By Gail
Fischbein
In
his book Bleeding Hearts and Propaganda: the Fall of Reason in the Church
James R. Spencer says, "One of the most grievous propaganda tactics is the
sin of the out-of-context quotation. When you quote someone out of context,
you can make words they said mean something they never meant at all. People can
use such statements to cruelly misrepresent what a person really
believes." [1]
There are other propaganda
tactics that can make it appear that a person said something he or she did not
say, or did not mean. In his online essay, Seven Tactics of The Heresy
Hunters, Troy J. Edwards discusses them, and says that after quoting a
person out of context, a possible next step "is to make a false
implication concerning what the individual teaches. The interpretation of a
statement by the Heresy Hunter is usually never what the writer/preacher
originally meant to convey." [2] One way this can be done is through the
paraphrased quote.
A clear example of these
tactics can be found in the alleged quote below attributed to Kenneth Copeland.
The author not only lifted something he said out of context, thus giving his
statement a different meaning, but also paraphrased it in such a way that it
says the opposite of what Kenneth Copeland actually said.
Below is the quote, posted
on a Christian Message board, and traced back to the Internet:
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This
is a synopsis of statements made by the major Word Faith teachers; after each
statement, you will find the source material listed so that you can read or
hear the exact quote for yourself. It has been my intent to paraphrase
these teachers as exactly as possible for the purpose of allowing you, the
reader, to get an overview, or the 'big picture' if you will of the Word Faith
movement.
...
Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the
prophets of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence
through their constant prophecies. (The Power of the Tongue, pp. 8-10) [3]
…
[Emphasis added]
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the earth. He [Satan]
became man's god, or as 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him, the god of this world.
Though he has no creative power of his own, Satan uses the creative power in
man's words to manipulate the circumstances of this world. Everything he
produces is only the counterfeit of the real. He takes what God has already
created and perverts it to his own use. James 3:6 tells us that the tongue is
set on fire of hell. Satan desires the use of men's tongues. Tongues of creatures
in the God class are much more powerful.
Man was created in God's image.
God places a high priority
on words. He has never done anything without saying it first, as we have seen
from chapter one of Genesis. God's faith-filled Word was the initial
force in the universe. At creation, God set into motion what I call
the law of Genesis, dictating that every living thing would produce
after its own kind. God's plan for man was to live eternally, producing a race
that would be in close fellowship and communion with Him; but once Adam
disobeyed God, that plan was altered. The authority that had been delegated to
a man was suddenly in the hands of Satan. At that point, God was forced back to
the original source -- His Word. He couldn't make another man from the dust of
the earth because the ground was cursed. He had to revert back to speaking His
Word, filled with faith.
Once
[the Abrahamic] covenant was established, God began to release His Word into
the earth. He began to paint a picture of a Redeemer, a man who would be
the manifestation of His Word in the earth. The only avenue God had to get His
words into the earth was through men. As He would speak life-filled words in
relation to His covenant with Abraham, His prophets would repeat those words in
the earth.
Immediately God began to
search for a man who would teach his children and live uprightly before Him.
Finally he found that man, Abram. He made a covenant with Abram -- a covenant
that was to last forever. As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee. . .
And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful . . . And I will establish my
covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for
an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee
(Gen. 17:4,6,7).
Once that covenant was
established, God began to release His Word into the earth. He began to paint a
picture of a Redeemer, a man who would be the manifestation of His Word in the
earth. The only avenue God had to get His words into the earth was through men.
As He would speak life-filled words in relation to His covenant with Abraham,
His prophets would repeat those words in the earth. It was a very tedious and
difficult process since the Old Testament prophets were not born-again men.
Because they lived under the Abrahamic Covenant, they were able to receive
instruction from God and righteousness was imputed, or counted, unto them (Rom.
4:22).
So
before Jesus came into the earth, God spoke His Word and then spoke His Word
again. How many times did He say the Messiah was coming? It was prophesied over
hundreds, even thousands of years. He kept saying, "He is coming. He is
coming." The circumstances in the earth made it look as if there was no
way He could accomplish it; but He just kept saying it. He would not be moved
by what He saw. Once the Word was received into the earth by a man, it was here
to stay. In Isaiah 55:11, God said, “So shall my word be that goeth forth
out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God
would not relent. Through the mouths of his prophets, He kept sending His Word
and sending His Word.
