Exactly. I thought I was the only one asking this question. Apparently, I am not. In the few times that I’ve listened to snippets of Joseph Prince’s sermons, I’ve found it difficult to understand how he gets airtime on TBN. Yes, he admits that he is a Word of Faith preacher like the rest of the TBN “cast”, but his sermons are different. You will not hear him out-rightly calling people to claim their inheritance and turn their faith into gold. Pastor Prince’s gospel is slightly different. The difference is so subtle that even I missed it for quite awhile. I admit, I am a grace junkie, and every preacher who teaches on God’s grace is bound to tickle my ears. I guess that’s what blindly drew me to Joseph Prince at first. He is an excellent communicator and a passionate preacher. Grace, or unmerited favor, is at the core of all his messages.
Yet:
1. He Preaches a LONELY Grace
It is true that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. Joseph prince admits this and even preaches this. However, he takes this “alone-ness” too far. Having seen the law of God as antithetical to the grace of God, he swings his pendulum to the other extreme. We are not only saved by Grace alone, but we ought to know nothing but grace alone. According to Joseph Prince, grace is the opposite of the law, Moses’ teachings are the exact opposite of Jesus’ teachings, the Old Testament is the opposite of the New Testament, the God of the Old Testament is always angry while the God of the New Testament is always happy…. and many other unnecessary dichotomies. He teaches that the Christian life needs no effort, that we do not need to repent of anything except our repentance, that we do not need the law to teach us anything because Grace is our new teacher.
So, how does all this fit in with the Word of Faith movement? Let Prince himself tell you, “Churches of faith know about favor. The thing that I wish many of them would say though would be this – to use that phrase – undeserved favor. Favor is good and the teaching of favor has produced tremendous testimonies but I would rather the Word of Faith preachers like myself use undeserved favor because that’s the true definition of grace.”
2. He Preaches an Effortless Prosperity
Among the Word of Faith circles, the prosperity (health and wealth Gospel) is at the core of their teachings. Yet, this prosperity in the wider Word of Faith circle has a catch: You must have enough faith. Poverty is linked to faithlessness or faith-less-ness. But then Joseph Prince steps in as the dissenting liberator of the movement. He says that prosperity is actually a free gift from God. Health and wealth are part of the “unmerited favor” from God. So, you do not even need to have enough faith to prosper. All you have to do is let go of legalistic faith. Let go of seeking to please God in order to get your blessings. The reason you are poor and sick is because you are trying to earn it. Don’t. Just let go and let Grace. While other prosperity Gospel preachers tell poor people that “you don’t have enough faith to be rich,” Joseph Prince steps in and tells them, “you’re poor because you’re trying too hard.”
Need proof of this? We don’t even need to get past the tagline of his book, Destined to Reign: “The Secret to Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living.”
3. He “Divides” The Word of God
No, I don’t mean that he does an exegesis of the word of God or that he explains the word of God in palatable terms to his audience. This is not what I mean by “dividing” in this case. I am talking about a “separating” kind of division. Joseph Prince says a lot of very true things. He teaches a lot of very true statements. But I can only call them statements because they fail to deliver the whole counsel of God. What do I mean by this? Consider these TRUE statements from Joseph Prince’s book:
“It is all about Jesus and His finished work.”
“Stop trying to deserve and earn your own acceptance before God with your own works and efforts. It will only frustrate the grace of God and nullify the effects of the cross in your life.
“Even though the law is holy, just and good, it has no power to make you holy, just and good.”
“People sometimes ask me, ‘Pastor Prince, if you don’t teach the Ten Commandments to your church, what is going to govern them?’ My friend, the Lord Himself will govern them!”
All these statements sound something that even I would teach. They are true and they are biblical. The only problem is that Joseph Prince only uses these statements to negate or oppose other truths equally valid in the Bible. It is one thing to say that we live by faith alone, it is another thing altogether to say that this implies we are not called to a life of active obedience. It is one thing to say that the Cross is the finished work of Christ, but it is another story altogether to say that this means we do not need to “work out our salvation.” That kind of preaching does not present the whole counsel of God. It pits God’s Word against God’s Word. It “divides” God’s word, and ends up destroying the faith of many in the process.
