Evangelism for Power, Money and Fraud
It is not surprising that where people have a high expectancy of witnessing miracles and large sums of money are involved that the temptation to fraud is high. An analysis of the income of those who advocate these doctrines is most illuminating.
“God is touching hurting people around the world,” Popoff says in a video on his website, sitting in a wingback chair beside his wife, Elizabeth. “It’s always such a joy to share the reality of that joy. It’s a joy to share the reality of his saving power, healing power, delivery power, and … debt cancelling power! Amen!”
Peter Popoff had been a preacher for over three decades. Popoff’s basic message remained largely the same: that God wants people to be affluent and debt-free, and that Popoff is a prophet sent by God to help people transform their lives from poverty to affluence. He was a very popular preacher.
“Debt cancellation is part of God’s plan,” Popoff said in the video posted on his website, as a little dog sleeps in his lap. “That’s why God sent me to you. How would you ever know about miraculous debt cancellation, erasure of your debts, if someone didn’t tell you about it?”
Many times throughout his career, Popoff has been exposed as a fraud. The first big revelation happened on the Johnny Carson show in 1986, where the magician James Randi played secret audiotapes revealing Popoff’s scam as a faith healer. Before every revival event Popoff led, Popoff’s staff and his wife Elizabeth would interview audience members about their health problems., and they would collect prayer cards from the audience. As Peter worked the room, his wife would point out vulnerable people for him to approach, and tell him about their physical ailments, via a small radio receiver stuck in Popoff’s ear.
Not long after that show aired, Popoff declared bankruptcy. But the setback proved temporary. Popoff started again, and, within a few years, his “ministry” was earning more than $24 million a year.
Benny Hinn is another healing evangelist who has become very rich and his claims of supernatural healings have been denounced. A television documentary recounts that he prayed for a child dying from a brain tumour. The boy’s parents pledged a monthly sum to the Benny Hinn Ministries, but he died anyway. Rabbi Harold S. Kushner stated: “I hope there is a special place in Hell for people who try and enrich themselves on the suffering of others. To tantalize the blind, the lame, the dying, the afflicted, the terminally ill, to dangle hope before parents of a severely afflicted child, is an indescribably cruel thing to do, and to do it in the name of God, to do it in the name of religion, I think, is unforgivable.”
Todd Bentley is another healing evangelist whose ministry has been accused of fraud.i His ministry was terminated because of repeated adulterous relationships and drug abuse.
Alph Lukau was born in Congo but went to South Africa to work for an investment company, but even then his dreams were to become rich. He became the leader of Alleluia Ministries. Former colleagues in the organisation have said that his raising a man lying in a coffin was a scam as was his supposed healing of several who were came to his church in wheelchairs. He has also been accused of sexual misdemeanours. (1,2)
Yet, presumably because people are drawn to the spectacular, men such as these still have a massive following.
Paul message
Contrast such behaviour with what St Paul said when he was finding the ministry of telling people about Jesus difficult:
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:2-5
The apostolic means of evangelism was to tell people about Jesus, who he is and that he is the only way for people to become right with God and have their sins forgiven. He saw that people were both lost and gullible. He and the other apostles used reason to convince people about Jesus. This was how he tried to share the news about Jesus at Athens:
“Now, while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, (Silas and Timothy who were going to join him there) his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present
Paul, in the city of Athens, confronts the reality of the unknown God. He says, “You worship but you worship in ignorance. With all the gods that you have here, you have nothing but idols, you have nothing but false gods. The one true God is unknown to you. All your worship, then, is misdirected, all your worship is an expression of ignorance, all your worship is, then, pointless and purposeless and accomplishes absolutely nothing spiritually because you don’t know the true God.” They are in the dark about the true God who is a distinct being from us just as Jesus is. They needed to be taught about the historic Jesus.
One of the most addressed themes in the New Testament is the problem of false teachers. Warnings about them abound in almost every New Testament book: the Gospels, Paul’s, Peter’s, and John’s epistles, etc. It was and is a major danger for the church. Paul warns about false teachers and teachings several times in 1 Timothy. Paul urges Timothy to command the false teachers to stop teaching false doctrines.
“These promote controversies rather than God’s work. - which is by faith. Some have wandered away . . . they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” 1 Timothy 1:3-7
“If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. . . . ” 1 Timothy 6:3
It is so easy for religion, even religion in the name of Jesus to be corrupted into a means of gaining money and power on this earth. Their followers will become men and women who are of -
“ . . . corrupt mind who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means of financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:5
False teaching has been a threat in every age including the present. It threatens to keep many from the narrow road leading to salvation and instead leads them to the broad road of destruction. It appears that though these false teachers boast that multiple expensive cars, multiple mansions and aeroplanes are the evidence of God’s blessing, they are in fact the evidence of false teaching.
Teachers who emphasise health, wealth and prosperity are disrupting many churches throughout the world. The real gospel is all about who Christ is and what he did on the cross to save us. We Christians are Christ’s servants to achieve his ends by bringing glory to him whilst we are on this earth for just a short time. Our goal must be to please our Saviour and wait for his return, even if it means suffering now. Fraud, pretence and underhand means are not acceptable amongst followers of Jesus. What Paul writes confronts the use of miracles and deception to win adherents, he wants God’s church to rely on teaching God’s truth:
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:2-5
Living lives committed to promoting the Lord Jesus will be costly in this life. Paul finishes this chapter by reminding his readers that their present troubles will be rewarded in the next life but not necessarily in this:
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on what is seen and not on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
The famous chapter of Hebrews 11 reminds us that the men God considered to be great men of faith did not receive what was promised them in this life, but still remained faithful to living as God wants:
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40
Eric Liddell was a great athlete who played rugby and was in the athletics team of Scotland. He refused to run in the hundred metres sprint in the 1924 Olympics because it involved running on a Sunday which he considered to be the Lord’s day. It was a hard decision as he was a hot favourite and many were annoyed with him for keeping to his principles. However he considered that he was also running life’s race and therefore to keep to the Lord’s priorities was all important. He followed the example of the men of God in Hebrews chapter 11.
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Our perspective should also be eternity, not this world, as some false teachers advocate today.
Peter wrote to Christian churches who were being inundated by deviant teaching. Those who remained true to the apostolic gospel tended to suffer for keeping the historic Christ central:
“But even if you suffer for what is right, you are blessed” 1 Peter 3:14
“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed.” 1 Peter 4:14
There is no ‘name it and claim it’ here. Instead Peter emphasised that there is an eternal reward for all who remain faithful at living for Christ.
“And the God of grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10
How Jesus Christ needs to become the focus of all who say they are teaching the Christian message again.
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3
BVP
1 https://ministrywatch.com/strange-fire-a-decade-in-the-life-of-todd-bentley/
2 https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/lukaus-allies-turn-against-him-20190302
