How Did Kenneth Hagin Plagiarize E.W. Kenyon?

Originally appeared in Tricia Tillin’s intotruth.org website.  We give full credit to her for this scholarly work.

Plagiarism, Kenyon and the Word-of-Faith Movement

A few (8) samples of what is called ‘plagiarism’…

Kenneth Hagin apparently had no conscience about copying word for word
his “revelations” of the Word of Faith from Kenyon’s books, published some time earlier.

Kenyon’s own daughter, Ruth Kenyon Houseworth, easily recognizes her father’s message upon the lips of Faith leaders. She says:

“They’ve (Faith teachers) all copied from my dad. [E. W. Kenyon] They’ve changed it a little bit and added their own touch….but they couldn’t change the wording…These that are coming along now that have been in the ministry for just a few years and claiming that this is something that they are just starting, it makes you laugh a little bit. It’s very difficult for some people to be big enough to give credit to somebody else.” [ E.W. Kenyon, The Father and His Family, Lynnwood WA.: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, 1964, p.118.]

A man who, on occasion, ministered with Kenyon was one time friend John Kennington, pastor of Emmanuel Temple in Portland, Oregon. He has this to say concerning the plagiarism of Kenyon’s teachings:

“Today Kenyon’s teachings are in the ascendancy. Via the electronic church or in the printed page I readily recognize not only Kenyon’s concepts, but at times , I recognize pure plagiarism, for I can almost tell you book, chapter and page where the material is coming from. Kenyon has become the ‘father’ of the so-called ‘Faith’ movement.”

The original works are the rights of
KENYON’S GOSPEL PUBLISHING SOCIETY.