Finally
the great moment came when that Word was brought forth in human form: And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John
1:14). The Word, which existed before the foundations of the earth,
lived for 33 years as a man. His name was Jesus. He ministered for three
years as a prophet under the Abrahamic Covenant; then He gave Himself to be the
last sacrifice of the Old Covenant. He became the sacrificial lamb, offered
upon the altar of the cross for one reason: to defeat Satan.
Jesus was the last Adam (1
Cor. 15:45), and He passed the test that the first Adam failed. [4]
-Kenneth Copeland. The Power of the Tongue (Fort
Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1980), pp. 8-10.
[Some emphasis added.]
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Here again is the
"paraphrased" quote attributed to Kenneth Copeland:
Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets
of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through
their constant prophecies. (The
Power of the Tongue, pp. 8-10) [5] [Emphasis added.]
As
you can see from his actual words above, Kenneth Copeland did not say that Jesus
existed "only" as an image in the heart of God. He said that as
God “began to release His Word into the earth, He began to paint a
picture of a Redeemer, a man who would be the manifestation of His Word
in the earth.” We know that the picture God painted is found in the suffering
servant and messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.
The
heresy hunter changed Copeland's statement that God "began to paint
a picture of a Redeemer" to say, "Jesus existed as an
image in the heart of God." Then he lifted this statement out of
context and added the world "only" to make the quote say,
"Jesus existed only as an image in the heart of God," thus
creating the totally false implication that Copeland denies the deity and
pre-existence of Jesus. What the writer of this alleged quote left behind when
he lifted it out of context was that Copeland also said, "The Word,
which existed before the foundations of the earth, lived for 33 years
as a man. His name was Jesus." Quoting Copeland as saying
Jesus existed "only" as an image in the heart of God seems
clearly to be a deliberate deception.
Continuing
our analysis of the quote, Copeland didn't say anything resembling "until
such time as the prophets could positively confessed Jesus into existence
through their constant prophecies."
Confession, positive or otherwise, wasn't even mentioned by Copeland.
There is a significant difference between people making positive confessions
and God prophesying the coming of the Messiah through His prophets, which is
what Copeland said happened. In prophesying events to come, God initiates the
process by speaking His words through men and they come to pass. In positive
confession, a human being initiates the process by speaking God's Word as found
in the Bible concerning a particular promise, repeating it to get it into their
heart, from which he or she speaks it forth in faith believing it will come to
pass.
Copeland
spoke of God's role in bringing the Messiah into the world by saying, “In
Isaiah 55:11, God said: ‘So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it’."
Copeland also said that through the mouths of His prophets, God kept sending
His Word and sending His Word. However, he said nothing about the prophets
creating anyone (as some claim he said) or bringing anyone into existence.
Instead he said, "Finally the great moment came when the Word was brought
forth in human form." Then, without even knowing he'd be accused of it,
Copeland refuted the notion that prophets created Jesus by declaring that Jesus
was begotten, Fathered by God: "And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John
1:14).
Wrapping
up our phrase by phrase analysis of the quote, Copeland said nothing about constant
prophecies. He said that God kept
sending His Word over a period of hundreds, even thousands of years. Some say
there were about 300 prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus, given
over a period of about 3600 years (from Genesis 3:15 through Malachi). That would
be an average of one prophecy every 12 years - hardly what you'd call
"constant prophecies". Copeland said the prophets repeated the
prophecies, but not constantly. Some of the prophecies were passed down through
oral tradition and later written into the scriptures. They were read from time
to time in the synagogues, but again, not constantly, as the author of this
quote says.
So what do we have here?
We have some orthodox Christian history written by Kenneth Copeland to show
that God prophesied - spoke His Words through men to make the incarnation of
Jesus a reality. Copeland wrote that God began to release His Word into the
earth, painting a picture (giving the details) of a Redeemer who would come
and be the manifestation of His Word in the earth. He said God spoke through
His prophets to get His Word into the earth, and quotes God as saying, "So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) This clearly shows that Copeland
believes it was God, not the prophets, who brought Jesus into the earth.
