Death by faith updated 2023

Here's a rhyme, how much wood could a wood chuck chop, if a wood chuck could chop wood? Here's another. How much deception can be seen and heard, when there is no Word, and nobody is really paying attention?

How long will we look the other way while people are ravaged by false teaching's promoted by men who give promises that are not in Scripture and spread their own miracle rumors?

It was E.W. Kenyon in his book the Hidden man on pg.99 wrote, “I know that I am healed because he said that I am healed and it makes no difference what the symptoms may be in my body.” An example would be if they are coughing and you say you have a cough they respond by “no I don’t, I haven’t had a cough in years.” That’s called denial of reality at best, and lying at worst.

This is what was adopted by Kenneth Hagin who  took Kenyon (and Branham's writings)  and writes in his book “In the name of Jesus” on the topic of divine healing and health. “I have so often said, I haven’t had a headache in so many years (45 to be exact) ... Just a few months ago, as I left the office building and started home, suddenly my head started hurting, someone might say, “well, you had a headache. No, I didn’t have one! I don’t have headaches. I haven’t had a headache since August 1934. 45 years have come and gone. And I haven’t had a headache…but if I had a headache, I wouldn’t tell anybody. And if somebody asked me how I was feeling, I would say, I’m fine, thank you.” (In the Name of Jesus, p.44)

 Notice he says he wouldn't tell you how he really feels because it is his words that override the pain. Is this being honest? Is this truthful? Is this the way someone is to represent the Lord. Did Jesus teach this nonsense? Of course not. And those who teach this do not represent Jesus.

E.W. Kenyon studied at the Emerson College of Oratory in Boston which was a hotbed at the time for the emerging New Age thought. He imagined they have discovered laws of faith, promoting a Christianized version of occultism.

Kenyon had divorced his wife even when he taught that what one speaks they will possess. E.W. Kenyon who is certainly the Father of the Word of Faith Movement taught divine healing and that it was always God's will to heal. But he died in a coma, brought on by a malignant tumor.  He died from a disease.

Kenneth Hagin likewise stated: "It is not God's will for any to be sick (Healing the fathers Provision, p.9 ) I believe that it is the plan of our father that no believer should be sick that every believer should live his life to full time and actually wear out if Jesus tarries then fall asleep in Jesus. I state boldly that it is not the will of God my father that we should suffer with cancer and other dread disease and reap pain and anguish. No, its God's will that we should be healed.”

While Hagin says he has had no headaches, he had 4 major cardiovascular failures. But this is one of those incidents he's not telling you (Christianity in Crises, pp.237-238; a Different Gospel by D. L .McConnell) Hagin suffered 4 separate episodes of heart-crisis in 1939, 1942, 1949, and 1973.

Hagin claims he was healed of numerous sicknesses a “deformed heart,” “paralysis,” and “incurable blood disease.” He also 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. “I'm still healed after 49 years,” Hagin said. (Kenneth E. Hagin, Exceedingly Growing Faith, 2d rev. ed. [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1990, 48-49, 82-83.) His healing occurred on Tuesday of the “second week” of August 1934, or August 7, which was not the same date as the “second Tuesday” that month [August 14). Elsewhere 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, 19801, 24-25.) But see Kenneth E. Hagin, How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1978), 87 (healing on a “Thursday” in August 1934). In still another place Hagin claims his healing was on “August 8, 1934,” which was a Wednesday (Kenneth E. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life [Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1981], 13.) Maybe Hagin needs his memory healed as well. (adopted from Christianity in Crises)

Kenneth Hagin died Sept. 23, 2003 After eating his breakfast his head fell to his chest. Charisma News Service reported that “An exact cause of death was not immediately known” but they also said, Hagin had been hospitalized in a cardiac intensive care unit since Sept. 14, when he collapsed at home. (Charisma News Service  September 23, 2003 edition People & Lifestyle) We later find out, contrary to Charisma news that was transported by an ambulance admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit and remained in the hospital until he died.

This become an interesting point of contention because Hagin claimed he was healed of his heart problem supernaturally years before. He also held to the belief that one should actually wear out, not die this way.

E.W. Kenyon wrote mockingly, “We have sung `Nearer the cross' and we have prayed that we might be `Nearer the cross' but the cross has no salvation in it. It is a place of failure and defeat.” (Advanced Bible Course, p.279) Does this sound familiar? It should because it was Kenneth Hagin who copied him, (as he did most of his theology) saying, “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.”

If Jesus was not victorious on the cross, he was not victorious at all! Yet these same men will teach by his stripes we are healed. Which is it? Are we healed for our sicknesses at the cross and not for our sins? This confusion is present throughout all their teachings.

It is reported that the “father” of the modern Word of Faith Movement Kenneth Hagin had his wife go to the hospital for an operation. Yet Hagin claims that Jesus “appeared” to Hagin and gave him a special anointing to heal the sick. (in I Believe In Visions). Is Hagin an anointed healer?

