WordWolf

Research Geek had an extensive history at twi. Mike wasn't thrilled with that background, since RG could call Mike on things he knew, as an insider, that Mike did not. I think most people who arrived here didn't think there was any significant problem with vpw when they arrived, and learned otherwise over time. That certainly applied to me. There also have been a handful of people (a small handful trickling through over 2 decades) who were slow to accept the ideas of some things reported about what vpw did, what vpw said, etc. After all, it's almost fantastic to believe that vpw was a reputable Bible teacher, then hear that he was drugging women and raping them, plagiarizing all of his best work, etc, etc. So, when it comes to Research Geek, I think he was slow to accept the full depths of vpw's depravity. This affected what he was willing to see, and willing to say. It IS true that Princeton Theological Seminary is an actual school, and the Masters from there was accredited and legit. What is a problem from there was vpw phrasing himself- and getting others to do the same- to prevaricate and to insinuate he went to PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. Whenever anyone says they went to school at PRINCETON, it's automatic that anyone would think it was Princeton UNIVERSITY- unless they were a staffer at PTS or lived on-grounds or something. Across the US, around the world, Princeton UNIVERSITY has a reputation. So, when they said he had a Masters at "Princeton" and said nothing else, the implication was that it was the University- and anyone who claims otherwise is delusional. As for Pike's Peak, RG was slow to "call a spade a spade." Pike's Peak was one of many degree mills at the time. The degree was unaccredited. ("They have as much authority to grant a degree as Schlotski's Deli!" - Al Franken.) The campus was nonexistent, the library was virtually nonexistent, and students only showed up on campus once or twice total. Pike's Peak has never come up in discussions about what a great education it offered, how it built a good reputation, etc. All discussions are about how it was a degree mill. Research Geek was HONESTLY MISTAKEN, calling PP "experimental" and trying to grant it every benefit of every doubt. However, the facts are in, and Pike's Peak was a degree mill. vpw himself knew that, and he said freely that people kept saying he didn't get a degree. That's a half-truth- they said he didn't get a REAL doctorate, a doctorate from an ACCREDITED institution. Naturally,by saying only part of the truth, he framed the claims to put himself in the best light and pretend his detractors had no basis for criticizing him. BTW, RG once asked a good question, and it's time that question got answered. vpw went to a legit school for his Masters- PTS. He KNEW that PP was a degree mill. Why, then, would he go THERE for his degree, knowing it was a degree mill? (RG phrased it a bit more positively for PP, but he knew vpw knew PP had a bad rep, yet he went there anyway.) So, why did vpw go? Why go to a place to get an unaccredited doctorate instead of a place to get an accredited doctorate? To ask the question is to have the answer. We know all about vpw's behavior now, and this was not uncharacteristic of vpw. vpw was a very lazy student. Everybody said so. His father said so, even when leaning on a school and saying he'd be a good student there. He plagiarized his way through his sermons in his pastorate, finding it a chore to read the Bible every week to prepare a sermon. According to vpw, TWICE in his first year, he thought of giving up as a pastor. So, lazy vpw made it through a Bachelors. Lazy vpw went to a real school for his Masters, and even picking the softest option- Homiletics- worked far harder than he wished to get his Masters. When faced with a few more years of even harder work, vpw decided to go the lazy route and FAKE IT. He approached a fake school and got their fake degree, largely retyping his Masters thesis as his Doctoral dissertation. His check cleared, they had a paper as a pretext to granting the degree, and vpw got his "doctorate." That saved vpw time, work, and money, and got him a Doctorate. Ever notice how he HID the name of the place he got his Doctorate from? "He got his Masters from Princeton. He later went on to complete his Doctorate." That made it sound like he got both from Princeton. Why did he hide the name? He was well aware how it made him look that he got a "doctorate" from a degree mill.

In case you're wondering how he managed to finish the sandwich in time, there's 2 answers, and I think both apply in part. 1) Pike's Peak wasn't exactly demanding with the requirements on the submitted doctoral thesis. 2) vpw submitted the same work to PTS for his Masters that he submitted to PP for his Doctorate. Both papers were about Peter as a preacher. It's been mentioned here before that a proper Doctoral dissertation can't be the same subject as the Masters thesis, they both have to be different subjects. (Both have to demonstrate a wide grasp of the studied material.) So, the paper that got him a legit Masters from PTS was largely the same paper that got him his unaccredited "Doctorate" from PP.

So, the first time you heard that vpw went to "Princeton", you immediately said "Obviously that was Princeton Theological Seminary, not Princeton University." Sorry, I can't buy that. I'm calling that an outright lie. And hardly a surprise by now.

Just applying Occam's Razor. It's possible, but less likely. I'd need something more concrete than opinions before going there. The current evidence was enough to support any one of the three. It's my OPINION it's not the second, but either the first, or the third, although both is certainly within the realm of possibility. I try not to jump to something because it's "possible" without something more solid to go on.

