Truth Magazine

By Daniel W. Petty

Alpha Rex Humbard, born in 1919 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and raised mostly in Hot Springs, grew up in a family of itinerant Pentecostal evangelists. As a child, Rex traveled regularly with the family, singing and playing the guitar in the family’s evangelistic performances. After graduation from high school, Rex joined his father’s team, promoting their tent meetings from radio stations along the revival circuit. When his son Rex, Jr. was apparently healed in an early Oral Roberts campaign in Mobile, Alabama, Humbard bought an old Roberts tent to launch his own ministry. According to his autobiography, Miracles in My Life (Revell, 197 1), he had experienced a conversion experience at age fourteen, and one day shortly thereafter had watched the “big top” of a Ringling Brothers’ circus go up in Hot Springs, thus receiving his inspiration some day to get a big tent like that for preaching the gospel.

In 1952 Humbard decided to base his ministry in Akron, Ohio, establishing the Calvary Temple in a former theater. While televising Sunday services, Humbard worked toward a larger ministry. The Cathedral of Tomorrow, completed in 1958, is a futuristic edifice with glass and marble walls and domed roof, designed with TV in mind. By 1970, Sunday services were carried on 225 stations nationwide. By 1980, his show commanded an audience of over 2.4 million. The program has been broadcast in at least seven languages in 18 foreign countries, through some 400 TV and shortwave radio stations. In 1973, the Humbard ministry faced extreme financial difficulties, but by the end of the 70’s had weathered the storm.

Humbard was raised Pentecostal, but his ministry has consistently been nondenominational. Lacking any formal education, Rex was ordained by his father and licensed by the International Ministerial Federation. He believes in the regeneration of the Holy Spirit and divine healing. His program includes testimony to the healing powers of Humbard, given through the reading of letters from viewers. Humbard’s appeal is to the common man, and he is not one given to deep theology or controversy.

In addition to Humbard’s autobiography, information on Humbard can be found in Prime Time Preachers, by Jeffrey K. Hadden and Charles E. Swann (1981); and David Edwin Harrell, All Things Are Possible (1975).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, p. 366
June 18, 1987

By Steve Wolfgang

The fastest-growing “televangelism ministry” in the United States today belongs to Jimmy Swaggart. His 270-acre complex in Baton Rouge, LA, includes his million-dollar home, a 7,000-seat church, a state-of-the art television production studio, a 15,000-square-foot printing/mailing operation employing more than 1,000 people, and a 1000-student which will Bible college (which received 18,000 applications for the initial class of 400 students). According to Arbitron,

“The Jimmy Swaggart Hour” TV program reaches more than 2 million households; Newsweek recently reported his 1986 revenues at $142 million.

Not bad for a small-town boy (born in the one stoplight hamlet of Ferriday, LA). That Swaggart has sold more than 15 million “gospel” record albums is not surprising, since he grew up with his cousins, rock ‘n’ roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley.

Swaggart, like Jim Bakker, is a member of the “Assemblies of God,” supposedly the fastest-growing American religious denomination. In fact, it was evidently Swaggart who first called attention to Bakker’s adultery with Jessica Hahn which has been so widely-reported in the news media recently. The Assemblies of God, with headquarters, publishing enterprises, and a seminary all located in Springfield, MO, consist of 10,866 congregatoins; during the last decade, they averaged 332 new congregations each year, but that growth has produced some internal tensions.

According to Martin E. Marty, church historian from the University of Chicago, there are “two separate movements” within the Assemblies of God, which have typically been handled by often having two congregations in the same town. “In one, there are pickup trucks in the parking lot and handbills advertising square dances on the bulletin board,” says Marty; “At the other, there are Oldsmobiles and the people go to weekend retreats on how to make money.” Observers of both Swaggart and Bakker can easily tell who might appeal to which subgroup. As anyone who has observed both can verify, “they appeal to very different segments within that denomination” (as sociologist of religion Jeffrey K. Hadden of the University of Virginia recently commented).

Doctrinally, the Assemblies affirm sixteen “fundamental truths” in their creed, including “Unity of One Being in Father Son, and Holy Ghost,” “Water Baptism,” “Baptism in the Holy Ghost,” “Sanctification,” “Divine Healing,” and “The Millennial Reign of Christ” (an earthly reign following the “rapture” which will “bring the salvation of national Israel”).

Swaggart began as a street preacher in Mangham, Louisiana at age 19 (a passing patrolman commented, “Son, you’ve got the fire”). He soon moved into small Pentecostal churches; after about twelve years he began to conduct his “crusades” in the city-wide auditoriums of large, metropolitan areas. His first radio broadcast on an Atlanta station in January 1969 launched his entry into media evangelism. The growth of his organization was accompanied by the production of a slick, fullcolor 36-page monthly magazine, The Evangelist, sent into about 700,000 homes. The Swaggart organization has spread to include overseas branch offices in Brazil, Chile, Central America, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Swaggart’s main growth, however, has been through television. In his own words, “That’s when it exploded… some people say that Jimmy Swaggart and television were made for each other.” Whether that is true or not, there is no doubting sociologist Hadden’s assessment that “Swaggart has the fastest growing audience of them all this past decade.” Swaggart’s aggressive attacks on immorality and his willingness to take unpopular positions have no doubt contributed to his distinctive message in a vast sea of health-and-wealth hucksters preaching a gospel of prosperity. Truly, he would appear to the “rising star” of television evangelists.

