Episode 40– Name It and Claim It!
Welcome back to the Proverbs 9:10 Ministry Podcast, No Trash, Just Truth! We are your hosts and co-founders of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries, Rose Spiller and Chris Paxson.
Today we are continuing in our series, Real Truth about Real Stuff. In this episode, we are going to delve into the Name It & Claim It movement. This is a movement that millions of Christians, Pastors, and entire churches are practicing and preaching. Maybe you have even believed it yourself at one point, or maybe you are still believing it.
And, Chris, I have to admit, when you first suggested doing this topic, I wasn’t sure if there would really be an audience for it. But as often happens, God has shown me that I don’t know what I’m talking about! In the past couple of months, I have had this put in my face by several people, and have seen it being practiced. Some of the people I have encountered were questioning it, some were4 wondering about it, hoping it actually does work, and some were concerned about people around them who are immersed in it. So this is an important topic to talk about.
Definitely. And for those listening who aren’t familiar with the Name It and Claim It movement, aka the Prosperity Gospel, we’ll give you a quick education on it, and some big names that pedal it. Let’s start with a definition of the Name It and Claim It movement. We should note that those who practice it find this label derogatory and insulting. They prefer to be called the “Word of Faith” movement. But there are some who are really derogatory and call it the Blab it and Grab it movement. The movement was popularized by Kenneth Hagin, a Pentecostal preacher from Texas, in 1934, after he says he was raised from his dead bed by a revelation of faith in God’s Word after reading Mark 11:23 – 24.
In Mark 11:23 – 24, Jesus is speaking with His disciples. He says, “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,; and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Chris, this is a very popular verse that the Name It and Claim It people throw out there. We are going to look very closely at this verse in a bit, but first, let’s continue looking at Hagin and others in the Word of Faith movement.
Hagin went on to teach faith healing, and founded the Rhema Bible Church and Rhema Bible Training College. His church was moderately famous around the state for their insanely large and expensive Christmas light display but not really notable for anything else. Hagin authored scores of booklets teaching how the Holy Spirit could make you rich, healthy, and "anointed" with spiritual gifts if you would just have enough faith to "name it and claim it."
The gist of "name it and claim it" is that the Bible contains numerous promises from God to believers. But before these promises can be activated, the believer has to "claim" the promise. These "promises" may include healing from disease, exorcism of evil spirits, power to engage in spiritual warfare against Satan, or various supernatural gifts supposedly from the Holy Spirit. They will often use as we said Mark 11:23 – 24, but also, Romans 10:13, which says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And Isiah 53:5, which says, “But he was pierced for our transgression; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” And, again, we will look at this verse more closely in a few moments.
The Name It & Claim It, Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith movement, or whatever name you want to give it, is huge in Charismatic Churches. Some of these churches are pretty small, but there are some that are huge and well-known. Let’s start with a name we probably all know - Joel Osteen. Joel Osteen’s tv show draws 10 million viewers an episode. He is best known for his mantra, “live your best life now.” When we went on Osteen’s website, we found a list of beliefs. One of them says, and I quote, “The entire Bible is inspired by God, without error and the authority on which we base our faith, conduct, and doctrine.
Chris, that sounds like a solid statement of belief. But then there’s another belief that says, and again, I’m quoting, “As children of God, we are overcomers and more than conquerors and God intends for each of us to experience the abundant life He has in store for us.” Being more than “conquerors” is a huge pull your bootstraps up and take on the world belief that is rampant in Christianity. Even in Christian music – You’re an overcome, I’m a Warrior. I could go on. But I digress. Let’s finish looking at those practicing this before we get to how it stands up to Scripture.
Okay. Bethel Church, in Redding, CA, is a big time “Word of Faith” Church. They have almost 12,000 members in their church. If the name Bethel sounds familiar, that’s because it where Bethel Music hales from. Here’s what their website says. First, on the main page is the statement, “It’s all about God’s presence.” Then it goes on to say, “Worship creates a space for us to experience the tangible presence of our good Father. We believe it’s what we’re all created for. And a third thing (among many) that struck us was that under Bill Johnson’s biography, he is quoted as saying, “What’s the will of God? On earth as it is in heaven. If it exists there, its supposed to exist here.” In other words, Mr. Johnson thinks earth should be as fabulous as heaven.
Then there’s Joseph Prince, of Hill Song Church. Yes, the same Hill Song that puts out a lot of music – some of it pretty good, I admit. But Joseph Prince and Hillsong are steeped in the Name It and Claim It Movement. He has millions of followers and best selling books that teach there is actual healing power in Holy Communion, and that Jesus didn’t die for His believers to live a life of defeat. They need to claim their righteousness and live victoriously. Here are 2 beliefs from his website, and I’m quoting. “One, the Bible is God’s Word. It is inspired and accurate. It is our perfect guide in all matters of life. And two, God wants to transform, heal, and provide for us, so that we can live blessed and victorious lives that will impact and help others.”
