What Respected Christian Leaders Have To Say!

Many Christian leaders are in agreement that the teachings of the Faith Movement are not biblical and are harmful to the church. If you are involved in the Faith Movement, it is very important that you undertake a personal re-evaluation of your spiritual committment.

Just before his death, the late cult authority Walter Martin warned, "The situation is extremely serious" because the faith teachers "have forged a virtually unbroken chain of serious doctrinal deviation." He further observed, "the study of the Kingdom of the Cults has taught me many profitable lessons, and this is one of them -- error begets error; heresy begets heresy and always in the name of truth, always in the name of the gospel."

Noted theologian J.I. Packer author of Knowing God and God's Words, argues that calling "some televangelists to account for their heretical teaching, their spiritual unreality, their shameless personality-cult, and the spurious dramatics of the fund-raising is unpleasant but necessary, for pastoral reasons."

Dr. Donald K. Campbell comments that the Faith Movement "is grevious and threatens to engulf the Church and sweep many professed believers into dangerous currents of false and destuctive doctrine."

Church historian Dr. Harold Lindsell, author of The Battle for the Bible and The Bible in the Balance, warns, "Historic orthodoxy is being diminished by heretical departures from the true faith...Along with some biblical truths a poisionous stream of error is to be found."

Theologian R.C. Sproule, founder of Ligonier Ministries and author of The Holiness of God and In Search of Dignity observes, "Very little evidence of any significant knowledge of either Church history or theology is displayed by Copeland, Hagin, Tilton, Crouch, and others. These men are not scholars. There is nothing wrong with that...What is alarming, however, is the attitude with which these 'teachers' assert their novelties, claiming divine authority for charting a new course...There is such a thing as heresy. The tragedy is that it pervades the electronic church."

Noted Christian counselor Dr. Jay Adams believes that for too long the Faith teachers "have been spreading falsehood unchallenged."

Dr. Dave Breese, a popular speaker and author of Know the Marks of a Cult and Satan's Ten Most Believable Lies, laments that "much on television that passes for Christianity is a new Gnosticism, a revived pantheism."

In his analysis of the Faith Movement, distinguished professor of the New Testament Dr. Henry Krabbendam comments that, "The doctrinal positions will often prove to be confused, confusing, errant, and at times, even heretical; the interpretive procedures are arbitrary, ill-advised, deficient, and at times, even damaging."

Professor of Theology and Apologetics Dr. Rod Rosenbladt observes, "...many popular media evangelists are preaching what amounts to blasphemy in their references to Christ's Person and work...In almost every point of Christology, these televangelists have deviated from orthodoxy and have promoted their own fantasy saviour..."

Michael Horton comments in the following manner: "...the obnoxiousness of offering salvation for money is itself heretical, indeed, pagan. Nevertheless, the gospel heralded by some of the television preachers is even more perverted than that...It is not only crass and ugly; it is overtly blasphemous and anti-Christian...they are preaching another Word, another God, and another Christ."

Even the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements representing 65 contributors from a large variety of different denominations, many of them Pentecostal and Charismatic, comments that the Faith teachings are based on a distortion of Scripture and a distortion of the biblical concept of faith, and that, for example, their concept that believers are "little gods" presents "the greatest danger."

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

Toxic-Faith Systems Are Punitive In Nature

Toxic Characteristic #4

Toxic-faith systems don’t have to be big to be toxic. In small churches across the world, congregations are led by toxic ministers every bit as manipulating and controlling as the head of a toxic mega-ministry. When a minister gains control of a small group, it seems that control can produce some of the most punitive forms of faith practice in existence.

One example comes from a small church in southern California. The minister was a small man who saw himself in a big way. He wanted total control over his congregation and they allowed him to have it. The control often took very negative and punitive forms.

An unmarried woman told the pastor that she had been involved in an affair with a married man in the church. She felt terrible about it and had broken off the relationship. She felt guilty and wanted to confess this to the minister and receive his help in moving back to a closer relationship with God. He was willing to help –- but only after he had put her through some very stressful situations. He forced her to go to the man’s wife and confess the sin to her. He forced her to go before the congregation and confess her sin before them. He forced her to agree not to date for one year as a sign of true contrition. Rather than offer her hope, he offered her a set of iron hoops that destroyed her personally as she jumped through each one, trusting they were the way back to her relationship with God.

Contrast that to the approach Christ took when confronted with the adulterous woman. He told her accusers to search themselves and anyone who was without sin could hurl the first stone. No one moved. Then he refused to provide a punitive system for the woman; he simply told her to go and sin no more. The woman felt the compassion of God, not his wrath, (which too many ministers take upon themselves to inflict).

Another incident in the church occurred when a group questioned the minister’s morality and his relationship with a woman in the church. They did not accuse him of adultery; the group was concerned about the undue attention and affection he obtained from the woman. The pastor attacked the main accuser and demanded that anyone having anything to do with the man be removed from the church. Sides were drawn immediately to support the faithful and to punish those who doubted the minister’s integrity.

In the name of righteousness, this and other mini-crusades have been carried out countless times in the church. Each punitive action divides the congregation and removes those who would attack the minister’s power. A minister addicted to power punishes and purges the system of anybody who would upset the status quo.

Those on the inside believe that God is difficult to follow -– and the leader is willing to go to great lengths to ensure the congregation pays the price to follow. To those on the outside, the whole ministry appears negative and punitive, out of balance, and distorted –- light-years away from the love, acceptance, and forgiveness freely given by God and His Son.

(From Toxic Faith, Chapter 6)