January/February Plain Truth
Faith In Faith
To the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, a message of faith is being proclaimed. It is a message--not of faith in Jesus--not of faith in God, but of... faith in Faith.
by Monte Wolverton
Anytime--day or night--you can tune in to exuberant faith teachers, evangelists and healers, especially if you have cable TV. Some of what you see and hear is sound Christian teaching, but with it often comes a biblically unsound emphasis on miracles, health and prosperity, and even emotionally manipulative fund-raising. In spite of some preachers' gaudy and bizarre style, the faith movement has established a firm foothold in American culture.
Sales of books and videos by faith personalities are booming. Many Christians believe that faith television productions, conventions and weekly worship services have become parades of glitz. Scholars say that the success of the movement is largely due to its appeal to lesser educated, poor and infirm individuals, for whom a name-it-and-claim-it gospel has great appeal.
The faith movement has developed its own theology, but it is not a clear-cut set of doctrines. Rather, it is a spectrum ranging from blatant error to faulty assumptions and marginal scholarship. While not all faith teachers agree on every point, they orbit around an identifiable core of teachings. Here are a few, summarized from Hank Hanegraaff's book Christianity in Crisis:
- Faith in Faith. Faith is a tangible force, the basic
substance
of
the universe. It is activated by words (positive confession or
affirmation).
God has faith. He created the universe by the force of faith. We, too, can
use faith to fulfill our needs and desires. The opposite of faith is fear.
Faith is of God, but fear is of Satan. We invoke fear (and Satan) when we
speak negative things (or make a negative confession). By skillful
use of
the laws of faith--through faith in faith--we can have prosperity and health,
and avoid sickness and poverty.
- Little Human Gods. God is reproducing himself through
humans,
who are not merely children of God but actual duplicate Gods in embryonic
form. Not only is man in God's image, but God is in man's image. God is not
really in charge of the earth, because Satan obtained control of it through
Adam and Eve. God and Christ have been demoted and Satan and humans promoted.
- Jesus' Satanic Nature. Contrary to traditional Christian
teaching
about Jesus' atonement, Jesus took on Satan's nature at the cross and went
to hell, where he was tortured by Satan for our sins. Satan thought he had
triumphed but was reminded by God that although Jesus had taken on the sins
of humanity he was sinless. Satan was forced to release Jesus, who was born
again and reincarnated just as humans must be born again and incarnated as
Gods.
- Prosperity and Poverty. God promises financial and physical
blessings. All you have to do is name them and claim them. Jesus and the
apostles were wealthy. Poverty is a sin, because it comes from a lack of
faith. Generous offerings or "seed money" will demonstrate your faith and
obedience and will come back to you many times over.
- Sickness and Health. Sickness and disease are caused by Satan and his demons. Symptoms should be ignored because they are an attempt by Satan to destroy your faith. Christ's physical sacrifice guarantees our physical healing today, and medicine is merely a crutch for the faithless. Faith healers who have "the anointing" can help. But if you're sick, it's your own fault, either because you lack faith or because you are harboring some secret sin.
Unstable Theology
The universe of faith theology is an unstable one in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have lost their sovereignty, as they are subject to the laws of faith. It's a frightening universe where Satan has power more or less equal (but opposite) to that of God and where humans, as little gods, run around flexing their faith muscles, irrespective of God's sovereignty.
These core teachings of the faith movement are blatantly unbiblical. Yet they are accepted by many sincere Christians. The question, however, is not so much one of sincere faith as it is of biblical faithfulness.
The faith movement poses four major dangers. The first (as with any heresy) is that the central point of the gospel becomes obscured and distorted. The real gospel message is that God is reconciling the world to himself and offering forgiveness of sin and eternal life through the atoning sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.
The second danger of the faith movement is that faith theology prompts people to look to circumstances in their lives and other people's lives as a barometer of their standing with God. Financial and health problems must indicate that I'm not measuring up--that I lack faith. On the other hand, if I have plenty of money and good health, I'll chalk that up to my good standing with God.
The third major danger of the faith movement is that it brings scorn and ridicule to Christianity. Intelligent people in search of answers are put off--not merely by the logical inconsistencies and shoddy theology--but by the outlandish behavior of some of the leaders of the faith movement. The cross of Christ can bring persecution, which Christians are called to endure. But there is no reason for Christians--especially Christian leaders--to invite additional reproach by bizarre behavior that at times is questionable by biblical standards.
