"Thank you; and may the Lord continue to give you grace, discernment and courage to continue to be a light pointing the lost to Jesus. I know that you must have paid a tremendous price to tell the truth, but I know that God will richly repay you."

~ Nolvia, From: Plano, Texas

"Thank you! May the Lord continue to give you wisdom, protection and discernment as you show yourselves approved by God, rightly dividing the word of Truth! May the Lord bless you as you continue to teach the only True Jesus-the Savior who came to give us eternal life. As a mom of 3 sons and 6 grandbabies, I understand now more than ever that this message is urgent; I will do what I can to see that everyone I know gets this link! Blessings!" ~ Nolvia, From: Plano, Texas

"I am overjoyed that I've come across your website! You have no idea how these people annoy me whenever I'm flipping through the channels, there they are asking for a 'seed'. They seem to grace the television 24/7. It makes me wonder why people don't question their exceedingly high operating expenses. It's shameful for those who are taken in by such false teaching, rather than go directly to the source, God's word, they believe whatever comes out of the mouths of these deceivers. The reason for this has to be laziness. We are a society that wants everything quick, easy, with little or no effort. The bible says a time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. {2nd Tim. 4:3-4} May God richly bless you and all who believe and search the scriptures daily for God's awesome truth!!! Your sister in Christ!"

~ Laurie Bernardini, From: Framingham, Massachusetts

"Our former pastor used the analogy of “if dogs have little dogs, etc. God took me to a history lesson in Ezekiel to show me what happened the last time men set themselves as 'little gods'. As a soul who was mercifully delivered from this heretical teaching, I am so grateful to God and pray that my brothers and sisters who remain will have their eyes opened to search the Word again and find that they are being led to hell by false prophets whose destruction is not far off. May God bless you as you contend for the faith once delivered to the saints!" ~ Rita Sanders

"Dear Victor Stephens,

I am very grateful for the article (almost book!) you've written on tithing. My heart leaped for joy at the beginning of it because I knew it was confirming what the Lord revealed to me, though, for sure, not with the thoroughness you have presented. My understanding came as I was one day reading the book of Galatians. The Spirit of God just dropped into my spirit the understanding of being set free from the law, and the knowing that tithing was a part of the law. I have written about it from the perspective of NT giving definitely encouraged but being on the basis of what one proposes in his heart to give, what one is able to afford, and being able to give cheerfully. (I'm sure you know the Scriptures regarding these.) Of course this has not been received except for one that I am sure of, but no one will ever be able to convince me contrary to what I know the Lord revealed. I believe the adherence to tithing is what has prospered the harlot church. If God's people could get a hold of this and stop giving to Satan's harlot church system, it would begin to crumble! Anyway, I am very encouraged by your article and intend to send the link to all I know. I have also read about the word-faith people and know this to be true also. The rest of your site is yet to be read but will be. It is a beautiful site and I loved the adorable little sheep and wolf icon! May you be showered with all the blessings He has made available to us!" ~ Louise Switzer

"I thank Jesus for shedding His glorious light on these concerns. He has answered some questions for me today on here. May Jesus continue to use you; to set the Captives free. In faith and Christ Jesus, a fellow servant." ~ Kim

"I just came upon your article. Thanks for posting it on the web and leaving it there for current access. Your site came up when I searched for "Paula White false teacher" in my search engine. She is included in a list of "prominent Christian leaders" participating in a celebration marking the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in North America. (I don't know if the event took place last weekend or will occur this weekend. The sponsoring church website at rockchurch.org is not working on account of bandwidth problems. Perhaps everyone is trying to make seed faith donations at once). The thing that bothers me about that entire endeavor is the opportunity for extreme abuse on behalf of the speakers. To be able to misuse the Bible and history at the same time is especially dangerous. The historical themes of God's leading and the subsequent blessing that has taken place can lead right into false statements about prosperity theology. That in turn leads to a great opportunity to play on the emotion of the historical event to convince people to give large amounts of money to the speakers. You could almost re-title your article "Who's Who on TBN." Through the years I have watched TBN from time to time. The worst part of it is not the fake eyelashes and gaudy wigs but the false theology. The Crouches should really remove the word "trinity" from the network. It is more closely related to toxic than trinity. Some people may come to know the Lord through that programming, by God's grace. However, many struggling Christians suffer as they try to implement various false doctrines in their lives. There are a couple of programs worth watching, but most of it is immersed in false teaching. Thanks for using your time, talents and background to expose these errors. Be encouraged in the Lord today." ~ Stephen Hall, From: Wisconsin

"To me I think those teachers have good intentions as not all they teach is cult. Hope it is a good idea to pray that GOD may lead them in whatever word that comes forth from their mouth." ~ Emmanuel, From: Hiroshima, Japan

