The Facts on the Faith Movement by John Ankerberg & John Weldon

From the Back Cover

The growing and much-publicized Faith Movement has captured literally millions of Christians with its seductive claims -- but is it biblical? Authors Ankerberg and Weldon answer key questions about the Movement and its leaders:

• What are the basic teachings of the Faith Movement?
• How powerful is the Faith Movement, and why has it been so successful?
• What characteristics of the Faith Movement concern people?
• Do the Faith teachers misinterpret Scripture?

This booklet carefully separates fact from fiction regarding the Faith Movement's disturbing presence in twentieth-century Christianity.

About the Authors

John Ankerberg is the host of the nationally televised award-winning "The John Ankerberg Show." He speaks internationally and has master's degrees in divinity and the history of the church and Christian thought.

John Weldon has authored and co-authored numerous books on the cults and occult and has master's degrees in divinity and Christian apologetics, and a doctorate in comparative religion.

Section One -- Defining the Faith Movement

1. What are the basic teachings of the Faith Movement?
2. How powerful is the Faith Movement, and why has it been successful?
3. What have respected Christian leaders in the Church said about the Faith Movement?
4. Why is doctrine important?
5. Why is the idea of "unity over doctrine" a false teaching?
6. What characteristics of the Faith Movement concern people?
7. What is faith?
8. Do the Faith teachers claim that their new revelations come directly from God?
9. Why do the Faith teachers misinterpret Scripture?

Section Two -- The Teachings of the Faith Movement

1. What is operation "Caricature"?
2. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Benny Hinn?
3. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Kenneth Copeland?
4. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Robert Tilton?
5. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
6. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Oral and Richard Roberts?
7. What are some examples of the unorthodox teachings of Paul Yonggi Cho?

Section Three -- The Faith Movement, the Cults and the Occult

1. What is the relationship between the Faith teachings and cultic theology?
2. How do angels and the occult relate to the Faith Movement?

Section Four -- The Consequences of the Faith Movement and a Scriptural Corrective

1. How do the teachings of the Faith Movement hinder personal sanctification?
2. What are some other tragedies associated with the Faith Movement?
3. Do the Faith teachers confess that their Faith teachings do not work?
4. How do the Scriptures correct the Faith teachings?
5. Should the will of God not be of concern to Christians?

The True Issue of the Faith Movement

Poverty is an evil spirit (Kenneth Copeland, Prosperity: The Choice is Yours, 4).

And do you know what is going to happen now? I am going to let you in on a little secret. Somebody is going to give me $50,000. Because you can have what you say (Kenneth Hagin, Mountain Moving Faith, 21).

God's riches are laid end-to-end across heaven waiting to be given to you (Oral Roberts, Seed Faith Commentary, 92).

Benjamin B. Warfield, perhaps the greatest theologian of the nineteenth century, commented that, "The curse of the Church has been her apathy to truth ... She has nothing to fear from truth; but she has everything to fear and she has already suffered nearly everything from ignorance."

Faith teachers with satellite communications can literally preach to millions or tens of millions of people. This means that perhaps more than anyone else they have the potential for being a force for either tremendous good or incalculable harm. Because of the Christian teacher's potential to good or evil, God warns, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgement" (James 3:1). If God says this to those who a teach a few hundred, how much more must it be true for those who teach millions?

... But the issue of the Faith Movement is not whether its teachers are sincere or whether they teach some things that are true. The issue is their overall message and its consequences in the life of the Church....

This booklet can be purchased at www.johnankerberg.org..

Twisted Scriptures by Mary Alice Chrnalogar

Introduction

This is important! This book is designed to restore a loved one's ability to think without being unduly influenced by a particular group. For many, this book will break the psychological control exerted by an abusive discipling relationship or controlling church. That is why there is overlapping of information and repetition of ideas. The victim's strongly biased mind needs this repetition if family, friends, or therapists are to be successful in restoring objectivity.

You may be reading this now because someone close to you suspects you are being hurt, rather than helped, by your discipling relationship. It is normal to feel somewhat defensive or resentful when questioned about the possibility of abuse in our own churches or ministries. Remember, the Apostle Paul tells us, "examine everything carefully" (1 Thess. 5:21). I am not asking you to accept my opinion about your church or group. Instead, evaluate what is happening to you and around you. After reading this book, you should be able to decide for yourself if there is reason to be concerned.