Kenneth Hagin had his sister die of cancer. Hagin’s great faith and words of confession did not keep her from death. I don't say this to belittle the pain or loss, but to point to the facts. It doesn't work like they say, otherwise this would not be happening to them. There would be a substantial difference between the faith teachers and those who do not practice this word faith confession. But the facts show otherwise.

“Hagin's son mentioned that his own young son (senior Hagin's grandson) was “diagnosed as having a brain tumor that required immediate surgery,” but there is no mention of any faith healing whatsoever.''' (Kenneth E. Hagin, Jr., The Answer for Oppression (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1983], 14-16, 23). (Cited from Christianity in Crises, Hank Hannegraaf)

Hagin and his son wears glasses as their eyesight is growing dim just like anyone else who grows older. Many of these men who promise healings are getting older, they wear hair pieces, and these are simple things compared to organic disorders that they supposedly heal. So they cannot even cure the ABC's and yet they claim they are curing in others the xyz's. And worst of all they run to the doctor for surgery. So what do they really believe?

Kenneth E. Hagin's son-in-law Buddy Harrison, who is the Founder of Harrison House Books, and Head of the Faith Christian Fellowship (FCF) Word of Faith denomination, died Nov. 1998 of cancer. This is unfortunate that this should occur, however it is evidential that the son-in-law of Kenneth E. Hagin, submitted to cancer and died. He was in the “faith movement” before Copeland and many others so... what does this mean in light of what he promoted and has written? Did he practice what he preached? definitely. But what he taught was simply was not true.

Promises are a never ending stream for the gullible. Benny Hinn says unequivocally “There will be no sickness for the saint of God” (Rise and Be Healed! 1991, p.14). “If your body belongs to God, it does not and cannot belong to sickness” (ibid. p.62); “The day is coming, I tell you this, I know it like I know my name, the day is coming there will not be one sick saint in the body of Christ. Nobody will be, nobody's gonna be, no one will be raptured out of a hospital bed. You're all gonna be healed before the rapture.” (Benny Hinn, “Praise the Lord,” 7/8/96) Bible verse- NONE. As often the case it rests on the authority of man, not God.

John writes Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence in the Church. There are many today that threaten the welfare of the believers by their preeminence. So it is important for us to identify the people who say they represent God and can ruin peoples health and lives by there teachings. Some people take this all too lightly until they are visited with personal disaster from this theology.

Satan said to God about Job (2:4), “Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has will he give for his life.” The most heart-breaking stories involve people who have incurable organic sickness and are desperate for a last chance. They listen to anyone who can give them hope and they will do anything to preserve their life, sometimes even believing a lie for some hope! and this is why i'm writing this, what they are promising are lies.  Christians can and do get sick and die, it has nothing to do with a lack of faith.

the promotion of Immortality was part of the "latter Rain" movements promise. Hall writes, “Body-felt salvation has revolutionized my physical body. I get sick no more. There simply are no more headaches. If I should slam the door on my hand or foot it does not hurt or harm me. I have no more accidents to my body. I have no colds, fevers or sickness any more and have not 'had since getting the miracle upon my body. This is more than perfect health or even divine health. My body has been saved from the root Adamic sickness that all are born with.”

O.L Jaggers who was an important teacher during Branham’s popularity  of the Latter Rain. Dr. Orval Lee Jaggers died on January 10, 2004 at the age of 88 in Glendale, CA. Velma Jaggers died later that year August 21, 2004 Miss Velma passed away at the age of 84.

Death came to both of them, despite their teaching that to be born again means you will not die physically

Velma Jaggers said “The new Revelation of Mamre is the greatest gift ever given to a people by almighty God” (The mighty Miracle of the new Revelation of Mamre p.7)

Anyone who partakes in this colossal miracle may be freed FROM SIN AND EVEN DEATH which is the wages of sin! (p.21)

The claim is that through this revelation of Mamre no one will have sin, sickness, disease senility and death. We are not to die but stay eternally young in our bodies. "It is essential for us to let go of the old motto that we must grow old, then die and go to heaven to meet our maker. That is a lie of the devil. He lied at the beginning, and he will continue to lie until the very end." (Ibid. p.46)

his revelation of Mamre no one will have sin, sickness, disease senility and death. We are not to die but stay eternally young in our bodies. "It is essential for us to let go of the old motto that we must grow old, then die and go to heaven to meet our maker. That is a lie of the devil. He lied at the beginning, and he will continue to lie until the very end." (P.46)

There are those who preceded the modern day movement of healing that died. They too taught God will always heal by faith.  A.A. Allen died from cirrhosis of the liver. Jack Coe died from polio. Dr. Hobart Freeman and over 100 of his followers died after refusing medical attention while believing for their healing (more of this at the end of the article).

