Page "Word of Faith" Paragraph 39

The promulgation of this teaching is one of the most contentious doctrines to its critics, who consider it heresy.

Mormon scholar Stephen E. Robinson, whose religion teaches that man can become gods after eons of exaltation, has declared the " little gods " teaching heretical as well.

Conversely, Christianity regards this Mormon teaching as heretical also, and entirely unsupported by the Bible.

Many Evangelical critics have asserted that the teaching is, in fact, cultic ; Hank Hanegraaff, for example, contends the ' little gods ' doctrine is on a par with the teaching of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Jim Jones.

Justin Peters, whose first encounter with Word of Faith doctrine came at the age of 16 when a faith healer " slayed in the spirit " in an attempt to cure his cerebral palsy, states in A Call for Discernment that the reason the Word of Faith movement holds so tenaciously to " health and wealth " tenets is because of the " little gods " teaching: " A god should never be sick, and a god should never be poor.

" In response, Word of Faith defenders have claimed the teaching is simply underscoring the biblical view of the believer's " true identity in Christ ".