That link had a second part..... https://www.harmonychurchofgod.org/spiritual-faqs/the-false-teaching-of-the-word-of-faith-movement-part-2 " THE FALSE TEACHING OF THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT, Part 2 THE FALSE TEACHING OF THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT, Part 2 By: Jack Guyler I covered two of the primary flaws and errors in this movement in Part 1. I want to cover two additional errors of this movement here in Part 2. FALSE TEACHING #3 POWER & COMFORT ARE SIGNS OF GOD’S BLESSINGS There is a teaching that is derived from the Old Testament that says “don’t touch God’s anointed.” This has become a catch-all phrase in many Charismatic and Pentecostal circles that insulates pastors, teachers and other leaders from even being asked to address anything they are doing that might not be in good character, let alone abusive. Even when people know their leaders are doing wrong, they have been indoctrinated to turn a blind eye and say “we can’t say or do anything to God’s anointed.” The real belief here is, if they say or do anything against their leaders, something worse will happen to them – like karma coming back to bite them! This allows many leaders to run free and do what they want with little to no accountability. This is one of the reasons why you see so many high profile pastors and teachers living such extravagant life-styles and getting away with perverse and abusive behavior for long periods of time. It is also why they get away with teaching false doctrines such as Word of Faith because no one would dare challenge them. The real issue with false doctrine and teaching (when persons stray from the basic core tenants of Christianity established by the early church and confirmed by various church councils and creeds) is not just that it is bad teaching. But bad teaching leads to bad thinking; and bad thinking leads to corrupt behaviors, patterns and habits. And over time, these become the norm or status quo. When these are established as such, no one much questions them anymore. And then they are passed around as “truth” and passed down from one generation to the next, no one thinks to look deeper into them anymore and they become an established way of both thinking and behavior. Unfortunately, these types of thoughts and behaviors don’t align with the righteous and holy teaching of scripture. And because of this, many Word of Faith teachers are telling the people in the pews and their online audiences that when they see power and comfort, it is a sign that these people are walking with God. This justifies their own self-centered life-styles and it encourages people to pursue wealth, power, prestige and comfort more than Jesus. So you can see how this teaching is the very antithesis of the true Gospel. What does the true Gospel teach? It isn’t all doom and gloom, but it is about sacrifice and surrendering to the Lord. In fact, the Apostle Paul said his greatest joy and peace came from knowing and even suffering for the Lord. He wouldn’t exchange his life style as a Pharisee with great power and prestige, for knowing Christ. He wouldn’t go back to this life if he could have. Paul learned the true power of the Gospel. Listen to what he says: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ…” Paul also learned that power was found in weakness because it was in this place where he really found connection with Christ, not in the pursuit of money, power, prestige and worldly things. Listen again to what he says: “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God’s real favor is not found in power and prestige as the Word of Faith lies to you about, but rather in weakness that leads to knowing Christ. Do you see the error of this teaching? FALSE TEACHING #4 YOU CAN CREATE REALITY WITH YOUR OWN WORDS This is derived from the early words in Genesis where it is written, “And God says…” and then He created all various aspects of our universe including humans. They then take a big leap and say, because God created and brought things into existence with words, because we have the capacity to speak words, we too can create new realities and bring new things into existence. While human words are powerful, and ideas are equally powerful in helping us see things in a new way and gain new perspectives and insights; only God can actually create things out of nothing and create new realities. This is really a mix of other religions with humanism. It is placing ourselves in the position of God. As I recall, the first humans tried to act and become like God. How did that work out for them? The truth is, this has been repeated by every human being that has ever lived. We all try to be god in their own lives and often in the lives of others. I can tell you it never works out well! There is a reason God is God and we are not. We don’t have the power, insight, knowledge or eternal substance to be God. We are dependent creatures on the Creator – but for some reason, this is a very difficult lesson for us to learn. And the Word of Faith movement continues to perpetuate this lie by telling you that you can create reality with your words. Yes, it is true that we can live out self-fulfilling prophecies to our detriment; and yes thinking positively can help us in many situations, but we can’t create new realities with our words. The one eternal change we can make using our words is found in Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him form the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” May we use our words wisely in prayer and in sharing the Word of God rather than trying to use them simply for our own purposes. The Word of Faith movement looks to use words to benefit themselves, not glorify God and build up others."

