When I was still a lost sinner searching for truth, and wanted to learn more about Christianity, I would turn my television on the “Christian channels” like the Trinity Broadcast Network or Daystar. I would also continue to watch these programs when I finally came to Christ because I still didn’t understand the Gospel completely and I was still trying to learn more about it. Some of the pastors on these stations were: Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Paula White, Benny Hinn, Fred Price and many others. But for some reason when these people were preaching, something just didn’t seem right to me, and at the time, God had put a fire in me to want to learn more about Him and His Word, so I continued to study the scriptures and started to do some research on these pastors that I came to find out were called “Prosperity Preachers”.

History of the Health and Wealth Gospel

After searching the Scriptures and researching this Prosperity Gospel (also known as the “The Word of Faith Movement”) I started seeing the errors in a lot of their theology, so I looked into the history of it and compared it to what the Bible said and what the early church taught about the Bible. I found out that this movement was started in the late 20th century out of the Pentecostal Church by a man named E.W. Kenyon who was involved in the teachings of “New Thought Spirituality” which was started by Phineas Quimby. Another man by the name of E.W. Kenyon took this mystic religion of “Mind Science” (“Name it Claim it”), and mixed it in with Orthodox Christianity. From there a man by the name of Kenneth E. Hagin (who was a student of E.W. Kenyon), starting preaching this “positive confession” into his sermons, and the Word of Faith Movement was born. This paved the way for the teachers we see today on television like: Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and Joyce Meyer. 

Beliefs and Teachings

So, what does the Word of Faith movement teach? First, they say that we are all in control of our own destiny because we are made in the image of God, which makes us “little gods”. It is true that every human is made in the image of God (English Standard Version, Gen. 1:27), but that doesn’t mean we are gods ourselves, nor are we divine in nature. They say that because God spoke the world into existence, we too can speak reality and things into existence as well. For example, if you want good health you just have to think it, confess it, and believe that you will have good health and be cured of any diseases you might have. Do you want a new car and to be financially successful? Just name it and claim it. The power is within you and all you have to do is ask and have faith that it will happen for you. On the surface this sounds awesome, but it is not Biblical, and the demonic thing about this philosophy is they say if you don’t have good health or you aren’t rich, then you just don’t have enough faith or there is too much sin in your life. So, is this what we tell the Christian in Africa who is living in poverty? Or what about the little boy or girl in the cancer ward who may have more faith than her whole family alone and is still not cured? Do we tell these people, “Hey, the reason you are still poor or that God hasn’t removed your cancer is because you just lack faith, or maybe there is too much sin in your life.”? What an evil thing to say. This could cause somebody to forsake God with this type of approach if they don’t get what they want. Scripture totally condemns this. Just look at the apostles. Most of them were martyred for their faith. The Apostle Paul was whipped, tortured, and thrown in prison. Did he have too much sin in his life or lack faith? How about our brothers and sisters in North Korea or the Middle East who are being killed for their faith? Finally, what about the Lord Jesus Christ? He was beaten, betrayed, spit on, whipped, homeless, and eventually killed. What about Him? Do you see where I’m going with this?

Second, the Name It Claim It Gospel also says that Jesus Christ gave up His divinity when becoming a man (scripture continually says that He was fully man and fully God), died only spiritually, was born again in Hell while the devil tormented Him, and then rose again with God’s nature (scripture declares He was always God). This doctrine is down-right heresy and has crept into the American Churches and is deceiving many.

Finally, these so-called preachers also tell people that whatever they tithe, God will multiply that. Yes, the Bible commands believers to tithe, but it doesn’t say we will get rich doing it. We are supposed to tithe to help our church and fellow Believers, while at the same time further the message of the Gospel, which is Christ, the Son of God, came to die for the sin of the world. Christ died to make us spiritually clean, so we can have a relationship with Him now, and later on go to be with Him in His Kingdom. When we tithe under the New Covenant we are living now, the Bible says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). We do this out of love and obedience for Him, and to make sure that we are not just trusting in our finances, but in Him who provides, not for what our carnal heart’s desire.

