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."
DD: Going through your seminar A Call for Discernment, I’ve heard you speak out against this movement but you do so in a very humble and loving way. I think this is a charitable approach, but you’re not compromising your message at all. Can you speak to the idea that, yes, we must speak against these issues and groups that are going against the Bible and the Gospel found therin, but there is a proper manner in which we are to do those things.
JP: The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:15 to “speak the truth in love”. That’s what I want to do. I’m not out on a personal crusade against anyone. I’m not bitter that I was not healed as a teenager. What I want to do is help equip people to speak God’s truth in love. To make them aware of the dangers and heresies, to help equip them, to guide people away from a false doctrine system that is out there to harm physically and spiritually.
We should not criticize another preacher lightly. When I first began addressing this movement I would not mention names. However, I began to study the Word more in-depth and what I’ve come to discover is that there is a biblical precedent for naming names. The apostle Paul called out by name, publicly those who were teaching false doctrine. So, it should not be done so lightly, but there is a biblical precedent for it. All the individuals we look at in my seminar, have been teaching these false doctrines for years, some of them for decades. They have been called on it but remain unrepentant continuing to teach the same doctrines. They are leading God’s people astray.
DD: Is there is a difference in Word of Faith movement and Charismatics in general?
JP: There is, Dusty. I’m glad you asked that question. It might be easy to assume that a Call for Discernment, is an anti-Charismatic seminar, such is not the case. When it comes to the fundamental doctrines of Orthodox Christianity, clear-thinking Charismatics are in the same boat with me. I happen to be a Southern Baptist. Clear-thinking Charismatics agree with me as a Southern Baptist on all the fundamentals of the faith. The Word of Faith movement, however, is a different animal. It does compromise, and at times, deny some of the fundamental tenets of the faith.
So, I can sum up by putting it this way – all Word of Faith are Charismatic, but not all Charismatics are Word of Faith. To equate the two does a real disservice to clear-thinking Charismatics and it gives the Word of Faith Movement more legitimacy than what it really deserves.
DD: What are some of the most outrageous things you've heard from the Word of Faith teachers?
JP: There are so many. But some of the most prominent are the time when Benny Hinn taught under divine inspiration that there are nine members to the god-head! I think of a very recent video clip from Gloria Copeland saying that she can speak to storms and make them go away just by the words that she speaks. A recent clip of Benny Hinn and Miles Monroe in which Miles Monroe said that God can only do what we permit him to do. He said that prayer is us giving God permission to act on the earth; which of course is a very man-centered doctrine. It’s not God-centered at all. I think of Joyce Meyer teaching a TBN Praise-a-Thon audience that when you give (to TBN, the context of her sermon) you get a receipt in heaven, and so when you have a need you go before god and you say, “Here god, here’s my receipt. I’m cashing in my receipt.” It’s unbelievable. It is a gospel of greed.
DD: A Debtor’s Ethic.
JP: Oh absolutely! In this system God becomes a means to an end rather than the End Himself.
DD: You have all these clips in your seminar?
JP: Yes, everything is exhaustibly documented.
to be continued...one final part.
- Order Suffer the Children
- Order Justin Peter's Thesis An Examination and Critique of the Life, Ministry and Theology of Healing Evangelist Benny Hinn
- Check out Justin's Schedule
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