How Gnosticism entered Pentecostalism

Judith Matta, an expert in Gnostic origins and the author of “The Christian response to Gnosticisms Charismatic Heresies” traced the entry of Gnosticisms into Pentecostalism as below:

In 1875, Mary Baker published science and health, thus launching the Christian Science sect. Baker had adopted many of the early Gnostic concepts in her writings which included the denial of the reality of illness (many Pentecostals today believe that sickness is a sin and others say it is not real)

One of the early converts to Christian Science, and a member of the Mother church (of Christian Science) from 1903 until his death was Dr C.W Emerson. He founded a college in Boston called, Emerson school of Oratory. One of his students E.W Kenyon picked up some of the Gnostic concepts and incorporated them into his own writings later on.

The words “Word of faith” and Revelation knowledge” are found through out Kenyon’s books, Positive confession and rhetoric are also common, he also expound certain aspects of the authority of a believer.

Kenyon claimed that since God is spiritual, it is impossible to understand God or spiritual truth without special revelation. He fell in the Gnostic trap of denying reason claiming that the “revelation of knowledge” by pass our senses and speaks directly to our spirit. People who fall in this cultic trick (like the Pentecostals) become the standard of there own truth with that so called “special revelation” or “knowledge”

Kenyon met his death in 1948, but a young Pentecostal man who was hungry for the super natural and self exaltation - Kenneth Hagin, carried on his teachings.

Hagin praises Kenyon to the skies in one of his books, “The Name Jesus” and confess his deep indebt ness to him. Hagin later passed on these teachings to Kenneth Copeland through Charles Capps, Jerry Savelle and others.7

You should remember that every thing mentioned about Gnostics so far, is also in Pentecostalism, worse still, none of them is biblical. It was Satan’s master plan to introduce these ideas in order to take many to hell.

Hagin in the introduction to one of older editions of his “Art of intercession”, he describes a visit from Christ to him. He said that Jesus Christ came into Hagin’s room, sat down and talked for about an hour and a half. During this visit, the supposed Jesus Christ gave him a startling “revelation” that ‘ All the theologians in the world who taught that God was in absolute control of all things were wrong’ Hagin claims, ‘God is not ruling in this world… and God can not do anything unless some body down here asks him’.

Satan wants to be in control of the whole world, he there fore tries to downplay the role of God, Satan was simply telling Hagin that God does not control the world, and thus it is him (Satan) in control. The being which visited Hagin also forgot that God had already given us verses in the Bible which contradicts the teaching it was handing down to Pentecostals; for example

“What the lord pleases, He does in heaven and on earth” psalms 135:6
“That the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men…” Daniel 4:7

When the being visited Hagin the seventh time, it told him not to pray for his needs but to command the angles to get them. The being again revealed its true colours, (that it is satanic) by going against the words of Christ who told us to pray for our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Further references
7 Roger L Smalling and D, Min, The Prosperity movement, The wounded charismatic’s