Does Joyce Meyers teach a “feel good” Gospel and Christianity – or am I just misinformed?

THE WORD on the Word Of Faith ^ | 02/05/13 | Damon Whitsell

[damonw]

This is just an excerpt from our article here http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2013/02/06/does-joyce-meyers-teach-a-feel-good-gospel-and-christianity-or-am-i-just-misinformed/

Does Joyce Meyers teach a “feel good” Gospel and Christianity – or am I just misinformed?

I got notice of this thread on ChristianForums.com via a pingback to our groublog when this article was posted there.

I thought since this thread about dreams and idols turned into a debate about Joyce Meyers and comments were made like she is “anything but a feel good preacher” and “the last thing Joyce Meyers teaches is feel good Christianity”,, I would chime in a post some resources from our groupblog concerning Meyers and her teachings here.

I mean come on,, how can anyone say Meyers does not teach a “feel good” gospel or Christianity? She is famous because of her TV show called “Enjoying Everyday Life”. How is that not equivalent to a feel good message? And yes I have watched many hours of her program and know the title of her show sums up most of the individual show topics. She has written around 70 books and almost all of them have “feel good” titles and topic matter that does not focus on theology or the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all – but rather basically how to “enjoy everyday life”. How is that not “feel good”? And these books are not put in the theology sections even in Christian books stores, they go to the self-help section. How does self-help not equate to feel good and a feel good message? And if you will look inside Meyers books you will see they are even categorized by the Library Of Congress as “Self Help”. How does this not relate to “feel good”?

The thread started with a pretty sincere post asking…

[fattigermaster]

Trust Christ, not “Christians”.

[GreenHornet]

The person I have the biggest problem with is Rod Parsley. His broadcasts aren’t sermons - they’re infomercials. Until I started watching Rod Parsley, I did not know that God accepted Visa and Mastercard.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

She is not a true Christian but is of them that preach a false gospel and mocks the Scriptures as so many do today. Not to mention she makes a lot of money at it as so many false prophets do also.

I have listened to JM a bit, and I’ve heard nothing that offended my understanding of the scriptures.

[Jonty30]

I have a problem with everybody, who subscribes to the prosperity gospel. While it is true, that if everybody did follow the Judeo-Christian ethic that we’d all be better off in so many ways, it is damaging to the Christian faith to claim that God wants us all to prosper financially and live in mansions if we’d only follow Him.

[jeffc]

For evangelists, tele- or otherwise, I guess you're right. Some just want your money so they can live as a one percenter. If they're offering goodies from God if you just send a dollar or two, they're not telling it like it is.

Salvation is the only goodie I want/need (and deserve!) from God, and that's free! That is what makes me feel good.

[damonw]

Allot of people, especially woman, do. I used to watch her from time to time and thought she was pretty good. But over time I decided to take a closer look and determined that both her an Osteen are the most dangerous WoF teachers there are. Many will not even concede that they are WoF because they do not focus on WoF distinctive doctrines,, but they teach them and their whole biblical and world-view is based on WoF doctrine. Which is really Witchcraft veiled in Christian terms. Many so called Christians are really Witches unaware. Please check out the resources on this article and more from my site if you need to.

[cva66snipe]

Meyers IMO is OK and really she has a ministry aimed at women and specifically at times women who have been abused. My wife reads her books {by them second hand} and it's helped her overcome the scars it brings. I've seen accusations tossed toward many ministries even that of Joni Tada believe it or not as being a feel good ministry. Meyers generally shows persons it takes a change of heart to rid ones self of things which can destroy them or rob them of happiness within.

Joni Tada's ministry is focused on persons who are dealing with disabilities. She has a very remarkable testimony and life story. My wife has all her books IIRC and has read all of her books. My wife is severely disabled not quite to Joni's extent but one or two C-numbers lower in the spine which gave her use of arms and hands again.

John Hagee? I've listened to him and read some of his books. Day of Deception everyone should read it is a real eye opener. He also breaks down Hebrew customs as related to The Bible in other books and it is educational. I don't need to agree with him 100% nor any minister for that matter.

To some who oppose televangelism There is good and there is bad and that media helps reach shut ins or ones like myself who can not endure a church service to still hear The Gospel. I haven't been in church in 18 years. The last service I went to where a preacher was present was dads funeral a little over a year ago. I knew the preachers and I liked them. But each time they spoke I seized. This was even with extra medication. My family is used to it but it would be disruptive to attend a church service. Not to mention physically and mentally exhausting. The disorder is not anything life threatening at all. It just limits what I can tolerate sensory wise. So yea I've watched Hagee many times.

I'm Independent Baptist raised Southern Baptist. I'm not a KJV or it ain't Bible person nor a RCC basher. Half my family such as cousins aunts uncles etc is Baptist the others are Catholic and even a Mormon or two who joined LDS because person they were dating and married was such.

[jeffc]

Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Meyers does not charge for her..... “lectures/preaching” whereas Osteen charges admission fees for his (not good in my book). But she does hawk her books at all her gatherings. From what I understand, that’s how she pays for what she does.

