Kenneth Erwin Hagin (August 20, 1917 - September 19, 2003) was an influential American Pentecostal preacher. He is often referred to as the "father" (or "granddaddy of the "Word of Faith" movement. Many of his followers often refer to him affectionately as "Dad Hagin", "Pappa Hagin" and more commonly "Brother Hagin".

Beginning to preach

According to Hagin's testimony, he was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and what was believed to be an incurable blood disease. He related that he was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life. He also claimed that he was raised from a deathbed on August 8, 1934 by "the revelation of faith in God's Word"

Two years later he preached his first sermon as the pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas, 9 miles (14 km) from McKinney. During the next twelve years he pastored five Assemblies of God churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, Texas, and Van.[1]


Establishing a faith-based organization

Hagin began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist in 1949. Hagin was at this time also given full admission to the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (also known as the FGBMFI) which had been established in 1951. He was also a part of the Voice of Healing Revival in the U.S. in the 40s and 50s together with Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay and T. L. Osborn. In 1963, Kenneth E. Hagin Evangelistic Association was incorporated, and the offices of the ministry moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1966. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio — on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth Wayne Hagin, is also heard on the program.

Since its inception in 1963, his organization grew to include numerous media outreaches and ministries. These are:

Faith Library Publications – with 65 million book copies in circulation

"RHEMA Praise" – a weekly television program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network
"Faith Seminar of the Air" – a radio program heard on many stations nationwide and on the Internet
"The Word of Faith" – a free monthly magazine with roughly 600,000 subscribers
crusades conducted throughout the nation
RHEMA Correspondence Bible School
the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center, located on the Rhema campus in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

In 1974, Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training College USA, which now has training centers in fourteen different countries and has 30,000 alumni. In 1979, he founded the Prayer and Healing Center there to provide a place for the sick to come to "have the opportunity to build their faith." Its Healing School continues to be held free of charge twice daily on the RHEMA campus.

Theology

The Statement of faith of Hagin's Rhema Bible Training College is identical to that of the Assemblies of God and most other major Pentecostal denominations. (Rhema Bible Training College Information Pamphlet; 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God) Additionally, as mentioned above, some of Hagin's theological beliefs and teachings were similar to those of E.W. Kenyon. For example:

Physical Healing: It is always God's will that a believer be physically healed of any sickness or infirmity. (Luke 5:13; 1 Pet 2:24). Hagin based the belief of healing for all on the understanding that healing for the physical body was included in redemption. If redemption was available to all, then healing would also be available to all (Word of Faith magazine, 6/90; 7/92; 8/92; 12/92, Kenneth Hagin, Redeemed from Poverty, Sickness and Death and Healing Belongs to Us).

Material Wealth: It is always God's will that every believer be 'financially blessed' through faith. Although Hagin emphasized that material prosperity was a redemptive blessing, he never taught that living by faith excluded hard work and wise business practices. In his later years he wrote a book entitled, "The Midas Touch" in which he wrote sharply and correctively about the so-called prosperity gospel and many of the extreme teachings that were being circulated under this heading. He warned the body of Christ of the dangers of greed and explained that the purpose of financial blessing is for the furtherance of the work of the gospel (Kenneth Hagin, How God Taught Me About Prosperity and The Midas Touch).

Faith and Authority: Hagin believed that the believer through his position in Christ had authority over elements of this world and elements of the satanic world. By faith the believer can exercise the authority of God to change impossible situations into possibilities (Luke 1:37) (Mark 11:22-24). Faith, to Hagin, is a matter of belief in God's word which also entails a vocal expression of God's Will or confession thereof. According to Hagin, God has promised to answer believing prayer and respond positively to the believer's exercise of faith (Kenneth Hagin, I Believe in Visions, What Faith Is, Bible Faith; A Study Guide).

