The prosperity gospel’s mass acceptance in America is evident by its promotion on social media.
In September 2023, a Facebook post featuring a meme with the words “3 Days from now you Will be a billionaire. Claim it 🙏” went viral.
The post received more than 275,000 likes. Also, more than 106,000 people responded with a love (heart) reaction.
The idea that people can claim wealth by making a positive, verbal affirmation is based on the twisting of scripture, and the practice has been popularized by Word of Faith preachers and televangelists.
In 1979, pastor Kenneth Hagin released the booklet You Can Have What You Say in which Hagin wrote, “What you say is your faith speaking.” Hagin based his premise on the Bible verse Mark 11:23.
Hagin failed to recognize that prayers must align with God’s will and cannot be for selfish gain. James 4:3 NIV says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Word of Faith theology teaches that people can speak spiritual realities into existence. The proponents of this theology frequently post declarations and affirmations as fact.
While Paula White treats delays as a problem (“I declare the delay is over!”), the Bible teaches that delays are sometimes a part of God’s divine plan. The verses Psalm 27:14 and Isaiah 40:31 teach us to wait on God.
No Sickness
Some Word of Faith preachers teach that Christians should be free of sickness.
Word of Faith Bible teacher Andrew Wommack posted the previous meme on Instagram with the following commentary: “Did you know that you can live without getting sick? Many Christians believe that God can heal, but they wait until they are sick to start seeking God for healing. The best approach is to walk in divine health—not perpetual sickness. Scripture says God has provided a way that you can be healthy, not just healed of a certain ailment. God will literally turn off all sickness in your body if you let Him! You do not have to live with sickness.”
Meanwhile, Wommack ignores Bible verses which reveal that God allowed sickness among the apostles. Paul wrote that he prayed for God to remove a thorn in the flesh and God refused, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
A False Messiah
Philippine preacher Apollo Quiboloy teaches that he is the “Appointed Son of God” and includes that description on his social media posts. Quiboloy’s followers believe that he fulfills the prophecy of the second coming of Jesus.
The FBI currently includes Pastor Quiboloy on its Most Wanted List based on these allegations: “Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, and Sex Trafficking of Children; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion; Conspiracy; Bulk Cash Smuggling.”
In 2019, Esquire Magazine published a profile of Quiboloy which reported, “He was a member of the United Pentecostal Church until he founded his own religious group in 1985: the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name. It initially had 15 members. Since then, his sect has grown to six million, about four million of whom reside in the Philippines, and the rest overseas.”
Quiboloy has adopted numerous honorific titles such as King of Peace. His X/Twitter description is “Protagonist of the Divine Love of the Almighty Father. A man of Excellence.”
The Bible has a different title for Quiboloy: “False prophet.” (Matthew 24:11)