E. W. Kenyon Kenneth E. Hagin, Sr. The twenty-second Psalm gives a The 22nd Psalm gives a graphic picture of the crucifixion graphic picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is more vivid than of Jesus-more vivid than that of John, Matthew or Mark that of John, Matthew or Mark who witnessed it. witnessed it. But He says the strangest words, He utters the strange words “But thou are holy.” “But thou are holy.” What does that mean? What does that mean? He is becoming sin. He is becoming sin. . . . Can you hear those parched lips cry, His parched lips cry, “I am a worm and no man.”? “I am a worm and no man.” He is spiritually dead. The worm. He is spiritually dead-the worm. Jesus had died of a ruptured heart. Jesus died of a ruptured heart. When that happened, blood from all When it happened, blood from all parts of the body poured in through parts of His body poured through the rent, into the sack that the rent into the sack which holds the heart. Then as the body holds the heart. As the body cooled, the red corpuscles cooled, the red corpuscles coagulated and rose to the coagulated and rose to the top. The white serum settled top, the white serum settled to the bottom. When that to the bottom When that Roman soldier’s spear pierced the Roman spear pierced the sack, water poured out first. Then sack, water poured out first, then the coagulated blood oozed out, the coagulated blood oozed out, rolled down His side onto the rolling down his side onto the ground, and John bore witness of it. ground. John bore witness of it. (What happened from the Cross to the Throne [Seattle: Kenyon’s Gospel (“Christ our Substitute”, The Word Publishing Society, 1969, 44-45]) of Faith [March 1975]), pp. 1,4,5,7) At once you ask, “What does identification mean?” What does identification mean? It means our complete union with It means our complete union with Him in His Substitutionary Sacrifice. Christ. This gives us the key which This gives us the key which unlocks the great teaching of unlocks the great teachings of identification. identification. Christ became one with us in sin Christ became one with us in sin that we might become one with that we might become one with Him in righteousness. Him in righteousness. He became as we were to the end He became as we were to the end that we might become as He is now. that we might become as He is now. He died to make us live He died to make us live. He became weak to make us strong He became weak to make us strong. He suffered shame to give us glory. He suffered shame to give us glory. He went to hell He went to hell to take us to heaven. to take us to heaven. He was condemned to justify us. He was condemned to justify us. He was made sick that healing He was made sick that healing might be ours. might be ours. (Identification: A Romance in (“The Resurrection! What it Gives Us.” Redemption [Seattle:Kenyon’s Gospel The Word Of Faith Publishing Society, 1968], 6, 7) [April 1977], p.5) The picture here is of Christ. . . Here is a picture of Christ in in awful combat with the hosts of awful combat with the hosts of darkness. It gives us a glimpse darkness. It gives us a glimpse of the tremendous battle and victory of the tremendous victory He won that Jesus won before He rose from before He rose from the dead. the dead. The margin reads: The margin of King James reads, “Having put off from Himself the “He put off from Himself the principalities and powers.” principalities and the powers.” It is evident that It is quite obvious and evident the whole demon host, when they that whole demon hosts, when they saw Jesus in their power simply had Jesus within their power intended to swamp Him, overwhelm intended to swamp Him, to overwhelm Him, and they held Him in fearful Him, and to hold Him in fearful bondage until the cry came forth bondage. But the cry came forth from the throne of God that Jesus from the throne of God that Jesus had met the demands of justice; that had met the demands of Justice, that the sin problem was settled the sin problem had been settled, and man’s redemption was a fact. that man’s redemption was a fact. When this cry reached the dark And when that cry reached the dark regions, Jesus rose and hurled back regions, Jesus arose and threw back the host of darkness, and met Satan the host of demons and met Satan in awful combat. in awful combat. God has made this investment for God has made this investment for the benefit of the Church: the church. He has made this deposit on which He has made this deposit on which the Church has a right to draw for the church has a right to draw for Her every need. her every need. Oh, that our eyes were open; Oh that our eyes would open, that our souls would dare rise that our souls would dare to rise into the realm of the Omnipotence in the realm of the omnipotent where the Name would mean to us where that name would mean to us all that the Father has invested in it. all that God the Father intended it to mean! In one sense, This is practically an unexplored this is practically unexplored tableland in Christian experience. table land in Christian experience. (The Wonderful Name Of Jesus [Seattle: (“The Name Of Jesus: The More Excellent Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, Name”;The Word of Faith 1927], 8, 9, 11) [April 1976], pp. 4-6) You must have seen as you have studied this book that God’s method of physical healing is spiritual. healing is spiritual. It is not mental as Christian It is not mental as Christian Science and Unity and other Science, Unity and other metaphysical teachers claim. metaphysical teachers claim. Neither is it physical as the Neither is it physical as the medical world teaches. When man medical world teaches. When man heals, he must either do it through heals, he must do it either through the mind. . . or he does it through the mind or through the physical the physical body. . . When God body. When God heals heals He heals through the spirit. He heals through the human spirit, We can understand that for God is a Spirit. the greatest forces in life Life’s greatest forces are spiritual forces. are spiritual forces. Love and hate, fear and faith, Love and hate, faith and fear, joy and grief, joy and peace, are all of the spirit. are all of the spirit. (Jesus the Healer [Seattle: (“Spirit, Soul, & Body; Part Three: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing God Heals through the Spirit of Man,” Society, 1940], p. 90) Word of Faith [December 1977], p.5) That is, there will be enmity The fact that there is enmity between Satan and the woman. between Satan and the woman is seen This is proved by