Word of Faith

Rusting chains hang from a dark wooden beam, swaying gently in a shaft of golden light. in the foreground, a stack of old books lies open, their pages frayed and brittle with age.

The Finished Work or a Finished Gospel? A Review of Creflo Dollar’s ‘Rhythms of Grace’

The sermon is a clear articulation of Word of Faith theology. It posits that all temporal needs (healing, finances, victory) are already accomplished facts in a spiritual realm, and that faith is the mechanism of calling those things into physical reality. This teaching corrupts the doctrine of Atonement, redefines faith into a metaphysical force, and promotes a passive (Quietist) approach to sanctification that borders on Antinomianism by dismissing active obedience as 'religious works.' The use of Scripture is consistently pretextual, serving only to support the pre-existing Word of Faith system.

Read MoreThe Finished Work or a Finished Gospel? A Review of Creflo Dollar’s ‘Rhythms of Grace’
A crumbling stone tower rises from a sea of fog, its peak obscured by clouds. cracked columns and missing blocks reveal the structure's instability, while a narrow beam of light illuminates a winding staircase that leads into the depths of the earth.

The Generous Family: A Call to Prayer or a Misguided Technique?

The sermon is a topical exhortation on prayer and fasting, using Luke 5 as a launchpad. While the intent to stir the congregation to deeper devotion is clear, the message is critically flawed by two major issues: the introduction of a Word of Faith technique ('speaking to the problem') and a claim of direct, extra-biblical revelation from God. The homiletical structure is pretextual, relying heavily on personal anecdotes and historical stories rather than exegesis, resulting in a very low text-to-talk ratio.

Read MoreThe Generous Family: A Call to Prayer or a Misguided Technique?
A single shaft of light illuminates a worn, weathered sermon elementuscript. shadows dance across the crumpled pages as a disembodied hand reaches from the darkness to underline a passage. a ragged, rusted nail protrudes from the wall, glinting ominously in the glow. the juxtaposition of the holy and the profane, the sacred and the sinister, sets an unsettling tone.

A Review of ‘Sunday Service’ by Paul Francis Lanier

The sermon is a rambling, topical message that uses the life of Elijah as a pretext for promoting Word of Faith theology, extra-biblical revelation, and a flawed, geopolitical view of Israel. The core gospel message is absent, replaced by an emphasis on human performance (fasting, declaring) to unlock God's power. The repeated claims of receiving direct, new information from God ('The Lord said to me,' 'It came to me last night') seriously undermine the authority and sufficiency of the Bible. The extremely low text-to-talk ratio starves the congregation of actual Scripture, replacing it with personal anecdotes and questionable theology.

Read MoreA Review of ‘Sunday Service’ by Paul Francis Lanier
A weathered sailboat drifts listlessly in a murky harbor, its tattered sails limp and lifeless. shafts of pale light pierce the gloom, illuminating the boat's faded glory and abandoned condition. the boat, once a vessel of exploration and adventure, now languishes in the shallows, a testament to the seductive emptiness of a different gospel that promises life but delivers ruin.

The Seduction of a Different Gospel: Analyzing the Word of Faith Movement

The sermon is an exemplar of the Prosperity Gospel and modern charismatic error. The exposition of Mark 5 is pretextual, using the narrative to launch into a man-centered theology where faith is a force to be wielded for temporal blessings. This is compounded by a pervasive reliance on subjective, extra-biblical revelation ('God told me,' 'I saw prophetically'), which undermines the sufficiency of Scripture. The core soteriology is functionally synergistic, placing the impetus for divine action on human desperation and performance.

Read MoreThe Seduction of a Different Gospel: Analyzing the Word of Faith Movement
A solitary church stands in a barren field, its once vibrant colors faded and peeling, as a fierce winter storm whips snow across its crumbling facade. through the broken stained glass windows, shafts of pale light illuminate the deserted pews, casting eerie shadows across the dusty floor. in the pulpit, a tattered bible lies open to the gospel of luke, its pages fluttering in the icy draft. outside, the wind howls through the skeletal trees, as if lamenting the church's fall from grace.

A Christmas Service Compromised: When Orthodoxy Meets Error

While the service structure is liturgically sound, incorporating extensive Scripture reading and the Creed, it is fundamentally corrupted by a Word of Faith declaration made during the Lord's Supper. The pastor instructs the congregation to verbally declare that national crises like sickness and recession do not apply to them, a teaching that misrepresents the atonement. Additionally, the practice of Open Communion fails to properly guard the sacrament from profanation and protect participants from taking it in an unworthy manner.

Read MoreA Christmas Service Compromised: When Orthodoxy Meets Error
A once gleaming golden chalice, now covered in a sickly green patina, rests on an altar draped in rich red velvet. shafts of light from stained glass windows illuminate the chalice, but the light is muted, as if the chalice is a dark reflection of the light's true beauty. in the background, a wooden cross, also covered in a layer of dust, looms over the scene.