Many others have died needlessly because they tried to confess healing and bind Satan ignoring medical treatment. According to their position, divine healing is in the atonement, and when Satan attacks, by the authority of the believer uses the name of Jesus, and confesses their healing. Even if these teachers say it is an attack from Satan - how did Satan get in there? Since they were not confessing sickness or disease in the first place. Some like Copeland go even further and say it is divine health not just divine healing. This is something we will not experience until the Millennium, but he says he has it now.

Copeland says “I've had people die on me standing there saying bless God you ain't gonna die. And they did anyway and I'm glad I stood, and I'm glad I stood, and I'm glad I stood. I ain't never stood for anything in my own life that didn't come to pass. I can only use my faith just so far with you.”

Copeland is saying that his faith works efficiently and successfully for himself but for others it is not optimum strength. Yet it is not his fault. He teaches faith never fails, especially for himself. So where is God in this. Its all dependent on him. His faith, his power, his will. But it can fail for you. 

But he will also say, “The very faith that God used when He created, and what we read there in the first 2 chapters of Genesis, is the faith that’s burning in your spirit. But now if you’ve made Jesus the Lord of your life, it’s the same faith. Well, He created all those planets, how come you can’t create something? You don’t know as much about it as He does. He has a greater working knowledge of that faith than you do. But we’re learning. Our time is coming. And in some ways its already here” (Aug. 18,1999 John Hagee's Church, on LeSea Broadcasting).

Like Copeland many have died trying to activate spiritual laws and principles that are taken out of biblical context. Numerous people who have been influenced by this teaching have said that they stood on the word for people dying, and this person is not going to die and they died. And their faith becomes crushed because they thought they heard God say they would live. How? By someone else usually telling them by his stripes we are healed. They may not directly tell the people to get rid of their insulin or other medicines but they encourage this by stating emphatically that it is a promise of God to heal all by faith.

Kenneth Copeland, in a taped message entitled “Why all are not healed” (# 01-4001), states, “Several people that I know had criticized and called that Faith bunch out of Tulsa a cult. And some of 'em are dead right today in an early grave because of it, and there's more than one of them got cancer.”

Prophetess and promoter of the gold dust Ruth Ward Heflin died from cancer.  (Article: The Life and Times of Golden Girl and Globetrotter Ruth Ward Heflin,  by G. Richard Fisher, Personal Freedom Outreach)

Pat Robertson, who is 72, announced that he has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery next week to remove his prostate gland on his 700 Club television program. (February 13, 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/02/13/robertson.cancer/)

Robertson believed healings can fail when there is a lack of faith, even after one is healed. He explains "the word of Knowledge" when we're praying together, the word of knowledge, the Lord, just shows us what he's doing at some point of time."

He further stated, Everyone who came to Him for healing got healed. I don't know of anybody He turned down, so it is God's plan and will to heal people -- physically as well as spiritually." Unfortunately the context was that he was physically among the people healing for them to accept him as their Messiah, not the Church.

Robertson has died at the age of 93. God will judge what good they did alongside the error they promoted that damaged lives.

While these faith healers claim to heal all kinds of diseases, their cancer is still in the body of Christ and growing both spiritually and physically. What is interesting is that the people who are called Word of Faith teachers do not seem to have any of a lesser ratio of cancer and sickness than others. These ministers know one another, they teach the same doctrine, and share the same stories. . .and sickness is common among them and their families. It is unusual for a specific group that teaches the same doctrine of healing to have a higher percentage of their families to be struck with cancer. Is God telling them something? Are they or their followers taking notice? No, that would be a negative confession...

 Furthermore, almost all the faith teachers wear glasses. It's right there on their face as they tell you that you can be healed and call out all the diseases people are being healed of. God made it so you can’t miss their contradiction, but many do. Why? Because they do not know how to listen with discernment, they believe almost every word these men say verbatim. How sad.

  On January 6, 1999 Diane Sawyer, and Sam Donaldson of 20/20 did a report on the Followers of Christ, where over a thousand people attend a small church outside Portland, Oregon. An alarming number of children in the Followers have died while their parents prayed instead of getting a doctor. 78 children are buried since 1955 in the Followers of Christ cemetery just outside Oregon City. Doctors said at least 21 probably would have lived with medical intervention, often by using simple antibiotics.

An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children who died under the care of faith healers would most likely have survived, if they had received medical care. Eighty-one percent of the deaths were caused by conditions that had a medical survival rate of 90%.

Many die from the promotion of health by faith. Charles Meade, is the founder of an End Time's cult located in Florida. They have had Over 19 children die due to his faith stance and his revulsion medicine.