Friends and family: If you have a loved one caught up in what you suspect is a controlling ministry, collect information about the group, then ask the victim to read this book from cover to cover, use the checklists at the end of each chapter as a starting point for conversation. Finally, discuss the information with him or her away from the group and with former members if possible.

Freedom exists through discipline and obedience -- obedience not to yourself or another human, but to God. Many disciples think they are being taught the right way of obedience; but they are deceived into giving up their desires, wishes, and goals for those of another mortal being -- their discipler.

From the Back Cover

You joined your church because of it's intensity for God. Like no other place, it's helped you discover the meaning of obedience, of teachableness, of death to self. If there is one problem, it's the confusion that sometimes comes from your own carnal thinking. But God has given you leaders who can lovingly correct a doubting independent spirit and help you choose God's best for your life.

How can you go wrong with a church like that? Easily. What you just read actually fits the profile of many abusive churches. Twisted Scriptures reveals in depth how the Bible can be distorted in ways that rob you of the liberty Jesus died to give you. You might be shocked at what you discover.

This book uncovers the subtle but powerful techniques by which, in the name of truth, controlling leaders manipulate and intimidate countless believers. It also supplies tools for overcoming persuasive, deceptive teachings and practices.

Thousands of Christians have already moved from struggle to true freedom and hope through Twisted Scriptures. If you truly want to grow in everything God made you to be, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

"I did not realize I was in an abusive ministry until I read Twisted Scriptures. I thought the author had followed me around for sixteen years when she wrote this book. It is so accurate." -- former "disciple," Dallas, Texas

"This is controversial...many sheep will be told not to read it. Anyone told this should read it immediately. This is an important book -- not only to help victims break out of bondage but every pastor should be required to read it." -- Edward J. Green, Ph.D., Guerry Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Tennessee

About the Author

Mary Alice Chrnalogar, a dedicated Christian, has spent more than nineteen years working to rescue victims who are extremely controlled by leaders or destructive groups. Miss Chrnalogar is a respected international consultant in the field of cult education and has assisted with family interventions throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, France, Israel, and Spain.

Her extensive work with those injured by mind control gives her a valuable insight into the thinking of these misguided persons and knowledge of how they keep themselves from thinking critically and objectively. This book is the foundation of the unique program Miss Chrnalogar uses to break the excessive and improper influences of leaders and abusive discipleship.

Miss Chrnaloger states, "It is one of my greatest joys to receive phone calls weekly from individuals who are so grateful to me for writing this book because the information freed them from an unhealthy church. My favourite thank-you was a message sent to me by an ordained minister. He wrote, 'Chrnaloger's book was a god-send to me. I left an abusive system five years ago but her book has given my life new meaning. The Scriptures that used to haunt me no longer do because Miss Chrnaloger places them in the correct context.'"

The author comments, "My greatest happiness in life is knowing that many will be healed after they read this book that the Lord inspired in my heart."

Chapter Titles Include:

Ch. 1 - The Discipleship Game

Ch. 2 - The Discipleship Disaster

Ch. 3 - Authority Unlimited

Ch. 4 - Beyond Accountability

Ch. 5 - The Language of Enslavement

Ch. 6 - Whose Will Is It?

Ch. 7 - Control in Black and White

Ch. 8 - Vicious Information Control

Ch. 9 - Truth or Consequences

Ch. 10 - Confession Confusion

Ch. 11 - Walling Off the World

Ch. 12 - What God and the Discipler Have Joined Together

Ch. 13 - This Can't Be Mind Control, Can It?

Ch. 14 - Collision With Leadership

Ch. 15 - The New Inquisition

Ch. 16 - Boxes Within Boxes

Ch. 17 - The Way to Freedom

Epilogue - Leader of Heaven's Gate Undermined Free Will

Appendix II - Accountability Groups: A Brief History

Appendix III - A Summary of Abuses (114 Abuses Listed)

Where To Get This Book

www.amazon.com

The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin

Inside the Front Cover

Since the first edition was published in 1965, Walter Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults has been the leading reference work on the major contemporary cult systems. With an emphasis on the active, proselytizing cults, The Kingdom of the Cults is a crucial tool in counter-cult ministry and evangelism.

