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Bible Question:
1. Summary: The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland [Note: Numbers within or at the end of sentences are footnote numbers. To read the footnotes providing reference sources for this article, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm)] 'Summary 'Kenneth Copeland stands today as one of the Faith movement's leading spokesmen. His voluminous material (in print and broadcast media), combined with his crusades and international outreach centers, attest to his vast influence. 'Copeland is responsible for spreading many of the Faith movement's unbiblical teachings. He distorts the biblical concepts of faith and covenant. He reduces God to the image of man while elevating man to the status of God. He lowers Jesus to being a product of positive confession who took on a satanic nature at the cross. And he promotes the occult practice of creative visualization. 'Copeland's errors are largely due to his negative stance on reasoning, his poor handling of the Bible, his aversion toward theology, and his bias against tradition. 'On the night of November 2, 1962, a young man twenty-five years of age, struggling against "sin, sickness, and strife," asked Jesus to "come into [his] heart."1 His decision came two weeks after his wife had done likewise.2 Today, these two individuals head a ministry that literally stretches around the globe, while remaining in the forefront of what has come to be known as the "Faith" movement. They are Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. 'Part One of this series explored the roots of the Faith movement and surveyed some of its leading proponents today. In this installment, our primary attention will be devoted to cataloging and critiquing the core theology of one of the most widely recognized and respected Faith teachers to date - Kenneth Copeland.3' ____________________ The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland by Hank Hanegraaff and Erwin M. de Castro. To read more, including extensive footnotes, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm) matt2411 |
Bible Answer: 12a. NOTES: The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland STATEMENT DC755-2 WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE FAITH MOVEMENT? (Part Two): The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland by Hank Hanegraaff and Erwin M. de Castro NOTES 1 Kenneth Copeland, "The Word in My life...," Kenneth Copeland Ministries Catalog (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, n.d.), 3. 2 Kenneth Copeland, The Music of Ministry (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1991, audiotape #53-0018), side 1. 3 Due to space limitations, this article will confine its focus on areas of Copeland's teachings that form the framework for positive confession, which in turn provide the mechanism for the "health and wealth" gospel. Attempts to contact Copeland to resolve any possible misunderstanding of his teachings have been unsuccessful. Still, every effort has been made to present and evaluate Copeland's views as accurately and fairly as possible. 4 Living to Give (pamphlet) (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, n.d.), 4. 5 Charles Farah, "A Critical Analysis: The 'Roots and Fruits' of Faith-Formula Theology," PNEUMA: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Spring 1981, 15; cited in Bruce Barron, The Health and Wealth Gospel (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 183. 6 Living to Give, 4. 7 Ibid., 5. 8 Ibid., 8. 9 D. R. McConnell, A Different Gospel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), 95. Benny Hinn, Jerry Savelle, and Charles Capps number among those Faith teachers who have been profoundly impacted by Copeland. 10 Ibid., 135-42. 11 Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1989), 10. 12 Forces of the Recreated Human Spirit (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1982), 8. 13 Kenneth Copeland, The Laws of Prosperity (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974), 18-19. 14 Kenneth Copeland, Freedom from Fear (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1983), 11. 15 Ibid., 12. 16 Kenneth Copeland, Spirit, Soul and Body I (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1985, audiotape #01-0601), side 1. 17 Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0302), side 1. 18 Kenneth Copeland, The Power of the Tongue (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1980), 4. 19 Forces of the Recreated Human Spirit, 15; cf. 14. 20 Ibid., 17. 21 The Analytical Greek Lexicon (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970), 419. 22 Copeland, Spirit, Soul and Body I, side 1. 23 Kenneth Copeland ministry letter, 21 July 1977. 24 Kenneth Copeland, Praise-a-Thon, TBN, 1988. Copeland has, in another instance, stated that God "is not a failure" (Kenneth Copeland, The Troublemaker [Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Publications, n.d.], 23). 25 Kenneth Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham I (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989, audiotape #01-3001), side 1. 26 Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham I, side 1. 27 Kenneth Copeland, Our Covenant with God (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1987), 7-8. 28 Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer IV (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0304), side 1. 29 Cf. James M. Kinnebrew, The Charismatic Doctrine of Positive Confession: A Historical, Exegetical, and Theological Critique (doctoral dissertation, Mid-America Baptist Seminary, 1988), 157. 30 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 1:192. 31 Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), 510; cf. 514. 32 Copeland, Walking in the Realm of the Miraculous, 74-76. Copeland's understanding of these terms, derived from the Greek word zoe (life), is similar to that of ancient Gnostics. See Rudolf Bultmann, "Zoe in Greek Usage," Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (abridged in one volume), ed. by Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co./Paternoster Press, 1985), 291. 33 Ibid., 74. 34 Ibid., 76. 35 Ibid., 74. 36 Copeland, Our Covenant with God, 9. 37 Kenneth Copeland, The Image of God in You III (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989, audiotape #01-1403), side 1. 38 Kenneth Copeland, Inner Image of the Covenant (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1985, audiotape #01-4406), side 1. 39 Kenneth Copeland, God's Covenant with Man II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1985, audiotape #01-4404), side 1. 40 Ibid. |