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A Survey of the Roots and Leaders
of the
"Faith" Movement
[Adapted from D. R. McConnell, A Different
Gospel]
October 1, 1997 Bernie L. Gillespie
Introduction
The "Faith" movement gospel is a message ideally suited to the 20th century
American culture.
It has grown from being a part of the charismatic movement to a majority of the same.
We want to show as D. R. McConnell explains in his book, "A Different Gospel"
that the "faith movement is cultic because of its roots and heretical because
of it fruits.
*THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE FM ("Faith"
Movement) ARE NOT PRIMARILY
PENTECOSTAL OR CHARISMATIC. THEY ARE OCCULTIC!
Is Kenneth Hagin the Founder of the FM?
CHARISMA magazine called Kenneth Hagin, "the granddaddy of the Faith
teachers" and "the father of the Faith movement".
Kenneth Copeland - called the heir to Hagin's ministry frequently acknowledges Hagin as
his spiritual father.
Fred Price - "Kenneth Hagin has had the greatest influence upon my life of any
living man."
Charles Capps - "most of my teaching came from Brother Kenneth Hagin."
John Osteen - "I think Brother Hagin is chosen of God and stands in the forefront
of the message of faith."
BUT... IS HAGIN THE FATHER OF THE FAITH MOVEMENT? NO!!!
E. W. Kenyon
John Kennington, a friend of Kenyon: "Kenyon has become the father" of the
so-called faith movement.
Ruth Kenyon Houseworth: daughter of Kenyon believes that her father is and was the
"father of the Faith movement."
Kenyon well pre-dated Hagin's "revelation" of faith. Kenyon was 70 years old
when Hagin was licensed Assemblies of God pastor in '37 at the age of 20.
Hagin was reading Kenyon's books in 1949 and quoted from it.
Hagin plagiarized verbatim large portions and in some cases entire books from Kenyon.
He did this without a single acknowledgment of where he got it.
D. R. McConnell states: "IT WOULD NOT BE OVERSTATED TO SAY THAT THE VERY DOCTRINES
THAT HAVE MADE HAGIN AND THE FAITH MOVEMENT SUCH A DISTINCTIVE AND CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT
ARE ALL PLAGIARIZED FROM E. W. KENYON."
*THIS CERTAINLY QUESTIONS HAGIN'S HONESTY. NOT ONLY THAT, THE SOURCE OF HIS INSPIRATION
IS UNDERMINED SINCE HE CLAIMS THAT HE RECEIVED HIS TEACHING BY DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH
JESUS HIMSELF.
It is inconceivable that the Spirit would inspire Hagin to use another man's words
without telling him who spoke them first. Even Jesus, when He quoted the prophets
recognized the sources or prophets He quoted from.
**HAGIN MAY BE THE KEY FIGURE IN THE FAITH MOVEMENT, BUT KENYON WAS THE AUTHOR OF ITS
MAJOR DOCTRINES.
Bio on Essek William Kenyon
Born: April 24, 1867
Place: Saratoga, N.Y.
Fourth son of 10 children.
Raised a Methodist; moved to Boston; became a Baptist there; attended Unitarian church
of pastor M. J. Savage, one of the leading architects of Unitarian thought; enrolled in
Emerson College of Oratory in 1892; the president - Charles Wesley Emerson - was a
collector of religions; his belief system was composed of smorgasbord of sources of New
Thought metaphysics; Emerson joined the Christian Science Church in 1903; the teaching of
Emerson College was NEW THOUGHT METAPHYSICS.
New Thought Metaphysics
1. It was the brainchild of Phineas Quimby (1802-66)
2. Mary Baker Eddy the founder of Christian Science studied his writings heavily.
3. He influenced the development of:
a. Unity School of Christianity
b. Church of Religious Science
c. Society of the Healing Christ
d. et.al.
Quimby and New Thought teachings:
1. All causes are by internal forces
2. Mind is primary and causative
3. Remedy for all defect and disorder is metaphysical
4. Evil is the absence of Good
5. True reality is spiritual
6. Spiritual is cause of all physical effects
7. Positive confession has the power to create its own reality, either health, wealth,
or sickness.