Inside the Back Cover

Walter Martin is a world-renowned expert on cults and the founder of the Christian Research Institute. He was the original Bible Answer Man, host of the popular syndicated call-in show heard around the country. He held four earned degrees, having received his doctorate from California Coast University in the field of Comparative Religions. Walter Martin is also the author of a dozen books, a half dozen booklets and many articles.

From the Back Cover

In an era of rapid cult growth world-wide, Christians today more than ever need the trustworthy information contained in The Kingdom of the Cults. This comprehensive edition equips readers from every walk of life to use biblical truth to counter the efforts of cults who masquerade as main-stream Christians.

The Grand Poo-Bah says

The Word of Faith / Faith Movement had twenty-two pages devoted to it in the 1997 version of this book. The Grand Poo-Bah was very fortunate to have this version of the book fall into his hands a few years ago. It was the last available copy at my local Christian bookstore and I was told by the vendor that there would be no more copies of this version available in the future. The current version no longer contains this section. In order to read the majority of this now missing information on the Faith Movement, you need to refer to the Archived Blogs between Sat. June 7, 2008 and Wed. June 25, 2008.

Charismatic Chaos by John F. MacArthur Jr.

From the Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Is Experience a Valid Test of Truth?

• It All Starts with the Baptism of the Spirit
• Was Peter a Charismatic?
• Did Paul rely on Experience
• Keen but Clueless
• The Origins of Experiential Theology ...

Chapter 2 - Does God Still Give Revelation?

• The Canon Is Closed
• How the Biblical Canon was Chosen and Closed ...

Chapter 3 - Prophets, Fanatics or Heretics?

• The Kansas City Prophets
• Roman Catholicism
• From Sola Scriptura to "Something More" ...

Chapter 4 - How Should We Interpret the Bible

• Three Errors to Avoid
• Five Principles for Sound Bible Interpretation
• Four Texts Charismatics Commonly Misinterpret ...

Chapter 5 - Does God Do Miracles Today?

• What Happened to the Age of Miracles
• Are Miracles Necessary Today?
• Does God Promise Miracles for Everyone?
• What Made the Apostles Unique?
• Has God's Power Diminished? ...

Chapter 6 - What is Behind the "Third Wave" and Where is it Going?

• Signs and Wonders?
• Power Evangelism?...

Chapter 7 - How Do Spiritual Gifts Operate?

• Spiritual Gifts or Spiritual Casualties?
• Gifts in the Corinthian Church
• Carried Away with False Gifts ...

Chapter 8 - What was Happening in the Early Church?

• The Charismatic Doctrine of Subsequence
• Seek the Power or Release It
• Is Spirit Baptism a Fact or a Feeling?
• The Difference between the Baptism and the Feeling ...

Chapter 9 - Does God Still Heal?

• What was the Biblical Gift of Miracles?
• A Closer Look at Healers and Healing
• God Does Heal -- His Way
• How Did Jesus Heal?
• The Gift of Healing is Gone, but the Lord Continues to Heal
• What is the Explanation for Charismatic Healings?
• Has God Promised to Heal All Who Have Faith? ...

Chapter 10 - Is the Gift of Tongues for Today?

• The Biblical Gift of Tongues
• Are Tongues a Heavenly Language?
• Counterfeit Tongues
• The Abuse of Tongues at Corinth
• Tongues Will Cease
• What Kind of Tongues are Being Spoken Today? ...

Chapter 11 - What is True Spirituality?

• The Zapped and the Unzapped
• Marks of True Spirituality
• Gifts Do Not Guarantee Spirituality
• How to be Filled with the Spirit
• Peter -- A Pattern for Being Filled ...

Chapter 12 - Does God Promise Health and Wealth?

• False and True Religion
• The Wrong God
• The Wrong Jesus
• The Wrong Faith ...

From the Introduction:

It is not necessarily factious to voice disagreement with someone else's teaching. In fact, we have a moral imperative to examine what is proclaimed in Jesus' name, and to expose and condemn false teaching and unbiblical behaviour...

The biblical challenge is not to avoid truth that is controversial, but to speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15)...Scripture is the rule against which we must measure all teaching, and my only desire is to turn the light of God's Word on a movement that has taken the contemporary church by storm...

The most visible and charismatic celebrities barely even give lip service to biblical authority. The few Charismatic leaders who are concerned about biblical truth have been viciously attacked by other charismatics. In effect, they have been shouted down by people who quote 1 Chronicles 16:22 ("Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm") as if that verse silenced all doctrinal discussion -- and as if we were supposed to assume that everyone who claims an anointing from God is speaking the truth. As a result, charismatics as a whole have failed to expose and reject the most obvious, unbiblical and even anti-Christian influences in the movement.

