[4][5][6][7] N. T. Wright, an Anglican bishop and theologian, referred to it as “myth” and a “pact with the Devil.”[8] The Baptist minister E. W. Kenyon (1867–1948) is generally cited as the originator of Word of Faith's teachings.
[1]: 6–7 Distinctive Word of Faith teachings include physical, emotional, financial, relational, and spiritual healing for those who keep their covenant with God.
[citation needed] The movement urges believers to speak what they desire, in agreement with the promises and provisions of the Bible, as an affirmation of God's plans and purposes.
[12] The Word of Faith teaches that complete healing (of spirit, soul, and body) is included in Christ's atonement and therefore is available immediately to all who believe.
[16] Word of Faith teaching holds that its believers have a divine right to prosper in all areas of life, including finances, health, marriage, and relationships.
[citation needed] Word of Faith preachers such as Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland claim that Jesus was rich, and teach that modern believers are entitled to financial wealth.
While similar, it should not be confused with Norman Vincent Peale's positive thinking theology focusing on the individual, as evidenced by the motto, "Faith in God and believe in oneself".
This is argued on the interpretation of Proverbs 18:21,[24] "Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and they that love them will eat the fruit thereof", and also Numbers 14:28,[25] "...saith the Lord, as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do", among other scriptures.[which?]
[26] One of the earliest critics of Word of Faith teaching was Oral Roberts University professor Charles Farah, who published From the Pinnacle of the Temple in 1979.
One of the authors, Christian Research Institute founder Walter Martin, issued his personal judgment that Kenneth Copeland was a false prophet and that the movement as a whole was heretical.
In his seminar "Clouds Without Water", he traces the movement's origins to the Phineas Quimby's New Thought and E. W. Kenyon's Positive Confession in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Other critics, such as Norman Geisler, Dave Hunt and Roger Oakland, have denounced Word of Faith theology as aberrant and contrary to the teachings of the Bible.