Copeland ends by saying,
“Finally the great moment came when that Word was brought forth in human form:
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The
Word, which existed before the foundations of the earth, lived for 33 years as
a man. His name was Jesus. He ministered for three years as a prophet under the
Abrahamic Covenant; then He gave Himself to be the last sacrifice of the Old
Covenant. He became the sacrificial lamb, offered upon the altar of the cross
for one reason: to defeat Satan. Jesus was the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), and He
passed the test that the first Adam failed.”
What is unorthodox about
that? This is salvation history that virtually every Christian knows about and
understands to some degree. Copeland wrote it to show the role that God's
words, which he believes the Bible teaches are powerful, played in the process.
We don't have to agree with his emphasis or choice of words, but there's
nothing false or unchristian about what he said, and no reason for anyone to attack
or vilify him. Only what the heresy hunter wrote is false and heretical.
You
need to realize, when reading alleged and especially "paraphrased"
quotes, that until you've read or heard the original material in context, and
until you know what the writer/speaker meant to convey, you may not be reading
or hearing a genuine quote but at something someone else has presented in a way
that may not be fair, objective or honest. Noah Webster defined paraphrase
as: "An explanation of some text or passage in a book, in a more clear
and ample manner than is expressed in the words of the author. In a
paraphrase, the author's words are not so strictly followed as his sense, to
unfold the sense of an author with more clearness and particularity than
it is expressed in his own words. To interpret or explain amply." [6]
[Emphasis added.] The author of this quote did quite the opposite. This is not
a true or helpful paraphrase, but a false one that altered Copeland’s meaning
and is causing distress and dissention in the church.
Noah
Webster defined synopsis as "a general view, or a collection of
things or parts so arranged as to exhibit the whole or the principal parts in a
general view." [7] Merriam-Webster defines it as "a condensed
statement or outline (as of a narrative or treatise): ABSTRACT." [8] Although this quote was offered as "a synopsis
of statements made by the major Word Faith teachers..." (and paraphrased
"as exactly as possible”) to allow “you, the reader, to get an overview,
or the 'big picture' …of the Word Faith movement," it did just the
opposite.
We
have here an overlay of meaning, not what Copeland said or meant, but what
someone added that changed what Copeland said, and like curved mirrors in an
amusement park, gives a very distorted view of reality, and a very false
caricature of what Copeland actually said. Heresy hunters set themselves up as
judges, but when they overlay acceptable teaching with false and heretical
quotes, they are like judges in a cooking competition who pour acid into a contestant’s
cake batter, then sound an alarm that the cake is poison. No judge is supposed
to alter what he’s judging, be it food for one’s soul, or food for the table.
Below
are quotes of additional charges (underlined) made by some web sites displaying
the quote we've been discussing. It seems that when people came across this
quote, they didn't check to see what Copeland said in The Power of the
Tongue, even though they posted a reference to it on their web sites.
Because of this, they were apparently deceived by material taken out of context
and rewritten to make it appear that Copeland said the things in the quote.
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1.
...Copeland has taught some weird teachings: “Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets
of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through
their constant prophecies.” (Kenneth Copeland, The Power of the Tongue, pp.
8-10). [9] [underline added]
REPLY: Only the author
of this false quote is responsible for this weird teaching.
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2. Copeland is denying
God came in the flesh
“Jesus existed only as an image in the heart of God, until
such time as the prophets of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus
into existence through their constant prophecies.” (Kenneth Copeland, The Power
of the Tongue, pp. 8-10)
REPLY: Copeland actually
said, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..."
To deny Jesus’
preexistence means he could not be the creator. Then if he needs to be
con-fessed by their words then men created Jesus. [10]
REPLY:
Instead of denying Jesus' preexistence, Copeland said, "The Word,
which existed before the foundations of the earth, lived for 33
years as a man. His name was Jesus." He said that God
prophesied the coming Messiah through His prophets. He
did not say that Jesus needed to be confessed by prophets. Instead he said
Jesus was begotten of the Father.
