A SUMMARY OF WORD OF FAITH TEACHING
(My personal reflections after two decades in the movement)
A long time ago in a garden far, far away, the “god” of the word of faith made man in his image and gave him two very special gifts. The first of these was something called “dominion.” This newly created being, formed out of the dust of the ground was made the “god of this world”, supreme lord over all he surveyed. This gift of dominion meant that man ruled over all his circumstances. Everything in his environment (including the weather) was now subject to him.
The second gift God gave him was seed for sowing. This came in two forms. The first type of seed given to him would be sown into the ground, producing crops of every imaginable kind. Man could determine the type and quantity of the crop he would have. He could have as much or as little as he wished.
The second type of seed took the form of faith filled words. Faith filled words dominate reality. Like His Creator before him, man could speak and everything he said would come to pass. He could have whatever he said. In fact, he not only could have, he would have all that came out of his mouth. Everything on planet earth was subject to man. Nothing was beyond his control. And he exerted that control through the use of his words.
Death and life being in the power of the tongue, no lack or sickness or poverty could continue to exist once man had spoken in faith. If there ever was lack, man could speak ‘abundance’ and everything would conform. All creation awaited man’s faith filled words to see what would be said – the seed of his words would come to fruition.
God was hoping that man would decide to speak words of life rather than death. Oh how he hoped for that! In this way, all would be well; all would be good.
But something happened that meant disaster for God and His plan. Man listened to the serpent and liked what he heard. He decided to get in league with the crafty snake and instead of choosing words that would bring life, health, prosperity and blessing, he chose the way of death. The curse of death now reigned. Sickness and poverty would gain the upper hand.
If we could imagine a father giving a new car to a son as a gift, so God, having given man the keys to His car (planet earth), He could only watch in horror as man drove the car at full speed into the ditch.
The first man had failed to use his dominion wisely. In obeying the serpent, Adam (and his race) had handed over the planet’s keys to the devil. The devil (not God) was now in charge – the ruling “god of this world.” There was now nothing God could do. His hands were tied. All He could do was hope.
Hopefully, yes, just hopefully, another man would arise who would make good decisions and restore dominion back to mankind. That was God’s hope anyway, in something called the plan of redemption.
HERESY
Here is what we know about heresy. It is almost always some truth taken to an extreme.
No one among us (or very few) would believe something that had absolutely no basis in reality. But if the one dispensing heresy can put some truth in there, like a good and wholesome sandwich, he can include healthy meat with just enough poison, and it becomes a lethal meal for anyone who partakes of it.
Ladies and gentlemen, the account you have read above here is heresy of a most pernicious and damnable kind. It is not true. It is error of the worst kind. And dear reader, this is the error taught in the word of faith movement.
Behind the words of the word of faith preacher lays a hissing serpent spewing out damnable lies about God, about man and about the nature of reality. These lies are damnable for the simple reason that if they are believed, they damn the human soul forever. Yet the serpent dispenses his lies with just enough truth included so as to deceive his prey.