Have you ever heard Word of Faith proselytizers teaching a heretical theology in which they refer to themselves as “little gods”?
Here’s an excerpt from the Wikipedia article on “Word of Faith” that explains this “little gods” heresy.
“Many Word of Faith teachers have sought to emphasize the full meaning of the believer’s status as a child of God (through Christ) by using phrases such as “little gods” to describe them, a practice that has garnered some criticism from some other segments of the Christian community . Kenneth Hagin wrote that God “made us in the same class of being that he is himself,” and that the believer is “called Christ” because “that’s who we are, we’re Christ!” According to Hagin, by being “born again”, the believer becomes “as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth”. Kenneth Copeland says Adam was “not a little like God … not almost like God …”, and has told believers that “You don’t have a God in you. You are one.” Based primarily on the Psalms 82:6, which says “I have said, Ye are gods and all of you, children of the Most High”; this was also corroborated by Jesus making reference to this scripture in John 10:34. A common theme in Word of Faith preaching is that God created man as “an exact duplication of God’s kind.” (Hebrews 1:3, John 14:12, etc) It should be noted that in all of this, there is no argument of man’s ability to exist and operate independently of God but rather, the emphasis in on what the believer can become in God.
Suffer the Children, a documentary highlighting some of the teachings of the Word of Faith movement, has a video clip of Creflo Dollar teaching the “little gods” doctrine to his congregation based on the notion that “everything reproduces after its own kind”.
Dollar: “If horses get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Horses!”
Dollar: “If dogs get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Dogs!”
Dollar: “If cats get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Cats!”
Dollar: “So if the Godhead says ‘Let us make man in our image’, and everything produces after its own kind, then they produce what?”
Congregation: “Gods!”
Dollar: “Gods. Little “g” gods. You’re not human. Only human part of you is this flesh you’re wearing.”
Now listen to Joyce Meyer explaining why she believes in this false theology.
Joyce Meyer Teaches on “Little Gods”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y4eVu2oxP8&NR=1
For further evidence regarding the teaching of “little gods”, here is an excerpt from an excellent web site that documents the promotion of this heresy by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their mentor Kenneth Hagin.
http://www.watchman.org/reltop/unbiblcl.htm
LITTLE GODS
“Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland’s wife, stated in The Believer’s Voice of Victory that, “when God breathed the breath of life into Adam, He transmitted His very self into him. God imparted the same spiritual substance of which He is made into Adam’s being” (Believer’s Voice of Victory, June, 1986, p. 10).
In his sermon tape, Following the Faith of Abraham, Kenneth Copeland teaches that God created Adam a god (having the same attributes as God Himself): “And Adam is as much like God as you can get, just the same as Jesus when He came into the earth. And I want you to know something ¾ Adam in the garden of Eden was God manifested in the flesh.” We now see that Brigham Young of Mormonism isn’t the only one who has taught the Adam-God theory (Deseret News, 16 June 1973), but also Kenneth Copeland. (parenthesis mine).
In The Force of Love, another sermon tape, Kenneth Copeland states, “You don’t have a god in you, you are one.”
Kenneth Hagin in Word of Faith says, “You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was. Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth” (December 1980, p. 14).”
We leave you with a YouTube video of a passionate Christian man who is alarmed that this “little god” heresy is infiltrating the church. We applaud his courage to speak out on this extremely serious matter.
Real Talk TV Sidebar: Are we little gods?
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I don’t buy that Copeland and Meyer believe what Mormons believe – “As Man is, God once was. As God is, man shall become.”
But there are aspects of their theology that go beyond what man is – now and in eternity.
It is amazing how people can buy into this. And, interestingly, it’s not the folks you would think.
I could see George Soros, Warren Buffett, John Edwards etc. getting all excited about this kind of teaching. But they usually don’t bite on it.
It’s more often the working poor or middle class people who reach out for this stuff.
It’s sad.
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Anonymous,
Thanks for your important remarks. I agree with you – it’s primarily those who are striving for material wealth who bite on the prosperity gospel hook, and it’s VERY TEMPTING!
That’s why we are taking our time to focus on these false prophets. My heart breaks for those who fall away from God because of these charlatans. 🙁
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I’m not interesting in being a “little god”. I have enough trouble just being a decent human being.
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Hi,
I serve the Lord as assistant to Justin Peters and this blog came up in my research. A thorough read through Exodus makes it clear the “gods” are judges. Its generally something we search through Deuteronomy to understand but I thought it was so clear in Exodus!
Blessings.
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PS: Thank you for the wonderful write up on Justin Peters and his ministry. I will be sure to send this to him. ~ CLS
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CLS,
Thanks for stopping by! Justin has been such an encouragement to us! IF more Christian leaders would speak up about these charlatans, maybe they wouldn’t have gone from first having a toehold, then a foothold, and finally a STRONGHOLD in the lives of so many.
Blessings!