One of the more famous cases is Dr. Hobart Freeman, who was the founder and pastor of the Glory Barn. He blamed his own son-in-law for a lack of faith in the death of his own grandchild. The fact was a routine operation could have saved his life. He had detested medical doctors and persuaded his members to avoid the doctors as well. His faith stance touched 97  people directly, they died!  And  Eventually Hobart himself died in 1984. Despite all the documentation of deaths instead of healings, his ministry continues in the congregations he established. People ignore the facts and follow the person.

In 1998, Dr. Seth Asser, a critical-care pediatrician at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio did a paper in the professional Journal Pediatrics. Asser examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied on faith healing. Families from Christian Scientist, Faith Tabernacle, Faith Assembly and several other assorted religious. He concluded 4 out of 5 ill children who died under the care of faith healers would have most likely survived if they had received medical attention. 81% of the deaths were caused by conditions that had a 90% chance of survival rate if they would have seen there physician. Most could have been cured from routine medical care.

The Christian Science Church which has been practicing faith healing, has a national membership of 170,000. They had 28 child deaths between 1975 and 1995, according to one (Asser's) study. So When we say Christian Science is a cult, and way less people die percentage wise than the faith Churches, what do we say to our people? There are no real statistics on how many have become sick or died from the word faith teaching of Isa.53 by his stripes we are healed. But we can estimate it certainly is more than Christian Science, and it may be closer to the JW's and their anti-blood policy.

The charismatic author Jamie Buckingham wrote  “I'm healed” In Charisma Magazine and a several months later died of cancer. Jamie was under a medical doctors care. “One day my wife ... suddenly spoke aloud [and] said, 'Your healing was purchased at the cross.' ... Here is what I discovered. You have what you speak. If you want to change something, you must believe it enough to speak it. ... If you say you're sick, you'll be (and remain) sick. It was not mine. It was the devil's. I didn't have cancer. I had Jesus. The cancer was trying to have me, but the Word of God said I was healed through what Jesus did on Calvary. ... It was a Friday afternoon. The tape was an Oral Roberts' sermon ... I came up off the sofa, shouting, 'I'm healed!' My wife leaped out of her chair and shouted, 'Hallelujah!' For the next 30 minutes all we did was walk around the house shouting thanks to God and proclaiming my healing” “The cancer was trying to have me, but the word of God said I was healed through what Jesus did at Calvary.” (Jamie Buckingham, “My Summer of Miracles,” Charisma, April 1991). Ten months after the publication of his article claiming he was healed he died of cancer (Feb.17, 1992).

Buckingham had made other statements to the fact, “I also believe God has promised me that I can live to be at least 100 years old ”(Charisma April 1990). His wife had a prophecy “You will not die but live and proclaim what the Lord has done.” They speak in the name of the Lord when the Lord has not spoken! We see this from the outcome.

Everyone believed this, his wife, Oral Roberts, his congregation-but they were all wrong. This is not an uncommon practice of people believing they have heard from God and died. Instead of preparing to meet their maker they presume that they will have many more years on earth.

One of the more recent sad stories was John Osteen (Joel Osteen's father) who was a pastor in Houston of a mega-church, who had kidney dialysis in late 1998. He also had a heart catheterization in August that determined all was well with his heart at that time. Later on doctors performed surgery to put in a pacemaker for his heart.

Pastor Osteen knew “he was in need of a miracle.” He claimed God had given him Psalm 27:14. Requests went out to his friends to wait on the Lord with him, and agree with him for a creative miracle for his kidneys and his heart.

They agreed with the Psalmist in Psalm 41of the Lords deliverance and protection to keep him alive. He will transform  his illness. He will raise him up! The “Lord” gave him a vision that he would be preaching into his 90's. again they speak when has not spoken! Osteen “confessed,” his healing and 20,000 members in his church stood in “agreement” with him for his recovery. They believed he would have his miracle just like his wife Dodie received her miracle (Dodie his wife got liver cancer and was treated through medical attention).  But unfortunately did not happen for John. Here is a man who lived the faith message and when it came down to it, it failed. As it has for so many others. This does not mean it fails 100%, because God is the one who heals and he will have mercy on whom he wills.

If someone says they are having heart trouble and they deny this symptom claiming their healing by faith they could die. A perfect example of this is when Oral Roberts was on Paul Crouch on “Praise the Lord” show on TBN (October 6, 1992).  I watched as Crouch was asked to lay hands on Oral Roberts to minister to his chest pains, Roberts exclaimed, “I feel the healing power of Jesus!” and said it felt like an “electric current go through him.” Paul you are anointed. Oral Roberts was pronounced healed on TBN. But was he really? It was reported less than four hours later, while visiting a home in Newport Beach, Roberts felt more pains and was hospitalized at Hoag Presbyterian Memorial Hospital (also in Newport Beach), shortly after midnight. Subsequent articles report that Roberts's heart attack was “near fatal.” (“Evangelist Has Tests,” The Orange County [CA] Register [Dec.16 1992], A-7) the healing evangelist now has a pacemaker (“Roberts Out of Hospital,” The Orange County [CA] Register (2l December 1992), A-30). Of course this is ignored by the crowds that follow his healing doctrine. One can only wonder why? Oral Roberts died Dec. 2009

Frederick K. Price, Word of Faith pastor of a mega-church  Crenshw Christian center in  outh Los Angeles teaches that no one should die before 70. He became famous for saying why would God want to live in a sick body.” If you keep talking death, that is what you are going to have. “If you keep talking sickness and disease, that is what you are going to have, because you are going to create the reality of them with your own mouth. That is a divine law.” (Fred Price, Realm, 29).

