In their concept of atonement, the health and wealth teachers contend that redemption was not finished on the cross, that Jesus became literal “sin,” suffered three days and nights in hell, died physically and spiritually, and became a born-again man. just as those since him have become born-again men.168 Not only that, they also teach that Jesus came to earth as a man, not taking the nature of God in his divine power, not operating in divine power, but by the Holy Spirit. the same Spirit available to Christians.169 This recurrence of the ancient Ebionite view of Christ goes further when it asserts that Chris- tians are now God-like, having the nature of God and the ability of God, the believer is described as much as an incarnation as was Jesus. 170 The source of this teaching is traced to E. W. Kenyon. Matta’s entire book is devoted to demonstrating the cultic origins of the health and wealth gospel and its doctrinal parallels to ancient Gnosticism. Conclusion In view of the fact of the cultic origins of the health and wealth gospel, its heretical Christology, its devastating effects on human lives and the false portrayal of Christianity it presents to the world, this paper is a call sources within Pentecostalism; see McConnell, A Different Gospel, 22-24. 164McConnell, A Different Gospel, 3-14. 165McConnell, A Different Gospel, 7, 8. 166Judith A. Matta, The Born Again Jesus of the Word-Faith Teaching, 2nd ed., Revised and Expanded Text (Fullerton, Calif.: Spirit of Truth Ministry, 1987), 18- 20, 29, 37, 99-102, especially the chapter on E.W. Kenyon, 21-34. 167Matta, The Born Again Jesus, 53. 168Matta, The Born Again Jesus, 55-57.. 169Matta, The Born Again Jesus, 52, 73. , 17°Maua, The Born Again Jesus, 66. 23 55 to the wider evangelical community also to engage in an apologetic that will distinguish the gospel of Jesus Christ from those who indeed prop- agate a “different gospel The challenge remains for the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements to develop a theology of healing that takes into account present suffering in light of the consummation while maintaining a solid Biblical basis for a healing ministry within the local church. 171 For further evaluations of this theology see Brian Onken, “The Atonement of Christ and the ‘Faith’ Message,” Forward 7:1 (1984), 1, 10-15 and Brian Onken, “The Misunderstanding of Faith,” Forward 5 (1983), 5, 6. 24