Fantastic encounters with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are reported as common place. Personal messages from God are supposedly routine. Healings of all kinds are claimed. It is not unusual to hear striking testimonies about how God, in response to faith, has corrected spinal injuries, lengthened legs, and removed cancerous tissue. Seemingly omniscient Christian talk-show hosts discern that miracles and healings of various types are happening during their broadcasts. They urge viewers to call in and "claim" healings.

Some of the miracles seem almost bizarre: one dollar bills turn into twenties, washing machines and other appliances are "healed," empty fuel tanks fill up supernaturally and demons are exorcised from vending machines. People are "slain" (knocked flat) in the Spirit; others claim to have been to heaven and back. Several even claim to have been to hell and back!

Some even go so far as to deny the effectiveness of evangelism without such miracles. They argue that the Gospel message is weakened or nullified if not accompanied by great signs and wonders. They believe some people need to see signs and wonders before they will believe. That notion has spawned a whole new movement, grandiosely tagged "the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit," also known as the Signs and Wonders Movement. This recent variation on the old charismatic theme is attracting many evangelicals and others from mainline denominations who were formerly wary of Pentecostal and charismatic influences...

Experience, however, is not the test of biblical truth; rather, biblical truth stands in final judgment on experience. Frederick Dale Bruner has stated it clearly: "The test of anything calling itself Christian is not its significance or its success or its power, though these make the test more imperative. The test is truth."

If you are a Christian who has not experienced some supernatural charismatic phenomenon, perhaps you are feeling left out. You may be wondering whether God views you as a second-class citizen. If He honestly cares about you, why haven't you had a special miracle or manifested some spectacular gift? Why haven't you ascended to a higher level of spiritual bliss? Why haven't you heard Jesus speak to you in an audible voice? Why hasn't He appeared physically to you? Do our charismatic friends really have a closer walk with God, a deeper sense of the Holy Spirit's power, a fuller experience of praise, a stronger motivation to witness, and a greater devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ? Could it be that we non-charismatics just do not measure up? The charismatic movement has separated the Christian community into the spiritual "haves" and "have-nots."...

John F. MacArthur is pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and is heard daily on the radio program "Grace to You." He serves as president of The Master's College and Seminary.

This book can be obtained at the Grace to You website at www.gtycanada.org or www.amazon.com. Your local Christian bookstore will also be able to order it for you.

A Different Gospel by D. R. McConnell

Forewarned is Forearmed

Every Christian should read this book in order to be aware of the dangerous implications of the wide-spread and cultic Word of Faith movement preaching what is popularly known as "Name It and Claim It" theology. A DIFFERENT GOSPEL is a bold and revealing examination of the biblical historical basis of this movement. This new and revised edition is complete with a foreword by Hank Hanegraaff, author of "Christianity in Crisis," and a new afterword by D.R. McConnell.

The author knows the movement first hand and has a heart for those snared by it. He is also an academically trained observer who has based this work on careful historical and biblical analysis. McConnell warns of the movement's cultic nature in its doctrine of healing and its understanding of the atonement and demonstrates how far the movement's doctrine of prosperity is from Scripture's true teaching.

D.R. McConnell did graduate work at Oral Roberts University in theological and historical studies. He currently serves as senior pastor for the Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam.

A DIFFERENT GOSPEL, a book for the heart and mind, is must reading for those who seek reliable information about the Word of Faith movement.

Part 1 - A Historical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement

Chapter 1 - The True Father of the Modern Faith Movement

Chapter 2 - The Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement

Chapter 3 - The Kenyon Connection

Chapter 4 - The Role of Kenneth Hagin in the Faith Movement

Chapter 5 - The Faith Controversy and the Beginning of the Faith Denomination

Part 2 - A Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement

Ch 6 - The Doctrine of Revelation Knowledge: Super-Christians and the New Gnosticism

Ch 7 - The Doctrine of Identification: The Born-Again Jesus and the Atonement of the Devil