These first three dangers assume that faith leaders are sincere. Otherwise, there is a fourth danger: that hardworking Christians are being robbed of their money in the name of Jesus. The prosperity gospel has a natural appeal to those with financial difficulties. The promise of an offering coming back a hundredfold is hard to resist, especially if one is in debt, unemployed or struggling to make ends meet.
Scriptural Scams
The major scripture on which the faith movement hangs is the first part of Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (King James Version). Faith teachers point to the word substance as proof that faith is a tangible thing, the basic building block of the universe. The New International Version offers this rendering of the passage: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
In other words, faith is a matter of belief or assurance, with trust. There must be an object of faith--God. The faith movement would have us believe that faith is a separate, distinct force that even God uses as his power source.
Hebrews 11:3 and Mark 11:22 are quoted to support the idea that God has faith. Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command." Here the word faith applies to how we understand, not how God created the universe.
Some faith teachers maintain that Mark 11:22 ("Have faith in God") should be rendered, "Have the faith of God" or "Have the God kind of faith." Yet the Greek doesn't support this rendering, to which most translations will attest.
Faith leaders like to quote other scriptures over and over again. One is found in 3 John 2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (KJV).
"See?" say the faith teachers. "The most important thing to God is that we have a big bank account and that we are physically fit!"
But, a look at the context shows that 3 John is a letter addressed to a Christian named Gaius. As might be expected, John's greeting expresses concern for Gaius' well-being. A more accurate translation is, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."
John later says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
Another verse often quoted is Isaiah 10:27, the last part of which says, "The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing" (KJV). According to one teacher, this scripture promises that all of your personal burdens will be lifted, if only you learn how to "release the anointing." He fails to explain that the scripture is referring to the liberation of Judah from Assyria, an event that occurred in the reign of Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:36).
The New International Version offers: "In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat."
As most commentators point out, "anointing" should be translated as "fat." The yoke would be burst by the fatness of the oxen's necks--a metaphor for the prosperity with which God had blessed Israel.
Obviously, this scripture is grossly misrepresented in an attempt to add scriptural legitimacy to a faith movement buzzword--anointing.
Obscuring the Gospel
These teachings obscure the central point of the gospel, which is that lost humans can be saved from eternal damnation and that we can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The gospel gives us comfort as we live in this physical world and motivates us to live godly lives.
The gospel gives us the promise of eternal life--an endless relationship with our Lord and Savior. The gospel gives us inner peace and joy and a desire to share these things with others.
But the gospel does not guarantee us freedom from trouble in this life. It does not guarantee us freedom from sickness. It does not guarantee us freedom from poverty. It does not guarantee us freedom from suffering and trouble. Not only is such a guarantee unsound theology, it's contrary to two millennia of Christian experience.
In fact, Jesus guarantees the opposite: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Yet some faith teachers go so far as to say it's wrong--even insulting to God--to pray, "Your will be done." This contradicts James 4:13-15: "Now listen, you who say, `Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.... Instead, you ought to say, `If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"
There is clearly no problem with Christians conducting business and pursuing material affairs. But it's all subject to God's sovereign will.
Another scripture often used by faith teachers seems to promise that God will give us whatever we ask for. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12-14).
Yes, we can ask for things in faith. But in context, these words are directed to the collective disciples-- the church. Jesus is telling the church there is no limit to what it can accomplish for the kingdom-- all we need do is ask. The intent of this and similar passages is not to promise Christians that they can have whatever physical things they want; it is to encourage the church in its work for the kingdom.
A Health/Wealth Gospel?
What can we expect with regard to our individual needs and desires? Can we ask God to prosper us or grant us financial success? What about health? Can we ask God to heal our diseases or injuries and to give us good health?
Of course we can. No concern is too large or small to bring before God's throne. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).
We can ask, but we can't demand. If God seems to be saying no, sometimes we need to think again. God may not be the limiting factor. It's possible--even common--to use "faith" and "prayer" as shortcuts to avoid hard work, education and careful, intelligent decision making.
Physical prosperity is not the point of the gospel, and we have no guarantee of these things in this life, even though we may work hard to attain them. To suggest that people who don't enjoy these things lack faith is a gross perversion of Scripture and an insult to all people of God who have suffered through sickness, persecution and poverty throughout history.
Faith is believing trust. For a Christian, that means believing and trusting God--no matter what our physical circumstances--believing and trusting that he will fulfill his promises--believing and trusting not in faith itself, but in he who is faithful to his word.