The Narrow Path Ministries

http://www.justinpeters.org/Chapel.wmv

This is the introductory session of a seminar by a guy named Justin Peters who wrote his doctoral thesis on the Word of Faith movement. He mostly seems to minister in Southern Baptist churches. Here's his website:
http://www.justinpeters.org/index.htm

That was really interesting viewing. Some of the teachng of the WoF is truly mind-boggling. (I also happened to notice that if one were to insert just one little letter into "WoF", it would line up quite nicely with a certain prophecy by Paul)!
I ordered the DVD set of the whole seminar. I know someone who would benefit from some education on this; I know the DVD format would be more acceptable - she is in need of healing, and gets up at some ungodly hour in the morning to watch Joyce Meyer.

Thanks for the link, Danny. Justin Peters's interview with Drew Marshall was also interesing.

He was an awesome speaker. I went to his website first, but only for a quick look, and thought that it looked awfully slick and commercial, so I wasn't expecting such heart-felt, comprehensive discussion.

I know what you mean. And another thing - I think preachers should be banned from using professional studio portraits, and wearing a suit and tie! Rightly or wrongly, I always find it quite off-putting.

Ha! It's probably a pagan hold-over.

What? My attitude, or the suit and tie???

My wife and I watched the video together - it was quite good. It's helpful to see where these teachings derive from and important to realize they're not just a flawed emphasis in the Christian life, but grounded in what I think is demonic influence and very unChristian doctrines. Hearing them equate man with God and unequivocally giving people power over Christian as gods is pretty creepy.

I'd say easily half or more of the people I come into contact with away from church in our town who say they're Christians use language from these teachers, and my former minister believes it is probably the number one heresy creeping into our own church in subtle but sometimes not so subtle ways.

Darin wrote:

it is probably the number one heresy

what specifically about the WOF movement would you say is heretical?

This is for everyone, not just Darin.

The reason I ask is that there is WOF, then there is simply "faith."

I believe much of evangelical christianity has abandoned faith as depicted by the early church. We reason that "God doesnt work that way anymore" and thereby free ourselves of the responsibility to do what Jesus said to do.

TK

what specifically about the WOF movement would you say is heretical?

I really encourage you to view the video. There are many things at work, I believe, but at the foremost it seems that the beliefs arise from an understanding that we are all little gods literally made in the exact image of God and that as gods we can't be sick -- if we are sick or poor, then we can't be saved. Often, they appeal to direct revelation when Scripture can't be squared with their teachings, and believe we even have control over the weather and all aspects of creation. They seem to take those things uniquely true about God and attribute them to humanity.

It seems truly demonic, and without question heretical, having very little to do with a simple emphasis on Faith.

One of the video clips even had one of the popular teachers suggesting that it was a sin to pray "in the will of God" as it reflects a weakness of faith (in our own power).

Steve also has a study on the WoF movement, but there was some pretty shocking things in this video (not in any way put forward for the sheer shock value).

TK Wrote

what specifically about the WOF movement would you say is heretical?

This is for everyone, not just Darin.

The reason I ask is that there is WOF, then there is simply "faith."

I believe much of evangelical christianity has abandoned faith as depicted by the early church. We reason that "God doesnt work that way anymore" and thereby free ourselves of the responsibility to do what Jesus said to do.

TK, I appreciate your caution in overreacting to the WOF. I agree that we should be encouraging each other to have more faith in our walk. The issue with the WOF is that they have a unique understanding of what faith actually is. We would generally understand faith to be a trust in God and his word. The WOF see faith as a force that God even needed to use. You speak the right words and believe in those words and things will happen.

In my mind the two the biggest dangers in WOF teaching are:

1. It diminishes the greatness of God and changes your focus to having faith in the power of your own words to create things as opposed to faith in God himself.

2. Rather than seeing God as your heavenly father and simply trusting in him, your Christian life becomes very mechanical...."say the right word", "have the right thought" etc.... and you're always fearful that you might say or think the wrong thing. Therefore, to a large degree, it robs you of your sweet relationship with God. He is our heavenly father, he will meet our needs and he is bigger than any word we may or may not say. This concept is, unfortunately, completely lost in the WOF teaching.