Ch 8 - The Doctrine of Faith: Faith in God versus Faith in Faith

Ch 9 - The Doctrine of Healing: Sickness, Symptoms and Satan

Ch 10 - The Doctrine of Prosperity: Success and the Upwardly Mobile Christian

Ch 11 - Summary and Conclusion

Afterward: The Faith Movement Today

Preface to the Original Edition

This study is an expanded and updated version of my master's thesis, "The Kenyon Connection: A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement," which was submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology at Oral Roberts University in 1982. Since that thesis was completed much new historical information about the origins of the Faith Movement has come to light, most of which has confirmed my original thesis concerning its "connection" to the metaphysical cults. The theological analysis demonstrating the cultic parallels between the faith theology and metaphysics has been greatly expanded in this study and, I hope, clarified. I have endeavoured to write for the church, both clergy and laity, and I have tried to make simplicity not profundity, my guiding principle.

With a few notable exceptions, the Faith Movement has not been the object of scholarly historical research. Dr. Charles Farah and Dr. Gordon Fee have provided able biblical and theological critiques of the movement, but its historical origins were not within their areas of interest. Other critiques, although well-meaning, have shed far more heat than light. Bruce Barron's The Health and Wealth Gospel (1987) contains pertinent biographical information on some of the key players of the movement, but offers little regarding its historical background. Clearly a strong need exists for a definitive history to be written of the Faith movement.

One would suspect, therefore, that what follows is an attempt to provide that history. That is not the case. I have included much historical information about the Faith movement in this work, but it in no way constitutes a neutral historical treatise. Although I believe that I have treated the historical evidence in a fair fashion and that my findings will bear the scrutiny of historiographical analysis, I must admit that my intent is not to merely report this information in the placid manner of a professional historian. I have used my historical findings as the basis of a theological polemic against the Faith theology, something a true historian would never do. I have chosen to do so because I believe that, because of its cultic origins, the Faith theology represents a serious threat to the theological orthodoxy and spiritual orthopraxy of the independent charismatic movement. I do not, therefore, give the slightest pretense of wanting just to write history...

From the Foreward by Hank Hanegraaff

In my book Christianity in Crisis I pointed out that some of the most scholarly rebuttals of the Faith Movement have come from within the ranks of the charismatic movement. Notable examples include Walter Martin, Gordon Fee, and Charles Farah. None is more noteworthy however than Dan McConnell. From his perspective as a former adjunct professor of theology at Oral Roberts University, he has critiqued Faith theology in a profound and persuasive fashion.

McConnell demonstrates with irrefutable documentation the historical development and heretical doctrines of Faith theology to such cults as Religious Science, Christian Science, and the Unity School of Christianity.

E.W. Kenyon, the real father of the modern-day Faith movement, "majored" in metaphysics. McConnell provides ample documentation that Kenneth Hagin, referred to by Charisma magazine, as "the granddaddy of the Faith teachers" and the "father of the Faith movement" in reality plagiarized Kenyon. Hagin's theological perversions were in turn proliferated through men like Frederick Price and Kenneth Copeland, who is today dubbed by Time magazine as the chief exponent of Faith theology...

The crisis currently faced by Christianity -- in the form of the Faith movement -- does not center upon on-going dialogues and debates among charismatic and non-charismatic believers. Rather, it involves a life-and-death struggle between orthodoxy and heresy -- between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the cults.

With penetrating analysis and painstaking attention to detail, Dan McConnell unmasks Faith theology to reveal its cultic identity and to refute its false teachings. He is to be commended for providing an able defense and a potent antidote against a growing cancer feeding on the Body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul warned the Christians in Galatia to guard against those preaching a different gospel -- a "gospel" contrary to what was proclaimed by Christ and the apostles (Galatians 1:6-9). With so many religious beliefs, philosophies, and teachings circulating today, we must be even more diligent to observe Paul's admonition and heed his words.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely," he told young Timothy, "Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16).

Christianity In Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff

From the Back Cover

"Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth."

- The Apostle Paul

Nearly two decades ago, Hank Hanegraaff's award-winning Christianity in Crisis alerted the world to the dangers of a cultic movement within Christianity that threatened to undermine the very foundation of biblical faith. But in the 21st century, there are new dangers -- new teachers who threaten to do more damage than the last.

These are not obscure teachers that Hanegraaff unmasks. We know their names. We have seen their faces, sat in their churches, and heard them shamelessly preach and promote the false pretext of a give-to-get gospel. They are virtual rock stars who command the attention of presidential candidates and media moguls. Through make-believe miracles, urban legends, counterfeit Christs, and twisted theological reasoning, they peddle an occult brand of metaphysics that continues to shipwreck the faith of millions around the globe:

"God cannot do anything in this earthly realm unless we give Him permission."

