In my review of Michael Todd’s book Crazy Faith, I mentioned his vision of faith is essentially in line with a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. This vision of faith seems especially influenced by what is commonly known as Word of Faith theology, which inherently is in line with the prosperity gospel. In this post, … Continue reading Word of Faith Influences in Michael Todd’s Teaching
Tag: Prosperity Gospel
A Distorted Vision of Faith: A Review of Michael Todd’s Crazy Faith
In August of 2019, a young pastor by the name of Michael Todd preached the first sermon in a series entitled “Crazy Faith.” It was an instant sensation. As of the writing of this post, that first sermon has 2.2 million views on Youtube. The whole Crazy Faith series (20 sermons) has over 11.5 million … Continue reading A Distorted Vision of Faith: A Review of Michael Todd’s Crazy Faith
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #6: The Misapplication of the Atonement
Jesus’s atonement for sins lies at the very heart of the Christian message. The Christian faith proclaims that, on the cross, Jesus gave up his life and atoned for the sins of his people that he might free them from the bondage of sin and reconcile them to himself. This is the truth declared in … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #6: The Misapplication of the Atonement
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #5: The Purported Power of Words
Declare positive, faith-filled words over your life. That’s the secret to moving your life in a better direction, at least according to the prosperity gospel. The most basic tenet of Word of Faith theology, the primary theology espousing the prosperity gospel, is the affirmation of the power of words. This doctrine is in fact what … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #5: The Purported Power of Words
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #4: The Redefinition of Faith
You just need to have enough faith. Boost your faith. Activate your faith. Release your faith so that you may release God to work in your life. There’s a lot of talk about faith amongst prosperity preachers. While it may sound good and it may have the ring of authentic teaching because of the language … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #4: The Redefinition of Faith
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #3: The Faulty Hermeneutics of the Prosperity Gospel
One of the reasons that the Prosperity Gospel thrives is that it is built upon faulty hermeneutics, or in other words, it is based on unsound principles of interpretation. Passages are quoted out of context and meaning is forced where it does not exist, leading to interpretations that would never come about from an honest … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #3: The Faulty Hermeneutics of the Prosperity Gospel
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #2: The Origins and History of the Prosperity Gospel
The prosperity gospel is syncretistic; it borrows from categories from outside of Christianity and presents them as if they are authentic parts of the Christian faith. When we look closer at the prosperity gospel, we find that it is neither rooted in Scripture nor does it share in any sense a historical Christian background. What … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #2: The Origins and History of the Prosperity Gospel
Examining the Prosperity Gospel #1: Why Address the Prosperity Gospel?
What do Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, or Benny Hinn all have in common with each other? Different as they may all be in their approaches, they are all promoters of the prosperity gospel. Over the next several weeks, I will be presenting a series of posts examining the errors of the prosperity gospel … Continue reading Examining the Prosperity Gospel #1: Why Address the Prosperity Gospel?