Thread: Sound Doctrine

Originally Posted by John

Thing is, this stuff was picked up by many not just the "super stars", the highly visible ones.

The principle I believe is to examine fruit, ministers in particular should be very careful as to how their hearers react, digest messages.

What I have seen in defense of WOF is the notion that the hearers got it wrong. No, they heard you, it's on you.

In some cases they actually did hear it wrong. Derek Prince used to say something to the effect that he was not as concerned about his critics as much as he was about his imitators.

People can take any legitimate teaching and go off the deep end. This has happened in the Holiness movement. People took legitimate truth on holiness and turned it into legalism. The first healing revival brought a lot of anti-doctor and anti-medicine teachings (but then, the medical field back then was pretty crude and not as "advanced" as it is today). The Pentecostal revival had its extremes, the legitimate teaching on deliverance began to see demons under every bush, rock and tree, and the discipleship movement became a system used by people who had control issues.

So yeah, I would personally still defend Kenneth Hagin at least with the fact that many of his followers got it wrong.

Originally Posted by Colonel

That was the whole purpose to "the Midas touch" wasn't it, to tell them that they got it wrong ?

Pretty much though when I listen to some of Hagin's first teachings on prosperity it is kind of easy to see how they got it wrong.

Originally Posted by John

Well... to me it's just a principle of teaching. If half of your students fail, it speaks to the teacher, even in the world, you'd be fired. Of course, eternal implications are much more serious, you don't get fired, you but you might just get some fire.

Then God would have to fire Himself since most people misunderstand His teachings all of the time.

It's no coincidence that he titled the book "The Midas Touch - A Balanced Approach to Biblical Prosperity.".


From the Intro, right after relating the tale of king Midas and the moral of that story....

Finding Balance Between Extremes

During my more than sixty-five years of ministry, I have
often dealt with the issue of prosperity for believers, insistently
emphasizing a balanced, scriptural approach. I have observed
many teachings and practices that have both helped and
hindered the Body of Christ. I have seen some faithful men of
God stay the course and move accurately with the truth of the
Word and the Spirit, resulting in great blessing for a host of
believers. Unfortunately, I have also seen many others become
sidetracked by extremism, ultimately shipwrecking their
ministries and hurting and disillusioning many people in the
process.

It has been my experience that with virtually every biblical
subject, there is a main road of truth with a ditch of error on
either side of the road. The Church has not always been a very
good driver, often having great difficulty staying in the middle
of the road. Just about anywhere you go on the Bible pathway,
you'll find people off in the ditch on one side of the road or the
other.

Throughout the history of the Church, there have been
extreme applications of almost every basic truth or doctrine,
including issues such as baptism, resurrection, the Trinity,
ministry gifts, divine healing, and the walk of faith. The topic of
money and prosperity is no exception. There are those in the
ditch on one side of the road who teach that Jesus lived in abject
poverty, that money is evil, and that biblical prosperity has
nothing at all to do with material things. And in the other ditch,
there are people who are preaching that getting rich is the main
focus of faith, that God's main concern is your material well-
being, and that money is the true measure of spirituality. Where
is the truth? It's found far away from both extremes, on much
higher ground.

In this time of affluence and abundance, there is increasing
concern among responsible Christian leaders over the alarming
increase of confusion, error, and extremism regarding the
prosperity message. I feel compelled to speak out to the Church
at large about these issues and especially to address the subject
of finances and giving. This book is an effort to bring clarity and
understanding to those honestly seeking to find the main road of
truth concerning biblical prosperity.

I suspect that there are a great many people—Christians and
non-Christians alike—who, like the mythical Midas, have
discovered that there is no lasting joy in things money can buy
and that prosperity without eternal purpose leads to
disappointment and dissatisfaction.

I want to share with you the truths I have learned through
careful study and application of God's Word and by diligently
listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I pray the truths in this
book will help you gain a balanced, practical, and biblically
sound understanding of the subject of prosperity and also help
you maintain that balance as you travel the road of God's best.

—Kenneth E. Hagin

Originally Posted by victoryword

Then God would have to fire Himself since most people misunderstand His teachings all of the time.

Amen.

Jesus and Paul both taught that the hearers have their part to play as well!