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p1. The real Heretical Teachings of Kenneth Hagin Mr. Kenneth Hagin is well known to be one of, or the main influences of the word faith movement of our day. He claims he received revelation that he taught to the Church. Mr. Hagin says he was born premature, plagued by numerous health problems as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and what was believed to be an incurable blood disease he was not expected to live and became bedridden. Until he became a Christian at age 15, when he died and descended into hell. In his booklet, I Went to Hell, he wrote that his heart stopped and he ‘‘was pulled toward hell just like a magnet pulls metal unto itself. ’’ This took place in April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes. He felt himself slip out of his body and descend into a terrible darkness, seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life. Each time he heard a commanding voice from above, and felt himself pulled back into his room and into his body. On the third time, he called out to God to forgive him and to cleanse him of all sin. He said he ‘‘ began to pray, ‘O God! I come to You in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all sin.’ ... So I was born again ... and I’ve been saved ever since. ’’ That's quite a prayer from a non Christian at 15.He also says he was raised from his deathbed on August 8, 1934 by "the revelation of faith in God's Word" (Kenneth Hagin, I Went to Hell and What Faith Is). Mr. Hagin was apparently born again in hell, thus we can understand his doctrinal teaching on Jesus being born again in hell. But Hagin remained paralyzed. Apparently his new birth affected his memory (claiming his healing occurred on Tuesday of the "second week" of August 1934, or August 7, which was not the same date given as the "second Tuesday" that month [August 14). Hagin gives various dates, such as "6 days before my 17th birthday [August 20, 1934," which would be August 14, the "second Tuesday of August 1934": (Kenneth E. Hagin, El Shaddai [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1980, 24-25.) Regardless of the different dates, Hagin claims he was healed of his "deformed heart," "paralysis," and "incurable blood disease." I believe God. I believe I receive healing for the deformed heart. I believe I receive healing for the paralysis...." (How to Write Your Own Ticket With God) In case he missed something, he declared his " healing from the top of my head to the soles of my feet" on August 7, 1934, so that "every symptom of distress, deficiency and physical wrongness was driven out of my body," perpetually . Yet on May 1939: he states ". . . I attended a Full Gospel convention .... As I sat in the service, I began to have sharp pains around my heart. It seemed to quiver and stop. It even felt as if my breath were being cut off " (Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking 20-21). It was not a healing that he kept, as these symptoms of a bad heart continued “ I remember many years ago after I was healed, physical symptoms came back .... The devil said to me, '. . . You're going to die... !' . . . I laid my Bible on the floor and literally stood on it . . . ." (Kenneth E. Hagin, "God's Best," Word of Faith [December 1992, 5c). It seems William Branham said the very same on hell prior, “When I saw the vision of hell, as a--as a little boy, the horrors of it. … (63-1124E, Three Kinds Of Believers, Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN) Kenneth E. Hagin states he began his ministry in 1934 at the age of 17 in Texas when he raised from his deathbed on August of 1934 by a revelation of "faith in God's Word" after reading Mark 11:23-24. http://www.rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=137 He was Born in 1917 (he says he was 15 in 1933) which does make this an issue, since he was just converted and knows next to nothing about the Lord. Hagin had received a vision containing the Scripture passage Mark 11:23-24. It was because of this vision, and the supporting Scripture passage, that he built his theology on the “Faith Principle” “ believe it in your heart, say it with your mouth, and you will have whatsoever you confess.” This inaccuracy of Scripture continued. He later developed this into what is known as speaking faith, positive confessions…" Jesus used the fig tree to demonstrate that He had that God-kind of faith, then He said to the disciples--and to us--'You have that kind of faith.'