TDM: Let's bear in mind that Satan's ministers do not emerge in their authentic form. They are characterized as "wolves in sheep's clothing"; "false apostles masquerading as apostles of Christ and servants of righteousness" (Matt. 7:15; 2 Cor. 11:13-15). Thus, Word-Faith teachers' theology is not entirely void of truth. They teach sound business principles, family values, and many solid ethical principles. Although there is some truth to Word-Faith teachings with corresponding benefits, carefully and cleverly incorporated within these truths are many falsehoods. Their teachings on faith, their perspective of God and Jesus; their atonement theology, and their health and wealth doctrine are a far cry from what the Bible actually teaches. Many people (including myself) as well as a number of pastors have attempted to contact and correct these individuals. They refuse correction, however, and persist in teaching false doctrine. Thus, no matter how attractive and charismatic they may sound, they certainly qualify as false teachers and heretics. We should pray that they will allow God to change their hearts and begin to teach sound biblical doctrine.

"I have read the articles on your website and am so glad to see someone who declares the TRUTH! I, too, have come out of a Word of Faith church and it was very painful. God bless you and your efforts. A fellow Berean...." ~ Paula Huskey, From: Forrest City, Arkansas

"I just finished reading your article on the Word/faith people. Although I was pretty much "raised" on the teachings of these false apostles, I have not subscribed to their teachings for years. But I did not realize the depth of their blasphemy! In reading your well documented writing I have learned a lot. I see that their poison has even invaded others who are opposed to and teach against the word/faith movement. I guess it's just that deception is everywhere and without the Word and the Spirit to guide us we are in big trouble!! I greatly appreciate all that has gone into what you've presented on your site. I know how much time research takes, plus presenting it in an organized and clear way for those it is meant to benefit. Many, many thanks!! Blessings!"

~ Louise Switzer

"I have not really had much time to go through your writings but I think you should spend more time studying the scriptures as you have said you do. The account in Genesis about God rejecting Cain's offering because it was possibly scraps was wrong. God told me sin lies at your door. When you study the bible in context you will find that the reference was that he was to bring the right type of sacrifice - a blood offering. God had an animal killed to provide a covering for their parents (Adam & Eve). That knowledge had been passed onto the children who ought to have done the right thing. I'll stop there for now. For many folks who have experienced God when faced with hopeless situations and had those situations turned around by faith filled messages from some of these Pastors who you are quick to malign, they know better." ~ Paul Papa, From: United Kingdom

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TDM: In regard to Abel and Cain's offerings, your interpretation that God required a blood sacrifice is a commonly held viewpoint. Some church leaders allege that Abel's offering was a tithe. Both of these interpretations are incorrect. The scriptural text specifically signifies Abel's offering as a firstfruits tribute (firstfruits are not the same as tithes), whereas there is no such comment in reference to Cain's offering. Furthermore, the Hebrew terms "hatta't", meaning sin offering, and "kpr", meaning atonement, are not used in the text. For a more in-depth analysis, please read my recent article, "The Offerings of Cain and Abel". 

In reference to Word-Faith teachers, they do not embrace total doctrinal deviations; thus some people will reap some rewards from their messages. However, to the discerning eye, it is evident that Word-Faith advocates have faltered in their use of proper biblical exegesis... leading to a miscarriage of doctrinal purity. Their established position on faith, their perspective of our heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ; their atonement theology, and their health and wealth doctrine greatly digresses from the veracity of scripture. It is not the Lord's will that His people consume this mixture of truth and falsehood. In reality, this is a common tactic employed by Satan and his ministers.

"Excellent write up. The Holy Spirit indeed bears witness. I had been preaching this for months and I am amazed that what you wrote is exactly what the spirit of God had been ministering to me. My wife and I rebutted our pastor barely 3 weeks ago and ever since, we have seen a bad side of the pastor and his wife. We are basically looked upon as outcasts doomed for hell. Please continue to feed us with these scripturally sound exposures of these false teachers." ~ Unknown

"Superb analysis...lacking in nothing! Truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. A sad state of affairs for "the Church" as we know it in these last days; despite Christ's warning that these things would come before his return! Well done thou good and faithful servant. May Christ bless you for your courage and daring to espouse the TRUTH! A brother in Christ..." ~ Shawn T. Carson

