Help Me Understand Evangelical Terminology/Concepts

[James_Lai]

I have more. I just can't remember them right now! D: I will make a specific note of some when I'm back in my work week and come back and list more.

Shoot! As they come. We’ll try to help.

BTW what is it that you morally reject in these ministries and why? If you want to discuss it. Sorry if I repeat this Q..

 

[ViaCrucis]

I (non-religious, non-theistic) recently took up a position in an office that sometimes works with Evangelical/Televangelical ministries. Now despite my hard moral rejection of these ministries, it's a very good job for me for various reasons. I need this job right now and for the foreseeable future.

One of the tasks we do is recording/summarizing prayers and I'm sometimes at a loss as to what people are actually praying for. Some things are clear like healing, financial breakthroughs,etc. However, there are other things they pray for that are much more cryptic. I was raised a Christian, but a very light form of Christianity that didn't talk about these things.

Typically I can summarize by just recording what they said, but sometimes I have to creatively summarize and that can be difficult without understanding the concepts.

One of these that I think I'm finally at least understanding is "harvest". The first time I saw it I thought the individual was a farmer wanting a good harvest in their crops. Lol. Even still, why I now understand it is a different concept from that I still don't understand it.

Others off the top of my head are:
Deliverance (I think this means removing something from one's life)
Divine Healing (I know what healing means, but is this the same thing?)
Seed (related to Harvest, I think)
Anointing
Holy Spirit/Ghost (I do understand that's a part of the holy trinity that many Christians believe, but when someone asks for something from that specifically, is that important versus just saying "God"/"Jesus"/"Lord")
Speaking of "the enemy/enemies"/taking back everything that the "enemy" has taken
Salvation/Saved/Come to the Lord/etc. (I know what these mean in general, but is there a distinct difference between each one, or can I substitute one for the other?)
Generational Curses

I have more. I just can't remember them right now! D: I will make a specific note of some when I'm back in my work week and come back and list more.

PS, this is a straight question, not an invitation for proselytizing. Keep that in mind, thank you.

Given your list I'd say this is less to do with Evangelicalism and more to do with the Word of Faith movement. The Word of Faith movement is an offshoot from the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. It is, to put it mildly, a very controversial set of beliefs and practices--to the point that for most Christians, regardless of denomination or tradition, it is viewed as heretical, scandalous, and morally abhorrent.

Some of the terms you list are used by other Christians, but can have very different meanings than what they mean in the context of the Word of Faith movement. For example "anointing" in the more traditional Christian view is literally the act of applying oil (i.e. "ointment"). For example anointing the sick and dying with oil is standard practice in many Christian traditions and denominations, where it is sometimes also known as Holy Unction. The practice of the ancient Church (and for many churches still today) anointing with oil is an essential part of the Christian rite of Baptism (where it is sometimes known as Chrismation). However in some Pentecostal/Charismatic and Word of Faith "anointing" frequently means something along the lines of "specially chosen by God for a special purpose", where certain individuals may be described as "being anointed" meaning they have been given specific and special gifts by God for a specific purpose--and can often be regarded as meaning having authority. In some cases an "anointed" person is above reproach, generally this happens in deeply troubling authoritarian churches where the "leader" is basically the infallible instrument of God.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit is universally Christian, and that's because the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, as expressed in the historic Creeds of the Christian Church down through the ages, is that there is one God, and this one God is also three fully distinct but inseparable "Persons". I used quotation marks here because the use of the word "person" is standard and normal when speaking of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, there can frequently be some confusion because we tend to bring a lot of our own assumptions to the word "person" as English speakers. The reason we say there are three Persons goes back to the ancient Church using certain Greek and Latin terms to try and articulate the Christian faith in the Trinity. Without getting deep into that, the point of the word "Person" here is to describe how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each truly distinct; there is actual love between the "Persons" even though, each is fully, truly, and entirely God--the same God. The Father is God, but not the Son or the Holy Spirit; the Son is God, but not the Father or the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is God, but not the Father or the Son. Each is the same God, but they are each distinct. The Holy Spirit, therefore, is God, even as the Father is God and the Son is God. Or as Christians from almost all denominations and traditions confess in the Nicene Creed, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified."

Thirdly, saved/salvation/etc--yes, generally speaking all of these are simply synonymous terms.

The rest are all Word of Faith terms.

Harvest - in the Word of Faith movement the harvest is what one reaps after one has sowed, what is sowed is the "seed" often a "seed of faith" or "faith seed".