Salvation: Hagin claimed in several of his books that he physically died three times as a child. Each time he descended to hell but was brought back to life when a voice spoke. On the third trip to hell, Hagin claims to have asked Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Crying, 'God! I belong to the church! I've been baptized in water' twice, to no avail, he cried out a third time. It is at that point, he claims, that he was saved and brought back to life a final time. Hagin goes on to say that his mother was praying so loud when he arrived back in his body that "traffic was lined up for two blocks on either side of our house!" After this dramatic experience, Hagin came to believe that church membership and water baptism were not sufficient to save but rather the 'new birth worked by the power of the Holy Spirit' in response to a personal confession of faith in the Lordship and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even though it seems that this new birth could apparently be had even after death, it is only through that he was already 'coming back to life' that he was saved. (ibid., Word of Faith magazine, 10/01, Kenneth Hagin, The New Birth; I Went to Hell).

Substitutionary Act: Hagin spoke of Jesus' death in substitutionary terms. The doctrine of 'Substitution' as taught by Hagin differs widely from the same doctrine as taught by many other branches of Christianity. The normal theory of Substitutionary atonement is that the son Jesus paid our debts, previous, current and future to the Father within the Godhead. Hagin claimed that Jesus died as the substitute for all of humanity, as do most Christians (Bible, 2 Cor 5:14-15), but also believes that Jesus suffered the torments of hell for three days and that He 'defeated the devil', stripped him of all authority and was resurrected after being 'quickened in spirit' or 'born again'. Hagin held that those who received Christ were born again and shared in the benefits of Christ's resurrection and power through their identification with His death, burial and resurrection. (Kenneth Hagin,The Name of Jesus; The Triumphant Church).

Sacred Scriptures: Hagin's beliefs followed in the reformed tradition in that the Bible is viewed to be the literally true, inerrant word of God as written by men under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Although Hagin often spoke of the dramatic spiritual encounters he claimed to have had, he always insisted that faith was to be established upon the word of God alone and not upon the experiences of man. Many times in his ministry he made the statement, "Don't believe anything because I said it. Search the scriptures and prove it out for yourself" (Kenneth Hagin, how You Can Know the Will of God and The Believer's Authority).

And much of the challenge we have in Christendom today is because 'Hagin said...', not necessarily because the bible said.

I was brought up in a Christian tradition steeped in Hagin's teachings, until I understood the scriptures for myself.

There are lots of contradiction about the teachings and person of Hagin. Example, how do you enact a gospel that births the prosperity gospel and then wait some 40 years after to 'disown' it. And many others.

I am not a critic of Hagin; others have done an excellent job at that and there works can be found online. Neither do I recommend his teachings to anyone. I encourage Christians to study the scriptures themselves and consider the very rich Christian heritage that God has given us long before the coming of Kenneth Hagin, as foundation for their faith in Jesus Christ.

My bro let's not throw out the Baby with the bath water...

Anyone who followed Hagins teachings wd know dat hagin never emphasizeed his experiences/visions or words over Gods word. Hagin usually made this statement "Don't believe anything because I said it. Search the scriptures and prove it out for yourself"


I Learnt a whole lot from Hagins teachings especially certain areas: (prayer, gifts of spirit, walking in love even how to study the bible)
His teachings gave me good foundation.

Revelational knowledge is progressive n over the years I have received more insight n revelation in the word.
At the moment I honestly don't agree with all he taught (just like I dnt wt anyother preacher at the moment) but truth is it was definitely a great starting point.
At the end of it all we shd follow God n His word not man...

Most times I think we place too much emphasis on the few things that are wrong and little emphasis on the majority which are sound.
I don't know how many of his teachings u heard bt at sm point I was opportuned to have a comprehensive list of almost all d messages he ever preached and most of the ones I listened to were sound.
Many things he taught were taken to extremes n those extremes "were and are" sadly still attributed to him

For most of the preachers I listen to, I have learnt to draw the line based on the word n I focus more on what's right.

All in all its our duty as christians to constantly search the scriptures for ourselves and not follow man...

Its been the 13th year since when Kenneth E Hagin of blessed memory was called home. One minute silence for this great man