Fourth link of the first post: https://www.harmonychurchofgod.org/spiritual-faqs/the-false-teaching-of-the-word-and-faith-movement-part-1 " THE FALSE TEACHING OF THE WORD AND FAITH MOVEMENT, Part 1 THE FALSE TEACHING OF THE WORD AND FAITH MOVEMENT, Part 1 By: Jack Guyler The Word of Faith false teaching is running like poison through the Body of Christ. It is propagated by some of the richest and most famous teachers in America such as Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn. There are many others as well. Many are found regularly on the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN). They all teach a version of this very destructive false teaching that many people both inside and outside of the church look to as their source of Christian teaching. Some even call this faith teaching heresy or a “different gospel.” We aren’t here to judge these men and women as to the type of persons they are, but we do need to alert you to their teachings so you can distinguish between false and true Christian teaching. So what are these teachings and what is the truth according to the New Testament? FALSE TEACHING #1 GOD IS REQUIRED TO OBEY YOUR WORDS They will take a verse such as Mark 11:24 that says, “I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and it will be yours.” They take these words literally and out of context. They teach words have power. And we know that words do have power. We know our words can greatly affect other people for good or bad. We know the power that words have over children from parents for example. But they take it a step further and mix the contractual covenant of the Old Covenant between God and Israel into their teaching and say that God is contractually obligated to obey your words if you are living in alignment with God’s laws. And while it is true we always benefit from living by God’s laws, He is not under any obligation to hear our words and then act accordingly. Remember, this is God – the one who created you and the universe! We don’t get to say “frog” and then God says, “how high do you want me to jump?” DANGER IN THIS TEACHING 1. Our faith is built on faulty misconceptions. If we follow this line of thinking, we end up thinking we can control God through our words. This really puts us in the position of “god” rather than God in our thinking and faith. We can pray using words and ask God to meet our wants and needs, but we need to remember He is God and He knows what is best for us. Prayer should not be a way to strong-arm God or manipulate Him 2. It sets us up for disappointment. If we think we can always pray or say away anything bad coming our way, we aren’t living in the real world. People every day die from the coronavirus, cancer, accidents, murder and other things. People get sick…people get hurt…people get divorced…people lose their jobs… Jesus prayed in the Garden to have the cup of suffering pass from Him, but it didn’t. Paul prayed that his thorn would be removed three times, but it wasn’t. What is true according to Jesus and the New Testament is that we should pray, but we should also know we live in a broken world and we will experience pain and disappointment. But the even greater truth is that a compassionate God will experience it with us and one day provide a new heaven and a new earth for us to enjoy together for eternity FALSE TEACHING #2 HEALTH & WEALTH IS SIGN OF GOD’S FAVOR There is a reason why the Word of Faith Movement is also known as the “Prosperity Gospel” or the “Health and Wealth Gospel.” It is because they teach that if you are following God’s laws, then you will have favor with God and one of the signs of His favor is health and wealth. Much of what they teach is about giving to God – what this usually translates into is you with little money giving generous donations to their lavish ministries. Is it any wonder that many of the high profile teachers in this movement live in million dollar homes, own private jets and vacation in extravagant locations? DANGER IN THIS TEACHING 1. It leads to the pursuit of money and power. People who are living as if this teaching were true, pursue wealth and a self-absorbed life. While they are believing wealth is a sign of God’s favor, they are missing such passages as Matthew 6:19-21 and 1 Timothy 6:9-11 that talk about how deadly the pursuit of money can be for one’s soul 2. It keeps people from living out of grace. Because you have to pursue the image of wealth to portray God’s favor in your life, you are unable to live out the gift of salvation that God has graciously given you. You spend your whole life working and pursuing an image that you are favored by God rather than resting in the real thing 3. It causes people who follow this teaching as truth to look down on those who are poor or sick. Again, they forget that Jesus didn’t have much in terms of earthly possessions. They forget that Paul forsook earthly power, titles and riches to follow Christ. They forget that the disciples suffered much for the sake of Christ 4. And maybe worst of all, when this teaching gets into you it becomes toxic because you end up wanting what God gives you more than wanting God. This is the height of idolatry!

OldSKool: "When I got answers to prayers in TWI it simply meant that God answered my prayers. Now, I used to think it was reflective of the doctrines that TWI taught....now I just understand that God loves us no matter what and he will bless his people in spite of doctrinal issues. Christianity isnt an intellectual pursuit, though wierwille tried to make it that way. God looks on the heart and scripture is filled with people who loved God, had faith, and lots of error in their minds. Moses was a pagan at the time he turned aside to see the burning bush, yet God lit the bush anyway. None of us have the full picture at this time. " This isn't difficult to understand. It might be difficult to ACCEPT if one clinging to error and encounters the truth. I am thankful that few people here actually have that problem.

Of course, some forced meanings were a lot more forced than others. My personal favorite came from when vpw questioned Jlm D00p at length about what it was like to ATTEND AN ORGY, despite Jlm's obvious discomfort over the subject. vpw then mentioned I Corinthians 7:1. For those following along without a Bible, here's I Corinthians 7:1 (KJV.) " Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." NASB: "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman." NIV: "Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” Now, that's pretty straightforward to just about anyone. Based solely on that verse, would you think the implication was that Scripture was saying there- and probably in general- that orgies were seriously wrong? If it's good for a man not to "touch" a woman, or for him to refrain from sexual relations with a woman, then it's bad for a man to have sexual relations with A woman. Multiply the women and you multiply how bad it is. That doesn't take much reading ability. And there isn't much room for disagreement as to what it says right there. (Any disagreement would be on what it says elsewhere, other implications of the verse, whether the verse is canonical, but not as to what the verse actually says and means.) That having been said, Jlm D00p remembers what vpw said rather clearly- because of how shocking it was. vpw, when speaking about ATTENDING AN ORGY, said "That's all available." He said that if God Almighty had meant ATTENDING ORGIES was to be avoided, He would have said "BEST" rather than "GOOD" in that verse." To me, that's about as forced a meaning as one can get on a verse. The Bible said to avoid sexual relations, and someone else comes along and says that same verse actually means that it's OK with God if you ATTEND AN ORGY. Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

"Angry Young Man", by Billy Joel. "There's a place in the world for the angry young man With his working class ties and his radical plans. He refuses to bend he refuses to crawl And he's always at home with his back to the wall. And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost. And struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his cross. And likes to be known as the angry young man. Give a moment or two to the angry young man With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand. He's been stabbed in the back he's been misunderstood. It's a comfort to know his intentions are good. And he sits in his room with a lock on the door With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor. And he likes to be known as the angry young man. I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage I found that just surviving was a noble fight. I once believed in causes too. I had my pointless point of view, And life went on no matter who was wrong or right. And there's always a place for the angry young man With his fist in the air and his head in the sand. And he's never been able to learn from mistakes So he can't understand why his heart always breaks. And his honor is pure and his courage is well And he's fair and he's true and he's boring as hell. And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man." https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/billyjoel/preludeangryyoungman.html

