Here we are back for week five of this blog entitled "Who Can We Trust? Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth!" We've been discussing who we can and can't trust in mainstream evangelism today. I've had some questions about the blog so I'd like to address them before we start today. I specifically list things the untrustworthy Evangelical have published and stated but not so much on the trustworthy side. The reasoning is that every solid preacher gets some things wrong and every heretic speak some truth at times. With the positive I try to list published works and websites where the person's doctrines and teachings can be found so the reader may research them thierselves. On the negative I list published heresies or false teachings so the reader can see the foundation on which the person's doctrines are built. With that said, this is NOT personal! Heresy must be pointed out and false doctrine that may not be heresy but still wrong should be warned against as well. Please note that there is a difference between heresy and false doctrines, all heresies are agregious foundational false doctrines but non-heretical false doctrines are falsehoods concerning biblical doctrines that aren't foundational (what we call adiaphora) and such aren't as serious but still important. Heresy is a serious offense to the Gospel and should never be brushed off no matter who speaks it! People's eternity lie in the balance! At the end of the day, it's your job as a Christian to compare what people say and teach with the Word of God and to guard young converts and disciples from heresy, false teachers, and false doctrines that damage the faith and I feel that with the mere Christianity, easy believism, and ecumenical interfaith fellowship we are failing miserably. Please take the Word and the call upon your life seriously.
We can all agree that we live in a generation and culture(if you're in America) of easy believism where people have the ability to get their message out to millions with just the click of a mouse. With that said, there is a slew of theological information at our fingertips. One quick google search and you can get commentary and scripture interpretation from Billy Graham to Benny Hinn and everything in between. With so many choices and the deceitfulness of our own hearts we're apt to listen to whomever we "like" or whomever our friends listen to or whatever makes us feel good. In light of this reality let us be diligent in determining who we let speak into our life! Every heretic speaks some truth sometimes or no one would listen. My goal over the next few months is to do two blogs a week, both critiquing prominent evangelicals in our day, one on someone who is trustworthy, someone who rightly divides the Word, someone who doesn't twist the scriptures, and the other on someone who is untrustworthy, possibly deceived, and even possibly an apostate, who for filthy lucre, distorts the Gospel. Let me say up front that there may be some of these critiques that you absolutely agree with and some you may vehemently reject and at times you may think that I'm being judgmental, harsh, or you may even think I'm crazy but I challenge you to research the Word and the person and then decide. I will praise some of these men and I will reject others, it's not personal but as a Pastor with a Pastor's heart I feel compelled to protect the flock from wolves and to lead the flock to spiritual food that will equip them for this life and the next, that is the sole intent behind these blog entries! Lets get started!
This week's untrustworthy Evangelical is Creflo Dollar.
Creflo, a former educational therapist, found his way into ministry on the 80's. He received an honorary doctorate of theology from Oral Roberts University which speaks to his prosperity gospel beliefs. His mentor is none other than Kenneth Copeland and he and Copeland follow the same false gospel and heresies of the WoF movement.
Here are some disturbing quotes and teachings from Dollar......
I mean, I thought about when we first built "The Dome," I wanted to put some of those little moving bars and give everybody a little card. They'd stick it in a little computer slot. If they were tithing, beautiful music would go off and, you know, "Welcome, welcome, welcome to the World Dome." But"if they were non-tithers, the bar would lock up, the red and blue lights would start going, the siren would go off, and a voice would go out throughout the entire dome, "Crook, crook, crook, crook!" Security would go and apprehend them, and once we got them all together, we'd line them up in the front and pass out Uzis by the ushers and point our Uzis right at all those non-tithing members 'cause we want God to come to church, and at the count of three "Jesus"-es we'd shoot them all dead. And then we'd take them out the side door there, have a big hole, bury them, and then go ahead and have church and have the anointing. Aren't you glad we're under the Blood of Jesus? Because if we were not under the Blood of Jesus, I would certainly try it. - Creflo Dollar
“Jesus bled and died for us so that we can lay claim to the promise of financial prosperity.” posted then removed from Facebook
“If Jesus came as God, then why did God have to anoint Him? Jesus came as a man, that’s why it was legal to anoint Him.”
He tells members to repeat, “I want my stuff” and they repeat, “I want my stuff.” “Money come unto me,” they repeat it.
Dollar's church's bookstore is filled with books touting prosperity such as, “Confession Brings Possession,” and “How To Bring Home The Wealth.”
“We established last night that you are not whole until you get your money. Amen.” His church members cheer when they hear him say “Well, you need to hear about money, because you ain't gonna have no love and joy and peace until you get some money!… You got to get some MONEY!” (Creflo Dollar, TBN, July 20, 1999)
“Now, last night we began to deal with the relationship between peace and prosperity, … and we'll look at it again tonight, it says, “my soul is far from prosperity.” Why? “Because my soul's far from peace because I forgot prosperity.” We established last night thatyou are not whole until you get your money. Amen. Amen” (TBN, July 20, 1999)
Creflo teaches that for one to have God's love and get the anointing they must tithe or God will not give it. Creflo says, “God wants you to tithe so he can love you, bless you and get the things you want in your life, (healing, paid the bills, education), God wants to cut a deal with you. When you bring your tithe then God can protect you.Creflo further states “Whenever God requires you to bring something to him, its so he can get something to you.”
“When you finally get to the place of obeying God with your money, you will find the anointing there. Every time you tithe you should expect an anointing. Somebody says, "My marriage ain't going right, I need to hurry up get to church to tithe." Why? To get some anointing. You ought to be running here to give your tithe. Why? To get some anointing. That tithe replenishes that anointing. That tithe replenishes the anointing. It is an act of obedience which is an exchange for more power. . .” (Changing your World Lesea broadcasting)
Let's not forget the request he made to his church to buy him a $65 million dollar jet and his domestic abuse arrest concerning his daughter.
I believe that's sufficient although there's much more that could be said. Creflo Dollar is riding high on "God's" money and giving him any platform is colluding with his heresy.
God bless and I pray this has been a help.
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