“ ... how can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right? How can you glorify God? How can He get glory when your body doesn't even work? ... What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside a body where He can't see out through the windows and He can't hear with the ears? What makes you think the Holy Spirit wants to live inside of a physical body where the limbs and the organs and the cells do not function right? ... And what makes you think He wants to live in a temple where He can't see out of the eyes, and He can't walk with the feet, and He can't move with the hand? ... The only eyes that he has that are in the earth realm are the eyes that are in the body. If He can't see out of them then God's gonna be limited he's not going to be helped...” applause (Frederick K.C. Price, “Is God Glorified Through Sickness?” (Los Angeles: Crenshaw Christian Center, n.d.), audiotape #FP605).

Price also discourages the use of medication, saying, “When you have developed your faith to such an extent that you can stand on the promises of God, then you won't need medicine” (Faith, foolishness or presumption, p.88, 1979, Harrison House). Price states, “We don't allow sickness in our home (Is Healing for All? p.20,  Harrison House, 1976)

Really Fred? Yes you do. His own wife, Betty got cancer. How did it come into their house? In October 1990 Price openly said she had developed cancer-an “inoperable malignant tumor in her pelvic area.”  (Betty Price praise report, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger). She was medically treated by chemo-therapy and God had mercy on her and she was healed. Thank God for his mercy and not mans word. What does this mean after hearing Prices own statements of how legalistic he is, “We don't allow sickness in our home.” According to her husbands teaching the Holy Spirit leave his wife because she had a sick body. His faith was not enough, Fred’s own wife needed a doctor just like anyone else would.  Price now claims she is free of cancer, medication, and pain (but only “95 percent free of a limp” (CRI telephone interview with Crenshaw Christian center staff member July 31 1992) also Betty Price health update...then... and... now from Betty Price. Ever Increasing Faith Messenger 13, 4 (fall, 1992):5 (cited in Christianity in Crises).

Price died in a LA hospital from complications of COVID-19 on February 12, 2021, at the age of 89."CBS Los Angeles Local. Retrieved February 13, 2021.

It is not by the amount of our faith that has God heal us. God can heal even if there is little faith represented. God is not bound to heal by our declaration of faith; healing rests in His sovereign will and timing. We need to understand that all miraculous healing is an act of God's grace, otherwise we are in control not him. Unless one understands the sovereignty of God and his control they will never have the peace God wants to give them through any trial of sickness.

Charles Capps, Word of Faith teacher, mimics Copeland as he teaches power of our words to create reality saying “You can have what you say! “ “ I don’t deny the existence of disease. I deny the right of that disease to exist in this body, because I’m the Body of Christ” (The Tongue p. 43.) “This is not theory, It is fact. It is spiritual law. It works every time it is applied correctly.” His wife got cancer and was medically treated. So where's the power that is claimed for his own personal miracle.

I Bethel church pastor Bill Johnson published an article in 2017, Is it Always God’s will to heal someone? He affirmed a resounding yes. He Called into question the salvation of people who are sick and not healed. Teaching the Copeland teaching “When He bore stripes in His body He made a payment for our miracle. He already decided to heal. You can’t decide not to buy something after you’ve already bought it.” Those who don’t receive that healing can’t blame Jesus for it, which means the blame is on the sick person.

Then Beni his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In February, Bethel launched a 24/7 prayer campaign for Beni as she was worsening. She had treatment for chemotherapy and unfortunately Beni Johnson succumbed to her illness, passing away in 2022 after her long battle with cancer.  What was perplexing is Bill’s article on healing also disappeared from his website.

The wordfaith-healing promises are not based on Scripture and even those who are affected by it do not let the lights on and stay in darkness when they are confronted with its reality. The article may be gone, but Johnson has not publicly renounced his false teaching that gives people a misleading hope based on his corrupted interpretation of Scripture, which is now deleted from his personal website.

So the conclusion one logically can come to is that if they are not healed since healing is included in the atonement, what confidence do they have that they are saved by atonement.

