Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland (born December 6, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas) is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, a Christian religious organization, and a television evangelist.
Early life and education
Following his conversion to Christianity in November, 1962, Copeland turned the rest of his life over to Christian ministry work.[1] In the 1960s, he was a pilot for Oral Roberts. Copeland attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but left to become a full-time minister before graduating. Later he studied under Kenneth E. Hagin, founder of Rhema Bible College and Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ grew through the 1970s and in 1979, "Believer's Voice of Victory" first appeared on television. Headquartered in Newark, Texas, it has international offices in Australia, Africa, Canada, Europe and the Ukraine. According to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, it is also actively involved in ministry to prison inmates in 23 countries[2].
Kenneth and his wife, Gloria Copeland, travel regularly, speaking at churches and conventions, including their own annual "Believers’ Conventions." This includes the Southwest Believers’ Convention, the West Coast Believers’ Convention, and the Great Lakes Believers' Convention.
Copeland has received much criticism for his teaching about wealth in the "Word Faith Movement"[3][4][5] and his claims abouth faith healing.[6] Cult researchers such as Hank Hanegraaff and the late Walter Martin consider the teachings of the Word of Faith movement to bear more resemblance to modern-day cults than to orthodox Christianity. [7]
References
- ^ Kenneth Copeland, "The Word in My life...," Kenneth Copeland Ministries Catalog (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, n.d.), 3.
- ^ http://www.kcm.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=124
- ^ "Christianity, Cults and Mind Control Converge at Conference." The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 24, 1994
- ^ "God Doesn't Need Ole Anthony: Televangelists have called him a cultist, a fraud, and the Antichrist. He says he's just doing what Jesus would want." The New Yorker December 6, 2004
- ^ "Uganda: Money And the Church," Africa News August 21, 2005
- ^ "Churches want faith-healer's claims tested," Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), June 9, 2004
- ^ Hank Hannegraaf, "Christianity in Crisis," Hank Hanegraaff (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers).
External links
- Kenneth Copeland Ministries official web site.