The following excerpts from Kenneth Copeland’s Believer’s Voice of Victory televsion broadcast come from my personal transcription of the 7/16/06 program. This message, “The Life is in Jesus,” was originally delivered at the “Branson Victory Campaign” in Branson, Missouri. In this piece you will see a sorry example of how a Christian should conduct himself, let alone a supposed minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Below Copeland will inform us: “man, we goin’ to the stars. That’s the reason man got such a hard hunger to get out there. We belong out there. This whole [universe] belongs to us.”

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers (2 Timothy 3:2)

As one listens to Kenneth Copeland it becomes quite apparent that we are not dealing with someone who has any real grounding in the historic orthodox Christian faith. Many things have already been said about gross misrepresentations of doctrine by Copeland so I’m not going to cover it here. The point of this short work is to bring further light upon the arrogance and blasphemy so characteristic of his work as one of the top leaders in this cult of the Word Faith movement. The very same polluted well from which Joel Osteen draws his teacings as well.

A case in point is Copeland’s mockery of other Christians, who like myself, reject his twisted “revelations” and fallacious views about an alleged substance he calls faith. Consider this at 09:50 where Copeland begins by belittling contemporary believers who fear God, but not content with that he even claims superiority over those in the Old Testament as well:

People have had the idea that spiritual things are flighty and whoooo-hoo-hoo, you know? (mocking tone) “You never know God gonna do.” Why not. (mocking tone) “Well, brother Copeland nobody can understand God. He moves in mysterious ways.” (audience laughs)

Only to people that don’t understand faith. Only to people who don’t understand love, and nobody in the Old Testament thoroughly understood faith or love, because they were spiritually dead people and they couldn’t get any revelation any deeper than their soul, their minds, their emotion, and their will even though the Spirit of God was present on special occasions.

Because the spirit did not have the life of God in it. It died when Adam committed treason. So the Holy Ghost had to come on them, and occasionally catch them up in the Spirit because they had made covenant with God, and allowed Him certain access to their lives. But until Jesus paid that price, this eternal life that we’re talkin’ about wasn’t in anybody. And the degree that we’re talkin’ about, now I’m steppin’ – I’m, ha, I’m steppin’ out on religious boundaries right here, so don’t get upset with me. I may make ya so made that you’ll stay up all night, but if you do, get your Bible, check me out.

Playing Fast And Loose With Scripture

In this next section Kenneth Copeland leads into a classic doctrine of the Word Faith heresy, the twist on John 10:10 and Christ’s teaching about the “abundant” life. What this actually plays out to be is a hedonistic spiritual version of the American Dream. First however I draw your attention to Copeland’s lack of respect for the text of the Bible as he drops words from it and simply inserts others into the text in an attempt to make it teach what he wants it to:

Now look at Ephesians chapter 3, just turn right one book. Ephesians 3 and look at the seventeenth verse, “That ‘the Anointed One and His anointing’ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Him, His Anointing, His life, “may dwell in you by faith; you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend, understand, have working knowledge with all the saints what is the breadth, length, the depth, and the height; And to know, have understanding the love of ‘the Anointed One and His anointing,’ which passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

And then at 17:50 Copeland begins to lead into teaching us that the Bible isn’t just a book but instead it is actually supernatural energy:

That power is the light and the light and the life and the glory of God! Amen! Oh halleujah! Amen. Colossians chapter one, if this one don’t get ya, your wood’s wet. Colossians chapter one, verse twenty-seven, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of the mystery among the Gentiles; which is ‘the Anointed One and His anointing’ in you,” Your (pause) Your (pause) Don’t say hope, don’t say hope.

Your…your…white hot expectation of his glory! That’s what that word translated “hope” means. Living hope. It’s, hope begins to take itself, faith. Hope steps out of the dream realm and becomes Bible hope. When you in,when you begiin to intensely expect it to come to pass.

Hey, (meaning the Bible) this is not a storybook. This is a life-impregnated source of energy that is beyond anything the mind of man has yet to conceive. We are still in Ned the first primer, when it comes to life and the creative power of Almighty God. I am totally convinced, you couldn’t beat it out of me with a bat, that the reason why all those, all those other planets are unfinished is because God’s waitin’ on somebody to help Him.