Gloria Copeland writes in "God's Will for Your Healing”, Make the decision to live in divine health in the same way that you make the decision to accept Jesus as Saviour. Decide to be well! (p.36God's Will for Your Healing, Gloria Copeland)

Kenneth Copeland has taught “God intends for every believer to live completely free from sickness and disease.  It is up to you to decide whether or not you will...I ain't never stood for anything in my own life that didn't come to pass.”

Kenneth Copeland near the end of 2004 wrote “Much to my deep regret I must postpone our meetings in Australia, Singapore, Korea and Hawaii. A few days ago I injured my back badly enough that even though my healing has already started, so many hours of flying would be too much.  Let's face it.  I let this situation in my back go on for too long” (Ken Copeland –website).

So this is a continual situation he had.

But it is much worse as Mr. Copeland received a PACEMAKER for that perfect health he has been living in.  Now, it just amazed me, and I got short of breath over in a prison for Mike Barber. Never did have any pain,I could kind of feel that my heart rate was up high. So I got checked, and they said well, you need a PACEMAKER. And I said well Lord I'll just GET THAT PACEMAKER by faith.”

What? After all his divine health and healing confessions he then announces he has a heart problem and he can’t be healed by faith! He can't speak into existence by his faith filled words a new heart?  He receives a human made substitute. That like asking for a new leg and you get a prosthetic leg instead.

But he continues to speak health as one who has no cognitive skill of what has taken place in his own body. “Say it out loud, heart muscle, you’re a good heart. You’re a new heart. My name is, say Your name. My name is Kenneth new heart. I have a new heart. I actually do. I actually do. Kenneth. I actually do.” Video Plug In With Faith for Your Healing ) "I received the pacemaker and defibrillator by faith. Now I did it with the defibrillator active, and then after I passed the stress test, representative of the manufacturer of this machine that's in here, came out with the computer and turned that defibrillator off because I don't need it anymore. I'm going for that 120. Glory to God, I said. You understand, by faith, by faith. Put your hand over your heart. I take my new heart. I have it now, so begin to rejoice. Praise Him, praise Him and thank Him. Praise Him and thank Him. Praise Him. This is the key to it. The praise cure.” (Kenneth Copeland - Plug In With Faith for Your Healing 17:00 minute mark) Kenneth Copeland)

Copeland even says “I take authority over arthritis. Glory to God. I take authority over bad eye sight. I take authority over migraine headache. I take authority over all forms of sickness and disease. … I take authority in Jesus' name, over all kinds of sickness, over all kinds of disease in the name of Jesus. Now take it”

But he can't do this for himself? (For the full story see  Pride not humility; The Boasting of Kenneth Copeland's faith has come to an end)

Ruth Carter Stapleton, ( Faith Healing sister of former US President Jimmie Carter) believed in faith healing and refused medical treatment for cancer. She died in 1983 of the disease.

Ruth Heflin who was 60 years died of cancer Sept.15, 2000. Yet she firmly believed  “I suddenly knew how easy it is to raise the dead and to heal all manner of sickness and disease.. how easy it is to see blind eyes open and deaf ears unstopped” (Harvest Glory her 1999 autobiography).

R.W. Schambach, is one of the favorite Faith Healer's on LeSea and TBN. He has said “You don’t have any problems, all you need is faith in God.” and on TBN recently he stated “God will heal you”. But its reported that he got a quadruple heart bypass from doctor (not doctor Jesus). What do those who hold to the faith teaching say about their own leaders doing this? It is for the most part ignored.

What about their healing, their confession is not their possession. It's not working for them either. I know some may mean well and naively teach this but it more harmful to believe in fantasy than to face the reality of truth and have time to do something about it.

Why did none of the people who are deathly sick call for Oral Roberts or go to a Benny Hinn crusade? Why didn't they send for a prayer cloth from Parsley or get a trinket from Marilyn Hickey. If what they teach is true none of them should be sick for long, they should all have supernatural healing.

Why not? Maybe they know something that you don't? They do not trust their own welfare into their hands of faith. There are many Word Faith teachers that are getting medical attention. Instead of being healed by faith, they go to medical doctors to get their bodies repaired like anyone else. None of these folks got a “miracle” or received “divine healing” directly from the hand of God or themselves. They did what every person with common sense would do, they got medical help.

John Wimber who made famous the Signs and Wonders Movement, believed in “Power Healing,” was dying from cancer. He was medically treated even though he fully believed God could heal. No “power” healing was presented, it was chemo-therapy. He eventually died of something unrelated to his sickness.

John Wimber died recovering from recent heart bi-pass surgery. "John Wimber fell down a few times over the last few days (apparently had a brain growth), fell down yesterday (Sunday, Nov. 16) and bumped his head and was hospitalized Sunday afternoon. He was declared 99% brain-dead, was taken off life support, and died at 8 a.m. today (Monday, Nov. 17).

Official Anaheim Vineyard response as told to San Francisco Vineyard Christian Fellowship: "He died of a cerebral hemmerage (e.g., bloodclot).   

