Toxic Churches Word of ...sometimes they just use a derivative, i.e., 'word' or 'faith' or 'word-faith'

Before we begin...

God alone knows the heart

James 3:1

See the difference: aberrant, heretical, heterodox, orthodox, reprobate

See the difference: warning, discernment, judging II Timothy 2:15,3:16

We stand: inspired (origin) inerrant in original autographs/mss infallible remember: phone books can be inerrant we mean this in a very special way no 'pick and choose' theology the WHOLE Bible is to be taken at face value and believed

See the difference: cultural norms, tradition, opinion Our dear African brothers and sisters will worship very differently than the in Western Europe or the brothers and sisters in the Pacific Rim countries

See the difference: some Christians oriented towards logic, knowledge, etc....some Christians oriented towards contemplation, meditation, emotion neither is wrong and each has its strengths and weaknesses

Tonight...see the difference between Charismatic, Pentecostal and Word of Faith

Tonight: the cessationist position is believed in this church, but that is NOT the focus here this evening. The focus IS on aberrant and heretical doctrine. The fact that some of the Charismatic and/or Pentecostal praxis is involved in the Word of Faith churches is incidental to our class. We are NOT critiquing or questioning the basic doctrine, salvation or motivation of the typical Charismatic or Pentecostal group.

To be remembered: Jude 11 reminds us that a love of money and/or immorality mark the false prophet; Deuteronomy 18 reminds us of many hallmarks of the false prophet

Question: with Christians already in the minority, should we be calling out other people of who have a belief? Remember: Zedekiah, Pashur, Baalam, Diotrephes, Simon, Elymas, Jannes, Jambres, etc....all 'called out' in scripture.

Be extremely careful if anyone claims 1) to have discovered a new approach to Scripture or 2) to have received a special revelation from ... remember: the canon is closed/complete (Revelation 22).

Be like the Bereans! Everything tested by the Word of God....and do not allow any hermeneutical gymnastics or eisegesis. Hermeneutics: the science of interpreting Scripture

People to research (if you are interested in pursuing the study introduced this evening):

These are all very well known Word of Faith people...in this list you will find many, many people with multiple marriages and divorces, many alcoholics and drug abusers, many with homosexual backgrounds, many with very questionable finances including outright liars and cheats. Am I using an ad hominem approach? Yes, but not totally...remember that belief affects and guides behavior and also remember that those who claim to be teachers, pastors, 'prophets', 'prophetesses', bishops, preachers, 'apostles', etc...are held to a higher standard. Being a sinner is one thing; being a hypocrite is another thing entirely. Paul warns against 'wolves in sheep's clothing' for good reason. Please note that some of the following, though active in the Word of Faith networks, churches, colleges, etc...are a mixture of Word of Faith and their own corrupt theology. You will recognize the 'prosperity gospel' ('name it and claim it') also in this list. Word of Faith encompasses the so-called 'prosperity gospel'. Many other names could be added.

Keep in mind: James 3:1

Paul and Jan Crouch John Avanzini Perry Stone Frederick K.C. Price Paula White Joyce Meyer Joel Osteen Creflo and Tammy Dollar Kenneth Hagin/E.W. Kenyon....founders...very interesting! Kenneth and Gloria Copeland Juanita Bynum Robert Tilton Eddie Long Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker / Richard Roberts William Branham A.A. Allen Jesse Duplantis Joseph Prince

For your research: PP Quimby and his 'mind science'....EW Kenyon studied this foolishness...Kenyon was already steeped in and added Quimby's teachings to his theology...see also Quimby on "" teaching. Kenneth Hagin he of the "Rhema" movement and college popularized this teaching. I do not mean to be overly critical, but this theology is completely ridiculous and completely heretical.

Serious Theological Issues:

GMCSW

Heresy/Aberrant teaching:

The force of faith

We are 'little '

Jesus

Salvation as goes into

This teaching is wrong on every single tenet of as revealed in the Bible

Wrong about the nature of God

Wrong about the nature of man

Wrong about the Christ

Wrong about salvation

Wrong about the place of works

And...wrong on God's intentions for man, i.e., no health and wealth promised

And wrong...on the nature and power of the

This teaching has spread worldwide and is doing incalculable damage. Virtually every preacher, singer, guest, etc...on TBN espouses these false beliefs. Careful also of the Christian book stores.

See many, many internet sources for more detail. Key words: "Prosperity Gospel ," etc.

What to do with this material....

Be aware/warned Be ready to give an answer I Peter 3:15 Be careful to whom you listen and read Be a student of the Word of God

There is a TON of material on this subject....videos and books I have found helpful are listed below: Note: the videos are readily available on You Tube as well as other sources

You will find many, many books on Amazon and at your book store...as well as other internet sources. Key words: Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith

You Tube sources:

"Word of Faith Teachers: Origins and Errors of Their Teaching"

"Suffer The Children-A film by Trevor Glass"

"New Birth Crowns Eddie Long King"

"Tyler Perry Anoints TD Jakes"

Remember: many good Charismatic and Pentecostal sources on this error... see Donnie Swaggart's message on You Tube ("Donnie Swaggart Preaches a Much Needed Message") along with Walter Martin's critique. See also David Wilkerson's remarks on this subject.

The above are very good; I repeat: there are literally 100s of books and videos on this subject. The critically important nature of this subject has demanded that Christian apologists and theologians address it. I cannot express how serious a problem this is.

It saddens me greatly that CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS have all aired exhaustive specials on the excesses of this movement while the church at large has remained largely ignorant, unconcerned and unwilling to discipline those in grievous error.

You can trust what you hear this evening. We are only scratching the surface, but with what we will do this evening, you can become an 'internet expert' on the subject. As always, trust...but verify! (By the Word, of course; we want to be 'Bereans'.)

We were warned: Paul and the Ephesian elders, Paul to Timothy and Titus, Jesus to His disciples, Jude, Peter (II Peter 2:1ff), etc...

This is nothing new: Gnostics, Marcion, Montanus, Tertullian, Arius, Sabellius, mystery religions of the 1st century, etc.