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3. Jesus
Did Not Exist Before He Was Confessed Into Existence
"Jesus existed only as an image in the heart of God,
until such time as the prophets of the Old Testament could positively confess
Jesus into existence through their constant prophecies. (The Power of the Tongue, pp.
8-10)" [11]
REPLY: Copeland said The
Word [Jesus] existed before the foundations of the earth. He said that
God spoke His Word again and again through the mouths of His prophets and
finally the great moment came when that Word was brought forth in human form,
the only begotten of the Father. He never said nor implied that Jesus was
confessed into existence. What he said is in agreement with the Bible: for
no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:21 NASB)
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4. "Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets
of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through
their constant prophecies." (Kenneth Copeland, The Power of the Tongue,
pp. 8-10)
We find that Jesus is a
created being that did not pre-exist according to Copeland but had to be made,
heres how he explains the virgin conception. [12]
REPLY:
Nowhere did Copeland say that Jesus is a created being, nor did he say that
Jesus was made. Instead he said that Jesus existed before the foundations
of the earth. About the virgin conception, Kenneth said that Jesus was
the only begotten of the Father.
…
Copeland
states "So before Jesus came to the earth, God spoke His Word
and then spoke His Word again. How many times did He say the Messiah was coming
It was prophesied over hundreds, even thousands, of years. He kept saying, 'He
is coming. He is 'coming the circumstances in the earth made it look as if
there was no way He could accomplish it; but He just kept saying it. He would
not be moved by what He saw… God would not relent." (the power of the
tongue 9-10) So here God spoke the
universe into existence (which the bible attributes to Jesus) but to make him a
human it took a long time of confession. [13]
REPLY: The Bible does say,
speaking of Christ: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him:” (Colossians 1:16 KJV) So when
Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth," it must also be speaking of Jesus, Who is God and Creator.
Copeland didn’t comment on why 4000 years of human history passed before the
incarnation of Jesus became a reality, nor did he even mention confession as
having anything to do with it. Someone made a false implication when they
rewrote what Copeland said to convey the opposite of what he said and
meant.
So Jesus is only a word
spoken, this is exactly like what
Oneness Pentecostals believe which means he was not a person, and is not
God. Clearly to say this is not glorifying him but demoting him to be like
anyone else [14]
REPLY:
Kenneth Copeland did not say or imply any of this. Instead he said, “The
Word, which existed before the foundations of the earth, was
brought forth in human form… lived for 33 years as a man.
His name was Jesus.” If He pre-existed and was born as a man, as
Copeland said, He’s not just a word spoken, and He is a person – as the
pre-existing Word and as a man.
To
be fair Kenneth Copeland has… on
occasion taught correctly that Jesus "...was and is God manifested
in the flesh." K. Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory,
September 1991, p.3.) [15]
REPLY:
Copeland does teach that Jesus is Lord and God. He wrote, “the Word made flesh
and dwelt among us, but that we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). A person who
denies Jesus is God doesn’t say that about Him.
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5. "Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets
of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through
their constant prophecies." (Kenneth Copeland, The Power of the Tongue,
pp. 8-10)
So Jesus did not exist
prior to the prophets words manifesting him. how did he come to be? By the
words of their mouths, glory be to man! [16]
REPLY:
Copeland said that the Word (Jesus) existed before the foundations of the
earth. He didn't come to be. He always was. The quote on which this
statement is based is a fabrication.
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6. God
Cannot Act on the Earth
...
Ken Copeland: Jesus existed only
as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets of the Old
Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through their
prophecies. (The Power of the Tongue, pp. 8-10) [17]
REPLY:
In the text we’re discussing, Copeland did not say that God cannot act in the
earth. He said, “The authority that had been delegated to a man was suddenly in
the hands of Satan.” Both Jesus and the apostle Paul acknowledged that. (John
12:31; John 14:30; 1 Cor. 2:8; 2 Cor. 4:4).