woman’s history. through woman’s history. . . . She has been bought and sold as She has been bought and sold as common chattel. Only where Chris- common chattel. Only where Chris- tianity has reached the hearts of tianity has reached the heart of a country has woman ever received the country has woman any treatment that would lift her been elevated above the brute creation. above the brute creation. and woman’s seed is Christ. Woman’s seed is Christ. Christ was hunted from His babyhood Christ was hunted from His babyhood by Satan’s seed until finally they by Satan’s seed until finally He nailed him to the cross; and from was nailed to the cross. From the resurrection of Jesus until the resurrection of Jesus until this day, the church has been the this day, the church has been the subject of the bitterest subject of the bitterest persecution and enmity of the persecution and enmity of the world. “He shall bruise thy world. “and it … shall bruise thy head” – that is, the head of Satan. head” (the head of Satan). In all Oriental languages the term In Oriental languages “bruising “bruise the head” means breaking the head” means breaking the lordship of a ruler. the lordship of a ruler. “The heel” is the Church in its “The heel” is the Church in its earth walk. The long ages of earth walk. . . .The long ages of persecution of the Church by the persecution of the Church by the seed of Satan are a seed of Satan are today merely a matter of history. matter of history. (The Bible in the Light of Our Redemption [Seattle:Kenyon’s Gospel (“Incarnation,” Word of Faith Publishing Society, 1969], p. 58) [December 1978], p. 4) …in Gen. 18 God refused to Here is Genesis, God refused to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until He destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until He had talked it over with His blood had talked it over with Abraham, covenant friend, Abraham. Abraham’s His blood covenant friend. Abraham’s prayer . . . is one of the most prayer is one of the most illuminating and suggestive prayers suggestive and illuminating prayers of the Old Testament … Abraham was of the Old Testament. Abraham was taking his in the covenant. taking his in the covenant. Abraham had through the Covenant Abraham had, through the covenant, received rights and privileges received rights and privileges that we little understand. which we very little understand. The Covenant that Abraham had just The covenant Abraham had just solemnized with Jehovah gave him a solemnized with Jehovah gave him a legal standing with God. We legal standing with God…. we hear him speak so plainly, hear him speaking so plainly… “Shall not the judge of all the “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” All through the earth do right?” All through the Old Covenant we find men who Old Testament we find men who understood and took their place understood and took their place in the Covenant. in the covenant Joshua could open the Jordan. Joshua could open the Jordan He could command the. He could command the sun, moon and stars to stand still sun, moon and stars to stand still in the heavens. Elijah could bring in the heavens. Elijah could bring fire out of heaven to consume the fire out of heaven to consume the offering as well as the altar. altar as well as the sacrifice. David’s mighty men were utterly David’s mighty men were utterly shielded from death in their wars. shielded from death in time of war They became supermen as long as they as long as they remembered the remembered the covenant. covenant. (The Two Kinds of Faith [Seattle: (Plead Your Case [Tulsa: Faith Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, Library, 1979]), pp. 4-9; cf. 1969], pp. 76-84) pp. 23-32) Jesus gave us the first In John 1:4 we get the first intimation of what this Life would intimation of what this life will do for man. “In him was life; and do for us: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” the life was the light of men.”” There are four Greek words There are four different Greek words translated “life” … in the New translated “life” in the New Testament. Testament. First, there is zoe. The first one is psuche which means Then there is psuche. That means natural, human life. The second is natural or human life. Bios means bios which means manner of life…. manner of life. The third is anastrophe which … And anastrophe means means “a confused behavior.” confused behavior. It is a strange thing that the Church It seems strange that the Church has majored in “manner of life” or has majored in “manner of life” or “behavior” rather than Eternal Life “behavior” rather than eternal life, which determines in a very large way which determines in a very large way the “manner of life.” the manner of life. Receiving Eternal Life is the most Receiving eternal life is the most miraculous incident or event in life. miraculous incident in life. It is called conversion, the Often we call it conversion or the New Birth and the New Creator. Some new birth. Some call have called it “getting religion.” it “getting religion,” but that’s not what it is really. It is, in reality, God imparting It is, in reality, God imparting His very Nature, Substance, and His very Nature, substance, and Being to our human spirits. being to our human spirits. (Two kinds of Life [Seattle: (The God Kind of Life [Tulsa: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, Faith Library, 1971], pp. 2-3) 1981], pp. 1-2, 9) Man is a spirit being, he has a soul Man is a spirit who possesses a soul and he lives . . . in a body. and lives in a body…. He is in the same class as God. He is in the same class with God. We know that God is a spirit We know that God is a Spirit. and He became a man took on a And yet [He] took upon Himself a man’s body, and when He did it man’s body….when God took upon Himself human form, He was no less God than He was He was no less God than when He before He took the physical body… didn’t have a body. Man, at death, leaves his physical Man, at physical death, leaves his body and is no less man than body. Yet he is no less man than he was when he had his … body. he was when he had his body. (The Hidden Man [Seattle: Kenyon’s (Man of Three Dimensions [Tulsa: Gospel Publishing Society, 1970], Faith Library, 1973], no page) p.40; Two Kinds of Faith, p. 3) This article originally appeared in Tricia Tillin’s intotruth.org website which has been recently shutdown.  We give full credit to Tricia Tillin, the original founder of the Banner Ministries for her scholarly work! © 2003 Banner Ministries. All rights reserved. Cross+Word Website: http://www.banner.org.uk/  .