Deliverance - in the Word of Faith movement the deliverance of a person from demonic influence, which may often be viewed as the cause for financial problems, health problems, or depression, or anything. Thus deliverance here is the idea of being delivered out from debt (which can often be described as a "demon of debt") or it can mean delivered from sickness, or from just about anything (and often, but maybe not always, with the idea that demons are to blame).

Divine healing - or faith healing in the context of the Word of Faith movement, can be related to the above Word of Faith idea of deliverance. The Word of Faith is often known as the "Prosperity Gospel", the "Health and Wealth Gospel" and "Name-it-and-Claim-it". Where for most Christians there is a belief that God can heal the sick, the Word of Faith take it in a very special direction: Under Word of Faith teaching bodily health is often seen as a direct promise from God contained in the Gospel, and that the reason Christians fall ill, get sick, suffer various health problems is because such Christians are not accepting, believing, and taking hold of "all God's blessings" (or a similar turn of phrase).

Seed - the aforementioned "seed of faith" or "faith seed" from earlier. In Word of Faith ministries there is frequently the idea that if one "sows a seed of faith" (usually in the form of a very large monetary donation, as in many televangelists will straight up tell people to send thousands of dollars even if they are dirt poor and just trying to not be homeless). The promise made is that God will bless someone who sows a seed of faith, those blessings can be financial, related to health, or success in business or for material things of some fashion. This is why televangelists will boast of their private jets, because their immense wealth is not shameful in the eyes of the Word of Faith movement, but tangible proof that their teachings are true. In other words, the obscene wealth of the televangelists are viewed not as a bug, but a feature, of the Word of Faith movement's teachings and practices.

Enemy - in fairly generic Christian phrasing the word "enemy" is often just shorthand to refer to the devil. In some fairly controversial parts of the Charismatic movement, and I believe also present in much of the modern Word of Faith movement, is the idea that Satan has been "taking territory" from God/Christians in various aspects of civilization and culture. So in this POV, as an example (and this is a specifically American-related example) the 1962 US Supreme Court case of Engel vs Vitale (the one that ruled that school-sponsored prayer violated the non-establishment clause of the First Amendment) is viewed as a hostile and demonic take over of American public education by the devil and the armies of hell. This is more an example of how in America there has been some fairly disturbing merging of religion and politics over the past half century.

Generational curse - in Word of Faith and some Charismatic/Pentecostal (but not all) circles there is an idea that sometimes one can inherit a curse from one's parents or grandparents, down through the generations. Often due to some demonic influence on the family that started way back when. From which a person needs to be delivered and "break the curse". Again, and I really can't stress this strongly enough, the idea of "curses" generational or not, for most Christians of all denominations is absolute nonsense.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Envy2]

Thank you for more answers, you all!

I don't know but I think a lot of these ministries have no relation to Word of Faith, but yeah, I wasn't ever raised in evangelicalism/televangelicalism, I was raised more in Methodism or Disciples of Christ, so I'm pretty ignorant on all of this.

Anointment definitely involves a physical oil to at least one of the ministries, which gives it out and has special containers and promotions for it. I find this to be very woo to me. The most woo ritual I ever remember in my church was baptism.

It has certainly led me to believe that these ministries are in the faith healing business and that's disgusting. But it's par for the course, I suppose.

You don't need to tell me about the disturbing mixture of church and state. I don't know what they hope to achieve with this. Anyway, as I said before, my impression of seeds with these ministries I work with is that it's financial.

For those asking what I find morally objectionable, again, I'm not here to have that discussion.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Thank you for more answers, you all!

I don't know but I think a lot of these ministries have no relation to Word of Faith, but yeah, I wasn't ever raised in evangelicalism/televangelicalism, I was raised more in Methodism or Disciples of Christ, so I'm pretty ignorant on all of this.

Anointment definitely involves a physical oil to at least one of the ministries, which gives it out and has special containers and promotions for it. I find this to be very woo to me. The most woo ritual I ever remember in my church was baptism.

It has certainly led me to believe that these ministries are in the faith healing business and that's disgusting. But it's par for the course, I suppose.

You don't need to tell me about the disturbing mixture of church and state. I don't know what they hope to achieve with this. Anyway, as I said before, my impression of seeds with these ministries I work with is that it's financial.

For those asking what I find morally objectionable, again, I'm not here to have that discussion.

In historic, traditional Christian teaching and practice, Baptism is a Sacrament, a point of contact between God's grace and us in a tangible sign or symbol (in this case, water). It's not magic, it is ordinary water; but we believe that it is water in which God's word and promise is attached. Thus Baptism is not just water, but water connected and comprehended with God's promise.