[onedoug]

I went to one of her ‘meetings’ with my daughter and son-in-law. She was quite good. Then during a break, her husband Dave spoke. Not with the same talent as Joyce, be we got the sense that they were both rock solid conservatives.

They’ve been around for awhile, as seeing by who lasts in that industry, good and ill.

And I didn’t really see anyone there who looked like a good advocate for witchcraft...at least in the Gardnerian sense. Rather it seemed like there were quite a few unescorted, attractive females, moved by the word, who were hoping to find a husband there. And to the extent that succeeds, it aids a wounded America. And I’m confident that her accounting ends in spreading her Good News message worldwide are in GAAP order too.

[damonw]

Hi Doug, LOL @ attractive single woman looking for husbands, since so many would claim her conferences and ministry is aimed at woman, and they are billed that way. How many men are supposed to be at woman conferences? :-)

I have never said that Meyers or her followers look like witches or advocate for witchcraft. Witches don’t have big crooked noses with moles and ride brooms,, doncha know. But I do claim the WoF power of words or confessionism teaching (you possess what you confess) is witchcraft veiled in Christian terms. And it is not just me that comes to this conclusion but many apologetics ministries that cover the WoF. I have met well over 100 ex-Wofers and I make a point of asking them all if they think they were practicing witchcraft when applying that WoF doctrine. Most say off the bat that yes they believe they were and all other after some conversation said yes they were practicing witchcraft. And for all of them to admit they were tricked into and were actually practicing witchcraft is a powerful thing

I have written and done a video on the topic. I quote from Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Paul Crouch where they admit WoF doctrine is witchcraft or new age visualization. I’ll post my articles below and then others who have come to the same conclusion.

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2009/05/12/the-word-of-faith-is-not-the-gospel/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2010/04/18/the-power-of-the-spoken-word-%e2%80%93-biblical-or-occult-law-part-1/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2010/04/18/the-power-of-the-spoken-word-%e2%80%93-biblical-or-occult-law-part-2/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2010/07/12/abracadabra-presto-and-shazaam-your-healed-of-your-word-of-faith-delusion-because-i-say-so-by-damon-whitsell-2/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2009/02/20/danger-signs-in-the-word-of-faith-movement-witches-unaware-word-of-faith-movement-is-simply-witchcraft-disguised-in-christian-terms/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2009/06/24/jesuss-instructions-for-our-prayers/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2012/09/29/5100/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2009/05/16/new-age-word-of-faith/

http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2008/10/14/voodoo/

The last three come from ex-word of faithers. Another thing I like to ask ex-word of faithers is what was the source of them getting deceived. And they tell me is was their pride,, and that they wanted to have to power to control their lifes and circumstances. So when they heard the WoF message that they could create their futures with the words they speak, they took the bait and was hooked.

I think besides souls being lost to hell one of the worse things about the WoF is that many WoFers will not have a clue that they were really witches unaware and practicing witchcraft, but once that is exposed to them by Christ on judgement day,, they will never forget and that they were so motivated by their own desires and need to control things that they were fooled into practicing witchcraft will torment for eternity.

Benny Hinn claims the Holy Spirit told him, “…that if witches and occultists can speak death by the supernatural power of words, then Christian can speak life and prosperity by the same power.” The Facts on the Faith Movement, J. Ankerberg & J. Weldon, Harvest House, 1993, p.23 Copyright ©2008
———————————
Benny Hinn: “Witches even..I mean..I’m not here to talk about witches but, but I’ll tell you this.“

Paul Crouch: “They..they under they know the secret.“

Benny Hinn: “,,,because see I had a witch tell me this. And I said what!? She said, listen to me, she said do you know that we are taught in witchcraft how to kill birds with words, and how to kill people with our mouth. I said what do you mean kill people? She said we are taught with words to bring disease on men. I said how? She said by speaking certain words (unintelligible) she said we can actually cause sickness that could very well kill.” Christianity in Crisis (audiobook), tape II, side 3.
—————————————
COPELAND: Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and that’s when the action takes place because that is when the spiritual force is brought up out of the mouth – whether it be fear or whether it be faith – and when that spiritual force comes out, it is going to give substance to that image that is inside of you. People say, ‘that is that New Age visualization stuff’. The New Age is trying to do this. And they get somewhat results out of it because it is a spiritual law. (Believer’s Voice of Victory (television program), TBN, 28 March 1991.)

[damonw]

HI again doug, a google search with the keywords, word of faith witchcraft, comes up with many more articles coming to the same conclusion.

https://www.google.com/#q=word+of+faith+witchcraft&hl=en&tbo=d&ei=wWgTUcbyB6Hg2gXAmIDoDA&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42080656,d.b2I&fp=2aea2a4f42cfe712&biw=1787&bih=820

I realize getting people who are Wof and who are practicing witchcraft will not be easily convinced of it because when I tell non-Wofers they have a hard time believing it. So I think I will write again on the topic today, or soon, and will post an open thread post on the subject and see how many of my ex-wof friends I can get to chime in. If you’d be interesting in reading that post, please go to our blog and subscribe. I been real busy and am fixing to have to move in a few days so while i hope to get to it soon, it might be awhile. I’ll also post it here on FR.