The teachings of Word of Faith are unbiblical. It lacks a formal hierarchy and organization, and it is not a denomination. It is a movement that has been greatly impacted by several well-known pastors and educators, including Fred Price, Paul and Jan Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, and Kenneth Copeland.
The late 20th-century Pentecostal movement gave rise to the Word of Faith movement. E. W. Kenyon, its founder, studied the metaphysical New Thought teachings of Phineas Quimby. Mind science (where “name it and claim it” originated) was blended with Pentecostalism to create an odd blend of mysticism and orthodox Christianity. E. W. Kenyon was the teacher of Kenneth Hagin, who helped shape the Word of Faith movement into what it is today. The core theology that most Word of Faith instructors are utterly heretical, to utterly absurd.
At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the “force of faith.” It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth). Laws supposedly governing the faith-force are said to operate independently of God’s sovereign will and that God Himself is subject to these laws. This is nothing short of idolatry, turning our faith—and by extension ourselves—into god.
From here, its theology just strays further and further from Scripture: it claims that God created human beings in His literal, physical image as little gods. Before the fall, humans had the potential to call things into existence by using the faith-force. After the fall, humans took on Satan’s nature and lost the ability to call things into existence. To correct this situation, Jesus Christ gave up His divinity and became a man, died spiritually, took Satan’s nature upon Himself, went to hell, was born again, and rose from the dead with God’s nature. After this, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to replicate the Incarnation in believers so they could become little gods as God had originally intended.
Following the natural progression of these teachings, as little gods, we again have the ability to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life. Illness, sin, and failure are the result of a lack of faith, and are remedied by confession—claiming God’s promises for oneself into existence. Simply put, the Word of Faith movement exalts man to god-status and reduces God to man-status. Needless to say, this is a false representation of what Christianity is all about. Word of Faith teaching does not take into account what is found in Scripture. Personal revelation, not Scripture, is highly relied upon to come up with such absurd beliefs, which is just one more proof of its heretical nature.
The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling since the Garden: “You shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings.
