The Black Church and the Influence of Word of Faith Theology

TWO-PART QUESTION: If we polled 5000 members of Black churches across the U.S. and asked who they are more familiar with, Kenneth Copeland or James H. Cone— what do you think the results would be? Why?

Months ago, I defended the Black Church against unfair critiques. YouTubers and others were attempting to overgeneralize and mischaracterize the Black Church’s adherence to the Prosperity Gospel. I pushed back and asserted that the Prosperity Gospel hadn’t completely infiltrated the Black Church. I wholeheartedly believe that the majority of Black churches reject the claims of the Prosperity Gospel.

However, it’s undeniable that Word of Faith (WOF) theology has made deep inroads into the Black Church. The influence of men like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and Oral Roberts is extensive. You can hear WOF terminology, see WOF features, and experience WOF practices at many Black churches on any given Sunday. Some Black churches are overtly WOF. Many Black churches have unconsciously imbibed aspects of WOF theology, due to its mainstream popularity.

However, I think we may be at an inflection point. We need to have a discussion in which we ask the following questions…

-How did WOF theology make inroads into the Black Church?

-What has been the impact of WOF theology upon the Black Church?

-Is the popularity of WOF theology increasing or waning within the Black Church?

Catch the conversation here.