Truth mixed with New Age Lies

The Word of Faith movement is a heretical doctrine that deceives both the world and Christians who lack discernment. This spirituality is more closely related to the popular book called The Secret than it is to Orthodox Christianity. It is what is also known as the “Law of Attraction”. This is also the popular stance of the New Age Movement that is so popular with the world today, and is even promoted by Oprah Winfrey, and her guests like, Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tully. This all goes back to the eastern-ancient, pagan religions which promote Mysticism, which says humans are divine, connected to the universe, and we can use our thoughts to make the universe conform to our wants and desires.

The prosperity preachers just took this ideology and placed the label “Christian” on it. Instead of God being sovereign over all His creation, He is reduced to a genie in a bottle who gives us our fallen, natural, corrupt heart’s desires. This is why Joel Osteen is so popular. The world wants to hear that they can become rich and be completely healed. It is what the Bible talks about what will happen in the latter days, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Genesis 3

What these men and women are forgetting to preach to their audience is Genesis 3. Do you know what happened in Genesis 3? Well, first, Satan mixed truth with lies (this is what he still does now) to deceive Adam and Eve into sinning against their Maker. In Genesis 3:4-5 it says, “But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan lied about us not dying, because now we all die and are cut off from God spiritually.

But he did tell the truth about our “eyes being open” and “being like God”, because now we are no longer innocent and do know and do evil. Also, lost people still try to be their own god and set the standard of right and wrong. Finally, the world was cursed by God when this happened. So, this means creation and us are all in a fallen state, which means there will be pain, disease, sickness, broken relationships, war, and eventually death in this life. And I’m not saying that God doesn’t heal or bless, but what I am saying is it is all according to HIS WILL, not our own. God chooses who He will heal and when a person dies. He decides if He will allow sickness or pain in our lives because it is all part of His plan. A lot of these questions will not get answered until we go home to be with Him. Read the book of Job. After Job goes through all those trials and pain, and finally God comes to Job about his questions of “Why me Lord?”, God never gives him an answer. But Job comes to the realization that God is good and in control. God does not have to answer all our questions. God wants us to trust Him in all circumstances. And sometimes God uses sin and pain so we will lean on Him and trust that He has a plan for all of it.

Conclusion

Let me finish by saying this. I am not against being positive in life and I’m not saying to hate yourself. We all know that the brain is very powerful, so we don’t want to let the heart become bitter and just hold on to a negative-worldview. I am also not saying that God wants us to be miserable or that He doesn’t heal or bless people. All thorough out God’s word we see that God does heal and bless people, so I’m not saying that, and I do know that God does that still today. And we are to continue praying for those that need to be healed, be blessed, or who need help with money. What I am trying to get across is that God is the one who chooses what He will do. Like a loving parent, He either says: Yes, no, or later. It all depends on His will. Jesus healed many people, but that was to prove to the world that He was the Messiah. His main mission was to preach the good news that He is the one who can forgive us of our sins and heal our spiritual sickness, which is keeping us in bondage. Christ offers freedom in Him and eternal life. True joy and happiness comes by Christ Himself, not the worldly gifts that are passing away. This is the Gospel.

It’s not how much health and wealth I can get in this life, but it’s about storing up our treasures in the next life (Matt. 6: 19-21). We can’t control the universe, nor can we control the Creator of the universe. Maybe God has a plan for the cancer ward patient that He “chooses” not to heal because He can use the situation to bring that person’s great faith to get more people saved. Or maybe God wants to take the person home to be with Him. The reasons could be numerous, but it is all for the glory of God, and we are to put our faith in Him and trust His plan when going through these hardships. It is a pleasure to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. That is what makes our faith stronger and our wanting of God” (James 1:2-4).