*A classmate of Kenyon's - Ralph Waldo Trine(1866-1958) has been called: "the most
reputable of New Thought writers."
The teaching of New Thought metaphysics, which was absorbed by Kenyon and then Hagin is
a modern manifestation of Gnosticism.
Gnosticism
GNOSIS = knowledge
It does not mean knowledge in its common usage - it means a
mystical form of knowledge.
BELIEFS OF GNOSTICISM:
1. DUALISM = struggle between good & evil; the physical was evil & the
spiritual was good; the two do not mix.
2. DEMIURGE = God is far above Man and can never be known; the only form of
communication is through mediators; the mediator to Mankind is a created god known as the
demiurge.
3. Material world isn't real and is evil
4. Spirit is enslaved by the material world.
5. Human body & soul is evil.
6. Salvation means liberation of spirit from the flesh and material world.
7. By "enlightenment" or gnosis the spirit is freed from the flesh and the
world.
8. High god sends redeemer to remind humans of their true destiny, to awaken them.
Errors of Gnosticism
1. Scripture calls Creation good; it teaches that the spiritual is involved directly
with the material world.
2. Material world is as real as spiritual though it may not be as enduring.
3. Human body & soul are good because they are made it the image of God.
4. Salvation comes by the physical Incarnation of Jesus Christ Who is the One true
living God; by His physical resurrection He can redeem our bodies and souls.
5. Salvation comes by experiencing the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus.
New Thought borrows from the unscriptural teachings of Gnosticism. It is heretical.
Because Kenyon adopted new thought teachings, his teachings are heretical.
Kenyon said: "the great spiritual laws that govern the unseen forces of life."
This is the
teaching of DEISM: the universe is governed by impersonal laws rather than a personal
sovereign God.
Kenyon said: "God breaking into the sense realm."
This is from the belief of DUALISM: the spiritual realm & and the physical realm
are separate and are opposed to one another.
Kenyon said: "God imparting his own nature to the human spirit" and "God becoming a part of
our very consciousness."
This is called DEIFICATION: the view that salvation entails man becoming a god.
Kenyon said: "spiritual scientists" that are scientists "in the realm of the
spirit."
This compares with Quimby''s idea of "Christian Science" which Mary Baker
Eddy used as the name of the church she founded.
Kenyon believed there would come a "new type of Christianity" lead by
"supermen" who had "revelation knowledge."
TO KNOW GOD, Kenyon believed one must transcend the sensory & scientific knowledge
in order to act upon the knowledge the Bible gives.
Kenyon said: "revelation knowledge" was supernatural knowledge of the spirit realm and its
workings as revealed in Kenyon's interpretation of the Bible. "Sense Knowledge" is the earthly, non-spiritual knowledge gained through the
five physical senses.
He claimed "revelation knowledge" is supernatural knowledge of God & the
Spirit realm revealed in the Bible, which enables you to transcend the limits of
"sense knowledge" and act in "faith".
The term "revelation knowledge" is central to the "faith"
doctrines. It explains much about why they have fallen into unscriptural error!
1. All of the O.T. is based upon a God who reveals Himself by acting in Nature & in
human history.
2. Rom. 1:18-25 makes it clear that God will judge the world for rejecting the
revelation of God seen in Nature.
3. The teaching of revelation in Scripture is not of a special hidden knowledge, but
...
II Pet. 1:20,21 "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came
about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will
of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Other Quotes from Kenyon...
"Our confessions rule us"; "Our faith is measured by our
confessions"; Positive confession makes God's Word "a supernatural force,"
"a dominating force in your lips"; "Faith counts the thing done before God
has acted. That compels God's action." [Taken from TWO KINDS OF FAITH
& JESUS THE HEALER written by Kenyon]
Summary:
E. W. Kenyon's thinking was highly shaped by New Thought metaphysics. This became an
essential part of his new revelation of the Scriptures.
These teachings were picked up by the "Faith" movement and became a central
part of the "Faith" teachings.