Sources

David Edwin Harrell, AM Things Are Possible., The Healing and Charismatic Revivals in Modern America (1975); The Evangelist: Voice of the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries 13:9 (September, 1981; “Special 25th Anniversary Edition”); William W. Menzies, Anointed To Serve. The Story of The Assemblies of God (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1971); issues of Time, Newsweek, and US News for April 6, 1987.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, p. 361
June 18, 1987

By Daniel W. Petty

Ernest Angley was born and reared in rural North Carolina in the Charlotte area. Angley’s family was Baptist by denominational affiliation, and he was raised in the Baptist church. He believed that he experienced a “born-again” experience at eighteen years of age, and a few months later left the Charlotte area to attend a southern Bible college. In addition to this experience of conversion, Angley also believes that when he was seven, God showed him millions of stars and told him how many souls he would win for Christ.

Angley and his wife Esther (“Angel”) spent several years as traveling evangelists before settling down in Akron, Ohio in 1954. They began to build Grace Cathedral in 1957, and the membership of Angley’s church today is reported to be over 6000. Angley holds “Miracle and Salvation” crusades across the US and in other countries.

Though raised a Baptist, Angley claims no denominational affiliation. The bimonthly publication of Grace Cathedral, The Power of the Holy Ghost, published since the mid-1950’s, states that the church is “strictly interdenominational.” This magazine, as well as Angley’s TV ministry, begun in 1973, strongly emphasizes miraculous healing. His programs, “The Ernest Angley Hour” and “The Ninety and Nine Club,” feature healings videotaped during his “Miracle and Salvation” crusades. He often puts his hand up to the camera and invites the TV audience to put their hand on their television for healing. A typical edition of his magazine will consist of testimonials of those healed by Angley, and a scattering of articles or sermons teaching a doctrine of physical healing or premillennialism.

Angley performs before a galaxy of stars on a deep blue background. The most flamboyant of healers, he has been called the “lunatic fringe” of religious broadcasting. He sees demons leaving the bodies of the healed, and angels by his side at healing services.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, p. 369
June 18, 1987

By Wilson Adams

In Matthew 19:23 Jesus discusses the perils of prosperity by saying, “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” I’ve never really had trouble with that verse because I’ve always laid its application on the backs of the Rockefellers, the Kennedys, the Malcomb Forbes of society – you know, the Fortune 500 guys, the real money people. I’m not sure anymore. The more I think about it the more I am convinced that Jesus was essentially talking to me – and you (if you maintain the average middle-class American lifestyle). By the world’s standard of measurement we give a new definition to the concept of prosperity. We make more money in a week than much of the world makes in a year. We have homes, and cars, and the latest gadgets of our modem technological age. And what we can’t pay for we “charge” to a standard of living that is exceedingly expensive. Ali of this makes me take a fresh look at the Master’s warning. Maybe you should, too.

The Bible has much to say about money matters because in God’s eyes money matters. How am I to view my prosperity? Should I pray for financial success? What about the wealthy wicked? Does the providential promise of Romans 8:28 include my monetary pursuits? – all are probing questions and real questions that constantly confront the Christian.

Prayer and Prosperity

God answers prayer. I believe that, preach it and have seen it happen. The question is: What should we pray for? It should be obvious that if we are told to pray for something then surely God will be involved in that area of our interest. Scripture teaches us that we should pray for our spiritual needs, our health (2 Jn. 2), our safety (Rom. 1:9-10), the necessities of life (Matt. 6:11) and our national leaders (1 Tim. 2:2) – to name only a few. But should I pray for God’s blessings in the area of my business or financial prosperity? Well, I do and I think you should, too. (I once heard a preacher say that if you are involved in an area of activity that you cannot pray about, then you had better quit it. Now that’s a point worth pondering!)

Here is the passage: James 4:13-15. It says,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. ” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow… Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”

“This” or “that” what? He is talking about buying and selling and receiving financial profit. And just what is the point of the passage? Rather than say, “I’m going to do this. . . ” or “I’m going to accomplish that . . .” – we must recognize that God is involved in our business activities and that it is not all our own doing. “But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil” (v. 16).

What about you? When you make business plans and monetary goals do you strike out on your own or do you ask for God’s blessing and will to be accomplished? And when you have prospered and fared well financially, do you take the credit or do you take your thanksgiving to the Throne? It’s a potent passage.