T-Bone: "What’s ironic are the times when I have admitted being young and naïve to fall for wierwille’s con – and Mike jumps on that to say how smart and discerning he was to ignore wierwille’s ‘petty shortcomings’ and just absorb ‘The Word’. A weird role reversal for sure… maybe a pot calling the kettle black thing." WordWolf: While I do believe it's true that Mike remembers it that way NOW, I'm well aware that his memory of things- including interactions here- often vary widely from what actually happened. I don't think Mike was even a fraction of the savvy he tells himself- and us- that he was back then. Part of why I say that is that his accounts of what he believed when keep contradicting each other by decades. That's either the sign of someone who's editing all his memories, a compulsive liar, or incipient Alzheimer's.

I was perfectly fine being an eclecticist, and adding the best of whatever I found to whatever twi was teaching... which, incidentally, made it a lot easier to leave twi when the truth started coming out. If vpw had openly been an eclecticist, there wouldn't be all the problems there were and there would be no GSC.

Oh, and it says a lot to have someone scroll down and attempt to address a minor point on the thread- unsuccessfully- while completely skipping over a thread's main point, which was unassailable and contradicted their entire worldview.

It's another example of vpw taking credit for the work of others. It's dishonest. In this case, it was also illegal since The Amplified Bible is under copyright. He could have made the same points by citing his sources and a brief quote. vpw frequently skipped his sources and insinuated he authored the work of others - Stiles, Leonard, Bullinger, twi staffers, etc. It's both illegal and immoral. But neither of those matter to Mike because he will endorse anything pfal related because he's convinced himself that all the evidence to the contrary is to be avoided, and the idea that pfal is from God Almighty is to be clung to dogmatically- all because he got blessed in twi.... as if one relates to the other at all.

WordWolf: "For those wondering, the Amplified Bible's New Testament was completed in 1958, and the bound full Bible was in stores as of 1965, published by ZONDERVAN, the same company that sells a bunch of reference books in the twi bookstore. So, yes, vpw was aware of the thing. Naturally, I'm expecting someone to claim either that vpw got that by revelation and it was an astonishing coincidence they read the same, or that God told vpw to plagiarize that version and verse and make sure to leave out any reference to the Amplified Bible. " Mike: "It amazes me how much speculation and theorizing you all do that is totally off the beam. VPW cites the Amplified Bible in: RHST - twice BTMS - once TNDC - twice GMWD - once 69-01 Mag - twice 82-11 Mag - once I first saw it in the Green Book in 1971, so I went out and bought a copy." WordWolf: It's fascinating how you can both completely miss the point, make fun of me for making a claim- and support the claim all at the same time. The only thing I needed to support was that vpw had heard of the Amplified Bible- thank you for confirming that he did! We all know he plagiarized the thing. Your point about him citing the Amplified Bible in SOME places, and plagiarizing it in OTHER places, is without merit. Raf pointed this out 20 years ago. It's like answering claims that Jeffrey Dahmer ate people by citing the people Dahmer DIDN'T eat, and standing there proudly as if this somehow affected the number of people he DID eat. I didn't speculate or theorize anything. I made a case and supported it with evidence that anyone with sense can see. Sorry if it escaped you, but I can't help that.

