Is the Word of Faith Movement biblical:

While you may be unfamiliar with the term Word of Faith Movement you are likely aware of some pastors who submit to the Word of Faith Movement. Unfortunately, these pastors are the movers and shakers of modern televangelism. This is not to say televangelism is wrong, or that most televangelists are teaching a false Christianity. In reality, the Word of Faith Movement pastors are simply the most vocal and do not make up a majority of televangelists.

Despite being a minority of televangelists, the Word of Faith Movement is very powerful and very influential. They have mastered the art of convincing people to donate large sums of money and, therefore, are very well funded. Before we go any further, we should clarify what exactly the Word of Faith Movement is:

What is the Word of Faith Movement:

The name “Word of Faith Movement” has been used by apologists to identify a group of pastors who teach that your words have power. Simply the act of saying something can have an effect upon the outcome of events. Positive words have a positive effect upon your life. Negative words have a negative effect upon your life.

For example: If you are in a dire financial situation, speaking positively about your finances: Such as “I can pay my bills.” will cause your financial situation to correct itself. While it may seem to be innocent enough to teach such a power, it is a non-Biblical teaching and must be addressed.

What is wrong with the Word of Faith Movement:

Very simply, what is wrong with the Word of Faith Movement is their teachings are not Biblical. The Bible makes very clear we are to pray to God for assistance, not rely on mystical powers of our words. We are to pray according to God’s will, not our own will. If God chooses to keep up in our dire situations, we must accept his will and learn what it is he is trying to teach us.

When a Christian prays for help, that help will be given. This much is true. However, you must acknowledge God as the cause of your relief, not yourself or your words. How God chooses to give us this help is up to him. If there is a greater purpose to our suffering, then we will remain in suffering despite our prayers. As Christians we must be willing to accept God’s will may not be the same as our desires. We pray “your will be done,” not “do what I say.”

The hazard of the Word of Faith Movement is people in the millions come to faith as a result of their false teachings. While this may appear to be a good thing, the foundation of these new converts is a lie. If that foundation is tested it will likely fail. As a result, these people risk losing their faith and may even resent the Christian faith for teaching them a lie. Millions of converts today can result in millions of resentful disbelievers tomorrow.

Other problems with the Word of Faith Movement:

The Word of Faith Movement is a division of the Charismatic Movement. Teaching our words have an effect upon our lives is only one of many non-Biblical teachings maintained by the Word of Faith Movement. They also subscribe to the teachings of the Charismatic Movement.

Below is a list of teaching and practices maintained by the Charismatic Movement:

Speaking in tongues:

If you have ever seen a pastor suddenly begin speaking gibberish in the middle of a intelligible statement, you have seen someone pretending to speak in tongues. We have not been able to identify what language they are trying to speak and we are quite sure they are not speaking any language. Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, and many other TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) pastors are well known for this.

This practice not only makes the pastor appear non-credible, it is not Biblical to speak in tongues without a translator present to verify you are speaking in a foreign language.

Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air…For this reason anyone who speaks in tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says…But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:9,13,19

Initially, speaking in tongues was used by the early apostles to spread the Gospel to foreign lands, nothing more. It certainly has no purpose today. Next time you see a pastor speak in tongues, ask them what they said and what language they said it in. Then find someone to translate what they said.

Slaying in the spirit:

This is the silliest of practices. This is the act of causing someone to fall allegedly from the “power of the Holy Spirit.” In reality, this is a psychological trick using suggestion and peer pressure and is absolutely unsupported by the Bible.

Some of these pastors site Biblical passages regarding people who fell in the presence of God:

• Abraham – Genesis 17:3
• Daniel – Daniel 8:17
• Paul – Acts 9:3
• Peter – Acts 10:9
• John – Revelation 1:17

However, there are some significant differences between these accounts found within the Bible and the act of being “Slain In the Spirit.” One obvious difference is these people fell forward, not on their backs. Also important to note is the falling of these people served a purpose, from each of the experiences described above scripture was provided. Being Slain in the Spirit serves no purpose. No example of random unwarranted and meaningless falling can be found in scripture.

Prophetic Abilities:

Many of these pastors claim to have prophetic experiences. However, rarely do these prophecies come to fruition. In reality, prophecy was concluded with the book of Revelation. There are no prophets today. If anyone claims to be a prophet or claims God told them something is going to happen, they are lying. This is the most dangerous practice of these pastors. Odds are their prediction will not come to pass. When their prophecy is proven to be false, many people may become discouraged and leave their faith.

If you see a pastor make prophecy, record the prophecy of the pastor. If the prediction does not come to pass, confront the pastor and ask if God really told them this was going to happen. This may discourage the pastor from claiming God did something he in fact did not.

As Christians we are to hold our teachers and pastors accountable. The effect of just one pastor teaching something not Biblical can have an eternal effect. As teachers, we are to be careful and remember that God will hold us accountable for what we teach.