All Nine Chapters - Index and Summary Chapter 1 - Introduction To The Prosperity and The Word-Faith Gospels. HERE
Chapter 2 - Alleged Biblical Support For The Prosperity Doctrine. HERE
Chapter 3 - The Never Mentioned Verses. HERE
Chapter 4 - Uninformed People in The Scriptures?
Chapter 5 - The Word of Faith Doctrine and New Thought. HERE
Chapter 6 - Joel Osteen - The Blind Leading The Blind. HERE
Chapter 7 - How Words Precede Form.
Chapter 8 - God and Money. HERE
Chapter 9 - The Crown Without The Cross? HERE
How Words Precede Physical Form?
The problem is that Napoleon Hill's principles or "magic formula" actually seems to work. See More in Chapter 5. This was testified to by men such as United States presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Harding, Wilson, and Taft, plus some of the world's greatest scientists and founders of America's leading corporations: Thomas A. Edison, Luther Burbank, John D. Rockefeller, F. W. Woolworth, William Wrigley, Jr., George Eastman (Eastman Kodak), Robert Dollar (Dollar Steamship Lines) etc. The following endorsements (among other) are seen in the 1941 edition of Think and Grow Rich.. [Emphasis Added]
Woolworth said "By applying many of the 17 fundamentals of the Law of Success philosophy we have built a great chain of successful stores. I presume it would be no exaggeration of fact if I said that the Woolworth Building might properly be called a monument to the soundness of these principles." William Wrigley "Whatever success I may have attained I owe, entirely, to the application of your 17 fundamental principles of the Law of Success. I believe I have the honor of being your first student."
And through the ensuing years since Hill first set pen to paper his principles and techniques have, in one form or the other, been taught by every motivational speaker/ life coach on the planet - with often successful results. In fact, by learning and applying certain principles, the non-believing world can match or even exceed, the gain that "Christian" ministers promise. This unsettling parallel should give pause to any discerning believer especially when there is nothing in the Scriptures that even vaguely resembles the Word-Faith doctrine. This leaves us with only three options 1) We are actually 'little gods' which is what is taught by many New Agers and heartily endorsed by many Word of Faith preachers based on one verse no one really understands and another taken out of context.
2) Matter can be manipulated by the words a person speaks
3) An intelligent force does what it takes to make the words a reality.
1.) We Are "little gods".
Word of Faith preachers (who have to somehow add God into the mix) teach that not only is it possible for our words to transform physical reality, but it happens because people are 'little gods'. Since the book of Genesis tells us that all matter was spoken into existence by God, people made "in His image" can, to some degree, do the same thing. This in spite of the fact that we have little idea what being made in God's image exactly means. Here are some of what Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and Fred Price etc have claimed.
KH. "[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority... God made us as much like Himself as possible... He made us the same class of being that He is Himself... Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God...[The] believer is called Christ... That's who we are; we're Christ" [01] KC.Peter said it just as plain, he said we are "partakers of the divine nature. That nature is life eternal in absolute perfection. And that was imparted, injected into your spirit man, and you have that imparted into you by God, just as same as you imparted into your child the nature of humanity. That child wasn't born a whale - born a human. Isn't that true? Well now, you don't have a human, do you? No, you are one. You don't have a God in you - you are one. [02] BH. "God came to earth and touched a piece of dust and turned it into a God." [03]. When you say, 'I am a Christian, you are saying, I am mashiach, in the Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth, in other words. That is a shocking revelation... May I say it like this? You are a little god on earth running around. [04] JM Why do people have such a fit about God calling His creation, His man - not His whole creation, but His man - little gods? If He's God, what's He going to call them but the god-kind? I mean, if you as a human being have a baby, you call it a human kind. If cattle has another cattle, they call it cattle-kind. So, I mean, what's God supposed to call us? Doesn't the Bible say we're created in his image? Now, you understand I am not saying you are God with a capital G. [05] FP. God can't do anything in this earth realm except what we, the body of Christ, allow Him to do. Now that statement is so foreign and so contrary to tradition That, like I said, if they could get their hands on me right now most evangelicals would burn me at the stake and dismember me and feed me to the crocodiles because they'll consider that statement to be just heresy. [06
Apparently they and many other Word of Faith preachers in the church do not realize or do not care that they share this belief with both the occult world and Hindu gurus. Walsch and Butterworth are well known New Agers, the other two Hindu gurus. (One has to love the fact that New Agers and Hindu Gurus try telling the world what Christ and God said and what they meant) Neale Donald Walsch: "Do you want your life to truly "take off"? Then change your idea about it. About you. Think, speak, and act as the God You Are" [ 07] You are already a God. You simply do not know it. Have I not said, "Ye are Gods"?" [Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 1996, Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg. 202. ] Eric Butterworth: Quite often, I am criticized for saying that Jesus is not Divine. Actually, I am not saying that Jesus is not Divine, but I insist that all persons are Divine. Jesus made the discovery of the Divinity of man. He proved and demonstrated it in his own fulfillment. But the discovery was of the potential of all human beings. He said of you and me:
the works that I do shall he [you] do also; and greater works than these shall he [you] do
. [John 14: 12] [09] When Jesus said, "... be it done for you as you have believed, [Matt. 8:13, RSV] and, "According to your faith be it done unto you, [Matt: 9:29, KJV] actually, he was referring to thinking. "Faith" is another word for thought. Jesus was saying, "According to your thoughts, be it done unto you." The thoughts you think actually are the key to manifesting the conditions of your life. [10] Sathya Sai Baba: "I am God. And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.' [11] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: "[When] Christ said,'Be still and know that I am God.' [He also meant] 'Be still and know that you are God." [12] (I have to wonder how he knew that).
See The Deification Of Man 2.) Matter Can Be Manipulated
Various groups of people including New Agers have their own unique idea of what or who God is. Perhaps the most common factor is that human beings, the Earth, and everything that grows and lives on it and even the universe itself are all part of one nonphysical primordial energy called "god". Therefore, everyone and everything in the universe can be identified with the Divine. In other words, god is immanent - present in every person and thing. See The New Age Part I. Definition, Growth, Expansion & Diversification, etc. Ernest Holmes, founder of the worldwide Religious Science Movement wrote The Science of Mind, sometimes called as one of the greatest New Thought books ever written. Holmes was the creator of Religious Science a spiritual movement belonging to the larger New Thought movement which believed that science, philosophy, and religion could all be connected for the betterment of each individual. According to Holmes, God is a never ending energy source, present in the whole universe. Homes argued that the universe was neutral, allowing each person to dictate positive and negative feelings in their life and allowing them to create their own individual reality. The back cover of the original 1926 editions says (emphasis added) There is One Infinite Life acting through Law,and this Law is mental; the Law is mind in action.We are surrounded by an Infinite, Subconscious, Impersonal, Neutral, Plastic, Creative, Ever-Present, Thinking Stuff from which all things come, which, in Its Original State, permeated and penetrates all things. By impressing our thought upon this Substance we can cause It to produce for us that which we think, to the limit of our ability to mentally embody the idea. Ernest Holmes (page 120) We know that man's life , in reality, is spiritual and mental; and that until the thought is healed, no form of cure will be permanent. Ernest Holmes (page 131) [13]
3) An Intelligent Force Hears Our 'Positive Confessions'
In examining this third option, it has to be considered that there are only two intelligent forces in the spiritual world.. God and His angels, and the very dark world of demonic beings. While it is all very well to use high-sounding terms like "Cosmic Ordering", these terms are meaningless because neither the cosmos nor universe has the intelligence nor the ability to hear your words or perceive your thoughts. It takes intelligence and power to order a sequence of events that leads to poverty or riches - to cause your boss to offer you that dreamed of promotion or have your number to come up a winner in a lottery. The problem is that people don't believe Satan or his demons can perform genuine miracles. The Christian has repeatedly been told that God is the source of health and wealth and that Satan's sole work is to maim and destroy. Thus they assume that any teaching that is accompanied by signs - whether a fat bank account, freedom from debt or a physical healing - has to be from God. However, it has to be remembered that Satan is not particularly concerned whether or not you prosper financially and materially or have perfect health in this life as long as at the end of it all you are judged unworthy at the judgment seat of Christ. Satan is perfectly capable of giving you your heart's desire whether it be money, property or the constitution of an ox. Besides which It's not a question of counterfeit versus real; Satan's miracles are not counterfeits any more than foreign currency is a counterfeit of our own currency. Counterfeit "miracles" are those feats of legerdemain performed by professional magicians and charlatans who create ruses to bilk people out of money. A miracle from the spirit realm is genuine, whether from God or Satan. Satan's healings are not illusory; they are real. That's what makes them dangerous. The reason people believe teachings when they are accompanied by signs and wonders is that they don't believe Satan or his demons can perform genuine miracles. Therefore they think that any teaching accompanied by signs and wonders must be from God. [14]
It is not only God that can grant health and wealth. Unfortunately, too many Christians, to their detriment, ignore the words of our Lord in Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24 NASB)
Continue On To Chapter 8 - God and Money. The Bible never once condemns the wealthy just because they have money. In fact some of God's finest... Abraham, David and Job for example, were men of substance. However, the rich men in the Bible were nearly all in the Old Testament - the New Testament emphasized spiritual not material prosperity. And no, God's works doesn't take millions of dollars - He funds His own plans.