Like the water in Baptism, the use of oil in anointing the sick is understood in a sacramental sense.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Sketcher]

Thank you for more answers, you all!

I don't know but I think a lot of these ministries have no relation to Word of Faith, but yeah, I wasn't ever raised in evangelicalism/televangelicalism, I was raised more in Methodism or Disciples of Christ, so I'm pretty ignorant on all of this.

Anointment definitely involves a physical oil to at least one of the ministries, which gives it out and has special containers and promotions for it. I find this to be very woo to me. The most woo ritual I ever remember in my church was baptism.

It sounds very Word-of-Faith-ish, but to be fair, Word of Faith is technically a subset of the so-called "prosperity gospel".

 

[James_Lai]

Thank you for more answers, you all!

I don't know but I think a lot of these ministries have no relation to Word of Faith, but yeah, I wasn't ever raised in evangelicalism/televangelicalism, I was raised more in Methodism or Disciples of Christ, so I'm pretty ignorant on all of this.

Anointment definitely involves a physical oil to at least one of the ministries, which gives it out and has special containers and promotions for it. I find this to be very woo to me. The most woo ritual I ever remember in my church was baptism.

It has certainly led me to believe that these ministries are in the faith healing business and that's disgusting. But it's par for the course, I suppose.

You don't need to tell me about the disturbing mixture of church and state. I don't know what they hope to achieve with this. Anyway, as I said before, my impression of seeds with these ministries I work with is that it's financial.

For those asking what I find morally objectionable, again, I'm not here to have that discussion.

What’s so bad about applying oil? Good for skin and hair if you don’t think it has any spiritual effect. I’ve never seen it performed, but I think it’s a cool tradition and it follows an advice from the Bible.

 

[Envy2]

Yes, I now know that I am dealing with Prosperity Gospel ministries. I was out of the loop of this breed of Christianity (save for some vague knowledge of say, Joel Osteen, and the controversies surrounding him), barely knowing of its existence or the details of it. That's why all of this concept of "seeds" and "harvest" was all new to me.

Well, this job becomes even more immoral, but I have to suck it up. Tell myself that me entering information isn't doing much in the long run. When I have more spending money than I do now, I will certainly start looking into donating to organizations that are doing good to counteract this "sin" of mine. (I hate to use sin, it's a meaningless term to me, but for you all on this forum, you'll understand how deep this is when I call it a sin lol)

 

[James_Lai]

Yes, I now know that I am dealing with Prosperity Gospel ministries. I was out of the loop of this breed of Christianity (save for some vague knowledge of say, Joel Osteen, and the controversies surrounding him), barely knowing of its existence or the details of it. That's why all of this concept of "seeds" and "harvest" was all new to me.

Well, this job becomes even more immoral, but I have to suck it up. Tell myself that me entering information isn't doing much in the long run. When I have more spending money than I do now, I will certainly start looking into donating to organizations that are doing good to counteract this "sin" of mine. (I hate to use sin, it's a meaningless term to me, but for you all on this forum, you'll understand how deep this is when I call it a sin lol)

Don’t sin, leave Or you can’t?

 

[Envy2]

Don’t sin, leave Or you can’t?

I really can't. It's a long story, but long story short I have chronic illness/pain and can no longer work active jobs like retail or food. I also can not drive. I spent many years suffering horrendously in a retail job because that's all I knew how to work and no desk jobs would even give me a call.

(The pandemic gave me an out from my retail job, but then followed a couple of years of no job, no income)

Finally, I got a call. A desk job, and one very close to my house, even in walking distance (technically, not the best with my condition, though).

Needless to say, I could not be picky about other details. And in terms of everything except for the subject matter of what I'm working with, it is a great job.

I don't see it as a lifelong job. I am trying to find a way to escape my state, which is taking away my rights, and when I finally can achieve that, I will have to leave the job. But I don't see that happening any time soon with my situation. And I am grateful to have this job. As I said, I just have to suck it up. lol

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I (non-religious, non-theistic) recently took up a position in an office that sometimes works with Evangelical/Televangelical ministries. Now despite my hard moral rejection of these ministries, it's a very good job for me for various reasons. I need this job right now and for the foreseeable future.

One of the tasks we do is recording/summarizing prayers and I'm sometimes at a loss as to what people are actually praying for. Some things are clear like healing, financial breakthroughs,etc. However, there are other things they pray for that are much more cryptic. I was raised a Christian, but a very light form of Christianity that didn't talk about these things.

