Before he died in 2003 Kenneth Hagin summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence…
Before He died Kenneth Hagin warned against today’s materialistic gospel.
Charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. is considered the father of the so-called prosperity gospel. The folksy, self-trained “Dad Hagin” started a grass-roots movement in Oklahoma that produced a Bible college and a crop of famous preachers including Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, Jesse DuPlantis, Creflo Dollar and dozens of others—all of whom teach that Christians who give generously should expect financial rewards on this side of heaven.
Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. But before he died in 2003 and left his Rhema Bible Training Center in the hands of his son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., he summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence.
Those who were close to Hagin Sr. say he was passionate about correcting these abuses before he died. In fact, he wrote a brutally honest book to address his concerns. The Midas Touch was published in 2000, a year after the infamous Tulsa meeting.
Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent controversy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again.
Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch
1. Financial prosperity is not a sign of God’s blessing. Hagin wrote: “If wealth alone were a sign of spirituality, then drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants. Material wealth can be connected to the blessings of God or it can be totally disconnected from the blessings of God.”
2. People should never give in order to get. Hagin was critical of those who “try to make the offering plate some kind of heavenly vending machine.” He denounced those who link giving to getting, especially those who give cars to get new cars or who give suits to get new suits. He wrote: “There is no spiritual formula to sow a Ford and reap a Mercedes.”
3. It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.”
4. The “hundredfold return” is not a biblical concept. Hagin did the math and figured out that if this bizarre notion were true, “we would have Christians walking around with not billions or trillions of dollars, but quadrillions of dollars!” He rejected the popular teaching that a believer should claim a specific monetary payback rate.
5. Preachers who claim to have a “debt-breaking” anointing should not be trusted. Hagin was perplexed by ministers who promise “supernatural debt cancellation” to those who give in certain offerings. He wrote in The Midas Touch: “There is not one bit of Scripture I know about that validates such a practice. I’m afraid it is simply a scheme to raise money for the preacher, and ultimately it can turn out to be dangerous and destructive for all involved.”
(Many evangelists who appear on Christian television today use this bogus claim. Usually they insist that the miraculous debt cancellation will occur only if a person “gives right now,” as if the anointing for this miracle suddenly evaporates after the prime time viewing hour. This manipulative claim is more akin to witchcraft than Christian belief.)
Hagin condemned other hair-brained gimmicks designed to trick audiences into emptying their wallets. He was especially incensed when a preacher told his radio listeners that he would take their prayer requests to Jesus’ empty tomb in Jerusalem and pray over them there—if donors included a special love gift. “What that radio preacher really wanted was more people to send in offerings,” Hagin wrote.
Thanks to the recent resurgence in bizarre donation schemes promoted by American charismatics, the prosperity gospel is back under the nation’s microscope. It’s time to revisit Hagin’s concerns and find a biblical balance.
Hagin told his followers: “Overemphasizing or adding to what the Bible actually teaches invariably does more harm than good.” If the man who pioneered the modern concept of biblical prosperity blew the whistle on his own movement, wouldn’t it make sense for us to listen to his admonition?
The Midas Touch is available through Kenneth Hagin Ministries/ Rhema Bible Training Center
I love brother hagin he was very respected among many.but I will say for sure I would be more interested in prosperity Gospel than that religious doctrine that being poor makes you humble.
Charles, why do you think those are the only two options?
I was raised in the poverty gospel. It’s from the devil. I know that the love of money is the root of all evil. I also know that without money the gospel can’t reach the world. God intended for us to be blessed to be a blessing. I heard Brother Hagin say that he was able to give back $80,000 to the Lord’s work. We are blessed by God to help others not to be the 1st billionaire preacher like Kenneth Copeland announced fron the pulpit. SAD !!!!!
Hagen is not against preachers being rich. But he warned against making materialism as the focus of Christaindom. Of what use if you gain the world and loss your soul. This was his massage. It’s even worse when you see prechers manipulating the bible for material reason.
Reblogged this on free73735 and commented:
Wow, how timely and important to have this message! Thank you!
I am a Rhema graduate of ’84 and had classes with Dad Hagin, spoke with him and knew him. Mario is correct as it was others who ran with other embellished doctrines. I never heard him preaching a “prosperity message”. His message was focused on the biblical truths of the Word and particulary the power in the spoken word and the authority of the believer. My observations are that the Word Movement was to prepare the church to believe and act in faith as demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles. It was a time of the pendulum swinging away from fear and unbelief to believing God again.
Oral Roberts taught seed faith. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland ran with their newly realized revelations of faith and many others embellished. Bro. Hagin was an honorable man who came up through the Assemblies of God. Crazy prosperity teachings arose from this movement however they were not taught by the Hagins.?
Absolutely agree!
The LORD is no respecter of persons, Christ is neither impressed with wealth nor against it. The rich young ruler Jesus looked at “and He loved him”. It is the “love” of money that AP-Paul said was the root of evil. Being poor is neither a curse nor a blessing, but it sure can make you hungry to be poor. The apostolic mandate (if there actually is one besides seeking the lost) is to be content in any situation you find yourself, whether living in abundance or poverty, whether having much or little, in great gain or in great loss materially, we are to abound in love, faith, hope and joy in The Holy Spirit. There is absolutely NO OTHER Gospel but Jesus Christ crucified , resurrected and on the Throne for the disgusting sins of mankind. To preach and teach any other “good news” than that is “fake ” news…and un-biblically sound. The day Jesus Christ was born of a woman into this horrendous world was THE day of ultimate prosperity for all man and woman kind. Come on Christians!… enough with the doctrines of men.
In all of Brother Hagin’s teachings, he was always concerned about two things :
First : the perfect will of God as it pertained to the subject or what does the scripture actually say
Second: Walking in Love to God and Man.
This is why he was interested correcting error. He would even correct himself, if he saw he was wrong and say that he wasn’t ashamed to admit when he was wrong. He was a man who was only interested in the will of God. I find him to be one of the most trustworthy Bible Teachers I’ve ever heard.
Some Christians are called to be givers. They know that their ability to receive wealth was a gift from God. The ones God has entrusted finances to are to funnel it into God’s kingdom work on earth. I love Kenneth E Hagin. He is balanced. Brother Hagin has taught me more than any other preacher alive or dead. Another great man of God is Mike Bickle. He lives in a simple duplex. He funnels his money to God’s work.
I will not even listen to these preachers who have heaped homes, cars, money to themselves, sad.
I have read The Midas Touch. Great book, everyone should read it.
Thank you for addressing this practice. It has caused me as a seasoned believer to turn away from otherwise biblical ministries that I encouraged babies to feed on. It is so hard with so much deception in the camps…Mario, thank you for being a man of integrity. I came to salvation in 1970 and was fed and directed in my growth at Saturday nights of miracle. Your continued walk has blessed me more than you can know. My life has had too much disappointment and loss and betrayal…just thank you.
The prosperity message is responsible for turning many away from the true Gospel message of Salvation. This constant emphasis on gaining wealth, pastors with private jets and gold faucets in the bathrooms, etc is easily seen as false and disgusting by unbelievers. And the enemy uses it to his advamtage. Have seen this in my own family.