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INDEX
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
 On the surface the Prosperity Doctrine and Word of Faith Movement appear to be very similar - the end goal virtually identical. Although neither are Biblical they cannot be filed away as an honest doctrinal difference between believers. One is a clash between the gospel preached by the Lord Jesus Christ and another gospel. The other a dangerous foray into the world of the occult.
The Prosperity Doctrine
Is the belief subscribed to by millions of Christians that God wants believers to be prosperous, healthy and happy in this life. This doctrine stems from human greed combined with a self-serving interpretation of certain Scriptural passages. The best thing that can be said about this doctrine is that it is not rooted in the occult. However, it
cannot be called 'Christianity'. It is a full blown descent into American 'capitalism'
Chapter 1 - Introduction To The Prosperity Gospel and The Word-Faith Movement
The Prosperity Doctrine, a belief subscribed to by thousands of Christians, teaches that although Christians should keep one eye on Heaven, God doesn't want His people to wait until then have the best of everything including good health and material possessions. He wants believers to be healthy, wealthy, and happy in the here and now. HERE
Chapter 2 - Alleged Biblical Support For The Prosperity Doctrine
One would think that the very least everything Christians leaders teach should be strictly based on the Word of God. Unfortunately, this is often far from the case. Prosperity teachers commonly appeal to a number of Biblical passages that convince many that their teachings come straight from the mouth of God Himself. They also claim that Jesus was a rich man therefore His followers are entitled to the good things in life. But was Jesus wealthy and do the Bible passages they quote come anywhere near proving that God wants us to be rich? HERE
Chapter 3 - The Never Mentioned Verses
Prosperity doctrine teachers only quote those texts that on the surface appear to "prove" their position. They neglect to mention that the Bible clearly stipulates conditions that have to be met before prayers are answered. They never mention any of the Scriptural passages that clearly tell us that it is not necessarily God's will for us to prosper in this life nor that the Bible repeatedly warns against focusing on the material things of this world and that it clearly warns church leaders against being lovers of money or using godliness as a means to financial gain HERE
Chapter 4 - If Positive Confession Is True... There Were a Lot of Uninformed People in The Scriptures.
If God wants His followers to be rich and healthy it is fair to assume that the giants of the Old and New Testaments must have had some idea as to how these blessings were to be obtained. So let's travel back in time and see if we can find some evidence of "Positive Confession" anywhere in the Scriptures and whether negative statements result in negative results - both bedrock principles of the Word-Faith movement. HERE
The Word of Faith Movement
Although they trundle along on parallel tracks, the point has to be made that the prosperity gospel is not necessarily synonymous with the Word-Faith doctrine.
Most prosperity teachers false claim that their doctrine originates in the Scriptures however, the Word of Faith movement has taken the Prosperity Doctrine to a far more sinister level. It has little of nothing to do with a person's belief in and reliance on the power of God, but teaches that the words themselves have "creative power". Thus what a person believes and says determines his future.
What is deeply alarming that most Christians seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that the principles of the Word-Faith movement being trumpeted from pulpits across the land not only stem from the occult spiritual movement known as New Thought but uses exactly the same terminology and techniques - with a few Christian terms sprinkled in to keep it believable. (New Thought is also known as positive thinking, the law of attraction, creative visualization etc.)
Chapter 5 - The Word of Faith Doctrine and New Thought
It is deeply alarming that most Christians seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that the principles of the Word-Faith movement being trumpeted from stages - excuse me - pulpits - across the land, not only stems from the same occult sources as the spiritual movement known as New Thought, but uses exactly the same terminology and techniques.
But what is New Thought? Simply put it is a spiritual movement which developed in the United States in the late 19th century. It consists of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, secular membership organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share certain metaphysical beliefs concerning the law of attraction and the effects of positive thinking, creative visualization etc. In short, New Thought very simply believes that your thoughts play a crucial role in the kind of life you experience. Sound familiar? It should! HERE
Chapter 6 - Joel Osteen - The Blind Leading The Blind
We were given only one sure guide by which to recognize whether the hands that beckon us are God sent to save us, or are reaching out from the depths of hell to devour us. Yet we resolutely continue to ignore God's chosen guide book preferring instead to flock to one of the dog and pony shows like the ones Joel Osteen and numerous others put on. After reading so many of his statements that do not find their origin in Scripture, I began to wonder what Bible this man reads or whether he even reads one. What is painfully clear is that Osteen's inspiration comes not from the Bible but from occultists Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale. Not only is his doctrine virtually indistinguishable from theirs, but he even uses a phrase that was one of Napoleon Hill's hallmark expressions. Norman Vincent Peale also used exactly the same expression. HERE
Chapter 7 - How Words Precede Form
That Napoleon Hill's principles or "magic formula" actually seems to work was testified to by United States Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Harding, Wilson, and Taft, plus some of the world's greatest scientists and founders of America's leading corporations. Ever since Hill first put pen to paper, his principles and techniques are taught, in one form or the other, by every motivational speaker/ life coach on the planet... with often successful results. In fact, the non-believing world can, by learning and applying certain principles, match or even exceed the gain that "Christian" ministers promise. This unsettling parallel should raise an enormous red flag in the face of any discerning believer. HERE
General
Chapter 8 - God and Money
The Bible never once condemns anyone for being wealthy. 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 over material prosperity. And no, God's works doesn't take millions of dollars - The never ending fund raising, begging, etc. used to raise money often feeds the extravagant lifestyle of the preachers themselves. Remember that the Bible has already warned that you will become a means for their gain (2 Peter 2:3 NASB) HERE
Chapter 9 - The Crown Without The Cross
Jesus said "take up" your cross, which does not apply to simply accepting a bad situation but is something we do voluntarily. His warning about counting the cost and denial of self in Matthew 10:34-39 is diametrically opposed to the Prosperity Doctrine's mantra of "Your best life now". In fact, I am not sure if self-denial has any part in the faith of all too many modern Christians who want salvation with as little personal sacrifice as possible - Their very appealing religion is not 'Christianity' but a full blown descent into American 'Capitalism' HERE
Also See
HEALING
Is Physical Healing Included In The Atonement?
Many believe that Christ's reconciling work guarantees believers physical healing - just as much as it guarantees them spiritual healing and eternal life. This is soundly disputed by more conservative Christians. While there is no question that there an unshakable connection between physical and spiritual healing (See 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) there is a fundamental mistake being made by both sides. HERE
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The Secret
In the final analysis, The Secret is nothing more than New Thought - a secular version of what some TV preachers have taught for decades i.e. if you sustain the right thoughts, words and feelings, you will receive whatever you want. However, The Secret adds, ‘your thoughts can bring anything into your life because you are god’.
Visualization
"Imaging" and "Visualization" are increasingly appearing in Christian workshops, in spite of the fact that it comes with much metaphysical and spiritual baggage in tow.
Lifestyles of the TeleEvangelists
Capitalizing on Christianity has proved to be far more lucrative than starting a new religion.
Also See Tithing - God's Plan or Man’s Design?
In order to show that their teachings are Biblically based most who endorse tithing will round up the ‘usual suspects’ to prove their case. Either Scriptural passages are not cited in their entirety or are taken out of context. An in-depth study of tithing in the Old Testament is never undertaken. And as far as the New Testament is concerned Paul never once appealed to tithing in spite of his financial difficulties he wrote rather a lot about FREELY giving financial support where one is able.
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