The Word of Faith Movement - Is Seed Faith Giving Biblical?

Word of Faith teachers are known by their Prosperity Teaching or Name-it-and-Claim-it theology through “Seed-Faith” tithing, “Hundredfold Return” and their “Point of Contact” pitches. But what exactly are these concepts and most importantly, are they Biblical?

Seed-Faith Theology

Manipulation and fear tactics are often used in the WFM to fleece the flock of Jesus Christ.

For example, in 1985 Oral Roberts used words like “worry, fear, stress, problems and a sense of hopelessness” to convey his message that 1985 would be a terrible year for his “partners” but by sending in your seed-faith offering, it will “help you get your hundredfold return” and “STOP SATAN IN HIS HATE TO BRING YOU DOWN.”1

Another example, in January 1987, Oral and Richard Roberts used an “emotional appeal” that God would take Oral’s life if he didn’t raise 8 million dollars by March.2

What exactly is the seed-faith? It’s the concept that in order for anyone to receive anything from God, they must first donate what is called a “seed-faith” offering, in other words, money.

According to WFM teacher Oral Roberts, “The seed of giving is the seed of Faith! And the seed has to be planted BEFORE we can speak to our mountain of need to be removed!”3

In other words, “planting a seed of faith” in WFM terminology is equivalent to saying “send me your money and then things will begin to happen in your life.”

Paul Crouch, President of Trinity Broadcasting Network says…

“If you’re broke, if you’re at your wit’s end, if you’re out of a job, out of work, let me tell ya. Not only are we gonna bless the world and preach Christ to millions and multitudes around the world, but you can be saved, yourself, by planting seed in this fertile soil called TBN.”4 (emphasis added)

Biblical Teaching Regarding Seed-Faith

The concept of Seed Faith theology that the WFM teachers peddle is unbiblical.

There are no verses that tell us that if we “have a need, plant a seed” but there are Scripture passages that WFM teachers use to twist and pull out of context in order to pass this concept off as Biblical.

◦ Matthew 13:31-32, “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field…; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’”

No where is money even mentioned in the context of this verse. The context has to do with the outward growth of Christendom from a small seed to a huge tree. Remember, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of Heaven and not about money issues.

◦ Galatians 6:7 says, “…or whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Again, when we look at the context, we see that this verse calls us to “sow to the Spirit” (verse 8) meaning Christians are to “crucify the flesh” (Galatians 5:24-26) and live for Christ and “reap everlasting life” (verse 8) while “doing good to all” (verse 10).

Again, we see that this verse does not say “Show me the money!”

Hundredfold Returns

The hundredfold return concept that is espoused by the Word of Faith Movement has turned the “gospel of grace” into a “gospel of greed.”

According to this concept, whatever you give to God, He will return 100 times, of what ever you gave, back to you. In other words, if you give $1 to God He will give you back $100; give $10 and God will give you back $1,000 and so on.

Gloria Copeland, wife of WFM teacher Kenneth Copeland explains…

“Give $10 and receive $1,000; give $1,000 and receive $100,000. I know that you can multiply, but I want you to see in black and white how tremendous the hundredfold return is…Give one house and receive one hundred houses or one house worth and one hundred times as much. Give one airplane and receive one hundred times the value of the airplane. Give one car and the return would furnish you a lifetime of cars. In short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal.”5

Notice that it’s a “give–to-get” mentality.

Biblical Teaching Regarding Hundredfold Returns

Mark 10:29-30 is the verse cited by the WFM teachers to teach their hundredfold return theology:

◦ Mark 10:29-30 says, “So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, (verse 30) who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life.” (emphasis added)

Notice how the WFM teachers jump right to verse 30 without citing 29 and without pointing out “with persecutions”?

As you can tell by reading the context of the verses 28-30, this passage has nothing to do with money and riches, it has everything to do with forsaking loved ones and “who has left” their home for “Jesus’ sake and the gospel”.

Jesus is simply saying that these people will receive a “hundredfold return” in the sense of having new Christian families and homes and will become a part of the believer’s community.

Further more, if they really practiced what they preached, the WFM teachers should be giving away their money so they would receive a hundredfold return!

Point of Contact

WFM teachers like Oral and Richard Roberts, Robert Tilton and Marilyn Hickey, among others have used Point of Contact gimmicks to get people to send in their money.

Basically, the Point of Contact works like this: WFM teachers will send their “partners” prayer cloths, or the like, and if they send back the cloth, with a donation of course, you will reap the benefits of heaven.

Robert Tilton says…

“SEND ME YOUR GREEN PRAYER CLOTH AS MY POINT OF CONTACT WITH YOU!...WHEN I TOUCH YOUR CLOTH…IT WILL BE LIKE TOUCHING YOU!...When you touch this cloth, it will be like MY hand and touching me. I want the anointing that God has put upon my life for miracles of finances and prosperity to come directly from my hand to yours…You can reign in life like a king!”6

Prayer cloths, anointed handkerchiefs, hems from their garments, holy oil and a host of other gimmicks7 including a “Jesus Eyes Prayer Rug” are used in conjunction with Seed Faith theology to get people to part with their money.

Oral Roberts once used a picture of himself and his son Richard praying and asked his partners to “Write down what you feel led for us to pray for…place a love gift of Seed-Faith upon the prayer sheet on top of your needs…” and take the picture of himself and Richard and “HOLD IT OVER the prayer sheet and your Seed-Faith SHEET” as this “becomes the point of contact for you to loose your faith…Send it back to Richard and me[Oral] today, if possible, so that he and I can immediately unfold it AND OUR SHADOWS CAN PASS OVER YOUR NAME AND NEEDS ON THE PRAYER SHEET.”8

Biblical Teaching Regarding Point of Contact

WFM teachers will use the following verse to point out that what they are doing is Scripturally based:

◦ Acts 19:11-12 says, “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.”

Notice that there is an absence of money or “suggested donations” in these verses. Paul doesn’t ask for a “seed-faith” offering for his “point of contact” handkerchief.

And finally, notice that verse 11 says that these were “unusual miracles” which according to the context of the passage, God was using Paul, a divinely appointed “apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13; 2 Timothy 1:11) to show that His power was supreme over their fraudulent “magical practices” (verse 19) so that “the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified” (verse 17).

Conclusion

It’s rather obvious that when you look at Scripture in light of Scripture, in other words using the basic interpretive principle that Scripture interprets Scripture, you find that the WFM teacher’s use of such tactics to con God’s people out of their money is highly unbiblical and dubious to say the least.

Notes

1. Oral Roberts, direct-mail letter, undated (ca. 1 January 1985?), emphaisis in original, as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 198

2. Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 196

3. Oral Roberts, A Daily Guide to Miracles (Tulsa, OK: Pinoak Publications, 1975), pg. 63 as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 195-196

4. Paul Crouch, “Praise the Lord” program on TBN (21 July 1992) as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 201

5. Gloria Copeland, God’s Will Is Prosperity (Tulsa, OK: Harrison House, 1978), p. 54 as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 199

6. Robert Tilton, direct-mail letter with enclousers (1990), p. 6, capitalization and emphasis in original as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 202

7. Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 203

8. Oral and Richard Roberts, direct-mail letter (August 1984) p. 2-3, capitalization and emphasis in original as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 204

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