Grace and Compromise: When a Good Sermon Is Poisoned by False Doctrine

The primary exposition on John 1 is generally sound, correctly contrasting law and grace. The service is fatally compromised, however, by a segment on healing that employs Word of Faith methodology, misinterpreting Isaiah 53:5 to teach guaranteed physical healing through an act of human faith. Additionally, the use of subjective authority ('God is wanting to do healing') and an unfenced communion table represent significant ecclesiological and pastoral failures.

Read MoreGrace and Compromise: When a Good Sermon Is Poisoned by False Doctrine
Golden sunlight streams through horizontal wooden blinds, casting a striped pattern across an antique wooden desk. a worn leather-bound bible sits open atop the desk, illuminated by the warm rays.

The Creator’s Word vs. The Creature’s Word: A Review of ‘It’s All About the Word’

The sermon is built on a sound text (John 1) and contains commendable orthodox elements, such as the recitation of the Apostles' Creed and a correct affirmation of Christ's eternality. However, it is fundamentally compromised by a primary error: it conflates the unique, creative power of the Divine Logos (Christ) with the speech of the believer. This slides into Word of Faith doctrine, teaching that believers can 'create' their reality by speaking it, a departure from the biblical model of faith and petition. A secondary error involving a mischaracterization of God's Law further undermines its biblical fidelity.

Read MoreThe Creator’s Word vs. The Creature’s Word: A Review of ‘It’s All About the Word’
A safe filled with gold, illuminated by light and shadow.

More Than Money: A Theological Review of Michael Todd’s ‘Crazy Faith’ Sermon

The sermon, while using the story of Mary's sacrificial worship as a textual anchor, is fundamentally a Word of Faith message promoting the Prosperity Gospel. It frames a special offering ('Crazy Faith Offering') as a mechanism for triggering divine financial intervention. The core theological error is the redefinition of faith from trust in God's sovereign will to a force that obligates God to act, particularly in the realm of finances. This transactional model corrupts the doctrines of grace, faith, and God's sovereignty, constituting a fundamental error. The use of subjective authority ('God told me') further undermines the sufficiency of Scripture.

Read MoreMore Than Money: A Theological Review of Michael Todd’s ‘Crazy Faith’ Sermon
A spiral staircase, its worn wooden steps illuminated by shafts of golden sunlight piercing through ornate stained glass windows. the camera pans slowly upward, revealing the staircase to extend infinitely into the heavens, vanishing into the light above.

The Seduction of Self-Help: A Theological Review of ‘The Power of Spiritual Thinking’

This sermon is a clear articulation of the Prosperity Gospel, rooted in Word of Faith and New Thought metaphysics. The core message is that believers can master their own lives and manifest their desired reality by mastering their minds. God is functionally reduced to a power source activated by human faith and confession, while sin is redefined as negative thinking and Christ's work is presented as a means to personal empowerment rather than atonement for sin. The use of subjective authority claims ('my spirit told me') further undermines the sufficiency of Scripture. This is a fundamental departure from biblical orthodoxy.

Read MoreThe Seduction of Self-Help: A Theological Review of ‘The Power of Spiritual Thinking’
A glowing magic wand hovers over an open bible, its light illuminating the pages. but when the wand is waved over the text, the words shift and change into the user's desired outcomes, blurring the lines between the eternal light's truth and huelement will.

Is Your Bible a Sword or a Magic Wand? Correcting a Dangerous View of God’s Word

The sermon presents a biblically-grounded topic—the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit—but executes it through the heretical framework of Word of Faith theology. The core error is the teaching that believers can 'decree' and 'frame their world' by speaking scripture, functionally replacing God's sovereignty with the believer's verbal technique. This constitutes a fundamental error regarding the nature of God, faith, and Scripture.

Read MoreIs Your Bible a Sword or a Magic Wand? Correcting a Dangerous View of God’s Word
A jagged mirror, fractured into shards, each piece reflecting a different scene - a bustling city street, a quiet forest glen, a sunlit beach. shafts of golden light filter through gaps in the frame, casting the disparate reflections in a warm glow. the broken mirror rests on a weathered wooden stand, the grain of the aged wood visible. in the background, a stone wall is covered in climbing vines and moss.

Does God Control Everything, Or Do We? A Review

This sermon fundamentally misrepresents the nature of God by denying His absolute sovereignty, instead promoting an Open Theistic framework where God is bound and limited by human authority. The soteriology is functionally synergistic, framing salvation and blessing as a transaction requiring human co-agency ('signing on'). It culminates in the heretical statement that believers must 'find out that you are a god,' erasing the Creator-creature distinction. This is a classic presentation of Prosperity Gospel and Word of Faith theology.

Read MoreDoes God Control Everything, Or Do We? A Review