Question Concerning Wof

[JimB]

what marks the typical Wof adherent?

Poor hermeneutical skills.

 

[Always in His Presence]

My, my what a big, big, wide brush you two have in staining people you don't agree with.

 

[Waddell]

Looking at this thread I must question myself. Am I also defining my position from some great offense in my life?

Hmmmm......

 

[lyonguard]

Yep, but “supposed to” is the key phrase here.


You sound like a balanced person, Lyon. Unfortunately, it has not been my experience to many balanced people who proudly wear the WOF insignia (either in real life or in this forum). The “extreme” you identify is pretty much the “norm” from my experience.

If there are extremes among WOF’ers, then WOF as a whole needs to identify them and their extreme positions and name them and distance themselves rather than defend them. If someone who wore the insignia of the group I most identify with but went to extremes, I would personally distance myself from them in a heartbeat and I would tell them and the world why I was doing so. If my denomination endorsed extremism, or ignored it, I would have to distance myself from the denomination. What I would never do is endorse or defend it.

So, I, for one, would like to know what actually is "orthodox" WOF as opposed to extreme WOF. I am only hearing one presentation of WOF in this forum ... and it is extreme, IMO.

~Jim

Famous Last Words:​

“Hey, man, that's a cute tattoo.”​

Every group of believers has fractions in it that believe different. Not to single out the Baptists, but they have so many branches that it makes your head spin. WOF has the same basic beliefs but even within that some beliefs differ slightly.

So now, what is "orthodox" to some would be "extreme" to others. I for one do not believe in casting devils out of lawn mowers nor do I believe that every person is called to be a millionaire. Both are extremes IMO. Others believe it to be normal. But at the same time, just because a pastor has an extreme view of one certain subject doesn't mean that he is incorrect in all the other areas he teaches. He may be an excellent teacher in those other areas with exceptional insight that I could use. And there can even be things I can learn in the areas where the pastor takes it to the extreme, but it is up to me to balance it with the Word. To do that, I need to study and not be a spiritual lemming. But I believe if I become offended then I am wrong.

What I see is that people want to major on the minors and focus on what so and so is doing. It doesn't matter if some believe in healing and others don't. Those who do will hold onto the Word for healing. Those who don't will work it out in their own manner. If someone is squandering money, then they have to answer to God - which will be much worse than answering to man. The thing that matters is have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and what are we doing to pull together and win the lost?

 

[Waddell]

There are people who's entire reason for being exists solely on thier offense! There are pastors who completely rest on that!

They are here!

 

[franky67]

I have the WOF icon , because I have noticed the other WOF posters seem to focus more on what God HAS done, and IS doing, and His promises kept, than what HE has not done.

And the WOF posters seem to be a bit more positive in their description of the gospel.

Somehow I like that.

It IS the good news after all !

 

[knownbeforetime]

While I am not WOF, I can tell you why I gravitate toward WOF. First, like Franky said, the WOF posters seem to be a bit more positive. The Non-WOF posters tend to be a bit more cynical and sarcastic and that just weighs on me after time.

Also, at the end of the day, it just feels good to say, "It is always God's will to heal." than to say, "We don't really know what the will of God is. You obviously didn't get healed so it must not be God's will. Sovereignty of God and all that jazz. Nevermind that the Bible says, "Ask and receive"" Why all the confusion? The Bible is clear.

BTW, I am not WOF. I never have been. I never been to a WOF church. I haven't read any of the books or watched the TV shows (well, rarely). So it makes me laugh when I get accused of pulling out "the usual WOF proof-texts" when I don't even know what they are.

 

[Telestar]

WoF begins with the assumption that God loves you, is good, and that His goodness and love manifests toward you exactly in the way you would expect it to.
Many Christians here simply do not accept this, rathering to assume their faith and religion to be correct, and so they redefine God according to their own errors. By the time they are done, they create an image of God that caters to their own doubt and unbelief.
I will take the Jesus image thank you.

 

[Christina M]

There are people who's entire reason for being exists solely on thier offense! There are pastors who completely rest on that!

They are here!

They are here, you speak truth!

 

[Telestar]

If some of these folks had been at the trail of Jesus, they would have been calling for the high priest to smack Him again.
Being "offended" is a very powerful tool in the world today. If you want to exert control over a situation, just claim offense at something that is being said. You can shut down a converstation, force people to do your will, and even turn the mob against innocent people. We see it happen here when "Christians" use this worldly techneque of faining offense at every opportunitiy in order to silence others, report posts, and condemn those they do not agree.
They follow the worldly pattern of being "politically correct" and strive to control you by accusing you of no being "doctrinally correct" or "spiritually correct."
This is the result of a spirit of witchcraft that seeks to control and manipulate.

 

[DanielChapterThree]

I have never in my long life referred to myself as 'word of faith'. But since this forum asks you to pick a category, it really does best represent my beliefs.

We have recently begun attending a growing dynamic church that is ALIVE with the work of God and though it doesn't really use the term, it is 'word of faith'. Our first visit there I went into their bookstore and saw all the Kenneth Hagin books and though I had not read a Hagin book in many years, I felt at home.

I still get sick sometimes...but I KNOW it is not my Lords will that I suffer. On that subject, WoFers really seem to know how to petition God, even when God doesn't seem to immediately respond. Remember the Cannanite women in Mathew? She actually argued with Jesus over healing for her daughter. He twice responded negatively to her after first ignoring her. Her daughter was healed due to her faith.

How about the Lord's prayer? Nobody seems to read the words after the prayer. The parable about the man banging on his friends door late at night and refusing to stop after the friend refused to get out of bed to help him. His need was met because he didn't accept the initial refusal to answer. THIS was Christ's lesson on prayer.

Sounds kinda like 'word of faith', doesn't it?

That being said, that doesn't mean that I am not embarressed at some of what passes as 'word of faith' on TV. Sadly, there are nut cases and exploiters in every group.

 

[Waddell]

WoF begins with the assumption that God loves you, is good, and that His goodness and love manifests toward you exactly in the way you would expect it to.
Many Christians here simply do not accept this, rathering to assume their faith and religion to be correct, and so they redefine God according to their own errors. By the time they are done, they create an image of God that caters to their own doubt and unbelief.
I will take the Jesus image thank you.

I agree. I do think though that more often than not the opposition to the goodness of God does not come from a calculated effort to deceive, but rather from the offense created from episodes of accepting the testimony of the world through the eyes, instead of accepting the testimony of hearing through the heart.