Posted on 03/13/2008 8:28:07 PM PDT by PROCON
Before he died in 2003, the revered father of the Word-Faith movement corrected his spiritual sons for going to extremes with their message of prosperity.
Charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. is considered the father of the so-called prosperity gospel. The folksy, self-trained “Dad Hagin” started a grass-roots movement in Oklahoma that produced a Bible college and a crop of famous preachers including Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, Jesse DuPlantis, Creflo Dollar and dozens of others—all of whom teach that Christians who give generously should expect financial rewards on this side of heaven.
Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. But before he died in 2003 and left his Rhema Bible Training Center in the hands of his son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., he summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence. Those who were close to Hagin Sr. say he was passionate about correcting these abuses before he died. In fact, he wrote a brutally honest book to address his concerns. The Midas Touch was published in 2000, a year after the infamous Tulsa meeting.
“Kenneth Hagin Sr. was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence.”
Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent controversy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again.
Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch:
1. Financial prosperity is not a sign of God’s blessing. Hagin wrote: “If wealth alone were a sign of spirituality, then drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants. Material wealth can be connected to the blessings of God or it can be totally disconnected from the blessings of God.”
2. People should never give in order to get. Hagin was critical of those who “try to make the offering plate some kind of heavenly vending machine.” He denounced those who link giving to getting, especially those who give cars to get new cars or who give suits to get new suits. He wrote: “There is no spiritual formula to sow a Ford and reap a Mercedes.”
3. It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.”
4. The “hundredfold return” is not a biblical concept. Hagin did the math and figured out that if this bizarre notion were true, “we would have Christians walking around with not billions or trillions of dollars, but quadrillions of dollars!” He rejected the popular teaching that a believer should claim a specific monetary payback rate.
5. Preachers who claim to have a “debt-breaking” anointing should not be trusted. Hagin was perplexed by ministers who promise “supernatural debt cancellation” to those who give in certain offerings. He wrote in The Midas Touch: “There is not one bit of Scripture I know about that validates such a practice. I’m afraid it is simply a scheme to raise money for the preacher, and ultimately it can turn out to be dangerous and destructive for all involved.”
(Many evangelists who appear on Christian television today use this bogus claim. Usually they insist that the miraculous debt cancellation will occur only if a person “gives right now,” as if the anointing for this miracle suddenly evaporates after the prime time viewing hour. This manipulative claim is more akin to witchcraft than Christian belief.)
Hagin condemned other hairbrained gimmicks designed to trick audiences into emptying their wallets. He was especially incensed when a preacher told his radio listeners that he would take their prayer requests to Jesus’ empty tomb in Jerusalem and pray over them there—if donors included a special love gift. “What that radio preacher really wanted was more people to send in offerings,” Hagin wrote.
Thanks to the recent resurgence in bizarre donation schemes promoted by American charismatics, the prosperity gospel is back under the nation’s microscope. It’s time to revisit Hagin’s concerns and find a biblical balance.
Hagin told his followers: “Overemphasizing or adding to what the Bible actually teaches invariably does more harm than good.” If the man who pioneered the modern concept of biblical prosperity blew the whistle on his own movement, wouldn’t it make sense for us to listen to his admonition?
Indeed, his repentence is wonderful. But his followers still spew the gospel of God as an Arab trader. Give me a boat and I’ll worship you. Straight from the pit of Hell.
Do What? Please do not take this story out of context.
WOW you’re GOD now? I think not!
I only can read his word. And I can’t find the “Prosperity Gospel” anywhere in it.
Ping to read later
I have noted all along . . .
IF one listens carefully to Hagin’s tapes—as I have dozens and dozens if not hundreds of hours worth . . .
He’s quite precise in his wording. And, taken as a whole, he leaves himself plenty of ‘outs’ with even some of his priority emphases.
However his disciples—including his son—in my view—are pour crass wannabe’s by comparison.
Few have his spirituality or anything near it.
Most are far more arrogant than he was.
Few have anything close to his anointing or prayer life as far as I can tell.
I think Kenneth Copeland has come closer than even Hagin Jr to walking the talk in a more reasonable way. And, on occasion, even Kenneth has said some stupid things. Thankfully, he’s not too proud to admit it.
A lot of folks throwing rocks at Hagin et al have not thought through things any better than most of Hagin’s disciples have. They reduce complex issues to a sound bite than go ballistic. That’s no better than Hagin’s disciples do.
Thankfully, Kenneth Hagin Sr brought a lot of sound overcoming Biblical teaching to a lot of hungry listeners. He has blessed my life. There were no magic formulas offered and none received. But he taught fierce trust in God and in God’s Word and that God would honor the person who walked close to God saturated in His Word and Spirit.
AND THAT’S TRUE.
Tithing can be done anonymously, best...
Oh! by the way, if you get a tax refund its not tithing..
I greatly agree . . .
also . . . a joyful giving is required . . . with left hand not knowing what right hand is doing.
Tithing is personal to God.. God does not need the tithe..
Kind of off topic. Tithing is a form of worship. God owns it all and by giving a tith to Him you acknowledge His ownership of everything.
Now back to “Prosperity Gospel”.
The prosperty gospel is about tithing..
What do want to get back to?..
Good point..
O.K.
Amen to that!!
One other thing that divides the Body of Christ!
Isn’t this kind of like the lib who finally gets his house in the woods then immediately seeks to limit and further development of building, all for the enviroment.
The Body of Christ is not divided... never was, never will be..
Christ has been calling many out of the sheep pens.. (John ch 10) to the flock..
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