“At
that point, God was forced back to the original source -- His Word. He couldn't
make another man from the dust of the earth because the ground was cursed.” God
does seem to act primarily through men and women (as when He responds to
prayer, for example). At times He also acts based on what mankind had done on
the earth, as in the Flood (Gen. 5:11-13; 17, 18) and the confusion of
languages (Gen. 11:9). He was acting to bring Jesus into the world from His
prophecy in Gen. 3:15 to Mary’s conception some 4000 years later (Luke 1:35).
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7. How much false
doctrine is too much?
...
Below
I have some quotes from some popular 'Bible' teachers of today. I want to say
right up front that I believe most of these quotes are blasphemy, but I
think it is important to show what these people are saying:
...
Jesus existed only as an image in the heart of God, until
such time as the prophets of the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus
into existence through their constant prophecies. [18]
REPLY:
You may not agree with what Copeland wrote but there is no heresy or
blasphemy here. The quote you refer to doesn’t even appear in
Copeland’s book The Power of the Tongue.
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8. “these teachers will exploit
you with stories they have made up” – can anyone find biblical justification
for the blasphemous teachings of Copeland and Hagin….? read what they
say!
...
Jesus existed only as an image in
the heart of God, until such time as the prophets of the Old Testament could
positively confess Jesus into existence through their constant prophecies. (The
Power of the Tongue, pp. 8-10) [19]
REPLY: I wish you
would read what they say, and be fair minded enough to determine what they
meant to convey. Then you’d discover
that it’s the alleged and “paraphrased” quotes that are made up and taken out
of context that exploit their readers by deceiving them into believing that is
what men like Copeland teach, when in fact they do not.
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9. Copeland, Kenneth
& Gloria: Heretical teachers who... Teach a false Christ eg: Jesus
existed only as an image in the heart of God, until such time as the prophets of
the Old Testament could positively confess Jesus into existence through their
constant prophecies. (Kenneth Copeland, The Power of the Tongue, pp.
8-10). [20]
REPLY:
Hopefully you can see now that the alleged quote is simply untrue,
and that in pages 8-10 of The Power of the Tongue Copeland teaches a
true Christ, the Word, who was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth (John 1:14). This Christ, the Word, existed before the foundations of the
earth. He lived for 33 years on earth as a man. His name was Jesus. He
ministered for three years as a prophet under the Abrahamic Covenant; then He
gave Himself to be the last sacrifice of the Old Covenant. He became the sacrificial
lamb, offered upon the altar of the cross...
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10. The Abrahamic
Covenant and Jesus Christ
Kenneth
Copeland teaches that since God could no longer legally operate in the physical
realm, He was unable to redeem mankind Himself. Beginning with Abram, He
therefore sought out men who would willingly cooperate with Him and give Him
access back into the earth by speaking "faith-filled words." Jesus
Christ, the final product of the covenant between Abram (Abraham) and God, was
eventually confessed into existence as the words of God made flesh: [21]
REPLY:
With all due respect, Copeland did not say that God could no longer legally
operate in the physical realm. He did say that God spoke faith-filled,
life-filled words through men. He also did not say that Jesus Christ was the
final product of the covenant between Abram (Abraham) and God, was eventually
confessed into existence. Here is what he said that you quoted:
God's faith-filled Word was the original force in the
universe.... He began to paint a picture of a redeemer, a man who would be the
manifestation of His Word in the earth. The only avenue God had to get His
words in the earth was through men. As He would speak life-filled words in
relation to His covenant with Abraham, His prophets would repeat those words in
the earth.
So before Jesus came to earth, God
spoke His Word and then spoke His Word again. How many times did He say the
Messiah was coming? It was prophesied over hundreds, even thousands, of years.
He kept saying, "He is coming. He is coming." The circumstances in
the earth made it look as if there was no way He could accomplish it; but He
just kept saying it.
Finally, the great moment came when the Word was brought forth in human flesh.... The Word, which existed [as a force] before the foundation of the earth, lived 33 years as a man. His name was Jesus. [22]
Nowhere in the Bible
can the doctrine be found that Jesus was the words of the covenant be-tween God
and Abraham manifested into a man.
