Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 

The False Church

Charles Finney

ORIGINAL SIN

"We deny that the human constitution is morally depraved, because it is impossible that sin should be a quality of the substance of the soul or body. It is, and must be, a quality of choice or intention, and not of substance. To represent the constitution as sinful, is to represent God, Who is the author of the constitution, as the author of sin. What ground is there for the assertion that Adam's nature became in itself sinful by the fall? This is groundless, not to say ridiculous, assumption, and an absurdity."

JUSTIFICATION BASED UPON SANCTIFICATION

"We see that, if a righteous man forsake his righteousness, and die in his sin, he must sink to hell. Whenever a Christian sins he comes under condemnation, and must repent and do his first works, or be lost."

REGENERATION

"Regeneration implies an entire present change of moral character, that is, a change from entire sinfulness to entire holiness."

OBEDIENCE

"That which the precept demands must be possible to the subject. That which demands a natural impossibility is not, and cannot be, moral law. To talk of inability to obey moral law is to talk nonsense."

ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION

"It is self-evident, that entire obedience to God's law is possible on the ground of natural ability. To deny this, is to deny that a man is able to do as well as he can. The very language of the law is such as to level its claims to the capacity of the subject, however great or small that capacity may be. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all they soul, with all they mind, and with all they strength,' Here then it is plain, that all the law demands, is the exercise of whatever strength we have, in the service of God. Now, as entire sanctification consists in perfect obedience to the law of God, and as the law requires nothing more than the right use of whatever strength we have, it is, of course, forever settled, that a state of entire sanctification is attainable in this life, on the ground of natural ability."

Bill Johnson

Kenosis Heresy

"Jesus had no ability to heal the sick. He couldn’t cast out devils, and He had no ability to raise the dead. He said of Himself in John 5:19, “the Son can do nothing of Himself.” He had set aside His divinity."

Jesus is not God (Denial of the Hypostatic Union)

“He performed  miracles ,  wonders ,  and   signs, as a man in right relationship to God…not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us."

Brian McLaren 

Christianity is not true in every aspect

"Sit down here next to me in this little restaurant and ask me if Christianity (my version of it, yours, the Pope's, whoever's) is orthodox, meaning true, and here's my honest answer: a little, but not yet.  Assuming by Christianity you mean the Christian understanding of the world and God, Christian opinions on soul, text, and culture... I'd have to say that we probably have a couple of things right, but a lot of things wrong, and even more sprints before is unseen and unimagined."                                                                                                                                                    McLaren, Brian, A Generous Orthodoxy, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004 p.296

Apologizes for using masculine pronouns to describe God

"This is as good a place as any to apologize for my use of masculine pronouns for God in the previous sentence.  You'll notice that wherever I can, I avoid the use of masculine pronouns for God because they can give the false impression to many people today that the Christian God is a male deity."                                                                              McLaren, Brian, A Generous Orthodoxy, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004 p.74

Hell is not literal

"Fourth, we should consider the possibility that many, and perhaps even all of Jesus’ hell-fire or end-of-the-universe statements refer not to postmortem judgment but to the very historic consequences of rejecting his kingdom message of reconciliation and peacemaking. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 67-70 seems to many people to fulfill much of what we have traditionally understood as hell." http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/05/brian_mclarens_2.html.

The cross and Hell are false advertisement for God.

"The cross is almost a distraction and false advertisement for God." http://www.enteuxis.org/leifh/bleedingpurple21b.mp3

Rob Bell

Denies Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)

“…it wasn’t until the 300s that what we know as the sixty-six books of the Bible were actually agreed upon as the ‘Bible’. This is part of the problem with continually insisting that one of the absolutes of the Christian faith must be a belief that “Scripture alone” is our guide. It sounds nice, but it is not true. In reaction to abuses by the church, a group of believers during a time called the Reformation claimed that we only need the authority of the Bible. But the problem is that we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is. So when I affirm the Bible as God’s word, in the same breath I have to affirm that when those people voted, God was somehow present, guiding them to do what they did. When people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true. In affirming the Bible as inspired, I also have to affirm the Spirit who I believe was inspiring those people to choose those books.”
Velvet Elvis, p.68

Bible is a human product

"[The bible is a] "human product...rather than the product of divine fiat."                                                                

Christianity Today, Nov. 2004, p. 38.

