T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes denies the essential Christian doctrine of the Trinity, his view is one God playing three different roles or manifestations (Modalism). He may use the word "Trinity" but he pours his own meaning into it. He believes in a god that appears in three different "manifestations." One as Father, one as Son, and one as the Holy Spirit. Like one man who is a pastor, father, and husband, this view is called modalism and it is heresy.
His view is opposed to the biblical God; there is only one eternal, almighty, and perfect God. Within the Being of this one true God exist three eternally distinct and coequal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are the one true God. See this link to see the Biblical and historic doctrine of the Trinity defined: Athanasian Creed.
T. D. Jakes grew up in a Oneness Pentecostal denomination which denies the essential Chrisian doctrine of the Trinity [The Oneness Pentecostal denomination was declared a heresy by the Assemblies of God when it took organizational form in 1917], and when asked by Christian leaders to clarify if he believes in the Trinity [As defined in the Athanasian Creed] he will not clear up this matter, he refuses to give a clear answer as to what he means by "manifestations" when refering to the Trinity.
So given his backround and his lack of clarification on this matter when asked by Christian leaders, there is justification to label him as a non-Trinitarian until he explains otherwise.
The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to our faith, without it there is no faith. If a person denies the Trinity they are in fact non-Christian by this very belief. This is not a trivial matter, why will he not be clear and define the terms rather than mislead by his of semantics? If he believes that the Trinity as defined in the Athanasian Creed is not scriptual, why not just say so publicly?
T. D. Jakes:
Questioner: My first question would be, the Trinity would be defined as one God Who's revealed Himself in three distinct Persons, each co-equal and co-eternal. How important is it for the believing Christian to hold to this belief?
T. D. Jakes: I think it's very, very significant that we first of all study the Trinity apart from salvation, and first of all that we embrace Christ and come to Him and come to know Who He is. Having come to know Who He is, then we begin to deal with the Trinity, which I believe is a very complex issue. The Trinity, the term Trinity, is not a biblical term, to begin with. It's a theological description for something that is so beyond human comprehension that I'm not sure that we can totally hold God to a numerical system. The Lord said, "Behold, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one, and beside Him there is no other." When God got ready to make a man that looked like Him, He didn't make three. He made one man. However, that one man had three parts. He was body, soul and spirit. We have one God, but He is Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Spirit in regeneration. It's very important that we understand that, but I think that the first thing that every believer needs to do is to approach God by faith, and then having approached Him by faith, then they need to sit up under good teaching so that they can begin to understand who the God is that they have believed upon."
("Living by the Word" on KKLA, hosted by John Coleman, Aug. 23, 1998)
"CRI Coordinator of Research Sam Wall spoke over the telephone with Pastor Lawrence Robinson, Director of Ministry Affairs at the Potter's House, inquiring about their view of the Trinity. Robinson affirmed that Jakes denies the biblical position of the Trinity, at one point saying that the Roman Catholic Church introduced the concept of three gods. Robinson gave some modalistic illustrations of the Trinity and said that Jakes has always held this position. Twice after that, Wall e-mailed Pastor Robinson to confirm the content of their discussion. Robinson never responded. Wall noted in his e-mail, "Should I not hear from you by e-mail, I will assume that these statements by you are correct."
Warren Smith: T.D. Jakes is very popular in the evangelical world, and some people say he denies the doctrine of the Trinity.
Norman Geisler: That' s correct. He does. It's an old, old heresy in the Christian church called modalism. I know T.D. Jakes is very popular, and I know people don't like his ministry being called a cult, but it is. It would have been condemned by any orthodox church down through the centuries.
Warren Smith: What does it say about the evangelical church that these heretical teachings have been allowed to creep in so readily, and even when they are identified as extra-biblical, or cultic, a lot of evangelicals just wink?
