Consequences of the Faith Movement

Faith Movement Teachings Hinder Personal Sanctification

The Faith teachers claim their methods will lead the believer into a higher level of spirituality. But unfortunately, the Faith Movement actually works against the spiritual growth of a Christian. It does this in many ways, directly and indirectly.

1. By experientialism -- First, it teaches Christians that spiritual experiences are the primary emphasis of the Christian life and more important than biblical study. This undermines biblical authority.
2. By new revelation -- Second, the Faith Movement undermines Christian growth through an appeal to newer, allegedly better revelations. But all these new revelations have accomplished is to confuse believers with false teachings.
3. By spiritual malnourishment -- If only "faith" is preached (and a distorted faith at that), can this provide spiritual nourishment? If people are never told the content of the Bible, of what value is their "faith" when there is precious little that is biblical for such faith to act upon? Even Kenneth Hagin, Jr. confesses that "a portion of the Word of God preached without the whole counsel of the Word of God is as dangerous as a baby playing with dynamite. And that is the problem in Charismatic Christianity today..."
4. By spiritual pride -- The Faith Movement can also foster spiritual pride, and nothing is more deadly to spiritual growth. The Bible teaches that God hates pride and that pride destroys people spiritually (Proverbs 8:13; 11:2; 16:18). Unfortunately, pride in spiritual leaders tends to beget pride in their followers. People who think that God speaks to them audibly on a regular basis, who believe that they are "little gods" and have the powers of Jesus, who claim to perform miracles, who have vast multi-million dollar ministries with international satellite communication networks, who think they can literally command angels and manipulate creation, speaking into existence things which do not exist -- these are things which may generate spiritual pride.
5. By distortion of priorities -- When the Faith teachers claim that Jesus was not poor, and that we can have whatever we say and that nothing is impossible to us in the realm of making money or being successful, they are tragically reducing the glory of what it is to be a Christian. They have emaciated the Christian life to a trivial focus, that of meeting only surface needs (cf. Hebrews 11:25-26).

Other Tragedies Associated with the Faith Movement

People who first join the Faith Movement are initially enamoured with the prospects of abundance and prosperity and all the excitement they see around them. But sooner or later, the bubble bursts. Thousands of former Faith members have learned the hard way: by ruined finances, poor health, the inability to trust -- and even personal tragedy.

If Christians imitate the cults and their practices, should anyone be surprised they may suffer the same results as those cults? Thousands of people have been injured or actually have died from believing the teachings of Christian Science, Jehovah Witnesses, Mind Science, and Armstrongism that faith will cure terminal illness and/or that using modern medicine in part or whole is sinful and wrong. Not surprisingly then, besides the spiritual tragedies due to the Faith teachings, there are also physical tragedies. As a result of Faith teachings, hundreds of churches today believe either that it is wrong and sinful to use modern medical science or that any Christian who truly wants God's "best" will not seek its help. More than once this has led to fatalities. For example, the "Faith Assembly" Movement of Hobart Freeman has caused well over 100 unnecessary deaths (including Freeman's), and the "End Timers" cult in North Central Florida has also allowed several dozen children and adults to die prematurely.

The irony of a teaching claiming success and healing actually leading to misery and death is not lost upon those who have suffered the personal consequences of losing loved ones, as revealed in books such as Larry Parker's, We Let Our Son Die.

(From the Facts on the Faith Movement by John Ankerberg & John Weldon)