"Keep saying it ... 'I have equality with God' -- talk yourself into it."

"Being poor is a sin."

"The Jews were not rejecting Jesus as Messiah;

it was Jesus who was refusing to be the Messiah to the Jews!"

"You create your own world the same way God creates His.

He speaks, and things happen; you speak and they happen."

Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century exposes darkness to light,

pointing us back to a Christianity centered in Christ.

"Having lost the ability to think biblically, post-modern Christians are being transformed from cultural change agents and initiators into cultural conformists and imitators. Pop culture beckons, and post-modern Christians have taken the bait. As a result, the biblical model of faith has given way to an increasingly bizarre array of fads and formulas."

From the Preface

Inside the Front Cover

A modern crisis in Christianity continues to deepen as an ever-increasing number of 21st century prosperity preachers, ranging from Joyce Meyers to T.D. Jakes, convinces devotees that what happens in your life is a result of the words you speak. If you are healthy and prosperous, words created your reality. Conversely, if your baby dies or your spouse contracts cancer, you are the prime suspect.

According to one of America's most popular prosperity preachers, Joel Osteen, "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." Osteen's words are eerily similar to those of New Thought practictioner Joe Vitale -- contributor to Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. When asked by Larry King whether a nine-year-old Florida girl who was brutally murdered attracted this horror to herself, Vitale responded, "We are attracting everything to ourselves and there is no exception."

While Faith preachers such as Osteen have noteworthy differences from New Agers such as Vitale and Byrne, they are united in the belief that the force of faith is so powerful that even the Master of the Universe is bound by its irrevocable reality.

In Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century Hanegraaff pulls back the veil and exposes fatal flaws and feel-good fallacies that are spreading like cancer within the body of Christ.

But this is a cancer that has a cure and Hanegraaff shows us the way back to spiritual health and wholeness.

Section Titles include:

Part One: Turning Truth into Mythology

Part Two: Faith in Faith

Part Three: Little Gods

Part Four: Atonement Atrocities

Part Five: Health and Want

Part Six: Sickness and Suffering

Part Seven: Back to Basics

Appendix A: Are "God's Annointed" Beyond Criticism?

Inside the Back Cover

Hank Hanegraaff is the host of Bible Answer Man, heard daily throughout the United States and Canada. He is president of the Christian Research Institute and author of many best-selling books, including The Prayer of Jesus, Counterfeit Revival, and The Apocalypse Code. He and his wife, Kathy, reside in North Carolina and are parents to twelve children.

The Grand Poo-Bah says -- This is the number one book that you need to read if you are currently attending Victory Churches International or a Faith Movement/Word of Faith church. These churches tend to have a wide range of creative names which will not necessarily identify them as Faith Movement churches. (Their teachings will !) The Health and Wealth gospel marks them as a cult.

You also need to read the book if you listen to, follow, or own any materials distributed by the prosperity preachers. The kingpins in the Faith Movement are Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, Richard/Oral Roberts, Creflo Dollar, t.D. Jakes, Frederick K.C. Price, John Hagee, and Pat Robertson. (For a complete list see the column on the right at the beginning of the blog.)

You also need to read this book if your church claims not to be part of the Faith Movement but at the same time is promoting any of the above mentioned leaders in any way shape or form i.e. meetings, conferences, rallies or selling any books, tapes or CDs. If they are, they are definitely involved in the Faith Movement.

If your church is teaching the Health and Wealth gospel, you need to read this book. Put another way, you often hear these words from the pulpit "God wants you healthy and wealthy." If you do, you are involved in the Faith Movement.

Where to get the book

1. Your local Christian bookstore will order it for you if they don't have it.
2. Go to the website www.equip.org. The book can be ordered there.
3. Go to www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
4. Visit Chapters Bookstore. They will order it for you.

Comment Wrap-Up For Now

A & T Greene say -- Like the quotes. Really great to have you back. All the best for the New Year.

O & S Osburn say -- We will be watching your blog with some interest. Our son has just informed us that he has found his calling. He has quit his job and is going to one of the Rhema schools to become a missionary. We are distraught about this turn of events since he has also called off his engagement to a wonderful girl.