Instead, by giving Christ the title of "the Word of God," the Apostle
John was merely employing the terminology of the Gnostics of his day in order
to refute their belief that the logos, the revealer of the Deity, could not
have become flesh. Jesus did not exist as an "image in the heart
of God" which was confessed and subsequently created like the universe, as
Copeland claims, for He eternally co-existed with the Father as a Member of
the Trinity (John 8:58; Phillipians 2:5-8). [23]
REPLY: You’re right.
Nowhere in the Bible is the doctrine that Jesus was the words of the covenant
between God and Abraham manifested into a man. Copeland did not say that He
was. The phrase “[as a force]” is not in the text we’re discussing. I agree that Jesus did not exist as an
"image in the heart of God" which was confessed and subsequently
created like the universe. Copeland did not claim that He was. I agree that
Jesus eternally co-existed with the Father as a Member of the Trinity, as you
said. My point is that it’s not Copeland who is saying these things to which
you rightfully object. As described above, the heresy hunter who wrote
the alleged and rewritten quote said those false and misleading things.
===============================================
What Christianity in
Crisis says about this alleged quote:
===============================================
Part 1 - Turning the
Truth Into Mythology
God's plan was to
make Abraham the father of all nations and to produce from his seed
another Adam who would regain the turf lost by the first Adam.
In keeping with His Word,
God made Abraham very, very wealthy. Then, once again, He proceeded to visualize.
Through God's mind raced images of a brand-new Adam -- a man would one day
restore Him to His rightful place in the universe and who would forever banish
his archrival, Satan, from the kingdom.
And then it happened! One
day the image of this Savior coalesced in God's mind. Without hesitation,
God began speaking into existence the picture of the Redeemer He had painted
on the canvas of His consciousness. (30) Excitedly, God positively
confessed, "The Messiah is coming, the Messiah is coming!"
(31) [24]
REPLY: This is not
what Copeland said. In my opinion the above quote so trivializes what
actually happened that to me it reads like a cheap soap opera. Here in the
Bible is what God actually promised Abraham, for example, in Genesis
17:1-10 NASB:
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the
LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
"I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 "I
will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly."
3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him,
saying,
4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of
nations.
6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I
will make nations of you,
and kings will
come forth from you.
7 "I will establish My covenant between Me and
you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to
your descendants after you.
8 "I will give to you and to your descendants
after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for
you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout
their generations.
10 "This is My covenant, which you shall keep,
between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall
be circumcised.
Here is what Kenneth Copeland actually said:
30.
Kenneth Copeland: "Once that [Abrahamic] covenant was established, God
began to release His Word into the earth.
He began to paint a picture of a Redeemer, a man who would be the
manifestation of His word in the earth." (The Power of the Tongue,
9).
31. Kenneth Copeland:
"So before Jesus came to the earth, God spoke His Word and then spoke His
Word again. How many times did He say the Messiah was coming? It was prophesied
over hundreds, even thousands, of years.
He kept saying, 'He is coming. He is coming.' The circumstances in the
earth made it look as if there was no way He could accomplish it, but He just
kept saying it. He would not be moved by what He saw. . . . God would not relent."
[25]
REPLY: In Note 31 (above)
Hanegraaff omitted: “Once that Word was received into the earth by a man, it
was here to stay. In Isaiah 55:11, God said, “So shall my word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it.”
==============================================
Part 2 - Faith in Faith,
Chapter 5 - The Force of Faith”
Copeland claims that
words were also the vehicle God used
to "paint a picture of a Redeemer, a man who would be the manifestation of
His word in the earth." [26]
[Although Copeland’s The Power of the Tongue, page 4 is cited,
the quote is actually found on page 9.]
REPLY: That’s correct. Everyone
who knows about the suffering servant and messianic prophe-cies knows that God
used words to prophesy details concerning the One to come (Jesus).
===============================================
Part
2 - Faith in Faith
Chapter 7 - The Faith of God
In Copeland's theology,
even Jesus Christ was produced as a direct result of the faith of God. In
unmistakable terms, he portrays God's positive confessions as a force which
produced Jesus Christ.
