Post by rick on Mar 27, 2006 10:06:16 GMT -5
[HH continued...page198]
Incidentally, don't ever think of sending Roberts money and then later changing your mind. If you do, saving Roberts's life may be the worst of your worries. Consider these chilling words Roberts uttered during a recent conference:
While Roberts may try to sanitize his seed-faith tactic by surrounding it with Scripture, his theology remains strikingly similar to that of one well-known metaphysical/prosperity cult - the Unity School of Christianity. In fact, the reasoning Roberts employs directly reflects the reasoning used by Unity's co-founder, Charles Fillmore. 24
Although Roberts claims that his seed-faith theology came directly from Jesus, at least one of the devotionals from his Guide to Seed-Faith Living came from the Unity School of Christianity. 25 The material might be cultic, but at least Roberts had the decency to give credit where credit was due.
[page 201]
The "Point of Contact" Pitch
Oral Roberts once referred to the "point of contact" as the "greatest discovery" he had ever made. 35 And well he should! In conjunction with the seed-faith strategy, Roberts has used this tactic to raise money more than Tetzel ever dreamed of. Others have also done the same.
Robert Tilton, who describes the point of contact as a link of faith with his partners, has built a financial empire based on this tactic. In mailing after mailing, he claims the Holy Spirit is directing him in the use of this method. In a 1990 mailout to his partners, Tilton says that God told him to send them a green prayer cloth as a point of contact. 36 He then instructs his partners to -
Tilton then urges his readers to "seed out of their need." The greater the sacrifice, the greater the return. Tilton goes on to coax people to strike while the iron is hot. As he puts it, "Please respond quickly while the anointing is hot and flowing. 38
[page 203]
The faith teachers inevitably use the Scriptures to make their tactics seem spiritual. Oral Roberts, for example, derived one of his point-of-contact strategies directly from the book of Acts. When Roberts discovered that people were healed by Peter's passing shadow, he decided that people could have their needs met by his passing shadow as well. As the story goes, at first Oral and Richard could not figure out how to use their shadows as a point of contact for their partners, since it was impossible to walk by all of them personally. So they began to pray in the Spirit, and sure enough God gave them a solution. 43
God told Roberts to have a photographer take a picture of him and his son praying for the needs of their partners. Then Roberts got some specific instructions "straight from Jesus" to give to this partners. 43
First, Jesus told the partners to take Oral and Richard seriously as "God's co-evangelists...who dream dreams and see visions...Write down what you feel led for us to pray for...This will help us pray SPECIFICALLY when we bring YOUR NAME to the Lord." 44
Next, Jesus instructed the partners to "place a love gift of Seed-Faith upon the prayer sheet right on top of your needs." 45
Then Jesus unveiled an ingenious plan! He instructed Roberts's partners to take the picture of Oral and Richard "AND HOLD IT OVER the prayer sheet and your Seed-Faith gift so that the shadow of the picture COVERS THE ENTIRE SHEET." According to Jesus, this "becomes the point of contact for you to loose your faith." 46
Roberts's Jesus, however, saved His most creative instructions for last. He suggested that the partners fold the prayer sheet and the seed-faith gift together to symbolize their union with Oral and Richard. They were instructed to "Send it back to Richard and me[Oral] today, if possible, so that he and I can immediately unfold it AND OUR SHADOW CAN PASS OVER YOUR NAME AND NEEDS ON YOUR PRAYER SHEET." 47
According to Oral and Richard, Jesus also wanted to make sure that the partners kept "the praying picture" as a "personal reminder that Richard and I [Oral] - co-evangelists of God's healing power - are praying for you daily." 48
Roberts ends his letter by warning his partners that "skeptics may criticize something scriptural like this." 49 On this point Oral finally is correct.