Much to the contrary, the fund raising, begging, and numerous gimmicks to raise money is to fuel man made projects that the Father did not commission and, of course, their own extravagant lifestyles. The Bible has already warned that you will become a means for their gain (2 Peter 2:3) HERE
End Notes - Chapter 7
[01] Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. Pgs. 35-36, 41
[02] Copeland The Force of Love, tape #02-0028. as quoted in Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospe by Robert Bowman. unabridged edition. Pg. 184 [03] Benny Hinn TBN, Dec 1, 1990 [04] Benny Hinn, Praise-a-Thon, TBN, 6th November 90. As quoted in Positive confession preachers and teachers list of heresies by Matt Slick. https://carm.org/preachers-and-teachers/positive-confession-preachers-teachers-list-of-heresies/ [05] Joyce Meyer, Authority and Opposition, audio tape number 1236. as quoted in Joyce Meyer: Are you paying attention https://christianreformedink.wordpress.com/bad-theology/word-of-faith/joyce-meyer-are-you-paying-attention/ [06] Frederick K.C. Price, "Ever Increasing Faith program on TBN [1 May 1992], audiotape #PR11.) Cf. chapter 6, 85. As quoted in Positive confession preachers and teachers list of heresies by Matt Slick.
https://carm.org/preachers-and-teachers/positive-confession-preachers-teachers-list-of-heresies/ [07] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God. Book 1. Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Page 76 [08 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 1996, Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg. 202. [09] Eric Butterworth -Unity minister. The Truth In A Nutshell. http://www.ericbutterworth.com/read/truth-nutshell [10] ibid. [11] Sathya Sai Baba: The Man Who Was God Is Dead. Time Magazine.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2068080,00.html [12] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi] As quoted in Word of Faith Preachers: How Misinterpretation of Scripture Might Lead You Astray by Joseph T. Bachota Jr . Pg. 12 [13] Ernest Holmes. The Science of Mind: Original 1926 Text 1998 Edition Paperback November 29, 1998. Publisher: Hi Productions; 1998th edition (November 29, 1998) [14] Kingdom Theology by Al Dager (Part One) http://www.banner.org.uk/res/kt1.html Continue On To Chapter 8 - God and Money. The Bible never once condemns the wealthy just because they have money. In fact some of God's finest... Abraham, David and Job for example, were men of substance. However, the rich men in the Bible were nearly all in the Old Testament - the New Testament emphasized spiritual not material prosperity. And no, God's works doesn't take millions of dollars - The truth is that while some money goes towards projects the Father would probably approve of, - He funds His own plans. Much to the contrary, the fund raising, begging, and numerous gimmicks to raise money is to fund projects (and their own extravagant lifestyle) that the Father did not commission . And remember that the Bible has already warned that you will become a means for their gain, And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:3 NASB) HERE
End Notes - Chapter 7
[01] Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. Pgs. 35-36, 41 [02] Kenneth Copeland, "The Force Of Love" tape # 02-0028 [03] Benny Hinn TBN, Dec 1, 1990 [04] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God. Book 1. Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Page 76 [05] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 1996, Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg. 202. [06] Eric Butterworth -Unity minister. The Truth In A Nutshell. http://www.ericbutterworth.com/read/truth-nutshell [07] Sathya Sai Baba: The Man Who Was God Is Dead. Time Magazine.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2068080,00.html [08] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi] As quoted in Word of Faith Preachers: How Misinterpretation of Scripture Might Lead You Astray by Joseph T. Bachota Jr . Pg. 12 [09] Albert Dager. An Examination of Kingdom Theology. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/l02.html | 
