The History of the African American "Word of Faith" Movement Churches

People who attend neighboring Word of Faith service are not aware as to where it came from. The leadership of  "Word" churches and ministries will have the Church to believe that they are "Word" only; no creed nor doctrine. The "dogma" of many Faith churches and ministries is, "Faith" (Rom. 10:17).  Their understanding of the doctrine of Faith is associated with "act upon God's Word, "activating one's faith," "releasing one's own faith," and "the believer's walk of faith."  The question (?):  "Is this the true biblical concept of faith (Heb. 11:6)? Or Is it a "metaphysical" understanding of what Faith is? (2 Tim. 6:20).  The problem is that there are those who are followers of the Faith movement especially within the context of the African American Word of Faith movement churches who are unaware of  "how" the doctrine of Faith have been "redefined" to fit within the culture context of Faith theology (2 Cor. 11:3). Whenever people are taught such biblical distortion that they become "slaves" to "new" terminologies and phrase by which they are "locked" into a closed system of logic: that is beyond reasoning (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

   Throughout this article I will begin by (1) connecting the dots together as to history of the Word of Faith movement especially within the context of the African American Word of Faith movement churches. (2) To give a brief description and characteristics of early Gnosticism in the first and century early Church and "how" it fit within the historical context of the modern day African American Word of Faith religion.

    The leadership of many Faith churches and ministries will have the Church to believe by insisting that they are a "Word" ministry or "nondenominational" church that teach "Word" only; no creed nor doctrine (Rom. 16:17-18).  How is it that many Faith leaders can claim that they teach the "Word" only without its basis of biblical doctrine and theology? If in fact they claim to teach "Christ" than what are the framework of their understanding of Who Christ is? Is it the Bible? Than "how" is it that they can teach about "Christ" from the Bible and not teach the doctrine of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1, 2-3)?  There contention as to say, "They are "Word" only is a contradiction and at worst deceptive in nature (1 Tim. 4:1, 2).

    The historical basis of the African American Word of Faith movement churches is connected to Christian Science and New Thought metaphysics: that of "mind" over matter (Pro. 6:2; 23:7).  The basic teachings of Christian Science, New Thought metaphysics, and Religious Science is that of such affirmation of faith, or "backed" by the Bible in mental healing.  Many practitioners of New Thought believe in "intense" mental healing so as to heal their physical abnormalities. Many Word of Faith leaders will replace "science" in place of "Faith" thus they make an attempt within any differentiation. In so many words that the Faith believer must confess daily over their lives (1 Pet. 2:24) so as to the complete healing of their bodies.  Not only must they make such "positive" confession of faith based upon God's Word but also they must repetitiously "rehearsed" within their [mind] and [human] spirit the promise of "healing" scriptures to block out any negative confession or influence that will rob them of their faith (2 Cor. 5:7). For people to "condition" themselves by warring off any physical symptom or sickness through such positive confession of faith "backed" by the Bible is hazardous to person's spiritual, psychological, and physical well being (2 Tim. 2:17-18).  The avert affect of such toxicity of faith is a warp sense of Who God is, and the world around them.

    How is it that the influence of Gnosticism have greatly influenced that of the African American Word of Faith movement churches? First, the meaning of Gnosticism is the "act" of knowing ("gnosis") or absolute knowledge (1 Tim. 6:20).  There are many Faith leaders who will contend that they have a "corner" on the truth as if God have spoken to them "directly" or given them such Revelation Knowledge: that is through the "form" of prophetic revelation, vision, and dreams (Jude 8-10). Through their own experience or "experiential" theology is the basis of their "absolute" knowledge.  Whenever Christian mystics are "challenge" as their so-called new-found knowledge or "faith" they immediately go into neutrality ("experience") so as to convince others that what they are experiencing is true authentic experience but is none other than such spiritual disillusionment or hallucinogenic (1 Tim. 4:1, 2). Secondly, the knowledge of Christian "mystics" are opposed to the knowledge of God in the Person of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:9, 10).  In order that the Church can attain that of the knowledge of Christ is through the all-sufficiency of scripture (2 Tim. 3:15, 16); not through such "revelatory" knowledge or mystical experience.

    The truth of the matter is that the modern-day African American Word of Faith movement churches have  in fact been influence by strains of Gnosticism: that of its understanding of the Bible through such "mystical" or revelatory means, the mystical Christ, and "spiritual" allegory in its interpretation of the biblical context (2 Pet. 1:19, 20, 21; 1 Jn. 2:22-23; 2 Tim. 2:17-18). 

    It is important to see the African American "Word of Faith" movement churches for what it truly is in light of the Bible, and its history (Acts 17:11 with 1 Jn. 4:1).  The intrusion of the Positive Confession movement   known as the Faith movement disguises itself as to be both Pentecostal and charismatics, the utilizing of biblical Christian terminology but are a "metaphysical" wolf in sheep's clothing. A tree is known by the fruit it bears. A corrupt tree brings forth bad fruit; a good tree brings forth good fruit. Doctrine and life goes hand in hand with each other therefore they are inseparable (Matt. 7:15ff).  

Rev. Darryl L. Miller, is president & CEO of Darryl Miller International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia and travels extensively throughout the United States and continents. Darryl is the bestselling author of his book, "The Prosperity Gospel: Where Did It Come From?: Gnostic Source? Or Spiritual Revelation? As an apologist, pastor, senior researcher, editor, and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world.  Darryl lives with his wife Vivian outside of metro Atlanta, Georgia with their puppy "Little" Baby.