Norman Geisler: It says the evangelical church in America is about 3,000 mile wide and an inch deep. Doctrinally, we are very shallow. In North Carolina we are in what is called the Bible Belt, but our problem is that we don't have enough Bible under our belts. We have enough religion to makes us susceptible, but not enough doctrine to make us discerning. You can't recognize error until you can recognize the truth. I'm told that when government experts want to train people to recognize conterfeit currency, they study genuine currency. The same is true with doctrine.
"Don't argue with people about foolishness. Don't argue about the Godhead, the Bible says it's a mystery. If it's a mystery that means it's a supernatural thing and everybody who thinks they understand it, they really don't. It's impossible to explain how one God can be three persons and three persons be one God. And you're gonna blow your computer and short circuit your p.c. trying to explain something that you don't even understand. You can't even explain how a brown cow eats green grass and produces white milk. So you can't explain God. So just shut up arguing about it and say it's a mystery. All we know is that He's Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Ghost in regeneration and it's all good."
(T. D. Jakes, "Bible Answer Man Show," Hank Hanegraaff, Audio-Clip, September 14, 2004)
Note: T. D. Jakes says it's foolishness to argue about the Godhead! So when a Jehovah's Witness tells you that Jesus is not God we should just be silent and accept them? He tells us to shut up about it? This is outrageous! After telling us to "Shut up about it" T. D. Jakes goes on to "Explain" the Godhead using a oneness (Modalism) definition.
"If you need a supernatural thing to occur from God I dare you to give tonight. There's an anointing I believe, there's going to be a supernatural anointing through the word of God. Somebody just give God any kind of praise you got right now! Many people do not understand if you're going to receive something from the Lord you have to be prepared to invest something! So many times people want things out of life without any kind of investment! You can't in the natural, in a stock market you can't get a return on a stock where you have not bought shares. If there's no investment you have no right to wait at the mailbox for a return where you have not made any investment."
(T. D. Jakes, "Bible Answer Man Show," Hank Hanegraaff, Audio-Clip, September 21, 2004)
"My brothers and sisters the power of life and death is in the tongue. You can have whatever you say."
(T. D. Jakes, T. D. Jakes During Intermission of "The Bone Collector Part II," TBN, August 12, 2004)
"You gotta speak to stuff or it won't change. Are you following what I'm saying?"
(T. D. Jakes, "The Bone Collector Part II," TBN, August 12, 2004)
"When you stop talking back you stop fighting back. Speak to it! You lose your tongue you've lost your fighting power. Speak to it!"
(T. D. Jakes, "The Bone Collector Part II," TBN, August 12, 2004)
"It's what you say to yourself that gets you healed. If you say that you won't be healed you won't be healed. If you say that you are broke you will stay broke. Oh! But I came to serve notice on the Devil. The Bible says, 'The power of life and death is in the tongue. Slap somebody and say, 'You better speak to yourself.'"
(T. D. Jakes, "Sieze the Moment," WTAL 2000 Atlanta)
"Did you know that the bible says, 'You shall have whatever you say.' Now, don't you say that if you don't want no increase. If all you want is what you had don't say that anymore. But, if you want something beyond what you have ever seen, shout increase! The power of life and death is in your tongue. When you open your mouth you release power all over the room! Shout increase!"
(T. D. Jakes, "Bible Answer Man Show," Hank Hanegraaff, Audio-Clip, September 14, 2004)
"I want the privilege of praying over your seed. I want to pray over your seed and it would be ridiculous for me to pray that God to give it back to you. Because if all He was going to do was give it back to you, you ought to keep it and then you would just have it. That's ridiculous! You got a $100 or a $1,000 and you're gonna give a $1,000 and I tell you God is going to give $1,000 back. Well, you just broke even! You could have kept that $1,000 and not gone through the trouble! Come on church folk! But God is going to give you some more on top of that. And as you sow it [a person shouts, 'Increase!'] I dare you to say it again, [The audience shouts, 'Increase!']. Oh My God! Wooo, we're about to get ours in here. I don't know what you're getting out there. Well, we're about, somebody shout, 'Increase!'"