I’m starting to see a trend here! Let’s look at just a couple more. Benny Hinn’s Website says that this week’s blessing is from Exodus 15:26, “For I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Benny Hinn claims to have spoken to over 1 Billion people with 3 of his crusades in India having an attendance of over 7 million. He has spoken all over the world. As his website says, when Pastor Hinn conducts great miracle services, souls are saved, bodies are healed, and lives are changed forever. Hinn started his faith healing movement in 1974 after he says he received a vision of people falling into a roaring inferno and hearing God say to him,
“if you do not preach, every soul that falls will be your responsibility!”
On December 7, 1974, four days after his 22nd birthday, Benny Hinn first stood behind a pulpit to preach the Gospel—his life-long stuttering problem suddenly healed! From that moment, he would fearlessly seek to fulfill our Lord’s Great Commission. Hinn claims he can miraculously heal people of whatever ailment or infirmary they have if they just have enough faith.
Let’s finish up spotlighting these Word of Faith people with some not so well-known names. People who are just like us. People who live in our neighborhoods! First, is a meme from a site called “Christian Truth” which said, “Think it into existence, speak it into existence, write it into existence, work it into existence. #likeaboss”A church less than 10 miles from us has as one of it’s belief’s (along with the Bible being inerrant, inspired, and the ultimate authority) “We value and acknowledge the Person and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We believe that God is still speaking in our day through prophetic gifts and intervenes, tangibly in our lives through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith and practice, yet through the Holy Spirit, we still hear the voice of God speaking today. And finally, a Professor at the University of Texas tells her students every semester, and I quote, “Speak it into existence and you may get what you wish for. It’s a cliché, but it actually works. Want to get a 4.0 this semester? Speak it into existence. Feeling down and need a good day? Speak it into existence. Giving It your all toward a job promotion? Speak it into existence! “
Okay. I think its time to start putting this stuff up against Scripture and see how it measures up. Let’s start with the verses we mentioned that are used a lot by the Word of Faith movement – Mark 11:23 – 24, Romans 10:13, and Isaiah 53:5. Let’s start with Mark Passage. Just a reminder of what that passage says, “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,; and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
When you use this verse as a stand alone, it does sound like Jesus is making an absolute claim to ask and you shall receive. Is he? It would take the entire episode to lay out the exposition of these 2 verses, but I assure you that I have spent the time doing it. What I will show is the last step in studying Scripture and that is to line it up with other verses in Scripture. So Jesus says, “whatever you ask for.” Let’s line that up with James 4:2-3, which says, “You do not have because you do not ask, you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions." And then there’s 1 John 5:14 which says, “This is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.” So the “whatever” has to mean whatever lines up with God’s Will. It can’t mean anything else.
It can’t because God is unable to do anything that opposes His will. And as we always say, think things through to their logical conclusion. If it’s not truth, it will either fall apart or it will be exposed as false. So if “whatever” literally means “whatever,” would that mean that if I ask for something sinful, I would get it? If I asked for something that wasn’t spiritually good for me, would I get it? The answer to both is no. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” As painful as it may be, it may not be for your spiritual good to be healed of an ailment, or to have wealth. In those cases, it doesn’t matter how much you believe you are going to get it, God is not going to give it to you.
So what do we always get when we ask for it? Anything that is according to God’s Will. Let’s move onto Isaiah 53:5, ““But he was pierced for our transgression; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
Most of you probably know this is a prophecy about Jesus’ crucifixion and His taking on our sin and God’s wrath so we can be forgiven by God. And the Name It and Claim It people don’t deny that, but they claim, the last line, “by his wounds we are healed,” is talking about a physical healing of all ailments and infirmities, as well as a healing of everything in our life that is broken.
Again, we don’t have time to present all the exposition of this, but nowhere in any other place in Scripture, does it say that by Jesus’ wounds we are healed physically, emotionally, or that our life will be fixed. What it does say is that our sin condition that keeps us separated from God and under His wrath has been healed by Jesus’ wounds because those wounds (and His death) satisfy the penalty we should pay for our sin.
Okay. How about Romans 10:13, “All who call on the name of the Lord are saved? When put in context, this verse means is that all believers are equal in the eyes of God. All who sincerely believe that Jesus is their Lord and Savior are saved. But the Name It and Claim It movement has taken this verse to mean that anything someone is in need of, not just salvation, can be earned simply by claiming it in the name of the Lord. They use this along other passages taken wildly out of context like Deut. 28: 1- 14 which is a list of blessings God promised the Israelites if they obeyed His commands. A passage that is part of the Law, which we are no longer under. But these guys claim these promises are for us - our enemies defeated, prosperity, notoriety because we are God’s chosen people, wealth, etc.
And of course, while they are quick to claim the blessings from the OT Law (even if they don’t even apply to us) they completely ignore the part of the Law that promises curses for disobedience. Okay, let’s look at each of the big names we looked at and since they all claim that the Bible is inerrant, inspired, and the ultimate authority, let’s see how what they claim lines up with Scripture. Let’s start with Joel Osteen who claims we are meant to live our best lives now.
