The Word of Faith Movement: Justin Peters' Call for Discernment Part 1

Justin Peters is quickly gaining respect for his thorough and non-caustic treatment of the Word of Faith Movement. Though Justin is known for his work as an expository preacher, his seminar A Call for Discernment: A Biblical Critique of the Word of Faith Movement has become his magnus opum. This is a clip of one of the three sessions Justin taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also featured in a stunning documentary on the WoF Movement entitled Suffer the Children. Justin's message is clear, "this is another gospel."

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I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of
Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you recieved, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9

Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun, I'll blow your head off (Benny Hinn, "Praise-a-Thon", TBN, recorded 11/8/90)! "I am a God-man!…I am a little Messiah walking on the earth in other words.…You are a little god on earth running around (Benny Hinn, "Praise-a-Thon", TBN, recorded November 1990).

Introduction:
Southwestern alum Justin Peters (MDiv 2000, Th. M 2002) was born with Cerebral Palsy. At the invincible age of sixteen, while many of his friends and classmates were scoring touchdowns and dragging Main Street, Justin was bound to watch from the sidelines in his wheel chair. However, faith-healer Nora Lam was coming to town and the prospect of liberation from the chair resonated like a golden reality.

DD: What’s the connection between your disability and the Word of Faith movement?

JP: At 16, a man came up to me and he said, “Justin, God has spoken to me and He has told me that He is going to heal you as long as you have enough faith.” This really resonated with me because at the time I could not drive and I could not play football. I couldn’t do all the things that I thought were so very important at that age. I very much latched onto this. He told me of a faith healer who was coming to town of Vicksburg, Mississippi by the name of Nora Lam. And in the weeks leading up to this I was completely convinced that I was going to be healed.

So, I went to see Nora Lam December 3rd, 1989 and a very long story short is that obviously I was not healed. The potential was there to do a great deal of harm in my faith of the Lord. Thankfully through the love and support of my faith and the love and support of my church home, none was done. At least not permanently. But, my faith was beginning to be shaken in the “faith healers”. I have lived this movement. I have been through it. I’ve been to the faith healers. So I know first hand the harm that it does to people physically and spiritually.

DD: The question would come up then, “Justin, didn’t you have enough faith to be healed?”

JP: Well, that’s what I was told. Because, you see, if you begin with the premise that it’s always God’s will for a person to be physically healed, and that healing does not happen, then the question must be asked, “Who’s fault is it?” By definition it cannot be God’s fault because He is perfect, so the only other one to whom to look is the one who is sick. And, yes, I was told many times that the reason I was not healed and I’m not today is because I don’t have enough faith. I’ve been told on at least two occasions in my life that the reason I’m not healed is because I’m not saved. That affected me for a while as a teenager. Now though, the Lord has matured me in my walk and in my understanding of His Word.

I tell people this – If you have enough faith to be saved, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, don’t let anybody tell you that you don’t have enough faith to be healed. Because, being saved is by far the greatest miracle. But, how many millions of people are there out there in the world who, because of what they’ve been taught on Christian television and many of our churches – believe that they are sick or their child is sick because their lack of faith. It’s just not true.

to be continued...

• Seminar Outline
• Justin Peters' Ministries