A Shell of the Truth, Stuffed with Lies

With a new generation of Health and Wealth -- also called Word-Faith -- teachers gaining widespread acceptance in mainstream Christianity, CRI President and Bible Answer Man, Hank Hanegraaff, is warning that their doctrines promote a "wildly distorted perception of what it means to be a Christian."

Hank calls the growing influence of the Word-Faith movement "one of the greatest threats to Christianity from within." He says he is especially concerned by the striking similarity between occult ideas popularized by secular authors like Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, and the writings of mega-church and T.V. preacher, Joel Osteen.

The Threat from Within

"Although Byrne and Osteen have noteworthy differences," Hank notes, "they agree that 'You are the Master of the Universe, and the Genie is there to serve you.'"

"For Byrne, the Genie is the 'law of attraction,'" Hank contends. "For Joel Osteen, it is the Word of Faith. Osteen writes, 'the moment you speak something out, you give birth to it. This is a spiritual principle, and it works whether what you are saying is good or bad, positive or negative.'"

In Word Faith theology, this principle is supposedly so powerful that even God is bound by it. But to make this point, Word Faith teachers have to twist God's Word. For instance, Osteen claims that "Scripture tells us that we are to 'call the things that are not as if they already were.'" However, Romans 4:17 says that it is actually God -- not us -- "who calls things that are not as though they were."

"Tragically," Hanegraaff adds, "Joel Osteen isn't the only Word Faith teacher who twists Scripture in order to advance dangerous doctrines." A host of prominent preachers have employed similar techniques, and Hanegraaff says they are plunging Christianity into an ever-deepening crisis.

Reaching the Deceived

"People flock to Word Faith churches because they are drawn to the promise of unparalleled prosperity and good health," Hank says. "But they don't see that people have swallowed the cyanide and are now sick and dying because the promises are empty."

Noting that Word Faith teachers operate using outward trappings of Christianity, Hank warns that "millions have fallen for a shell of the truth, stuffed with lies."

The good news is that many people are leaving the Word Faith movement and over the last fifteen years so many people can give credit to CRI (The Christian Research Institute) for being instrumental in getting them out of the movement. Hank says, "By God's grace, we will continue to minister to people who've been deceived by this counterfeit gospel."

(From Equip newsletter - Christian Research Institute, Vol. 21, Iss. 3 - April 2008)

I recently sent away and received the audio adaptation of Hank's highly acclaimed book, Christianity in Crisis. It uses the faith teachers' own words to expose their dangerous heresies. I highly recommend you visit Hank's website at www.equip.org to obtain this audio adaptation.