Hell is full of forgiven people

“Heaven is full of forgiven people. Hell is full of forgiven people. Heaven is full of people God loves, whom Jesus died for. Hell is full of forgiven people God loves, whom Jesus died for. The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version of reality we trust. Ours or God’s.”
Velvet Elvis, p.146

Universalism

“So this reality, this forgiveness, this reconciliation, is true for everybody. Paul insisted that when Jesus died on the cross he was reconciling ‘all things, in heaven and on earth, to God. This reality then isn’t something we make true about ourselves by doing something. It is already true. Our choice is to live in this new reality or cling to a reality of our own making.”
Velvet Elvis p. 146

God has faith in us and we must also

“Who does Peter lose faith in? Not Jesus; he is doing fine. Peter loses faith in himself. Peter loses faith that he can do what his rabbi is doing. If the rabbi calls you to be his disciple, then he believes that you can actually be like him. As we read the stories of Jesus’ life with his talmidim, his disciples, what do we find frustrates him to no end? When his disciples lose faith in themselves….. Notice how many places in the accounts of Jesus’ life he gets frustrated with his disciples. Because they are incapable? No, because of how capable they are. He sees what they could be and could do, and when they fall short it provokes him to no end. It isn’t their failure that’s the problem, it’s their greatness. They don’t realize what they are capable of….God has an amazingly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. I’ve been told I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I’m learning is that Jesus believes in me….God has faith in me.”
Velvet Elvis, pp. 133-134

Joel Osteen

Teaching people to follow their heart

"You have to learn to follow your heart. You can’t let other people pressure you into being something that you’re not. If you want God’s favor in your life, you must be the person He made you to be, not the person your boss wants you to be, not even the person your parents or your husband wants you to be. You can’t let outside expectations keep you from following your own heart." Joel Osteen (Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential)

Teaching people to have pride

"You can take pride in yourself without comparing yourself to anybody else. If you run your race and be the best that you can be, then you can feel good about yourself." 
Joel Osteen (Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential)

Happiness is found in you

"The marriage partner is not really the problem. No other person can ultimately make you happy. You must learn how to be happy within yourself." 
Joel Osteen (Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential)

Prosperity Gospel

"God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us."
Joel Osteen

Word of Faith

“the Bible says that we can grow in favor,” said Osteen in his sermon “Increasing in Favor” “I believe one of the main ways that we grow in favor is by declaring it. It’s not enough to just read it it’s not enough to just believe it. You’ve got to speak it out. Your words have creative power. And one of the primary ways we release our faith is through our words. And there is a divine connection between you declaring God’s favor and you seeing God’s favor manifest in your life…You’ve got to give life to your faith by speaking it out.”  Joel Osteen 

You can thwart God's plan

“Why did God take away the voice of Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20)?  Because God knew his [Zacharias] negative words would cancel out His [God] plan.” (Joel Osteen, “Speaking Faith Filled Words,” Tape # 223. Daystar Television, May 2, 2004)

“You can cancel out God's plan by speaking negative words.  God works by laws” (Joel Osteen, “Speaking Faith Filled Words,” Tape # 223. Daystar Television, May 2, 2004)

Rick Warren

Fellowship is the answer for your sin

"God's plan for your growth and freedom includes other Christians. Authentic, honest fellowship is the antidote to your lonely struggle against those sins that won't budge." The Purpose Driven Life, p. 212

Not to fear God

"We don't serve God out of guilt or fear or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what he's done for us." The Purpose Driven Life, p.228 

Seeker Sensitive

"Keep your pastoral prayers short in your seeker services...The unchurched can’t handle long prayers; their minds wander or they fall asleep." The Purpose Driven Church, p. 256

God is not Sovereign

"It is my deep conviction that anybody anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the felt needs to his or her heart. That key to each person's heart is unique so it is sometimes difficult to discover. It may take some time to identify it. But the most likely place to start is with the person's felt needs. As I pointed out earlier, this was the approach Jesus used." The Purpose Driven Church, pg. 219

Repentance is not from sin

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, everybody's heard the word "repent" and they don't really understand what the word means. For a lot of people, when they think of the word repentance, they think of a guy with a sandwich sign that says, "turn or burn," or, "you're going to die and fry."

But actually, repent is the Greek word, metanoia (ph), which means literally "to change your mind." And it means that when I repent, I change my mind. First, I change my mind about God, I change my mind about myself, I change my mind about others, I change my mind about life. And a lot of people look at repentance as a negative thing, like I'm going to have to give up this, this, and this, and this, and like it's something terrible. You know, when I repented, Larry, years ago, I basically turned from hopelessness to hope, from darkness to light, from guilt to forgiveness, from loneliness to a family of God, from purposelessness to purpose, from having no meaning in my life to having meaning. It was the most positive change in my life. " "Larry King Live," CNN, March 22, 2005

Robert Schuller

Self-Esteem

According to Schuller those in the kingdom of God are "Everyone who does some act that builds self-esteem and self-respect in other persons." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 73

Muslim honoring Christ

Schuller has called a Muslim Grand Mufti "truly one of the great Christ-honoring leaders of faith." Robert H. Schuller, My Journey, ( San Francisco: Harper, 2001) p. 502.  

Theology should be man-centered

We must have a "new reformation" according to Schuller: "It is precisely at this point that classical theology has erred in its insistence that theology be 'God-centered,' not 'man-centered." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 64 

Being born again

To be born again "means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image - from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 68 

What is sin?

"Sin is any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 14 

Hell?

"A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 14-15 

Salvation is to self-esteem

"As we focus on Jesus Christ, we shall discover a new theology, one that offers salvation from shame to self-esteem." Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 39 

The Gospel?