Here again we see the classic doctrine of the Word Faith movement laid out, this time by Kenneth Copeland, where God cannot work in this earth realm unless His people are speaking their words of faith. The idea is that just like Almighty God man can speak words of creative power. And how He is almighty if He can’t do anything until men speak His Word is never really explained. Next Copeland tells us:

(shouting) That was Adam’s job! He (God) told him to go fix this one first. The Garden of Eden should-a spread by faith all over this planet. And then we could talk about Mars! And then we could talk about the rest of this universe. And He’s going to wrap this messed up one up and fold it up and put it away, and the new heaven and the new earth. And start over again, and in the book of Ephesians He said, glory to His name, He is going to spend the ages to come revealing His grace and His love towards us.

God Is Not Enough

Finally this blasphemous section must be seen to be believed. Here Copeland explains that he isn’t interested in worshipping God in heaven, but rather he’s looking for fast toys. And while he does seem to be speaking by a spirit, what you are about to read cannot possibly have come from God:

Now, I had a Sunday school teacher one time that told me we’s gon’ spend all eternity bowed down and worshippin’ God. I said, “Well, I don’t think I’m gon’ go.” (laughter from audience) “It’s hard enough here.” Nasty ol’ Sunday school room stunk like floor sweep. Ol’ wore out ol’ floors. I didn’t like that place; I don’t like it now. I wouldn’t go to Sunday school there now.

And thought, “I don’t care nuthin’ about doin’ that.” (more audience laughter) Spend eternity on my knees? Surely there’s more to heaven than that? Well, you know to a ten-year-old boy that’s the way it looked. I thought heaven ought to at least have some fast cars. (audience laughs) Later on I got to readin’ (Copeland chuckles) the Word and I found out about God’s airplane. (quickly whips his head to the right) He gonna have to let me fly that. I-that…the Word said His chariot is as fast a-lightnin’, from the east to the west. That’s the speed of light brother. Son.

I might tell that angel, “Hey Jack, check me out in this thing, man.” (Copeland chortles) Aye-yeah, and if ya’ll don’ mind I’m ‘on git me one of these man. Yeah! And by the time we get there that’ll be old hat for them. Cuz man, we goin’ to the stars. That’s the reason man got such a hard hunger to get out there. We belong out there. This whole thing belongs to us.

It doesn’t belong to the devil; it never has belonged to the devil, and if you’ll quite listenin’ to him you’ll quit stumblin’ over it. Take authority over him. Knock him in the head. Dear Lord. D’you git anything? Let’s praise God for a moment. He’s alive! Glory to God.

Promoting Arrogance And Blasphemy

Men and women, if this man wasn’t a well-repected minister within Pentecostal circles influencing thousands of people one might not pay him any mind. But the truth is Kenneth Copeland inherited the mantle of Kenneth “Dad” Hagin as one of the very top leaders in this Word Faith Movement. In fact, he was a keynote speaker at the Azusa Street Centennial (ASC), which in addition to “Brother” Copeland feaured such Word Faith luminaries as Frederick K.C. Price, Oneness Pentecostal “Bishop” T.D. Jakes, and the ludicrous faith healer Benny Hinn.

No small event the ASC involved “about 150 pastoral and ministry leaders from around the world. Cooperating agencies include the Pentecostal World Fellowship, the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, and numerous other coalition groups and parachurch ministries.” And on the “Assemblies of God (USA) Official Website” we read that it was to be:

An incredible week of celebration and ministry is planned for April 25-29, 2006, in Los Angeles with thousands from around the world expected to attend.

“This is a landmark event,” says Assemblies of God General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask. “What began as a few people desperate to have more of Christ in their lives now impacts the world through 600 million Spirit-filled believers. The Azusa Street Centennial is an event that will be rich with heritage, but also focused on empowering the future.”

Then a little further down the page the reader is informed that if we’d like “more information about this event, the history of the Azusa Street revival, or registration and accommodations, see the Azusa Street Centennial Web site at http://www.azusastreet100.net.” To their shame, this was the forum the AoG helped prepare for Kenneth Copeland to teach this kind of arrogance and blasphemy to God’s people. Sadly, even Jack Hayford also decided to lend his considerable credibility to the ministries of these heretics as well.

So above Kenneth Copeland asks, “D’you git anything?” O yes, “Brother” Copeland unforunately we did. What we got was a pitiful example of an alleged Christian minister and a sad indictment on the current Charismatic/Pentecostal scene that this kind of arrogance and blasphemy is not only tolerated, but encouraged and even promoted no less.

having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:5)

See also:

KENNETH HAGIN AND KENNETH COPELAND: DO REGENERATED CHRISTIANS REALLY TEACH JESUS CHRIST IS A “BORN AGAIN MAN”?