The Modern Church and Money
Good Evening. A Puritan’s Mind brings you the old time radio program The Wild Boar News Podcast from Sunny South Florida. Welcome, I’m Dr. Matthew McMahon.
The modern church is money hungry. It’s unavoidable when trends picked up from heretics soar through the airwaves deceiving simple souls to turn from Christ to what Christ can give you. If God has golden garbage cans, you can too.
Word-Faith teachings can be traced E. W. Kenyon (1867-1948), a New England preacher who taught that health and finances were the right of every believer who would claim the promises of Scripture through faith. Claiming promises was done by believing and verbally confessing the relevant scriptures, and thus Kenyon coined the phrase, "What I confess, I possess." Pentecostal preacher Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was heavily influenced by Kenyon's writings, and began teaching the same doctrines as early as the 1930s. Hagin is often referred to as being the "father" of the modern Word-Faith movement. He elaborated on Kenyon's theology of confession, preaching a four-part formula for receiving God's promises: "Say it; do it; receive it; tell it." Other preachers in Tulsa were mentored by "Dad" Hagin, and began to preach the same doctrines. The most prominent of these is Kenneth Copeland. Men like Proponents of the doctrine in the United States include Creflo Dollar, Frederick K.C. Price, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Marilyn Hickey, Rod Parsley, Jesse Duplantis, Oral Roberts, Joyce Meyer, John Avanzini and Keith Butler, among others. Many of these heretics appear regularly on Trinity Broadcasting Network, whose founders and directors Paul and Jan Crouch are also proponents of the Word-Faith doctrine.
Do these figures really affect that many people? Yes. Let me tell you a little story.
Among other things, I work for a living. At my job I have been interviewing candidates for a number of positions. One man by the name of Ken Spinder, made arrangements with my secretary to come in for an interview because he had seen my advertisement in the newspaper. He appeared dressed in clerical garb, and carried a disheveled notebook. He sat down, and took a poster concerning the Faith Farm and the Pastor there, a Mr. Locke by name, who was holding a rally in the next two weeks. Ken asked if we could put him on television, or donate to the cause of the rally. I was baffled. I asked, “Are you here for the interview?” He answered, yes, and continued his sales pitch. I stopped him again, and asked if he was here to apply for the position. He said, “No, I simply used that to get in here in order to speak with you about our rally because oftentimes people don’t want to let me in.” Well, of course they don’t. I’m a busy man. All day long at our television production house, I am working with many people on many different projects. I don’t have time for money moguls who lie and deceive me in order to take time and try to get my money for their schemes. I told Ken to repent. I told him he gave Christians a bad name, and I told him that unless he repented God would send him to hell. I told him he was a liar, and liars have no part in the kingdom of heaven.
What would posses a man to come on behalf of another and lie in order to raise money? I’ll tell you – money.
He then rose, and blessed me by saying that he hoped I would make millions. I told him that was not what this company is about, and whether I am abased, or whether I am exalted, God would be glorified nonetheless. Then he began speaking like a Word Faith disciple. I asked him if he had heard of those on TBN, or those previously named. He named a few as well. I told him to run quickly from those men, for they will lead him to hell. He remained unphased. He seemed indifferent, and he went on his way. There you have a local Christian “so called pastor” peddling the word of God for profit, and trying to build a business. The business was for Mr. Locke, also a pastor, who ran the Faith Farm. The Faith Farm is a place where people donate their goods in order to sell them to gain funds for their ministry. But I’ll tell you, after meeting ”ken”, who claimed not only to be prospering, but also an Apostle, the Faith Farm is producing money hungry deceivers who have no faith whatsoever. The Farm is growing weeds, and faith is nowhere to be found. I’ll pray for Ken, and ask God to open his eyes, otherwise, he will meet with Dad Hagin and others in the fiery pit under God’s wrath for being akin to pushers, junkies looking for a greenback.
John Flavel said rightly, “Where there is no want, there is usually much wantonness.”
The Apostle said in 2 Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God for profit; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
This is Dr. Matthew McMahon signing off.
