Word of Faith Fellowship
Word of Faith Fellowship (WFF) is a movement within Charismatic Christianity, which teaches that Christians can obtain power and financial prosperity through prayer, and that those who believe in Jesus' death and resurrection have the right to, and will be rewarded with, physical health. ‘Charismatic Christianity’ grew out of Protestantism emphasizes the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts as something everyday/normalised for believers - also called Renewalists. Forms of Charismatic Christianity include Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement and the Neo-charismatic movement.
Word of Faith appears to be a cult dressed up as a church congregation. I acknowledge that American Churches are very different from UK ones, so as I write I am conscious that I may be somewhat culturally biased. Yet aside of this, much of what I have seen does suggest ‘cult’ behaviours - a charismatic/strong leader, and unwillingness to talk to the outside world, a belief in the outside World being against them/not understanding them, and the adoption of behaviours and restriction of movement that amounts to control.
Of concern to CAAGe for anyone considering joining is the way their rhetoric seems currently to be going towards something apocalyptic, talking about preparing for an ending (see apocalyptic cults).
Where Word of Faith Started;
Baptist minister E.W. Kenyon (1867–1948) is generally considered Word of Faith's founder - or at least the one who generated its teachings. Kenneth Hagin Sr., recognized as the"father" of Word of Faith was profoundly affected by his teachings.
Hagin had founded a an evangelical ministry and began sharing his views via Word of Faith magazine (1966), and later founded a seminary training Word of Faith ministers.
Some of Hagin’s sermons can be heard here: Digital Showcase: Kenneth E Hagin
Jane Whaley founded the current community, Word of Faith Fellowship in 1979 based largely on their teachings, when she bought a restaurant and converted it into a chapel to form its own congegration, believing that she had been chosen by God to lead.
Word of Faith Fellowship is today an international movement, and has a ‘campus’ in Spindale. One of several Brazilian evangelical churches with ties to Word of Faith Fellowship is Ministério Verbo Vivo, the “Living Word Ministry”, along with Rhema Comunidad Cristiana
In Jane Whaley’s own words, “We have also ministered in many overseas churches. God led us to apostle a church in Ghana and two churches in Brazil. All three churches have christian schools.”
Key beliefs
Word of Faith believers have a divine right to prosper, in everything including their finances, their health, and their relationships, including marriage. (Sometimes called ‘prosperity theology’)
Jesus was rich.
Positive confession/Faith confession is a practitioners ‘affirmation’ of prosperity, healing, well being and so on as if they were ‘promises from God’ in the expectation that they will be thus because they have faith in it being so. This often leads to parallels being drawn with ‘faith healing’.
Negative confession harms (a matter of life and death), so followers should take great care in the words they choose/use.
Its manifestations have much in common with the ‘New Thought Movement’, people who share beliefs around positive thinking, the law of attraction, life force and healing, creative visualisation and personal power. God is the Infinite Intelligence and is everywhere, and things have a spirituality.
Charges/Claims made against the cult:
Information on charges for fraud: Investigation is Closed, EU Citizen Times
Many testimonies includes ‘blasting’ a practise of screaming at someone until the Devil leaves them. This practise is clearly terrifying for children, ‘chasing out demons’, and is the area where much of the concern is centred as the practise involves effectively verbal and physical ‘beatings’
Child abuse and separation from parents
Extreme control of followers. There’s a list of controls on members in this Wikipedia article, which the cult denies: Word of Faith
AP/Citizen Press - The Lower Building
Washington Post - a gay man’s ordeal at the hands of the cult
Cult Education - One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults
Books about the ‘cult’
Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults, by Mitch Weiss (Available on Amazon) This is a powerful portrait of life inside the cult, about a family who escaped. (Summary article available on LitHub: Censorship and Abuse in the Word of Faith Fellowship
From the Pinnacle of the Temple, Charles Farah (out of print but used copies are still available on Amazon. ) Customer review: “Whether you agree with the Word-Faith doctrine or not, it has undeniably left in it's wake countless shipwrecked believers. If you are among those whose faith has been shaken, or even destroyed, this will be enlightening for you. If you are riding the crest of the "prosperity" and "name it and claim it" doctrine, you should read also. Examine your faith, and see if you are truly standing on the solid ground of scripture.”
The Kenyon Connection: A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement, Daniel Ray McConnell (out of print).
Testimonies from leavers
Nobody Saved Us, USA Today/AP - Testimonies of abuse - leavers tell tell their stories, by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr
New investigation into abuse at Word of Faith Fellowship - leavers speak out to protect the children left inside.
I fear they’re going to kill somebody - leavers speak out, concerned about children
Inside Edition looks at Word of Faith with the help of the Trinity Foundation
Inside Edition takes a second look at the cult
‘Word of Faith’ responded to the Inside Edition allegations: https://wordoffaithfellowship.org/blog/1995-inside-edition/
CAAGe is building a list of resources to help when people have been groomed into cults. It’s currently still under development, but still contains information that may be of use: CAAGe on cults