...Jesus said He had the God-kind of faith; He encouraged His disciples to exercise that kind of faith; and He said that 'whosoever' could do it. . . . That is why Jesus said, 'whosoever shall say ... and shall not doubt IN HIS HEART.'" (Having Faith in Your Faith [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1988], 3, emphasis in original.) Do we see any apostles example of doing this? If not then it must mean something other than the way he interpreted it. For twelve years he pastored, and then traveled as an evangelist. In 1936, he founded his first non-denominational church. Bill Sherman - World Religion. "The Hagins' ministry." Tulsa World . He preached his first sermon as the pastor of a small, community Baptist church in Roland, Texas. ChristianityToday.com. In1937, he became an Assemblies of God minister. Kenneth married Oretha Rooker on November 25, 1938, had two children, Kenneth Wayne Hagin Jr. (September 3, 1939), and Patricia Harrison Hagin (on March 27, 1941). Patricia married and later became the widow of the late Doyle Buddy Harrison, the owner and publisher of Harrison House, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was ordained a minister of the Assemblies of God in 1967 (North Texas District Council). In 1963, the Kenneth E. Hagin Evangelistic Association was incorporated. He then began his radio ministry and other media promotions (It continues today by his son, Rev. Kenneth Hagin Jr.) The ministry was moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1966 into the office that was formerly occupied by T. L. Osborn, a Branham enthusiast. (Ibid.) In 1974, he founded Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Okla., which now operates in numerous countries (at least 110) and has many thousands of alumni. Rhema churches are a great influence to many in teaching his false Christianity. Hagin's most successful protegè is Kenneth Copeland, Christianity’s first billionaire braggart. Copeland has been quoted as saying that he 'learned nothing' during six months at Oral Roberts University but was so excited by Hagin's teachings that...[he] spent the next month in his garage listening to them. ”(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) There are so many others, Charles Capps, Frederick K.C. Price, Robert Tilton, David Yonggi Cho, Rodney Browne etc. Many of them are graduates of Hagin's RHEMA Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "Charles Capps gives a the testimony "Brother Hagin was the greatest influence of my life. Kenneth Copeland credits Hagin's tapes with having revolutionized his ministry. McConnell, Kenyon Connection, p. 11. Frederick K.C. Price says: "Kenneth Hagin has had the greatest influence upon my life of any living man ... his books ... revolutionized and changed my life. (Taped interviews on file at the Holy Spirit Research Center, Oral Roberts University cited in D.R McConnell) Others, like Joseph Prince praise Hagin. Anyone who can attach themselves to Hagin needs to be avoided as a teacher, for they show they have no discernment and cannot separate the truth from error. You can sum up Kenneth Hagin’s philosophy of ministry by this teaching: " I'm tired of hearing that religious jargon that we're tired and lonely; we're the meekest and the lowliest... Believe in God! Believe in yourself! There never was a person who succeeded in life who didn't believe he could do it. You may argue, "But I don't want to be egotistical..." That's a lie the devil concocted to cause people not to succeed. Somebody's always talking about being humble. There are some people who are so humble they are proud of their humility! Religious people will tell you "Don't every get conceited..." but the devil tried to rob people through false modesty too... God can't do anything on this earth without a man or woman who will do it for Him ...it's God's plan of action; therefore we need to begin to believe in ourselves ." ("How to Make the Dream God gave you Come True" Faith Library Publications: 1981) underline mine. That is exactly what the devil wants us to be, self sufficient, not Christ sufficient, our confidence is to be in the Lord alone. This statement of his is the very opposite of what Scripture says, not to trust in oneself. This is no different than having faith in faith, faith in oneself. We are not to believe in ourselves, along with God. To say God cannot do ANYTHING without a person is just plain ridiculous, the whole Bible speaks of his sovereignty over all. Yet this is the basis for being a god with the same powers and authority like Jesus. (in the second section he tells a story of what he could do that Jesus could not) His heresies of Jesus and humanity " Of course Jesus stands in a class by himself, personally as deity. But when it comes to ministry, Jesus does not stand in a class by Himself. . . Even though Jesus was the Son of God, and divine blood flowed through His veins, yet He was ministering on the earth as a human being - a prophet anointed with the Holy Spirit “(Hagin, Kenneth, Hear and Be Healed, ps. 8,13-14) This is where we find in the movement from bill Johnson he teaches we can do all that Jesus did. E. W. Kenyon " Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth." (E.W. Kenyon, The Father and His Family, 100) this diminished the uniqueness of the incarnation of God becoming man through a virgin. Copying E. W. Kenyon Hagin said, " Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth." (the Incarnation Kenneth Hagin, p. 12). Does being born again make us an incarnation of God in the flesh? From this basis he made other claims of what Christians can do just like Jesus. Hagin specifically stated "We (the church) are Christ." (As Christ is -- So are we, Tape #44H06) Where does the Bible teach this? It says we are his body, the physical expression of his nature in us, not the Messiah himself. There is only one messiah and we are not him. This diminishes the uniqueness of the Christ being the savior of sinful man. He said, " If we ever wake up and realize who we are, we'll start doing the work that we're supposed to do. Because the church hasn't realized yet that they are Christ. That's who they are. They are Christ." Are we God who came from heaven? That's what Jesus is. The Lord Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh, the eternal Son of God. That is what defines the incarnation. Apparently he did not understand the incarnation which is associated with the gospel, or he did not believe it. Kenneth Hagin also taught "[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority... God made us as much like Himself as possible... He made us the same class of being that He is Himself... Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God.. ." (Zoe: The God‑Kind of Life, 1989, 35‑36, 41) While man could stand in God’s presence, he knew God was his creator. It is only when he believed the devils lie that he thought of himself to be like God. Hagin continually turned the difference of the creature (man ) upside down with the creator (God) giving them the same nature. "Even many in the great body of Full Gospel people do not know that the new birth is a real incarnation....Jesus was first divine, and then He was human. So He was in the flesh a divine-human being. I was first human, and so were you, but I was born of God, and so I became a human-divine being (Kenneth Hagin . Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, Tulsa, OK. Faith Library, 1981, p40.) Here he introduces man as divine from the new birth, we are gods. Kenneth Hagin says “God made the earth … giving Adam dominion over all the works of His hands. In other words, Adam was the god of this world. ” (The Believer’s Authority, 2d ed. [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1991], 19).If he said ruler that may be acceptable, but god; no. There is only one God, all others are false gods. Mans dominion was specifically over the creatures on the earth, he was never called a god. Gen. 1:28 ‘ subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." This was taken away when man was ousted from the garden after he sinned by eating the fruit, believing he would be as God. Hagin "Man is a spirit who possesses a soul and lives in a body...., He is in the same class with God." (Man of Three Dimensions; Tulsa: Faith Library, 1973) No, God is uncreated, therefore he is not in the same class as man who is created by the uncreated. As Adam sinned and was separate from God so was Jesus Kenneth E. Hagin: "God came down in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden to commune and fellowship with him [Adam]. as he had in the past. And he couldn't find him. He called out to him, 'Adam, where art thou?' And he said, 'I hid myself.' Why? Because of sin. Because, first, sin separates you from God. Secondly, by sinning, by listening to the Devil, he took upon himself the nature of the Devil into his spirit being." ("How Jesus Obtained His Name" [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, n.d.], audiotape #44H01, side 2.) He says that Jesus did the same but at the same time denied he taught this, "Why did He (Jesus) need to be begotten, or born? Because He became like we were: separated from God. Because He tasted spiritual death for every man....Jesus was the first person that was ever born again." K. Hagin, How Jesus Obtained His Name, Tulsa: Rhema, audiotape #44H01. “Jesus died as our substitute. He who knew no sin was made to be sin. He took upon himself our sin nature. And he died- he was separated and cut off from God. He went down into the prison house of suffering in our place. He was there for three days and nights.” (Made Alive” the word of faith 15 apr.1982 The Gospel heresy “He [Jesus] tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner men went to hell in my place. Can’t you see that? Physical death wouldn’t remove your sins. He’s tasted death for every man. He’s talking about tasting spiritual death.” (Ken Hagin, “How Jesus Obtained His Name.”) underline mine This is said to support the doctrine that he agreed with from E.W. Kenyon and W. M. Branham, both teaching that Jesus went to hell to suffer there to complete the gospel. Mimicking Branham Hagin states, "Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God ... Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had him bound, and they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." This further explained by Hagin “If Jesus' physical death could pay the penalty for Sin as some contend, then why is it necessary that a Christian die? If a Christian dies physically, does he not pay the penalty of his own ,sin? If physical death is the penalty for sin, then why do not the whole human race pay their own penalty, and save themselves, for all die? But we hold that the physical death of Jesus did not touch the sin issue at all." (quoted in A Different Gospel, D.R. McConnell, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), 23, 28 note 23) This is a full denial of Jesus mission in becoming man. He is questioning Gods Word by his fallen human reasoning. The Word explicitly teaches he became man for his physical death – that his blood would be shed, “ Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. A principle of sacrifice that was taught from the beginning of when man sinned. “ In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…” (Eph. 1:7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins ” (Col. 1:14). (further scriptures on this important issue are Rom. 3:24-25 we are bought with his blood 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pt. 1:18-19). The new covenant is enacted by his blood (Heb. 9:2, 26), from the death of the body. Heb. 9:15: “ Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death” this denial of the core teaching of Christ DYING for sin (for his spirit cannot die, he was God) is denied. Hagin taught Jesus suffered in hell for 3 days. Today all the faith teachers repeat this demonic interpretation. Kenneth Hagin “ Jesus died as our substitute. He who knew no sin was made to be sin. He took upon himself our sin nature. And he died- he was separated and cut off from God. He went down into the prison house of suffering in our place. He was there for three days and nights . ” (Made Alive” the word of faith Apr.15, 1982) This states the cross was not the place of victory as the Bible declares, nor a finishing of the atonement for the new covenant, instead it was continuation in hell This suffering in hell has become the standard gospel in the word faith movement. This is what Kenyon taught, this is what Branham taught. E. W. Kenyon, “ Satan took Jesus spirit with him down to the pit of hell where Jesus during three terrible days and nights suffered the tortures of hell.” (Lie, E. W. Kenyon, 43) William Branham likewise said this long before Hagin, “He died a sinner, knowing no sin, yet our sin was on Him. And God, for His sins, sent Him to hell.” (53-0609A, Demonology, Religious Realm, Roberts Park Amphitheater, Connersville, IN) William Branham said “And when He died, His soul went to hell, because it had the sins of the world upon it. And He was in hell three days.” (59-1124, Balm In Gilead, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose, Ca) The born again Jesus Hagin’s full quote states “Well, Jesus tasted death, spiritual death for every man. See sin is more than a physical act, it's a spiritual act. And so He became what we were, that we might become what he is. Praise God! And so therefore, his spirit was separated from God. Why did he need to be begotten or born? Because he became um we were, separated from God. Because he tasted spiritual death for every men, and his spirit and. inner man went to Hell in my place. Can' t you see that PHYSICAL DEATH WOULDN’T REMOVE YOUR SINS. He's tasted death for every man. We're talking about tasting spiritual death. Jesus is the first person that was ever born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God. (How Jesus obtained his name tape # 44HO1 side 1) Clearly he does not understand the nature of Jesus being a man and being God in Spirit. His Spirit was God, God does not need to be reborn spiritually, if that’s true we are all in trouble. Thankfully it is not! Here we have the teaching of humans becoming god[s]. All this and more was taught by his experiences, his visitations of Jesus and angels and hearing from what he thought was the Spirit.
p2. Kenneth Hagin's numerous visitations of Jesus and angels |
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