From the third link of the first post..... https://www.equip.org/articles/whats-wrong-with-the-word-faith-movement-part-one/ What’s Wrong with the Word Faith Movement? (Part One) E. W. Kenyon and the Twelve Apostles of Another Gospel This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 15, number 3 (1993). The full text of this article in PDF format can be obtained by clicking here. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org SYNOPSIS What’s wrong with the “Faith” movement? Its leaders include many of the most popular television evangelists. Its adherents compose a large percentage of charismatic evangelical Christians. Its emphases on faith, the authority of the believer, and the absolute veracity of Scripture could appear to be just what today’s church needs. And yet, I am convinced that this movement poses one of the greatest contemporary threats to orthodox Christianity from within. Through it, cultic theology is being increasingly accepted as true Christianity. This article will highlight several serious problems with the Faith movement by providing an overview of its major sources and leaders. Part Two will focus on the movement’s doctrinal deviations as represented by one of its leading proponents.1 ITS DEBT TO NEW THOUGHT It is important to note at the outset that the bulk of Faith theology can be traced directly to the cultic teachings of New Thought metaphysics. Thus, much of the theology of the Faith movement can also be found in such clearly pseudo-Christian cults as Religious Science, Christian Science, and the Unity School of Christianity. Over a century before the Faith movement became a powerful force within the Christian church, Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), the father of New Thought, was popularizing the notion that sickness and suffering ultimately have their origin in incorrect thinking.2 Quimby’s followers held that man could create his own reality through the power of positive affirmation (confession).3 Metaphysical practitioners have long taught adherents to visualize health and wealth, and then to affirm or confess them with their mouths so that the intangible images may be transformed into tangible realities.4 Although proponents of Faith theology have attempted to sanitize the metaphysical concept of the “power of mind” by substituting in its stead the “force of faith,” for all practical purposes they have made a distinction without a difference. New Thought writer Warren Felt Evans, for example, wrote that “faith is the most intense form of mental action.”5 In treating a patient, Evans commented that “the effect of the suggestion [or positive affirmation that the patient is well] is the result of the faith of the subject, for it is always proportioned to the degree in which the patient believes what you say” (emphasis in original).6 Likewise, H. Emilie Cady, a well-known writer for Charles and Myrtle Fillmore’s Unity School of Christianity, explained that “our affirming, backed by faith, is the link that connects our conscious human need with His power and supply.”7 Cady also claimed that “there is power in our word of faith to bring all good things right into our everyday life.”8 Such statements strongly indicate that the distinction between the “mind” of metaphysics and the “faith” of Faith theology is nothing but a figment of the imagination. SUBSTANCE, STYLE, AND SCAMS There is no denying that much of Faith theology is derived directly from metaphysics. Some of the substance, style, and scams endemic to the movement, however, can be traced primarily to the teachings and practices of certain post-World War II faith healers and revivalists operating within Pentecostal circles.9 With regard to substance, for example, both Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin point to T. L. Osborn and William Branham as true men of God who greatly influenced their lives and ministries. Of course, Osborn himself has consistently followed E. W. Kenyon’s (see below) Scripture-twisting antics,10 and Branham has (among other things) denounced the doctrine of the Trinity as coming directly from the Devil.11 Unfortunately, Hagin and Copeland are not alone in affirming Branham; Faith proponent Benny Hinn gives him a hearty “thumbs up” as well.12 When it comes to style, however, Hinn gravitates more toward such faith healers as Aimee Semple McPherson and Kathryn Kuhlman. In addition, Hinn has given his endorsement to notorious revivalist A. A. Allen,13 who was truly a huckster if there ever was one — which brings us to our third “s,” the scams. Faith teachers such as Robert Tilton and his female counterpart, Marilyn Hickey, have copied many of the scams pioneered by Pentecostal preachers such as Oral Roberts and A. A. Allen. In fact, Tilton and Hickey have managed to exceed even their predecessors’ outrageous ploys. This is hard to believe when one considers what sort of schemes they had to outdo. Roberts, the reader may recall, is the man who claimed that Jesus appeared and told him God had chosen him to find the cure for cancer. In a lengthy appeal, Roberts avowed that the Lord told him, “I would not have had you and your partners build the 20-story research tower unless I was going to give you a plan that will attack cancer.” Roberts then said that Jesus instructed him to tell his partners that “this is not Oral Roberts asking for the money but their Lord.”14 (The project was completed, but has since been “shut down and sold to a group of investors for commercial development.”15 Not surprisingly, no cure for cancer was ever found.) In like fashion, A. A. Allen “scammed” his followers by asserting that he could command God to “turn dollar bills into twenties.”16 He was also known to have urged his followers to send for his “prayer cloths anointed with the Miracle Oil,”17 and he offered “Miracle tent shavings” as points of contact for personal miracles.18 Allen even “launched a brief ‘raise the dead’ program.”19 Of course, it died. Allen was eventually kicked out of the Assemblies of God denomination when he jumped bail after being arrested for drunk driving.20 In 1970 he died from what “news accounts report [as] sclerosis of the liver.”21 As we proceed to examine the primary purveyors of Faith theology, we will see living proof of the maxim that “error begets error and heresy begets heresy.” If, for example, one examines the cultic progression of E. W. Kenyon’s theology, one will discover that his original deviations from orthodox Christianity were minor compared to those that characterized the later stages of his ministry. And with each of Kenyon’s successive disciples, the errors become even more pronounced. Hagin, who popularized and plagiarized Kenyon prolifically, not only expanded Kenyon’s perversions but added to them as well.22 The progression from bad to worse has continued with people like Kenneth Copeland and Charles Capps, and is now reaching heretical heights that are almost inconceivable through ministry leaders like Frederick Price, Benny Hinn, and Robert Tilton. THE CAST OF CHARACTERS Twisted texts, make-believe miracles, and a counterfeit Christ are all common denominators of the Faith movement’s leading teachers. And, as all who look into the matter will clearly see, it all began with the metaphysical teachings of Essek William Kenyon. Essek William Kenyon Essek William Kenyon, whose life and ministry were enormously impacted by such cults as Science of Mind, the Unity School of Christianity, Christian Science, and New Thought metaphysics,23 is the true father of the modern-day Faith movement. Many of the phrases popularized by present-day prosperity preachers, such as “What I confess, I possess,” were originally coined by Kenyon. Kenneth Hagin, to whom we next turn our attention, plagiarized much of Kenyon’s work, including the statement, “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.”24 Kenneth E. Hagin As I thoroughly demonstrate in my book Christianity in Crisis (Harvest House, 1993), Kenneth Hagin takes Kenyon’s theology from bad to worse. Not only does he boast of alleged visits to heaven and hell, he recounts numerous out-of-body experiences (OBEs) on the earth as well. On one occasion, Hagin claims he was in the middle of a sermon when, suddenly, he was transported back in time. He ended up in the back seat of a car and watched as a young woman from his church committed adultery with the driver. The entire experience lasted about fifteen minutes, after which Hagin abruptly found himself back in church, summoning his parishioners to prayer.25 Despite his propensity for telling tall tales and describing false visions, virtually every major Faith teacher has been impacted by Hagin — including such “luminaries” as Frederick K. C. Price and Kenneth Copeland. Kenneth Copeland Kenneth Copeland got his start in ministry as a direct result of memorizing Hagin’s messages. It wasn’t long before he had learned enough from Hagin to establish his own following. To say his teachings are heretical would be an understatement — blasphemous is more like it. Copeland brashly pronounces God to be the greatest failure of all time, boldly proclaims that “Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross” (emphasis in original),26 and describes Christ in hell as an “emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit.”27 Yet, despite such statements, Benny Hinn ominously warned that “those who attack Kenneth Copeland are attacking the very presence of God!”28 Benny Hinn Benny Hinn is one of the fastest rising stars on the Faith circuit. According to an October 5, 1992 article in Christianity Today, sales of his books in the last year-and-a-half have exceeded those of James Dobson and Charles Swindoll combined.29 While claiming to be “under the anointing,” Hinn has uttered some of the most “off-the-wall” statements imaginable — including the claim that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that women were originally designed to give birth out of their sides.30 Hinn also admits to frequenting the graves of both Kathryn Kuhlman and Aimee Semple McPherson to get the “anointing” from their bones.31 Despite his outrageous antics, Hinn has somehow managed to gain wide acceptance and visibility within the evangelical Christian church. His platform on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), as well as his promotion by a mainstream Christian publisher (Thomas Nelson), have catapulted him into prime-time visibility. Whether Hinn is referring to his family history or his rendezvous with the Holy Spirit, fantasy is often passed on as fact. A case in point are the thousands of “documented” healings claimed by Hinn. Recently, he sent me three examples — presumably, the cream of the crop — as proof of his miracle-working power. One of the cases