THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT- Introduction
Many popular evangelists are involved with “Positive Confession” or the “Word-Faith” movement. What’s wrong with this movement?

THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT- Televangelists
Some of America’s best known televangelists subscribe either partly or wholly to what’s commonly referred to as “positive confession,” the “Word-Faith” teaching, or the “prosperity” doctrine. Its chief representatives today seem to be Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Fred Price, Charles Capps, and Casey Treat, though there are certainly many other evangelists, teachers, and writers who promote this teaching.

THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT- The Teachings at a Glance
The “word-faith” teaching may be summarized as follows: God created man in “God’s class,” as “little gods,” with the potential to exercise what they refer to as the “God-kind of faith” in calling things into existence and living in prosperity and success as sovereign beings. Of course, we forfeited this opportunity by rebelling against God in the Garden and taking upon ourselves Satan’s nature. To correct this situation, Jesus Christ became a man, died spiritually (thus taking upon Himself Satan’s nature), went to hell, was “born again,” rose from the dead with God’s nature again, and then sent the Holy Spirit so that the incarnation could be duplicated in believers, thus fulfilling their calling to be what they call “little gods.” Since we’re called to experience this kind of life now, we should be successful in virtually every area of our lives. To be in debt, then, or be sick, or (as is even taught by the faith teachers) to be left by one’s spouse, simply means that you don’t have enough faith — or you have some secret sin in your life, because if you didn’t, you would be able to handle all of these problems.

THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT- The Blueprint
Now, while certain aspects of the this doctrine may vary from teacher to teacher — ranging from moderately aberrant to the outright heretical — the general outline remains the same. In every instance, the “Word-Faith” teaching is guilty of presenting an inflated view of man and a deflated view of God, thereby compromising God’s message as revealed in the Bible. This fast-growing movement has disastrous implications and, in fact, reduces Jesus Christ to a means to an end — when in fact he is the end. If the New Age Movement is the greatest threat to the church from without, “positive confession” may well be it’s greatest threat from within.

THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT- Conclusion
On “Positive Confession” and the “Word-Faith” teaching, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.