From: Richardleeevange@aol.com

Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 18:56:30

To: WalterMartin@mail.serve.com

Subject: Re: WM: Trials and tribulations 2

In a message dated 2/17/00 2:21:27 PM Pacific Standard Time,

jwcastil@utmb.edu writes:

<< Paul has shown that to us with his thorn in the flesh, how he relied more on God's grace for his weakness. And there is no documentation that he ever got healed. And we have countless testimonies like his through the centuries. A Christian may die poor or sick, but we can be assured that his blessings which matter FAR MORE than material blessings or physical healing-- will be in HEAVEN. Peter in his epistles used this truth to comfort the persecuted Christians. And yes, persecution is the same a trial as illness or poverty, and we can apply Peter's words to the latter two as well. What I want to know is if WOF teachers stress this ALL-IMPORTANT truth, with EQUAL or even more emphasis than material blessings and physical healing. >>

Jaime,

I agree totally with your concerns here. My experience in observing WOF teachers over the years, like Casey Treat from Seattle where I come from, is that they DON'T stress this at all, but if fact draw in larger crowds because of the material blessings and health message. This gospel doesn't work in India or Bangladesh. Deliverance from pain, suffering, and even poverty is a part of Christ's message of hope (see Luke 4) but that good news is carried out through his people, the church. For example, deliverance from poverty in the early church was via sharing possessions, not hoarding them like the WOF movement SEEMS to encourage implicitly. Financial prosperity does come to some, but as a result of hard work and wisdom, NOT from God pouring out His bucket-o-blessings as a result of "seeding" your gift to Fred Price or Oral Roberts, or any other WOF teacher. If the seed faith doctrine were true, why don't the WOF teachers seed a gift to the poor people on their mailing lists so they would never have to ask for money again??? It never seems to work that way. Again, I'm not against people prospering financially, IF its a result of hard work and if they remember the poor. Boasting about gain is sin. Godliness with contentment is great gain. See 1 Timothy 6:5-10. This does not sound like the WOF message is biblical to me at all. Any more observations from anyone?

Richard