involved a man who was supposedly healed of colon cancer. A medically naive person reading the pathology report may well see the notation “no evidence of malignancy” and be duped into thinking that a bona fide healing had indeed taken place. CRI’s medical consultant, Dr. Preston Simpson, however, was not fooled by the report. His investigation revealed that the colon tumor in question was surgically removed rather than miraculously healed. The other two cases had comparably serious problems.32 Frederick K. C. Price Fred Price is the most notable of a growing number of black prosperity preachers. His church in Los Angeles now claims some 16,000 members. He is seen nationally on television and has referred to himself as the “chief exponent of Name It and Claim It.”33 Price has added his own unique twists to Faith theology by asserting that Jesus took on the nature of Satan prior to the crucifixion34 and by claiming that the Lord’s Prayer is not for Christians today.35 Despite telling his followers that he doesn’t allow sickness in his home, Price’s wife has been treated for cancer in her pelvic area.36 Referring to his wealth, Price says the reason he drives a Rolls Royce is that he is following in Jesus’ steps.37 John Avanzini John Avanzini is billed by his Faith peers as a recognized authority on biblical economics. The truth, however, is that Avanzini is an authority on perverting Scripture as a means to picking the pockets of the poor. He has honed his craft into such an art form that when Faith teachers need money, they inevitably call on “Brother John.” Armed with a bag full of Bible-twisting tricks, he tells the unsuspecting that “a greater than a lottery has come. His name is Jesus!”38 According to Avanzini, if Jesus was rich, we should be rich as well. Thus, he recasts Christ into a mirror image of himself — complete with designer clothes, a big house, and a wealthy, well-financed advance team.39 Thinking otherwise, Avanzini claims, will prevent Christians from reaping the prosperity God has laid out for them.40 Avanzini runs the gamut from teaching people how to get their hands on the “wealth of the wicked” to what might best be described as his “hundredfold hoax.”41 When it comes to fleecing God’s people, few can match the effectiveness of John Avanzini. There is an exception, however; his name is Robert Tilton. Robert Tilton Robert Tilton hit the big time as a fisher of funds by developing a religious infomercial called Success-N-Life. It all began when he traveled to Hawaii to hear from the Lord. Says Tilton, “If I’m going to go to the cross, I’m going to go in a pretty place. Not some dusty place like Jerusalem. That’s gravel is all that place is.”42 While languishing in his exotic wilderness, Tilton “realized his mission was to persuade the poor to give what they could to him — as God’s surrogate — so they too could be blessed.”43 Then, one day, Tilton tuned in to television and turned on to Dave Del Dotto’s real estate infomercials. The rest is history. Tilton used what he saw as a prototype44 for building an empire that takes in as much as $65 million per year.45 It now appears that Tilton’s ill-gotten gains may dwindle rapidly amid reports of scandal and a variety of lawsuits.46 Responding to charges from ABC’s Prime Time Live that the prayer request letters he promises to pray over end up in dumpsters, Tilton claims, “I laid on top of those prayer requests so much that the chemicals actually got into my bloodstream, and . . . I had two small strokes in my brain.”47 Marilyn Hickey Marilyn Hickey, much like Tilton, employs a broad range of tactics to manipulate followers into sending her money. Among her many ploys are anointed prayer cloths, ceremonial breastplates, and ropes that can be used as points of contact. In one of her appeal letters, Hickey promises she will slip into a ceremonial breastplate, “press your prayer request to my heart,” and “place your requests on my shoulders” — all for a suggested donation.48 For the most part, Hickey’s tricks and teachings are recycled from other prosperity peddlers like Tilton, Hagin, and Copeland. Her message is peppered with such Faith jargon as “the God-kind of faith,” “confession brings possession,” and “receiving follows giving.” Paul Yonggi Cho (David Cho) Paul Yonggi Cho — pastor of the world’s largest church, located in Seoul, South Korea — claims to have received his call to preach from Jesus Christ Himself, who supposedly appeared to him dressed like a fireman.49 Cho has packaged his faith formulas under the label of “fourth dimensional power.”50 He is well aware of his link to occultism, arguing that if Buddhists and Yoga practitioners can accomplish their objectives through fourth dimensional powers, then Christians should be able to accomplish much more by using the same means.51 In case one is tempted to confuse the size of Cho’s following with the truth of his teachings, let me point out that the Buddhist version of “name it and claim it” (Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism) has an even larger following than does Cho.52 Cho recently made the news by changing his name from Paul to David. As Cho tells the story, God showed him that Paul Cho had to die and David Cho was to be resurrected in his place. According to Cho, God Himself came up with his new name.53 Charles Capps Charles Capps was ordained as a minister in the International Convention of Faith Churches and Ministers by Kenneth Copeland and derived his teachings directly from Kenneth Hagin. This unfortunate combination has led Capps to make some of the most blasphemous statements in Faith lore. Capps has gone so far as to teach that Jesus was the product of God’s positive confession: “This is the key to understanding the virgin birth. God’s Word is full of faith and spirit power. God spoke it. God transmitted that image to Mary. She received the image inside of her….The embryo that was in Mary’s womb was nothing more than the Word of God….She conceived the Word of God.”54 Capps not only preaches the blasphemous, he also preaches the ridiculous. For example, he claims that if someone says, “I’m just dying to do that” or “That just tickled me to death,” their statements may literally come true (i.e., they may die). According to Capps, this is precisely why the human race now lives only about seventy years instead of 900 years, as was the case with Adam.55 Jerry Savelle Jerry Savelle has made his fortune by mimicking virtually all of the Faith teachers mentioned above. His greatest claim to fame, however, may well be his ability to mimic Kenneth Copeland. In fact, Savelle appears to be an exact duplicate of Copeland. Savelle demonstrates a total lack of biblical acumen, as he blindly regurgitates virtually every heresy in the Faith movement. With regard to health, Savelle boasts that sickness and disease cannot enter his world.56 As for wealth, he says that words can speak your world into existence.57 Savelle now peddles his books and tapes to thirty-six countries at the astonishing rate of some 300,000 copies per year. Morris Cerullo Morris Cerullo claims that he gave up a driving ambition to be the governor of New Jersey in order to become a minister of the gospel.58 He purports to have first met God at the tender age of eight. Since then his life has been one mind-blowing experience after another: he says he was taught by leading rabbis;59 led out of a Jewish orphanage by two angelic beings;60 transported to heaven for a face-to-face meeting with God;61 and told he would be capable of revealing the future.62 On one occasion, Cerullo informed his audience, “You’re not looking at Morris Cerullo — you’re looking at God. You’re looking at Jesus.”63 Not only is Cerullo a master of make-believe, he is also a master of manipulation. Claiming that God was directly speaking through him, Cerullo uttered, “Would you surrender your pocketbooks unto Me, saith God, and let me be the Lord of your pocketbooks….Yea, so be thou obedient unto my voice.”64 Paul Crouch Paul Crouch and his wife, Jan, are the founders of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which today has an estimated net worth of half a billion dollars. As Crouch himself puts it, “God has, indeed, given us the MOST POWERFUL VOICE in the history of the WORLD.”65 Unfortunately, this voice is being used to promote teachings straight from the kingdom of the cults. Crouch’s influence has become so vast that he can now raise as much as $50 million during a single “Praise-a-Thon.” What many of the well-intentioned Christians who support TBN do not know, however, is that part of this money goes to promoting cultic groups and individuals who not only deny the Trinity but claim that this essential of Christianity is a pagan doctrine.66 It is indeed ironic that a broadcasting network called “Trinity” would promote anti-Trinitarian doctrine. To those who would speak out against the false teachings proliferated on his network, Crouch has this to say: “I think they’re damned and on their way to hell; and I don’t think there’s any redemption for them.”67 Shortly after I met with Crouch to prove that the Faith movement compromises essential Christian doctrine, Crouch looked into the lens of the television camera and angrily declared, “If you want to criticize Ken Copeland for his preaching on faith, or Dad Hagin, get out of my life! I don’t even want to talk to you or hear you. I don’t want to see your ugly face. Get out of my face, in Jesus’ name.”68 Sadly, Crouch refers to the Faith message as a “revival of truth . . . restored by a few precious men.”69 GENETIC DEFECT? The Faith movement was spawned by the unholy marriage of 19th-century New Thought metaphysics with the flamboyance and abuses of post-World War II revivalism. It should therefore come as no surprise that its doctrine and practices are palpably unbiblical. Yet, some charge that critics of the movement are guilty of committing a logical error known as the genetic fallacy — “that is, rejecting an assumption because of where it comes from rather than disproving the argument.”70 While the charge appears formidable, it is in fact defective. For it assumes that the criticisms against the Faith movement are made primarily if not solely on the basis of its historical roots. In truth, the bulk of critical evaluations are leveled directly against the unbiblical teachings of the movement’s leading proponents today.71 Historical discussions have, for the most part, served to place the phenomenon in its proper context.72 Now that we’ve dug up the roots and sampled the topsoil of the Faith movement, we are ready to take a penetrating look at its ripened fruit. Part Two of this article will do just that, by systematizing and critiquing the theology of the movement’s premier preacher of another gospel