How many healers did Wimber know? None came during his illness to heal him. Don't you find this strange?
Chris Wimber of Vineyard Music died on Feb 6, 1998 of melanoma cancer. Although they had members who supposedly “healed” people of cancer and other sicknesses, even Aids - there was no “healing” for Chris.

Concerning the deaths of people Morris Cerullo has pronounced healed. Among these so-called `miracles' was a four year old child falsely pronounced Healed by Cerullo in a London arena before an audience of thousands. The child died shortly afterward. Natiela Barnes age 4 died as a result of Morris Cerrulo pronouncing her healed (Charismania-when Fundamentalism goes wrong, Rowland Howard, London 1997 41-43).

Dr. Peter May, a respected evangelical physician and member of the Christian Medical Fellowship and Church of England General Synod, asked for a list of six of Cerullo's best medically documented miracles. When these were eventually forthcoming not one proved to have been a genuine cure. The tragedy of these kinds of deaths is that they were covered by the media, undermining Christian witness to the general public.”

Audrey Reynolds went to Cerullo's Mission London in 1992, certain she had been healed of ankle injury. She felt well and therefore stopped taking all medication including her anti-epilepsy drugs. Six days later she had a fit and drowned in her bath. The Southwark Coroner, Sir Montague Levine, concluded: “It is a tragedy that she went to this meeting and thought she had been cured of everything. Sadly it led to her death.”

Real faith in truth does not kill, so what is going on? People are dying from these men's teachings and proclamations of people being healed. 

The public notices when someone claims to be healed. Before we publicly claim this, we need to make sure, lest we have them mock the church because of a false testimony. The truth matters people, and nothing can hurt the truth more than outlandish unproven assertions of supernatural power that does not take place. Why should we believe tremendous miracles take place just because a Televangelist says so?

Now you won't have to go to faith healer but visit a healing center. Benny Hinn Promises to build a World Healing Center where there will be Healing Stream and healing fountains, healing gardens, with healing statues of biblical healing saints from the Old Testament. Hinn promises to build chapels for everyone of those greats of the past where you can visit Kathryn Kuhlmann, Amiee Simple McPhearson, Oral Roberts and Dr. Sumerall. Where is it?

What many do not know is that Hinn’s idol, Kathryn Kuhlman, died of heart failure in 1976. It was found out that she had lived with heart disease for nearly twenty years.  Its not my point to impugn Kuhlman, but there a many testimonies that are against the healings, as there are for them. The point is that these people who claim to heal are sick, sometimes very ill themselves.

Kurt Koch was a renowned evangelical researcher. In one portion of his book Occult ABC he describes his research into Kathryn Kuhlman's healing ministry. He carefully followed up on a list of 28 cases of alleged healings in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area. These cases were submitted to him by the Kuhlman's organization as the best examples of healings which had occurred under her ministrations. He summarizes his findings as: “Ten had not been healed, seven had experienced an improvement in their condition, eleven had diseases in which the mind can play an important part. In the whole of this extensive report, there is not one clear case of healing from an organic disease” (Kurt Koch, Occult ABC, 1981).

Dr. William Nolen chief of surgery at Meeker County Hospital in Litchfield, Minnesota dedicated a chapter in his book Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, to his investigation of Kuhlman’s healing crusades. He was unable to document even one case of physical healing.  

Kathryn Kuhlman had brought one of her healing services to St. Louis. A fleet of chartered buses brought people to the meeting from a near 200-mile radius of the city. One driver from the bus noted: “'She doesn’t always succeed,’ said a driver from Chester. ‘My bus was pretty quiet on the way home last year [after her service]. But for some of those people a little inspiration does wonders, if only for a little while. I had a guy last year who was dying of cancer. He got up on the stage and said he was healed. He died a week later.'“ (St. Louis Post Dispatch, 5/4/75, “Praying, Hoping, Waiting...” pg. G11).

Did anyone die after Jesus pronounced them healed? Of course not. Do you ever see anyone leave the stage at the Healing Crusades not being healed. Is everyone getting healed? Because that is the impression they give. If miracles actually convinced people, Jesus' own family would have been convinced, but they were not.

Dr. Nolan did work on 82 cases of Kathryn Kuhlman's healings using names that she herself supplied. His conclusion at the end of the entire investigation was that not one of the so called healings was legitimate not a one! This does not impugn God, but those representing him. For God is able to heal today as he always was able. I believe God heals and that we should pursue healing from him, but not only him. Doctors are a God sent profession. What do you think the Jews did in the OT before Jesus came? They went to doctors. After Jesus left do you think they looked for only healers when they were sick?

