07AR12-21

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Apologia Report 12:21

June 1, 2007

Subject: Word-Faith movement, the offspring of LDS & NOI?

In this issue:

ORIGINS - Skeptical Inquirer review fears that new book on evolution gives too much credit to its religious compatibility

ROMAN CATHOLICISM - an update on Latin America from The Economist

WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT - controversial analysis appears in American Academy of Religion journal

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ORIGINS

The Ten Top Myths about Evolution, by Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan [1] -- reviewer Kenneth W. Krause finds that "Evolution is as critical to biology as electricity is to a pop-up toaster, and every citizen's basic comprehension of biology is prerequisite to her ability to effectively confront crucial issues....

"So how to begin? Perhaps with The Top Ten Myths about Evolution, suggest Smith and Sullivan. ...

"On the whole, Smith and Sullivan have managed to tender something challenging for some and valuable for all. ...

"Top Ten Myths delivers a polemic that, although factually appropriate, often borders on the needlessly apologetic and, in the end, the intellectually disingenuous. Throughout the text, the authors defend evolution by one means or another against the teleological 'Great Chain of Being,' the Scala Natura, or its persistent remains, apparently presuming a religious but theologically manipulable audience. ...

"The Great Chain, of course, has most recently culminated in the unfortunate doctrines of creationism and its thinly veiled cousin, intelligent design. Smith and Sullivan devote a chapter to each, adequately exposing them as blunt but effective tools of religious desperation. In the process, however, the authors draw an unhelpful distinction between philosophical and methodological naturalism, the former rejecting anything that cannot be explained by natural laws and the latter withholding all possible judgment in that regard. In the end, they observe, science has nothing to say about gods and souls so long as we assume such things are not part of the physical world. And belief in God (yes, 'God' with a capital, monotheistic, Abrahamic 'G'), the authors vie, 'is not incompatible with evolution or science in general.'

"Belief without and, in fact, impervious to evidence is not incompatible with science? Such is either the mother of all cop-outs or unmistakable confirmation that the Great Chain's influence persists...." Skeptical Inquirer, May/Jun '07, pp56-57.

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ROMAN CATHOLICISM

"Lighting on new faiths or none" (no byline) -- a few findings of interest. For example, "more than 80% of Latin Americans are still Catholic. But that figure has been falling swiftly." We read that one reason for this is Pentecostal growth, seen in "pastors who require only a pulpit and a Bible rather than an elaborate seminary education. In Brazil the ratio of Protestant pastors to worshippers is 18 times higher than that of priests to Catholics, according to a new study by the Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a business school. The business model works: 44% of church donations in Brazil come from Pentecostals, and only 31% from far more numerous Catholics."

Near the conclusion of this piece we read what seems to be in contradiction to the above findings: "The Catholic church has not escaped paedophile [sic] scandals. But it has largely avoided the money scams that dog some Pentecostal churches. The Getulio Vargas study found that in Brazil defections from Catholic ranks have stopped. The number of Pentecostals continues to grow but at the expense of the irreligious." The Economist, May 5 '07, pp47-48.

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WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT

"The Word-Faith Movement: A Theological Conflation of the Nation of Islam and Mormonism?" by Kirk R. MacGregor, Adjunct Instructor of Religion, University of Iowa -- the affirmative answer to the question posed by the subtitle - coupled with the author's self-assured, condescending tone - are likely to fuel what we anticipate will be a negative reaction by countercult ministry specialists in this area.

The abstract tells us that "the 'Word-Faith Movement' is one of the most understudied developments on the margins of the Christian tradition. Typically dismissed by conservative Protestants and others as a 'health and wealth gospel,' such a characterization fails to account for the movement's theological roots and practical fruits. These roots are located in two historical predecessor NRMs - the Nation of Islam and Mormonism. Using both direct evidence from Faith theological architects of doctrinal appropriation and strong circumstantial evidence of exegetical borrowing on the part of the movement's leaders, I argue that this identification of the Faith Movement's parent traditions enhances our understanding of its major cultural fruits, including the personal empowerment jointly driven by gnosis of one's true identity, and by the bestowal of ultimate concern upon socioeconomic movement via direct correlation with one's spiritual progress. I conclude with some reflections on what the Faith Movement's career to date can tell us about New Religious Movements and the state of religion in America today."

As part of his introduction, MacGregor reports that with almost 5 million "worshipers," if it were "counted as a denomination, the Word-Faith Movement would be the sixth largest religious body in the United States." And, in further support of his thesis, MacGregor claims that "the two major historical roots of the contemporary Faith infrastructure lie in the Nation of Islam and Mormonism, with the former largely responsible for its theologically humanistic foundation and the latter for its exegetical frame. Furthermore, by putting the Word-Faith movement in conversation with its two predecessor NRMS, deeper insight is gained regarding its coherence and appeal as a cultural system in which spiritual and material progress intersect."

Another controversial claim by MacGregor is that the Word-Faith movement "is structured by three organizations. First, the International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), founded by the late Doyle 'Buddy' Harrison in 1979.... Second, the Rhema Ministerial Alliance International (RMAI), instituted in 1985 by Kenneth Hagin.... [and] Third, the Fellowship of Inner-City Word of Faith Ministries (FICWFM), instituted in 1990 by Frederick K.C. Price...."

Further, "direct evidence proves not only the thorough familiarity of Frederick K.C. Price with Nation of Islam theology via the major Nation primary sources but also that Price, through his nationally televized [sic] sermons, tapes, and books, is single-handedly responsible for introducing Nation theology to the Faith community. The direct evidence further indicates that Price and others in the Faith theological leadership, most notably Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn, have modified several Nation teachings to fit a Faith theological framework. [MacGregor's principal focus here is on an alleged shared anthropomorphism. - RP] Furthermore, strong circumstantial evidence, acknowledged by LDS scholars, suggests that key Mormon doctrines have been assimilated by Copeland and Hinn into the Faith infrastructure. These two streams of though have coalesced to make Word-Faith theology a synthesis of the Nation of Islam and Mormonism." (The Copeland/Hinn connection that MacGregor reflects upon is that of the infamous "little gods" teaching and is compared with the LDS doctrine of human deification. - RP)

A final observation is that MacGregor appears surprisingly dependent on Dan McConnell's A Different Gospel [2] as an overall source. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 75:1 - 2007, pp87-120.

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Sources, Monographs:

1 - The Ten Top Myths about Evolution, by Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan (Prometheus, 2006, paperback, 200 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/159102479X/apologiareport>

2 - A Different Gospel: Biblical and Historical Insights into the Word of Faith Movement, by D. R. McConnell (Hendrickson, 1995 updated edition, paperback, 225 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565631323/apologiareport>

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