"I read with interest your website and the issues there especially the one on Word-Faith teachers and tithing. I would like to pass some comments as well as ask you some questions. You've well-argued points about the issues you've raised about Word-Faith teachers. Where then would one find the truth that you've and be nurtured in it? Do you have church establishments throughout the world? My second question is: Would there be anything wrong if one were to personally choose to give a tithe whether or not this was taught in church? What about the people who have been saved and have come to know Jesus under the WF teachers? And those who have been healed through being prayed for by the WF teachers? And the several criminals in prisons that I've seen give their lives to Jesus after being preached to by the WF teachers? I'm from Africa where the scourge of AIDS and poverty is unparalleled. Wouldn't the people actual be needing the messages from the WF teachers? How do you get poor people like us to believe that poverty is not a curse from God? The other point is that the WF teachers are not the only ones who claim to have the true gospel. The Protestants, the Catholics, the Pentecostals, the Christian Science all claim to be the ones having the true gospel and usually have biblical scriptures to support their claim. But my question would still be: What about the millions who have been saved (some have even passed on) under the WF teachers' doctrine, because certainly most of these teachers teach about Jesus Christ of the Bible, our Lord, Savior and Son of God. Surely these people would need to be shepherded by a church which has the truth then. And my question comes back: Is there a church like that anywhere in the world where these people would go to when they depart from the WF teachers? Thank you." ~ Hlanganani Tutu, From: Africa

"Dear brother in the Lord,

I stumbled upon your website last week while visiting a site that I frequent regularly (www.apostasywatch.com). I wanted to tell you that it's good to see someone besides myself digging into the scriptures, particularly the Old Testament to see exactly what the Word of God says concerning things in the law, particularly tithes. I just could not believe that all these years I had heard erroneous teaching. Needless to say, I don't listen to any of them anymore, especially anyone who's on TBN. The thing that blows my mind is how can someone be so lazy as to just accept what someone thinks is right and not challenge it, and then teach it to millions like it's correct? (i.e. the "little gods doctrine") Do any of these guys know what a Lexicon is? I let my wife read some of the quotes in your article on Word of Faith and she asked me, "Who's the guy that wrote this article? What's his story?" So the next day, I visited your site again and looked at the bio you had on there. When I saw that you attended Creflo Dollar's church for 4 years, I told my wife, "this guy was in the middle of these things (Word of Faith/Prosperity message) just like I was. I did attend one service at World Changers, but my home church from 1988 - 2002 was/is pastored by Leroy Thompson, Sr. He's the one that started this whole "money cometh" thing (pull the lever and all that stuff). I'm glad I'm free from that bondage. I've looked back at some of his quotes and he gleaned a lot of material from the infamous Rev. Ike. (the very one he warned us about in the early '80's) Keep up the good work and don't let anyone discourage you. There's no greater feeling than when you've uncovered the TRUTH of God's word for yourself." ~ Michael Hernandez, From: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"Hello Victor,

I just want to tell you that I really enjoyed reading your article on tithing. It has been a subject of uncertainty for me for quite some time now. Thanks to you I feel as though I have much more in depth knowledge on this issue. It is obvious the time that you have devoted to your research."  ~ Carole Rapuana, From: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"Hello Victor,

Thank you for your website. I found it very informative and will share it with people who need to know about these false teachings. I have always been wary of this kind of teaching which always appeared to me to be unbiblical. Sadly, some folks are drawn to 'signs and wonders' which appeal to the carnal side of human nature whereas self-discipline requires more commitment and real dependence on God and reliance on Jesus' sacrifice for us. I also looked at your site relating to abortion. I abhor abortion. How can it be right even in a human sense to kill unborn babies. I used to think ok I would never have an abortion when God showed me it was wrong, but I didn't have the right to stop someone else doing it, not my business. Then God showed me (a number of years ago) Proverbs Chapter 24, Verse 11 & 12. After that I couldn't say it was none of my business and I set about telling anyone who would listen. Thanks again for your website." ~ Lynn Metcalfe, From: United Kingdom

"Hey Stupid,

Only you are the wolves among the sheep. Get lost!" ~ Viju Vinod Kanna

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TDM: For some individuals, it is easier to provide an irate emotional response, resort to name calling, and ignore the facts rather than submit solid scriptural evidence to support their position or allegation.

"Thank you for your research and honesty on this movement. I am sharing this link on my webblog." 

~ Dr. Dwight Easler, Pastor: Corinth Baptist Church, From: Graffney, South Carolina

"Thank you for the time and effort you have put into building this site and exposing some of the wolves. I have done this time and time again on different forums. I am on and have been flamed mercilessly. How can people be such fools? Be Blessed." 

~ Jim Wright

"Wow! I hope you stick my picture and name and teachings on your website, I know that I'd be in good company with all my fellow Pentecostal servants of GOD." ~ Joseph Krautheim

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TDM: Servants of Satan is a more accurate description of the individuals you reference. Rather than claiming that you are in "good company", I would state that you are in like company with your fellow servants of darkness since darkness has much in common with darkness. You are obviously one of Satan's ministers who is carousing in his own duplicity. Please feel free to forward a picture.

"Good job brother on the tithing teaching. Everyone in the Body of Christ needs to hear it. God Bless." ~ George Price

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