On Rodney Browne and Laughter 

First and foremost, I want to say thank-you for this website. It is the most in depth and up to date website concerning the cults of today. I am writing this to help others that are beginning to realize that the word of faith movement is not of God. My stirring to know God began late in the year of 1996. It was very strong. I did not come from a religious background. Our mother took us to church on Christmas and Easter. My dad did not and still does not believe in God. The longing to know God grew so strong during the latter part of 1996 and for that reason I attended several churches in my area. Most were non- denominational or Methodist. The preaching was what I needed to hear and left a desire to "get right with God". I did what I now know is called repenting and put my trust in Jesus.

About that time there was a new church being started not far from where I live. It was being advertised on tv and the pastor was a young man named Rodney Howard-Browne. The first time I went there, he called for those making a commitment to Jesus to come forward. I wanted to make a public declaration that Jesus was my savior, so I went forward like he said. Rodney lined us up and he put his hand on my forehead and something bright flashed and my knees went weak and I fell on the floor. This what is called being slain in the spirit, but I didn't know that, I didn't have a church background. It was a good feeling and I wanted more. Every time they called for a prayer line, I was in it. Over a period of time, I sat under the teachings of Rodney Howard-Browne and got farther and farther into the word of faith movement. the teachings covered the anointing, the power to do let Jesus work through us here on earth, the authority we have as believers, and of course, the give lots of money and receive a hundred fold return on it. Every time the church doors were open, I was there just soaking up the teachings like a sponge. The things I heard, I preached to anyone that would listen. I actually believed that I could lay hands on the sick and they would be healed. 

Over a period of time, I started to get an uneasy feeling and didn't know why. Whenever I left a meeting after being prayed for, there was a feeling of extreme heaviness. It lasted for days. As I sat in the meetings and watched people laughing and falling off their seats and onto the floor, I started asking myself if God would do that to someone. Rodney always said that God was doing new things and we just have to be receptive to the movement of God. The services were loud and sometimes not orderly. I know that God is a God of order. The songs seemed to glorify the Holy Spirit and not Jesus, that disturbed me also. I started to pray in earnest for God to lead me into all truth by the Holy Spirit. 

Rodney’s daughter Kelly had been ill for such a long time. She was very pale and frail. Being a nurse, I thought she had a blood disorder but found out it was cystic fibrosis. Then she became very critical and was hospitalized last Christmas. I had been in Ohio for that time period of her hospitalization and passing. But when I returned to the church, Rodney had told us the story of how ill Kelly had been all along and of her going into the hospital. He told us of her final hours and then her passing away. Then he told us that he had Kelly's body brought to the church. They had prayer vigils over her and tried to raise her from the dead. When he told of the associate pastor having a conversation with Kelly in heaven, I actually got chilled. I know enough now about the Bible to know that is called necromancy. That is when I started to distance myself from that church. I attended other Pentecostal churches in the area and they all had the same word of faith message. I kept being pulled back to Rodney's church because there wasn't any church in the area that compared to it. The story of Kelly kept running through my mind. Finally I got on the computer and typed in, the doctrine of Christ, deception in the church, witchcraft in the church, spirit of Balaam, and the Jezebel spirit and studied it all. In earnest, I sought the leading of the Holy Spirit for a church. I now go to an independent fundamental Baptist church (one the Rodney always made fun of and called "dead"). The pure Word of God is preached there. I know the true joy of the Lord and it is not about laughing in church. What a difference! I praise God for His deliverance from the false gospel and false prophet after 5 1/2 years. If any preacher tells you to bypass your mind and just receive what ever is being told to you---RUN! Get to a church that preaches the Word of God in truth.