(T. D. Jakes, "Bible Answer Man Show," Hank Hanegraaff, Audio-Clip, July 30, 2004)
"Jakes told those gathered that they have to go and claim the inheritance that God has promised them and know that it's theirs. And then he addressed critics who fault him for profiting from "selling religion." 'You can't get upset with me, because I choose to claim what God has promised me,' he said. 'Don't get upset with me! Don't hate the player; hate the game,' a revved up Jakes yelled over cheers."
"I was staying in a little raggity house down in Dunbar West Virginia and the lights were half way on and half way off most of the time. And the roof was leaking and everything and one night I got up and started walking around in my house and I spoke to the house. And I said, 'House, I don't believe you!' I said, 'You look like I'm down and you look like I'm broke and you look like I'll never be anything. And you look like I'll never get up and you look like I'm bound to the ghetto. But, I just want you to know house, I don't believe you! You're lieing to me! You're not who I am and you're not where I'm going and I don't believe You!' I believe that the word that is in me is stronger than the cicumstances that are against me. Ahh, you all aren't hearing what I'm talking about. You got to start talking to situations or they will take over your life."
(T. D. Jakes, "The Bone Collector Part II," TBN, August 12, 2004)
"My God! I'm preaching, I think I'll get my own tape this morning."
(T. D. Jakes, "The Invisible King," TBN June 27, 2004)
"You're entitled to have wellness in your body. Stop begging for what you're entitled to."
(T. D. Jakes, "God Never Meant For You To Lose," TBN, July 29, 2004)
"We believe that it is God’s will to heal and deliver His people today as He did in the days of the first Apostles. It is by the stripes of Jesus that we are healed, delivered and made whole. We have authority over sickness, disease, demons, curses, and every circumstance in life."
(T. D. Jakes Doctrinal Statement, website.)
Note: He wears glasses yet believes that we shouldn't be sick. Why are his eyes sick?
“The myth of the poor Jesus needs to be destroyed, because it’s holding people back.”
“Jakes, who drives a Mercedes, has moved with his wife and their five children to a luxurious seven-bedroom home with swimming pool in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. He said the home cost more than $1 million. ‘I do think we need some Christians who are in first class as well as coach,’ Jakes said.”
The Jakeses and their five children live in a 9,689-square-foot mansion on White Rock Lake, appraised at more than $3.3 million. He loves to shop and wears exquisitely tailored suits and expensive shoes. He owns a jet. "Anybody who has sold 8 million books shouldn't have to justify why they live in a nice house," Bishop Jakes said.
Note: That may be true for an unbeliever, but what about for a man of the cloth living in a multi-million dollar house?
I drive a: "Lexus and Bentley"
“Scripture teaches that receiving Christ as your personal Savior does not necessarily make you a son of God, but if you choose to do so, the power (authority) and right to do so is present. ... Just being saved does not make you a son of God, ...only those who are willing to be led by the Spirit actually realize and manifest the sonship of God.”
"The one and only prophetess Juanita Bynum will be with us tonight...We're blessed because of you. We're blessed because of your ministry. We're blessed because God has raised up that voice...We thank God for this woman of God...Give God praise for prophetess Juanita Bynum...She has Revelation Knowledge from the Lord."
(T. D. Jakes, "TBN," July 6, 2004. Describing false prophet Juanita Bynum to the world)
He refers to immoral, lustful and sinful thinking as merely “little boy thoughts.”
Jakes refers to an adulterous man as a “frightened little boy” and a wife beater as a “terrified little boy.”
He states that, "because the teachers in Jesus’ day listened to Him as a child it boosted His self-esteem."
Jakes mentions that he purchased (for all the men in his organization) subscriptions to the secular GQ Magazine to help them learn about manhood.
"...Timely and riveting..."
(T. D. Jakes, Endorsing Paul Cruches Book, "Shadow of the Apocalypse.")
Ed Young Jr., pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, called Bishop Jakes one of the best communicators he's ever heard. "I have a collection of Bishop Jakes videos in my library," said Young, whose church has a weekend attendance of 19,000. "When I'm feeling down and blase, watching him inspires me."