I’m a firm believer that we should pray for the Lord to make us successful in all that we do. (Nehemiah understood the point when he prayed, “O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant . . . and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man” [1: 11]. Nehemiah knew he could not have success in his rebuilding plans without the approval of the Persian potentate. Thus, he prayed for God to give him success as he presented his request before the King.) So it is with us. If I am going to find success with my family and the raising of my children in a wicked world, then I must have God’s help. If I am going to experience success in reaching and teaching the lost, I need divine aid. And, if I am going to have success in the financial market place, I need the Lord’s favor. Do you know what prayer really is? Prayer (among other things) is our asking for God’s providence (“providing”) in the areas for which we have prayed, conditioned upon His approval and will. And that brings up another question:

Will God Give Me Everything I Pray For?

Will God answer my every prayer? Yes! Will God give me everything I pray for? No! Here surfaces the problem. of the TV preacher. The TV kings of the electronic evangelistic circuit answer “yes” to both questions upon the condition that you include them in your financial future. (Doesn’t this sound like the old “Send me $10 and I’ll send you my secret on ‘How To Make A Million… scam? It sure looks suspicious to me . . . . )

A reading of passages like Psalms 5:12; 37:25; Matthew 6:25-33 and a host of others leaves one inescapable conclusion: God has promised to provide the needs of the righteous. That says three things:

1. God has promised to provide the needs of the righteous. The Bible doesn’t say, “Well, maybe God will provide . . .” It says, “Seek first His kindgom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.” And look at Romans 8:28, too. That sounds like a sure thing.

2. God has promised to provide the needs of the righteous. The wicked have no such guarantee (Isa. 59:1-2).

3. God has promised to provide the needs of the righteous. Here is where the rubber of “TV theology” meets the road of reality. Yes, God will provide our needs as he defines them. Herein is the greatest problem area in dealing with the question of the Christian and his prosperity. It’s up to God to define needs – not us! Often times we think we need what we really don’t need. For example, I take my little five year old to K-Mart and he sees the Tonka trucks and the G.I. Joe action figures and he says, “Dad, I want that! ” And, like every good father will do, I give him the daddy-can’t-give-you-everything-you-want-but-only-what-you-need little talk – and then, do you know what he says? He says, “O.K. dad, then I need that!” (You’ve been there, right?) Do you know that that is exactly what we do to the Lord? We just seem to want and/or need everything. Get the point: God will give us what we need (not always what we want) with the understanding that he defines our “needs” and not we ourselves.

And here are two other points worth our consideration: (1) My needs may not be my needs because it may not be the best for me. When I buy my kids a giant slurpee at the corner convenience store and five minutes later they want (excuse me, “need”) a snow cone from the ice-cream man, I refuse. And why? Because I know that it’s not best for them. In the same way I may pray, “Lord, I need to get this job promotion” or “I need to be more prosperous than I am” – God will answer that prayer but His answer may be “No” because He knows that greater financial prosperity may not be the best thing for me. Material prosperity is not always the best for people (1 Cor. 1:26). Some can handle it, others cannot. God knows what I need and He will provide according to his wisdom. And, (2) My needs may not be my needs because it may not be the best for others. I need to realize that God doesn’t work just for me. What I want may not be in the best interest of my family, my brother or somebody else that God cares for, too. (There is a lot to consider, here.)

What About The Wealthy Wicked?

That was the question that Asaph asked in Psalm 73. He said, “My feet came close to stumbling when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3). Asaph’s faith was on thin ice. He said, “Hey, God, whose side are you on?” “Why are you blessing all these rich sinners?” God never answered his question. What He did do was to show the psalmist that while the wicked may seem to have an easier time on the road of life, the fact remains that they are going in the wrong direction I They are basking in the sunshine on the deck of the Titanic. They may have health, wealth, and worldly success but they don’t have God, and thus they don’t have anything.

When I pondered to understand this,

It was troublesome in my sight.

Until I came into the sanctuary of God;

Then I perceived their end (73:16-17).

I may not understand why God blesses the wealthy wicked but I do understand one thing: I know that I wouldn’t want every millionaire in America to go broke – would you? (Seems like that happened once before.) It may just be that God is blessing all the rich sinners so that through them He can bless me and give me what I need to maintain a comfortable life.

What Have We Really Said?

Does God want His children to prosper financially? (I certainly couldn’t give a sweeping “no” to that question – could you?) It looks to me like one of those “Yes, but . . . maybe” questions. Yes, God would like us to prosper financially but, maybe He says “No” to too much too soon because in His wisdom it’s not the best for us. He may bless some in more generous financial ways seeing that they can handle it better than others. On the other hand, He may choose to withhold financial blessings from some to see if their faith can be loyal while their pocketbook is lacking. (Now does that mean that such a person is any less righteous than the other guy? The book of Job answers that one.) Truthfully, I don’t know what God always does. A better question would be: Does God want what’s best for His children?” I do know the answer to that and it is an unequivocal: Yes! And what is best for His children may not always be financial prosperity. But that’s God’s decision and not the decision of the “plug in preachers.”

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, pp. 370-371
June 18, 1987