Dr. Michael Horton as they discuss heretical TV preachers such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, Robert Tilton, Peter Popoff, Jimmy Swaggart, John Avanzini, and a host of others. Michael Horton is the editor of the book, the "Agony of Deceit" which is co-authored by Dr. Walter Martin, Dr. R.C. Sproul, Joel Nederhood, C. Everett Coop, Art Lindsley, and others. Dr. Walter Martin has been a frequent guest on the John Ankerberg show and is the founder of the Christian Research Institute. Part 1
As an organized movement, the prosperity gospel (also known as "Word-Faith," "Word of Faith," "Health & Wealth," "blab it & grab it," etc.) has only existed for about 100 years, from the early nineteenth century up through the present time. While there have been dozens of prosperity gospel advocates during this time period, two stand out as preeminent: E.W. Kenyon & Kenneth E. Hagin. In its modern form, the prosperity gospel can be traced to the beliefs of E.W. Kenyon (1867-1948), an evangelist, pastor, & founder of Bethel Bible Institute in Spencer, Massachusetts. Kenyon, born one year after the death of Phineas Quimby, the father of New Thought (the belief that sickness follows a disturbance of the mind; therefore, disease is really mental & the cure is to correct false mental reasoning or mental errors in the mind) synthesized New Thought belief systems with then contemporary theological trends. Kenyon' ideas greatly influenced this new prosperity gospel movement. Kenyon taught that speaking the right words bring about a new reality & he is credited with coining the phrase, "What I confess, I possess." |
