Essek William Kenyon (1867–1948) was a pastor[1] of the New Covenant Baptist Church[2] and founder and president of Bethel Bible Institute[2] in Spencer, Massachusetts.
Shortly afterward, Kenyon attended the services of Clarendon Street Baptist Church led by pastor Adoniram Judson (A.J.)
[6] It has been suggested by some that Kenyon was the originator of the modern "positive confession" theology which is prevalent in Word of Faith Pentecostalism.
Evidence that the teaching of positive confession was already developing in Christianity before Kenyon is present in time period literature.
In the 1884 book The Atonement for Sin and Sickness, Russell Kelso Carter demonstrates an early version of what Kenyon later taught: "I only prayed, O, Lord, make me sure of the truth, and I will confess it; I have nothing to do with consequences; that is Thy part," and again, "Jesus has the keeping part, I have the believing and confessing.
Harrison discusses the similarities between the writings of the two which included entire passages and resulted in critics arguing that Hagin plagiarised Kenyon.