A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
had left classical Pentecostal denominations, including
participants in the post-war healing revivals and the
Latter Rain movement. By the 1970s, it was possible to
identify four distinct streams within the Charismatic
movement.
1. Charismatic Renewal. As we have discussed, this
term refers to the Charismatic movement within the
mainline denominations, Protestant and Catholic. It is
particularly strong within the Episcopal Church and the
Roman Catholic Church. The participants attend
Charismatic prayer meetings, exhibit renewed zeal for
spiritual matters, and enjoy relatively free and spontaneous
worship in contrast to traditional liturgy. They
believe in deliverance, healing, miracles, and gifts of the
Spirit.
2. Faith, Word, or Word of Faith Churches. These
churches developed outside preexisting denominations
and emphasize positive confession, healing, health, and
prosperity.
The acknowledged founder of this stream is Kenneth
Hagin (born 1917), a former AG minister who developed
his own unique theological system. He established Rhema
Bible Training Center in 1974 in Broken Arrow,
Oklahoma, near Tulsa. Since that time his influence and
ministry have mushroomed. By 1988 he had written
eighty-five books, and 180 stations carried his radio program.
Each year, about three million of his books and a
half million of his cassette tapes are distributed. 288
Hagin’s theology owes much to the influence of E. W.
Kenyon (1867-1948), an independent Baptist evangelist
and teacher. 289 For instance, Hagin’s writings contain
many quotations or paraphrases of the earlier writings of
292