"Tell people everywhere that God wants all of us to feel good about ourselves!" Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem, the New Reformation (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982) p. 58

Joyce Meyer

Sinless Perfection

“I’m going to tell you something folks, I didn’t stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn’t a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that’s heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I’m righteous and I can’t be righteous and be a sinner at the same time.”

“Now whether you like it or not, whether you want to admit it or not, whether you want to operate on it or not, you are made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.  Most people who go to denominational churches never ever hear that!  They never hear it!  Never!  All I was ever taught to say was, ‘I’m a poor, miserable sinner.’ I am not poor, I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I was and if I still am then Jesus died in vain. Amen?”  (Joyce Meyer, “What Happened from the Cross to The Throne?” audio)

Jesus was the first "born-again" man

 ‎"God rose up from His throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless Son of God, 'Let Him go.' Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. He was resurrected from the dead -- the first born-again man"

Joyce Meyer ("The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make", 1991 pg. 36)

Jesus paid for sin in Hell

"He was pronounced guilty on the cross but He paid the price in hell."

Joyce Meyer (What Happened from the Cross to The Throne? audio)

"And you've got to really glean some things out of the Word of God to really get hold of what He [Jesus] did for you during those three days. Jesus said, 'It is finished.' And He meant the Old Covenant. The job He had to do was just getting started. He really did the job the three days and nights that He was in hell. That's where the job was done."

Joyce Meyer (What Happened from the Cross to The Throne? audio)

Jesse Duplantis

Prosperity Gospel

“The very first thing on Jesus` agenda was to get rid of poverty! Would you like to know why some people, including ministries, never get out of poverty? Its not because they aren’t smart. Its not because they don’t have windows of opportunity. Its because they’re not anointed. If you’re not anointed, poverty will follow you all the days of your life. His first objective was to get rid of poverty.”

(The Nov. 1997 Voice of the Covenant magazine, p.5) 

John Hagee

Prosperity Gospel

"When you give to God, He controls your income. There's no such thing as a fixed income in the Kingdom of God. Your income is controlled by your giving."

John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon broadcast, TBN, 4 November 1992

"God created a universe where it is impossible to receive without giving. Everything that God controls, gives. . . . Givers gain. You do not qualify for God's abundance until you give."

John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon broadcast, TBN, 16 April 1993

Kenneth Copeland

Satan conquered Jesus

"Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross and took His spirit to the dark regions of hell" 

(Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1991), 129.)

God is the biggest failure in the bible

“I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is. ... The biggest one is God. ... I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the Fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least—that’s a big loss, man ... Now, the reason you don’t think of God as a failure is He never said He’s a failure. And you’re not a failure till you say you’re one.” 

(Praise-a-Thon program on TBN [April 1988] )

Ye shall be as gods

"You don't have a God in you; you are one," 

(The Force of Love (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #02-0028), side 1.)

When I read in the Bible where He says I AM, I just smile and say, 'Yes, I AM too.'" 

(Believer's Voice of Victory Broadcast, 7/9/1987)

"You are not a spiritual schizophrenic -- half-God and half-Satan -- you are all-God" 

(Now We Are in Christ Jesus 1980, 16-17)

God wasn't His Father anymore?

How did Jesus then on the cross say, ‘My God.’ Because God was not His Father any more. He took upon Himself the nature of Satan. And I’m telling you Jesus is in the middle of that pit. He’s suffering all that there is to suffer, there is no suffering left . . . apart from Him. His emaciated, little wormy spirit is down in the bottom of that thing and the devil thinks He’s got Him destroyed. But, all of a sudden God started talking." 

(Kenneth Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory (television program), TBN, 21 April 1991.)

Benny Hinn

Prosperity gospel

"I'm sick and tired of hearing about streets of gold. I don't need gold in heaven. I got to have it now. I mean, when I get to glory, all my bills will be paid, brother. I won't have bills in glory. I won't need to worry about bills in glory. I got to have it here. You say, well, Benny Hinn, isn't that wonderful to have gold streets in glory? Well, of course, but if I hear the thing one more time of how it will be, and how it was, I'm going to kick somebody." 

Christ became the nature of Satan

(Praise the Lord, November 1990)

"He [Jesus] who is righteous by choice said, 'The only way I can stop sin is by Me becoming it. I can't just stop it by letting it touch Me; I and it must become one.' Hear this! He who is the nature of God became the nature of Satan where He became sin!" 

(TBN, 12/1/90).

Kenneth Hagin

Christ's death isn't sufficient

"Christ's physical death on the cross was not enough to save us." 

(How Jesus obtained His Name, cassette #44-H01)

Ye shall be as gods

"The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth."

(Kenneth E. Hagin, "The Incarnation," The Word of Faith page 13, December 12, 1980

Mormonism

Joseph Smith

His Boast

"God is in the still small voice. In all these affidavits, indictments, it is all of the devil--all corruption. Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet . . . " (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 408-409)

Book of Mormon more correct than the Bible