Typically I can summarize by just recording what they said, but sometimes I have to creatively summarize and that can be difficult without understanding the concepts.

One of these that I think I'm finally at least understanding is "harvest". The first time I saw it I thought the individual was a farmer wanting a good harvest in their crops. Lol. Even still, why I now understand it is a different concept from that I still don't understand it.

Others off the top of my head are:
Deliverance (I think this means removing something from one's life)
Divine Healing (I know what healing means, but is this the same thing?)
Seed (related to Harvest, I think)
Anointing
Holy Spirit/Ghost (I do understand that's a part of the holy trinity that many Christians believe, but when someone asks for something from that specifically, is that important versus just saying "God"/"Jesus"/"Lord")
Speaking of "the enemy/enemies"/taking back everything that the "enemy" has taken
Salvation/Saved/Come to the Lord/etc. (I know what these mean in general, but is there a distinct difference between each one, or can I substitute one for the other?)
Generational Curses

I have more. I just can't remember them right now! D: I will make a specific note of some when I'm back in my work week and come back and list more.

PS, this is a straight question, not an invitation for proselytizing. Keep that in mind, thank you.

harvest - when Jesus spoke of the harvest, he was referring to people. Like one might reap a crop, Jesus referred to people as a harvest field, needing reapers, or workers. In some fringe churches, the harvest can refer to things you get like "financial blessing", from tithing. Harvest can also refer to a reward gained by working for the LORD, or doing His will.

Deliverance (I think this means removing something from one's life) - the bible speaks of dark forces, evil spirits, or demons, that can put negative emotions and feelings in people. In some cases controlling the person. Deliverance is removing this evil, through prayer. Or the casting out of the demon.

Divine Healing (I know what healing means, but is this the same thing?) - One of the bibles promises is that of divine healing, healing for the sick. DIvine healing is asking Jesus for healing.

Seed (related to Harvest, I think) - this is a rather controversial topic, and as a Christain, I don't believe in this. It is the idea that we can sow, generally finances into a church, and we will reap a reward much greater financially. Seed could also refer to other things we give, or sow, that result in a greater blessing.


Anointing - the felt presence of God, His empowering or enabling.

Holy Spirit/Ghost (I do understand that's a part of the holy trinity that many Christians believe, but when someone asks for something from that specifically, is that important versus just saying "God"/"Jesus"/"Lord") - The third part/member of the God Head, when a person becomes a believer they recieve the Holy Spirit. Some churches teach that receiving the Holy Spirit is a separate act to salvation, calling it the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Speaking of "the enemy/enemies"/taking back everything that the "enemy" has taken - the bible tells us that the devil comes to kill, to steal, and destroy. This comment is stating the person will take back what has been taken from them, stolen, robbed etc. This concept can be taken too far, and applied in an unbalanced way to finances.

Salvation/Saved/Come to the Lord/etc. (I know what these mean in general, but is there a distinct difference between each one, or can I substitute one for the other?) - These can all be used interchangeably. It means to put trust in God to save you from hell, a thing He offers to all who will believe.

Generational Curses - the bible says that the sins of the fathers visit their children. It is the idea that if you sinned by theft, your children would be tempted in the same way. That the spirits behind a sinful act are generational. It is the idea that sin is linked to a demon, or demonic oppression. That these spirits get passed down the generational chain. It is stating that now that the person is a believer no curse has power over them. It is breaking the past curse through the present power of Jesus in ones life.

I believe many of the ministries that teach these things, fall perilously close to the following scriptures from the bible.

1Timothy 6:5-10 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Not everything taught by these ministries is wrong. But it is all the fringe God will give you money for obedience, kind of thing which is unbalanced. God does promise blessing for His people, but it is not always in a fat wallet.

 

[James_Lai]

I really can't. It's a long story, but long story short I have chronic illness/pain and can no longer work active jobs like retail or food. I also can not drive. I spent many years suffering horrendously in a retail job because that's all I knew how to work and no desk jobs would even give me a call.

(The pandemic gave me an out from my retail job, but then followed a couple of years of no job, no income)

Finally, I got a call. A desk job, and one very close to my house, even in walking distance (technically, not the best with my condition, though).

Needless to say, I could not be picky about other details. And in terms of everything except for the subject matter of what I'm working with, it is a great job.

I don't see it as a lifelong job. I am trying to find a way to escape my state, which is taking away my rights, and when I finally can achieve that, I will have to leave the job. But I don't see that happening any time soon with my situation. And I am grateful to have this job. As I said, I just have to suck it up. lol

I see.. I hope one day you’d be able to have a better job!