Kenneth Hagin
BORN: August 20, 1917
PLACE: McKinney, TX
1. Child of broken home and raised by a mother that was suicidal.
2. He was sick with a heart condition until he was 17.
3. While sick on his death-bed he had two profound experiences that changed his life
& ministry:
a. He "died" and went to hell 3 successive times.
b. After the third trip (thought to be on April 22, 1933) he gave his life to Christ.
c. He received a two-part revelation concerning Mk. 11:23,24
1) Jan. 1, 1934 - "Here is the principle of faith: believe in your heart, say it
with your mouth, and 'he shall have whatsoever he saith'."
2) Aug. 8, 1934 - "The having comes after the believing."
He was made to realize that before you are healed you have to confess and act as if you
are healed!
4. He began preaching as a result of his healing which was accompanied by divine
visitations of "the glory cloud".
5. He received the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" in 1937. After entering
Pentecostal circles he became a licensed Assemblies of God minister.
6. During 12 years as a pastor he claimed unusual things happen under his ministry.
i.e. A woman was levitated into the air while dancing (in the spirit) & he saw several
raised from the dead.
7. 1949 said he didn't have the "anointing" to be a pastor. He joined the
circles of the post-WW II Healing Evangelists.
8. In a vision of Jesus he was called into the "first phase" of his ministry
to the office of Prophet and teacher.
9. He said it was in 1943 on a Thursday at 3:00 p.m. that his teaching ministry began.
He stated that while he was walking through the living room something "clicked"
as "something dropped down on" him. He knew that it was the teaching gift.
"The anointing to teach had dropped inside me. I said, 'Now I can teach'."
10. 1952 he began his call to the office of Prophet.
11. He claims at least 8 separate personal visitations of Jesus. Says he was taken into
both heaven & hell to be taught by Jesus.
12. Sept. 2, 1950 - Jesus -told him the previous 15 years of his ministry had only been
in the "permissive will of God" because he had not done what Jesus had told him
to do.
13. Jan.-Aug. 1950 was the "second phase" of his ministry and it was the
first time that he pleased God.
[It should be noted here that by his own admission he had been reading Kenyon's books
for at least a year]
14. 1950-1959 his ministry fell on hard times.
15. Feb. 1959 he had a sixth visit from Jesus. He was in the hospital for the first
time in 25 years. Jesus told him that He had permitted Satan to damage him in order
"to arrest his attention". His sin was putting his teaching ministry before his
office as a Prophet.
16. One afternoon on Feb. 1959 at 6:30 in the evening Jesus visited him and taught him
how to be "led by the Spirit" by means of the "inward witness". Jesus
told him, "If you will learn to follow that inward witness I will make you
rich." [underlining mine]
This is the beginning of the prosperity element of his teachings.
The bedrock of Hagin's authority as a prophet & teacher comes from direct
communications from Jesus himself!
He claims that Jesus told him to teach to the Church what He (Jesus) had taught him
(Hagin).
17. Hagin claimed that those who refused his teaching would fall under divine judgment.
Some were "slain in the spirit" for doubting him.
Preachers who didn't accept his teaching were to "fall dead
in the pulpit."
18. 1967 he published a book, The Authority of The Believer, which was taken
word-for-word from a series of articles published by John A. MacMillan in 1932 with the
same title. Hagin later admitted it was an "oversight" that he had not cited the
source of this book.
How could Hagin claim direct communication from Jesus while dishonestly plagiarizing
someone else's book?
19. In another book, I BELIEVE, he claims to have been given the authority to discern
whether a disease was of demonic origins by a fire that would jump from one of his hands
to the other.
20. Today he is considered the founder of the "Faith" movement.
Summary:
Hagin claims to be a Prophet called directly by Jesus. He has received the "gift
to teach" which was predicted by Jesus in a previous personal encounter. Jesus told
him to use this gift to teach the things that He gave to him during their personal visits.
This claim gives Hagin's teachings divine authority equal with Scripture. Yet, most of his
teaching can be traced to E. W. Kenyon. As can be documented he has plagiarized whole
books and then claimed direct communication with Jesus as his real source. His error is
not only dishonesty, but setting himself up with special revelation equal to and in some
cases greater than Scripture. While he claims Jesus personally gave him what he teaches,
in fact, they go back through Kenyon, Eddy, Quimby, et. al. to occult sources.
The condemnation of Gal. 1:8,9 must be taken seriously in Hagin's case!
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