The Grand Poo-Bah says -- I am very sorry to hear about your son's foolish decisions. It is imperative that you figure out a way to keep him from attending Rhema Bible School. Rhema Bible School was founded by Kenneth Hagen who was the founder of the Faith Movement / Word of Faith churches. Rhema Bible Schools actually have their own translation of the Bible which indoctrinates the students with the Faith Movement's false teachings. Rhema students are only allowed to read this one Bible. You have good reason to be very distraught and need to do everything in your power to intervene on behalf of your son. His eternal destiny is now at risk because of this decision to become involved with the Faith Movement. We will pray for you that you will be successful in preventing him from attending the Rhema Bible School. May God be with you.


B. Martinique says -- I am utterly in shock after finding your blog. The stories of these families as well as yours just left me appalled at how these cult churches have manipulated and broken people. My husband has just left me. Not for another woman but for a new life. He went to a healing service at one of these feel-good churches, came home and said that he could stop taking his heart medication because he had enough faith for God to heal him completely. When I tried to reason with him, there was no changing his mind. I'm now waiting to get the dreaded phone call that he has had another heart attack. Thanks for giving me a place to vent.


The Grand Poo-Bah says -- This story is a good example of the power of the "evil one" to infiltrate people's minds, get control over their lives, and totally put their physical lives and spiritual lives in jeopardy. If you unsuspectingly get involved with a cult, you need to be aware that you are playing with fire and that you are in serious danger. You need to take immediate abortive action. I strongly recommend that you find a way to get your ex-husband to read "Christianity In Crisis" by Hank Hanegraaff. I hope you don't get the dreaded phone call but he wouldn't be the first to die from going down this road.


O. & M. Mitchell say -- Well, Christmas is now over. I hope that things were better for you than for our family. We went for Christmas at our son's home. To our utter amazement, there was a houseful of people that we did not know. Our son was calling them "Mum and Dad" and our grandchildren were calling them Grandma and Grandpa. These people were their new family from their church. We were introduced by our son as "his former parents." We had no idea that they had gotten involved in one of these cult churches. We have read some of the stories posted here over the last couple of days and realize that we have to do something. We are starting with reading "Christianity in Crisis". It is not just Christianity but the whole makeup of our social network of families. We stayed through the dinner but left shortly afterwards because we were totally ignored by everyone except for passing the food. They spent most of the afternoon praying and hollering. It was horrible.


The Grand Poo-Bah says -- When I recently went to my son's wedding, I overheard him calling one of the adults "mum" and didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought he was just being friendly but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that this was not normal behaviour. What has happened to you has also happened to me. Strangers have now become family and family have become strangers. This is how cults operate to gain control over their followers and eliminate opposition to their teachings.


Being introduced as his "former parents," must have been a terrible shock for you but it was also an indication to you that something was seriously wrong. Cults who conduct business in the way that you have described are very dangerous. You are absolutely right -- you have to do something and do it quickly. Thanks for sharing your story. We will pray for you.


D. & D. Sission -- You really are so blind as to not see what God has in store when we ask. How sad for you! We are sure that your sons are praying for you to see the light of God and the error of your ways.


The Grand Poo-Bah says -- The Grand Poo-Bah saw the light of God and the error of his ways when he was nine years old. The true teaching that we received in the Baptist Church taught that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. The Gospel is simple so that a young child can understand it. Christ died for our sins and we as sinners need to accept Him as our personal Saviour which I did. The Christian Gospel is what it is and it never changes. Scripture teaches that you are not to add to it or take away from it which the Pentecostal Church, Word of Faith Church, Faith Movement Churches, and Victory Churches are all guilty of. My sons don't need to waste time praying for me because there are more useful things they could do like reading some books about cults and how easy it is to get unwittingly drawn into them.


"What God has in store when we ask" is an interesting expression. To me, this statement is an expression used by someone who is not satisfied with just victory over sin and death and hell and still has their hand out asking for more. Since you are likely attending a health and wealth church, I see you standing at the foot of the cross looking up into the face of Jesus and saying FORGIVENESS OF SINS IS NOT ENOUGH. I WANT MORE! What a slap in the face of Jesus after experiencing such horrible excruciating pain on the cross. His pain purchased our redemption. Question - how will you explain your self-centredness and personal interests? To sum up, all I can say is, that in the two line comment that you sent to the Grand Poo-Bah, you have demonstrated that you are totally lacking in knowledge about Christianity and what it is all about.