Ok, name ANY of the game-shows to take the round. Obscure game-show time again. A) This game-show was inspired by an early 1980s video game by Konami, whose name it shares. Damon Wayans Jr is one of the hosts. It started out on Peacock (NBC streaming) but has appeared elsewhere in syndication. Contestants attempt to cross any of several "screens" (play areas) without "drowning" and "losing a life." Pairs of contestants try each area, with the better of the 2 moving on to the final round, where the best score comes from the most "hostages" (my term) rescued and the best time- but with a timer and with only one "life". The winner of each episode wins a fanny-pack full of money, and returns to try to make it to the series finale, for even more money. No part closely resembles the arcade game, but one "level" does involve crossing a highway, and at least one "level" involves crossing some sort of river, above crocodiles. The original arcade game was distributed by Sega, leading to a question of ownership. Konami won and made all sorts of sequels for the game, some on newer platforms, and a pinball machine (and that's not counting the slot machines.) A variant of the original is playable in your browser. B) John Cena's one of the hosts of this show. It's another show where contestants risk "drowning" and getting knocked from places. It's NOT inspired by any video game or other source AFAIK. This show has already had several seasons, between ABC and TBS. It supposedly has the "world's largest obstacle course." Despite the name, there is no connection to surfing with this show. People do, however, get removed from the show as the result of being knocked down from places, often by water or a padded obstacle. C) Don't fall under in this game-show or you're out, and your team has to manage without you! In this game, you have to traverse any of several "rooms" that are booby-trapped and make it to the end. If you go under, you're "dead" for reasons obvious to people who know this show's title. It's inspired by a children's game. The children's game can be invoked anywhere, but the game is properly played at someone's house, without shoes, and preferably by smaller children that don't weigh as much as adults. That's because they're going to be climbing all over the furniture, hopefully not breaking anything, but definitely not walking on the floor.