[I'm trying to gather myself after this one and to contain my laughter. No surprise: there is more to come]
Incidentally, don't ever think of sending Roberts money and then later changing your mind. If you do, saving Roberts's life may be the worst of your worries. Consider these chilling words Roberts uttered during a recent conference:
Someone will be watching the ministry on the air, who promised a large sum [of money] to God. And you act like you have given it, but you did not pay it. Your are so close to lying to the Holy Ghost, that within days you will be dead unless you pay the price God said. And somebody here is getting the message. Your on the edge of lying to the Holy Ghost. Don't lie to the Holy Ghost. The prophet has spoken.23
While Roberts may try to sanitize his seed-faith tactic by surrounding it with Scripture, his theology remains strikingly similar to that of one well-known metaphysical/prosperity cult - the Unity School of Christianity. In fact, the reasoning Roberts employs directly reflects the reasoning used by Unity's co-founder, Charles Fillmore. 24
Although Roberts claims that his seed-faith theology came directly from Jesus, at least one of the devotionals from his Guide to Seed-Faith Living came from the Unity School of Christianity. 25 The material might be cultic, but at least Roberts had the decency to give credit where credit was due.
[page 201]
The "Point of Contact" Pitch
Oral Roberts once referred to the "point of contact" as the "greatest discovery" he had ever made. 35 And well he should! In conjunction with the seed-faith strategy, Roberts has used this tactic to raise money more than Tetzel ever dreamed of. Others have also done the same.
Robert Tilton, who describes the point of contact as a link of faith with his partners, has built a financial empire based on this tactic. In mailing after mailing, he claims the Holy Spirit is directing him in the use of this method. In a 1990 mailout to his partners, Tilton says that God told him to send them a green prayer cloth as a point of contact. 36 He then instructs his partners to -
*take the prayer cloth, hold it in their right hand and pray for a release of "POWER to create wealth."
*fill out a "Power to Create Wealth" personal reply sheet.
*send lots of money, or as he puts it, "Sow your very best seed!" 37
Tilton then urges his readers to "seed out of their need." The greater the sacrifice, the greater the return. Tilton goes on to coax people to strike while the iron is hot. As he puts it, "Please respond quickly while the anointing is hot and flowing. 38
[page 203]
The faith teachers inevitably use the Scriptures to make their tactics seem spiritual. Oral Roberts, for example, derived one of his point-of-contact strategies directly from the book of Acts. When Roberts discovered that people were healed by Peter's passing shadow, he decided that people could have their needs met by his passing shadow as well. As the story goes, at first Oral and Richard could not figure out how to use their shadows as a point of contact for their partners, since it was impossible to walk by all of them personally. So they began to pray in the Spirit, and sure enough God gave them a solution. 43
God told Roberts to have a photographer take a picture of him and his son praying for the needs of their partners. Then Roberts got some specific instructions "straight from Jesus" to give to this partners. 43
First, Jesus told the partners to take Oral and Richard seriously as "God's co-evangelists...who dream dreams and see visions...Write down what you feel led for us to pray for...This will help us pray SPECIFICALLY when we bring YOUR NAME to the Lord." 44
Next, Jesus instructed the partners to "place a love gift of Seed-Faith upon the prayer sheet right on top of your needs." 45
Then Jesus unveiled an ingenious plan! He instructed Roberts's partners to take the picture of Oral and Richard "AND HOLD IT OVER the prayer sheet and your Seed-Faith gift so that the shadow of the picture COVERS THE ENTIRE SHEET." According to Jesus, this "becomes the point of contact for you to loose your faith." 46
Roberts's Jesus, however, saved His most creative instructions for last. He suggested that the partners fold the prayer sheet and the seed-faith gift together to symbolize their union with Oral and Richard. They were instructed to "Send it back to Richard and me[Oral] today, if possible, so that he and I can immediately unfold it AND OUR SHADOW CAN PASS OVER YOUR NAME AND NEEDS ON YOUR PRAYER SHEET." 47
According to Oral and Richard, Jesus also wanted to make sure that the partners kept "the praying picture" as a "personal reminder that Richard and I [Oral] - co-evangelists of God's healing power - are praying for you daily." 48
Roberts ends his letter by warning his partners that "skeptics may criticize something scriptural like this." 49 On this point Oral finally is correct.
[I'm trying to gather myself after this one and to contain my laughter. No surprise: there is more to come]