You may be thinking that God up in heaven has a dilemma in front of Him because my sons are praying for me and I am praying for them. Rest assured that God has no dilemma. He is fully aware of who needs prayer and who will be asked to explain their beliefs when they get to heaven. The Grand Poo-Bah will have no "splainin to do."


Name Withheld says -- It's your perception that there has been a personality change. Don't you get it! Your family wants NOTHING to do with you!!


The Grand Poo-Bah says -- Hey Darren! Haven't you heard, "perception is everything." If you don't think there's been a change, consider this. On Father's Day in 2006, I received a ball cap from you which said "Greatest Dad" on the front. At that point in time, you had just begun your fall away from true Christianity. You were becoming more and more involved with Barrie Victory Centre and by Christmastime of that year, Barrie Victory Centre had convinced you that you had been lied to and not told the whole truth about the Gospel. That's because Barrie Victory Centre teaches a much different gospel. One of the books that I have highlighted in the picture in a previous blog is titled "A Different Gospel." You need to read it.




Since Christmas of 2006, I have not seen my three sons, their wives or any of my seven grandchildren except for a couple of hours at my youngest son's wedding recently. Very few words were exchanged. I likely wouldn't have been invited to that wedding except for my new daughter-in-law putting her foot down. We have been totally estranged since Christmas of 2006. If that doesn't represent a change, I don't know what does.

Since my family wants nothing to do with me, that means I now have total freedom to continue to write this blog in the hopes that it will help somebody even if my children and their families are beyond help or at least it would seem so. If you don't perceive that as a change there's something wrong with you. Barrie Victory Centre has succeeded in severing ties with family members who oppose the teachings of their church and I vehemently oppose the teachings of Barrie Victory Centre. Their teachings are not based on Scripture. There is not one Bible scholar connected with Victory Churches International including the Hills. So there is nobody in the movement that knows what they are talking about when it comes to true Christianity.

M. Mayhew says -- It absolutely astounds me that I am one of those people who got taken in by one of these cults. I somehow ended up in a Word of Faith church in B.C. It was all very nice and pleasant until I was called out on not giving enough money for tithing. I later found out that someone from the church worked for Revenue Canada and was (sneaking) looks at the income tax reports of members of our church. Although I cannot prove it, I am sure he was giving this information to our Deacons Board because they knew exactly what my net income was for last year. I walked away, have lost all my family and friends. I am also now being audited by Revenue Canada over questionable donations. Just wanted to share and make people aware of what might be going on behind the scenes at some of these cults.

The Grand Poo-Bah says -- Cults exist for only one reason -- to make their leaders rich. It's all about money. For Pete's sake, the pastors of Victory Churches International own their churches. ( Scripture teaches that Christ is the Head of the Church.) They function primarily as business owners and call it "church." The people who attend Victory Churches International are nothing more than customers coming to the door of his business. Not much different from people going to Wal-Mart. The only difference is the product they are selling is false Christianity.

You'll never give enough money to a cult. No matter how much you give them, they will want more for one reason or another. Tithing is not a Scriptural principle. Tithing as referred to in Bible times was in an agrarian society. Farmers tithed a portion of their harvest to supply the needs of the priests. The principle of tithing does not apply in a society where people earn money and salaries. If everyone gave 10 percent of their income, every church would be filthy rich and that goes way beyond meeting the needs of the pastor.

From personal experience, I have found that people are more willing to give when it is not required. I used to attend a church where the pastor never mentioned tithing and more than enough money used to come in to meet all the needs of the church and their missionary endeavours. They were always over-budget!

Thank you for your personal insights into what might be going on in many of these cult churches.

M. Patel says --You really have some nerve publishing some of these fantasies. No church could possibly do some of the things that you claim.

The Grand Poo-Bah says -- Gullible is a good word to describe the person who wrote this comment. I am sure the people who wrote these stories would not have bothered to take the time to write them or send them if they were not true. The fact that you do not believe that they could possibly be true only means that you are currently in a very vulnerable position. You are the perfect candidate to be unwittingly duped by a very clever and charismatic cult-leader. You are exactly the type of person that cult operators are on the lookout for. You need to be very careful, ask a lot of questions and I hope you have a better knowledge of your Bible than I think you do. I hope you will continue to read as more horror stories come in.