Okay, Joel, how does your belief that, “As children of God, we are overcomers and more than conquerors and God intends for each of us to experience the abundant life He has in store for us. line up with Scripture? Phil. 4:11 – 12 says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”Paul goes on to say the secret he has found to living in any circumstance is to rely on the sovereignty of God.
Before God brought Paul to salvation in Jesus, he was a big deal. He was a well known, respected, and moderately wealthy Pharisee. After Paul, and all of the other Apostles, came to faith in Jesus and devoted their life to preaching the gospel, they were beaten, stoned, starved, spit on, imprisoned, ship wrecked, and ultimately killed. Well that certainly does not line up with Osteen’s and others’ belief.
And if you question them about this, they will say that Paul, and the other Apostles who experienced much of the same things, did not have enough faith. But again, think this through to its logical conclusion. If the Apostles, who spent 3 years physically with Jesus, and Paul, who had a personal encounter with Jesus,; and who all were given direct orders from Jesus to go out into the world, didn’t have enough faith, is there any hope that we could have enough faith to “activate” God to give us abundant life? The answer, of course, is no.
Okay, let’s see how Mr. Johnson and Bethel Church line up with what the Bible says. Bill Johnson and Bethel Church claim, “What’s the will of God? On earth as it is in heaven. If it exists there, its supposed to exist here.” In other words, Mr. Johnson thinks earth should be as fabulous as heaven.
Well God and Scripture would beg to differ. Let’s start with the very simple verse in John 16:33 where is says, “In this world you will have tribulation (or trouble).” Compare that to what Revelation 21which says what it will be like when Jesus comes back and heaven will come down to earth. Rev 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” The Bible clearly makes a contrast between the sinful, broken world we live in now and heaven. Nowhere does it even hint that earth should be as good as heaven, In fact, 2 Corinthians 4 says just the opposite. Paul says in verse 4:17, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”
Chris, how about Joseph Prince’s claim that God wants to transform, heal, and provide for us, so that we can live blessed and victorious lives that will impact and help others.” I’m not sure who sold Prince this list of God’s priority list for us, but he got swindled. Scripture makes it very clear that God’s main purpose for His people is that He be glorified and they be sanctified to be more like Jesus. Colossians chapter 3 spells it out, but I’ll just read a couple of verses from it. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:[b] sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other
And because of time, we don’t have time to go into detail refuting Benny Hinn, but we could use any of the verses we already mentioned to refute him, to. In fact, his nephew, Costi Hinn, who grew up working in Benny Hinn’s movement, became a Christian, left, and now regularly exposes his uncle and all who work within that organization as frauds. He even wrote a book, which we recommend, called Defining Deception, that he tells all about it.
Time is getting short, so let’s end with some red flags we can look for to know when someone is teaching garbage.
That’s a good idea. The first thing we need to look at is, is what they are teaching Biblically accurate. We just showed how those we mentioned aren’t teaching things that line up with Scripture. But beyond that, there are a lot of other signs when someone is a false teacher. Go to their website, read or listen to their sermons or teachings. What is their main focus? Is it to glorify God and teach His Word or is it to glorify themselves and either make money or gather a large following? Here is something we noticed about Joyce Meyer’s website – who by the way claims she believes the Word of God is accurate and infallible. She has a tab on her website where she answers questions people may have for her. There are only 5 questions. Three are about her tv show, 1 about her honorary PHD she received and 1 about which Bible does Joyce use. The answer to this last question is given as “The Holy Bible,” but then underneath has a link to buy the Joyce Meyer Study Bible. Not one question about salvation, Jesus, or sin.
On all of the people we mentioned and many other’s websites, one glaring thing becomes obvious – 50% of their page is about them – what they do, how God is using THEM, and how many people they have save. 45% of their pages is about money – things for you to buy, ways to donate money, causes they want you to contribute to. 5% (and that’s probably pretty generous) is quoted Scripture. But the Scripture quoted are all one-liners used to justify the other 95% of their content. I have a question, if all of these people are “being used by God” to tell people they can have a fully healed abundant life, why aren’t they in hospitals or in the poorest neighborhoods in the country instead of on a stage in a huge auditorium collecting money? Where were they during the Corona Virus pandemic?
One article we read, had a good take on believing that if you have enough faith, you can have whatever you ask God for. It said, that to believe this would basically mean that all you need to do is to engage in magical thinking to have the Good Lord shower you with worldly goods and success. This falls under Christian mysticism, which we discussed in detail in episode 32 – The Power of Suggestion.
Chris, as much as I am not a fan of memes, I did see one that I shared on social media and is worth repeating. There are 2 kinds of pastors. Those who teach the Bible and those who need to resign.
That is a good place to end for today. Thanks for tuning in. We hope we have given you some things to think about, and have armed you to refute a lot of the garbage that is out there being pedaled as Christian.
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