REPLY:
In the text we’re discussing, Copeland said nothing about positive
confessions or that a force produced Jesus. Here is what he said in this quote from Christianity in Crisis:
"God began to release
His Word into the earth. He began to paint a picture of a Redeemer, a man who
would be the manifestation of His Word in the earth." [27]
===============================================
Christianity
in Crisis
Part 5 - Wealth and Want
Chapter 19 -
Covenant-Contract
Fortunately, Abraham did
not fail. As agreed upon, he became the first in a long line of prophets
that would act as God's mouthpiece in the earth. Copeland picks up the story
by saying, "Through the mouths of His prophets, He kept sending His
Word and sending His Word. Finally the great moment came when that Word was
brought forth in human form... His name was Jesus." [28]
REPLY:
I can’t confirm what is said prior to the quote because no source reference is
given. I’m sure Copeland didn’t voluntarily pick up the story CinC is telling.
More importantly, in the above quote Hanegraaff omitted this: “And the Word
was made flesh, and welt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The
Word, which existed before the foundations of the earth, lived for 33 years as
a man.”
===============================================
1. James R. Spencer. Bleeding Hearts and Propaganda: the Fall of Reason in
the Church, Chapter Eleven,
"Out of Context: Does Kenneth Copeland Really Believe Jesus is Not
God?"
(http://www.mazeministry.com/resources/books/heartstext/chap11.htm)
2. Troy J. Edwards, Seven
Tactics of The Heresy Hunters, “4. False Implications”
(http://www.victoryword.100megspop2.com/seven_tactics.html)
3. Word of Faith Sayings
Compiled by Jim Fox
(http://www.discernment.org/WOF.htm)
(http://www.gospeloutreach.net/wfquotes.html)
(http://www.discernment.org/wordfaith/WOF.htm)
(http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/FaithSay.html)
(http://www.cultureshocksolution.org/public_html/Word%20of%20Fath%20Sayings%20andHeresies%20II.txt)
4. Kenneth Copeland. The
Power of the Tongue (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1980),
pp. 8-10.
5. Word of Faith Sayings
Compiled
by Jim Fox
6. Noah Webster’s 1828
Dictionary online
(http://www.christiantech.com/)
7. Ibid.
8. Merriam-Webster Online
9. SANTA CLARITA BIBLE BAPTIST
(http://www.straightistheway.com/warning/copeland/kenneth_copeland.html)
10. SANTA CLARITA BIBLE BAPTIST
(http://www.straightistheway.com/tracts/tv_trinity.html)
(http://www.letusreason.org/popteac9.htm)
11.
Outlandish Statements by Word-Faith Teachers
(http://newwineonline.com/html/outlandish_word-faith_statemen.html)
12.
By Mike Oppenheimer (Let Us Reason Ministries)
(http://www.powertostand.com/Word%20Faith/jesuswordfaith.htm)
(http://www.letusreason.org/Wf24.htm)
(http://www.answersforindia.com/docs/wofjesus.htm)
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. We Care Ministries
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.mcallister3/copelandsbiblicalrevelation.htm)
(http://www.letusreason.org/Wf22.htm)
17. CROSS + WORD
(http://www.banner.org.uk/wof/sayings.html)
CROSS
+ WORD
(http://www.banner.org.uk/wof/faithsay.html)
18. Thoughts to Ponder
(http://www.behindthebadge.net/articles/a49.html)
19. THE WORD OF FAITH
MOVEMENT
(http://www.africanaquatics.co.za/_christian/_articles/word_of_faith.htm)
20. An Encyclopedia of
Religious Cults by Shaun Aisbitt
(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/6528/cult.htm)
21. Crown Rights Book
Company
(http://www.crownrights.com/books/copeland.htm)
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity
in Crisis, “Part 1 - Turning the Truth Into Mythology” (Harvest House
Publishers: Eugene, 1993), p. 24
25. Ibid., p. 381.
27. Ibid., “Part 2 - Faith
in Faith, Chapter 7 - The Faith of God,” pp. 93-94.
28. Ibid., “Part 5 - Wealth
and Want, Chapter 19 - Covenant-Contract,” p. 213.
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