Does Franklin Pierce count? He got drunk and ran over somebody ON HORSEBACK while he was in office.

"Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive. Plays that song that's so elusive and the magic music makes your morning move."

DareDevil Jennifer Garner 13 Going on 30

From the second link, https://www.gotquestions.org/Word-Faith.html Word of Faith teaching is decidedly unbiblical. It is not a denomination and does not have a formal organization or hierarchy. Instead, it is a movement that is heavily influenced by a number of high-profile pastors and teachers such as Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch, and Fred Price. The Word of Faith movement grew out of the Pentecostal movement in the late 20th century. Its founder was E. W. Kenyon, who studied the metaphysical New Thought teachings of Phineas Quimby. Mind science (where "name it and claim it" originated) was combined with Pentecostalism, resulting in a peculiar mix of orthodox Christianity and mysticism. Kenneth Hagin, in turn, studied under E. W. Kenyon and made the Word of Faith movement what it is today. Although individual teachings range from completely heretical to completely ridiculous, what follows is the basic theology most Word of Faith teachers align themselves with. At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth). Laws supposedly governing the faith-force are said to operate independently of God’s sovereign will and that God Himself is subject to these laws. This is nothing short of idolatry, turning our faith—and by extension ourselves—into god. From here, its theology just strays further and further from Scripture: it claims that God created human beings in His literal, physical image as little gods. Before the fall, humans had the potential to call things into existence by using the faith-force. After the fall, humans took on Satan’s nature and lost the ability to call things into existence. In order to correct this situation, Jesus Christ gave up His divinity and became a man, died spiritually, took Satan’s nature upon Himself, went to hell, was born again, and rose from the dead with God’s nature. After this, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to replicate the Incarnation in believers so they could become little gods as God had originally intended. Following the natural progression of these teachings, as little gods we again have the ability to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life. Illness, sin, and failure are the result of a lack of faith, and are remedied by confession—claiming God’s promises for oneself into existence. Simply put, the Word of Faith movement exalts man to god-status and reduces God to man-status. Needless to say, this is a false representation of what Christianity is all about. Obviously, Word of Faith teaching does not take into account what is found in Scripture. Personal revelation, not Scripture, is highly relied upon in order to come up with such absurd beliefs, which is just one more proof of its heretical nature. Countering Word of Faith teaching is a simple matter of reading the Bible. God alone is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1:3; 1 Timothy 6:15) and does not need faith—He is the object of faith (Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:3). God is spirit and does not have a physical body (John 4:24). Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but this does not make him a little god or divine. Only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalm 8:6-8). Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the only incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 14, 15, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By becoming a man, Jesus gave up the glory of heaven but not His divinity (Philippians 2:6-7), though He did choose to withhold His power while walking the earth as man. The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling since the Garden: “You shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings.

It's always seen backwards. We never discuss all the people who "believe for" lots of money and never get it. We discuss a handful of people who ALREADY have lots of money and how their "believing" supposedly got it. But it didn't, and that's "cherry-picking" or "counting the hits and IGNORING the misses," and that's illogical.

"My hunch is that in 1968, the plan was to have the GP explained better in the Intermediate and Advanced classes. " Your IMAGINATION to the side, the Intermediate was completely redone from vpw's TIP class to Burton's Intermediate class, at vpw's direction- and yet there was no addressing of the so-called "Great Principle." If there was going to be a better explanation, there would have BEEN a better explanation. Since the GP is nonsense, there will be no better explanation- just your imaginary word-salad and excuses as to why vpw had the opportunity to do so, but never did.

"Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobstrusive"

No, and what does the name "Gladiators" have to do with surfing? I'm curious.