The metaphysics movement or "new thought" was popular at the turn of the 20thcentury. One left over version was the christian science movement. But a more popular movement accepted in many churches within orthodox christianity is known as the word of Faith movement.
"New Thought, sometimes known as Higher Thought,[1][2] promotes the ideas that Infinite Intelligence, or God, is everywhere, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.[3][4]
Although New Thought is neither monolithic nor doctrinaire, in general, modern day adherents of New Thought believe that "God" or "Infinite Intelligence" is "supreme, universal, and everlasting", that divinity dwells within each person, that all people are spiritual beings, that "the highest spiritual principle [is] loving one another unconditionally... and teaching and healing one another", and that "our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living".[3][4]
The New Thought movement is a spiritually-focused or philosophical interpretation of New Thought beliefs. Started in the early 19th century, today the movement consists of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, secular membership organizations,[citation needed] authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of beliefs concerning metaphysics, positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualization, and personal power.[5] The three major religious denominations within the New Thought movement are Religious Science, Unity Church and the Church of Divine Science. There are many other smaller churches within the New Thought movement, as well as schools and umbrella organizations. " wikipedia "New Thought"
"One popular critic and opponent of The Word of Faith, D.R. McConnell of Oral Roberts University, has charged in a thesis entitled Kenyon Connection, that Kenyon adopted the teachings of New Thought and relabeled them. Thus, the Word of Faith movement, in McConnell’s view, constitutes a "Trojan Horse". This argument was the primary conclusion reached by McConnell’s master’s thesis published as a book, A Different Gospel." wikipedia "Word of Faith"
What is faith?
"it is the force of faith which makes the spirit world function" the Laws of Prosperity pg. 19 Kenneth Copeland Publications
"God can not do anythingfor you apart or separate from faith"
"faith is God's source of power" Freedom from Fear pg 11-12 Kenneth Copeland ministries
Romans 4:17(kjv) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 4:17 As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. (amplified)
One Word of Faith teacher defined faith through this passage as many do. "Calling those things which be not as though they are."
Now philosophically there is a problem at the start. In a metaphysical philosophy faith is the ability to believe in something untrue. So Faith defined in metaphysic terms is to create something true out of something false.
So when we have faith in God... Is God not true, Is He only in our imagination?
How do we read the Bible?
The Bible as a spell book
Many Times preachers in the Word of Faith movement will use scripture as an authority with out the use of hermeneutics. In otherds Words they will disregard the context of the verses they quote. Then they will place authority on what they have said. This means that they can change and even add meaning to the Bible. Is this method scriptural?
1 Cor.14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
God wants us to take the scripture according to it's context. we have to be careful how we handel the word of God.
2Cor. 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
The use of the Amplified Bible... The amplified Bible is an interesting translation that provides the reader with built in commentary and leaves a lot of words with a variety of possible translations as oppose to actually translating the text.
This is a fine Bible study tool. Yet leaves a lot of room for confusion especially for those young in the faith. As we shall soon see the Word of Faith movement thrives off of confusion and irrational theology.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
What is man?
psalm 8:5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
In Word of Faith teaching man is not simply a mortal being but a creature intended to have deity.
"God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself." "He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even." Following the Faith of Abraham, tape#01-3001, side 1.
Hebrews 2:6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Here the author of Hebrews settles the controversy, man is lower than the angels. Who by the way are lower than christ. since being lower than the angels is lower than God there is no controversy and in no real or ontological way is man the same as God.
What is God?
In Word of Faith theology God is an enchanced man who became a deity. This is very similar to the mormon Gospel. I believe there is probably some influence from various groups descending out of Missouri were the original mormons dwelled.
"God is not 427 feet tall, weighing 4000lbs, and got a fist as big as this room. He's big, but He's not a monster. He measured out Heaven with a nine inch span...The distance between my thumb and my finger is not quite nine inches. So I know he is bigger than me thank God. Amen?" Jerrry Savelle
framing your world with the Word of God part 2 audiotape #ss-36, side one Jerrry Savelle evangelistic association
deuteronomy 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Is God Sovereign?
john 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [b]overflows).
A word of faith teacher taught that this was a watershed verse. Claiming the God was not fully Sovereign because evil existed.
Ultimately this leads to the heresy of manichaeinism. The idea of 2 Gods one which is evil, and one which is Good. WOF teachers commonly give godlike attributes to Satan.
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
God is sovereign over all things. While I do not conclude that this passage teaches that God is the creator of moral evil. God is definitely Sovereign and in control of destruction upon the earth.
Are we healed?
Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.
He endured physically for our spiritual sins. Therefore by his physical stripes we are spiritually healed.
Are we supposed to be wealhy?
3john 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers
3 john1 The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
It doesn't take long to nottice that this is not a proclamation from the father but john the apostle giving a greeting to Gaius.
Is this an indictment of all charismatics?
"Furthermore, it is tragic that a number of non-charismatics have attempted to use the faith teachers to prove that the charismatic movement is in chaos." Hank Hannengraaf Christianity in Crises pg. 48
There are many charasmatic teachers who are thoroughly orthodox and not involved with the word of faith movement. Walter Martin, Gordon Fee, Keith Green, Wayne Grudem etc.
What are man's words compared to God's Words?
The Damned Savior
"Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have [aid your price. No, the punishment was to go to hell itself and to serve time in Hell separated from God.... Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." Frederick K. C. Price Ever increasing Faith Messenger (june 1980)
"Because he was "made sin," impregnated with sin, and became the very essence of sin, on the cross he was banished from God's presence as a loathesome thing. He and sin were made synonymous...It was not sufficient for christ to offer up only his physical life on the cross. His pure human spirit had to descend into Hell.... His spirit must not only descend into hell, but into the lowest hell...
The Father turned Him over, not only to the death of calvary, but to the satanic torturers of his pure spirit as part of the just desert of the sin of all the race. As long as Christ was "the essence of sin" he was at Satan's mercy in that place of torment...
While Christ identified with sin, Satan and the host of hell ruled Him as over any lost sinner. During that seemingly endless age in the nether abyss of death, Satan did with Him as He would, and all hell was "in carnival" Paul Billheimer Destined for the Throne pg 83-84
But the gospel is explained in the scripture…
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
King James Version (KJV)
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The Subject of the Gospel is Jesus Christ and what He did. It is this gospel which saves us.
Romans 1:16
King James Version (KJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
And the Gospel cannot be altered.
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Now I am not accusing all of altering the gospel. But I know that there are teachers in this tradition who are. And a little leaven leaven’s the whole lump.
I shouldn’t have to see a teacher of God’s Word get nervous hearing me talk about how great heaven will be. Because this is the truth.
Matthew 6:20
King James Version (KJV)
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Heaven is not currently on the earth right now and for Good reason. The scripture teaches it would be corrupted.
I pray for anyone encounetering this teaching that they place faith in God through scripture and not man-made religion.
quotations gathered from "christianity in crises" by Hank Hannengraff
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