Hinn states the TV will be conduit for this power as “People around the world who will lose loved ones, will say to undertakers, ahh, not yet. I want to take my dead loved one and place him in front of that TV set for 24 hours… Placing them before a television set, waiting for God’s power to come through and touch them. (TBN 10/19/99)

Earl Paulk died mar 2009, why was he not put before the TV set to be healed from death? He was one of those latter Rain teachers who taught that death would elude us. Jesus Christ had the authority to say “No” to death on earth, and He is waiting for us to come to that same authority.” (Earl Paulk, “The Proper Function of the Church”) http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain12.htm

Sheryl Pruit Salem's daughter tragically died and it was distressing to see her break down and then say God is sovereign. The very opposite of what they (word/faith) actually believe, as they do not pray thy will be done. Hinn said he is going to have the Salem's on the program that had a tragic loss of their 6 year old child. Yet right after he stated this he said “No matter what you need our God wants to heal you and bless your life” (Dec. 28, '99). Why did they not seek Benny Hinn out to heal their child if this is true? Why does none of the sick healers go to Hinn, or any other that claims to be gifted for their healing, he holds healing services more than all of them? Do they not have enough faith?

There seems to be as much room for faith healing malpractice as there is malpractice in the medical industry. What becomes most disturbing is when people get computerized letters from certain TV faith healing ministers saying that the Lord has led them to pray for a certain one to be healed. They received a word of knowledge for you or your loved one. The problem is they receive this letter after that person has already died. So who is telling them this? Why are they not resurrected? (That's another article- on all the hyped resurrection stories occurring).

Before you finish reading this article I want to say that I do believe in healing and miracles. So I'm not anti-supernatural, what I oppose is the false stories and unbiblical methods that give rise to them. I'm believing for a miracle for those in the Word/ Faith movement.  Many who are involved in this movement need a miracle to get out of its errors and lies.

Almost the majority of the known healers went for some kind of treatment from medical professionals. This was in spite of all their claims of miracles and the practice of their “positive confession” faith.

Even Joyce Meyer did, and she was honest to admit that she had breast cancer and was medically treated. One of the few honest admission’s, though you will rarely hear about this from her.

There are many documented cases where people who were dying prayed to God of their own religion (and imagination) and were healed. There are numerous documented cases where people who were sick and dying had made no claim to faith, used prayer, or even believed in God, had a miraculous cure. How are these explained? You could be sure if a faith-healer was nearby they would find a way to attribute it to their ministry.

Now we have a first with  Rev. Skankster's Online Healing Ministry. (whose link no longer works)

“You no longer have to go to a crusade” That's right, now YOU can be healed ONLINE, in the comfort of your own home! Whether you're young or old, black or white, rich or poor...God's healing power is available to you at the touch of a button. Please, come and join us. Witness the miracles of Jesus Christ!

He claims on his site, No Affliction is out of reach of healing! Any affliction will be completely healed. (When enough funds are received he will expand his services to include online EXORCISMS) Now, even the most unyielding demons can be cast out from the comfort of your favorite chair.... All this is GUARANTEED! All this for the incredibly low, low price of $49.95. Which he claims is “ a small price to pay for your own personal miracle!”

This is a VERY special service available only at this address on the Internet!

His Directions are: 1. Place your left hand on the screen. 2.Now without removing your left hand from the screen, click the “HEAL NOW!” button with your mouse. 3.Sit back and experience the warmth and peacefulness that accompanies God's healing powers as your ailment is divinely removed. 4.This is the most important step! After you have received your healing you must say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the anointing!” Be sure to stress anointing or else it will not work.”

Yes say the magic words to be deceived. Well the healing Rev. Shankster is certainly a huckster and A prankster. The sad part is that many will naïvely go to him, desperate for a healing.

What if I told your loved one that God guarantees YOU TO BE HEALED when they were dying. Would you want to see them take a chance on this? What if it didn't work, would you be angry? What does it take to mobilize you? Do we care for the people who are being deceived by these false promises? The faith of some men become a license to kill. the church is filled with these men who teach this.

So why do people die from THIS faith? Because the faith they are exercising is NOT the faith of the Bible. God does not promise that EVERYONE will be healed if they have faith, so this teaching is not based on truth. So why do some get healed and others not?  Because God is gracious and merciful, and it is their time. For whatever reason, only God knows. He has the power to heal at any time, but He has chosen not to all the time. He also has the power to destroy all wickedness, but he has chosen not to. Yet this too is a promise in the Scripture. What we do know, one day he will. So it becomes a matter of timing, not just a matter of faith. It is the same for healing. As Christians we believe in the power of God! Do we actually believe that God can raise the dead? Certainly! The real question is “When?” The Scriptures are clear in Romans 8:23, We are “waiting for ... the redemption of our bodies.” The Resurrection is connected to the 2^nd coming of Christ as stated in 1 Corinthians 15. If he resurrects some individuals today, Praise the Lord. If he does not, we still have hope in his promise.