In case you were wondering, like me, what a Grace preacher like Joseph Prince is doing on TBN, I hope you now have your answer. He’s still a chip off the old block, and a fine one for that matter. Beware.
For the fame of His name,
Cornell
Relevant Resources:
1. “Thoughts on New Creation Church” <http://www.stillhaventfound.org/thoughts/progressive-christianity-theology/thoughts-on-new-creation-church/>
2. Joseph Prince’s Sermon “Walking in the undeserved favor of God” (3/28/2004)
3. Joseph Prince, Destined to Reign: The Secret to effortless success, wholeness and victorious living.
Alien Citizen 
Dear Cornell
It is one thing to say that we live by faith alone, it is another thing altogether to say that this implies we are not called to a life of active obedience. It is one thing to say that the Cross is the finished work of Christ, but it is another story altogether to say that this means we do not need to “work out our salvation.”
On the contrary, if you listen enought to JP, you will see that he says that Philippians says it is God who works in us both the willing and the doing for His good pleasure. It is God working in us and we allow Him to work through us. I don’t see any contradiction.
Hear hear! Too many people are being judgemental merely for the sake of being judgemental. It is one thing to state an opinion from only one of Joseph’s sermon’s. But has Cornell actually listened to any of his other sermon’s. I was away from the church for seven years, having turned to Paganism because one half of the church became so legalistic that being a sinner saved by grace made no sense anymore, and the other half became so prosperity driven that I felt ashamed to be part of it. Pastor Prince’s preaching has restored my faith in Jesus. I find NOTHING lacking in or wrong with his ministry. He is a child of God doing the work God wants him to do.
The “finished work of Christ” refers to your spirit man which was immediate {You became a new creation} once you receive Christ as Lord and savior and the “work out your salvation” refers to your soul which is a “work in progress”
Here in Africa Jp preaching has transformed my life and he speaks about Jesus more than any preacher i have ever heard.
Hear hear! I so agre! Also from Africa by the way: Kempton Park, South Africa.
Kenya the country of athletics is my home
Prince’s ministry’s affect on my life was instant and continues even though I grew up in a dogmatic Bible screaming evangelical circle that was so worn out, threatening, angry, continually striving, continually working people to death yet not producing balanced, healthy, happy men and women, marriages & children. No laughing married people enjoying, rather they endured to the best of their ability. No attractive, fashionably savvy because the “Rules” were so heavily enforced. Prince’s joy radiates to his outside. He doesn’t have to stop to consider his next words because they flow from the Truth in Him. He laughs. He enjoys wearing fashionably attractive clothing. His Congregation laughs. I don’t see striving & pretense. All of this is music to my heart. I left the Church of God as soon as I left home (sixteen & pregnant) as I considered it to be a complete insane cult. I couldn’t ever imagine telling my daughter she couldn’t wear pants to cover her body when it’s freeZing in the winter at the bus stop. Nor could she wear shorts or pants under those infernal dresses I was forced to wear because “that’s what the church said”, to protect herself from those abusive advances from boys on the bus and elsewhere through and under those dresses. I married had three children, raised them on my own and instilled Biblical principles and teachings, but refuse to expose my children to the insanity I grew up in. At the age of 51 I’ve finally found a ministry that I choose to commit to. It’s really sad that it’s taken this long, but I’m glad to see Prince on TBN. GLAD to know the wills of those listening are at least being pointed to the right direction so the wills will become willing to receive the glorious free gifts He has for us. I pray The Lord helps the wills to become willing to let go of all the junk to receive the hidden riches in the trunck!!
I am so glad that I am not the only one feeling this way. I was also driven away by anger and fear mongering in the church, but Pastor Prince’s preaching has restored my joy in Jesus too. A true servant of Jesus Christ.
I hope they don’t corrupt his Preaching he is not TBN greedy Preacher
Lot’s of people are praying for him, so he won’t be corrupted.
Too many people are being judgemental merely for the sake of being judgemental. It is one thing to state an opinion from only one of Joseph’s sermon’s. But has Cornell actually listened to any of his other sermon’s. I was away from the church for seven years, having turned to Paganism because one half of the church became so legalistic that being a sinner saved by grace made no sense anymore, and the other half became so prosperity driven that I felt ashamed to be part of it. Pastor Prince’s preaching has restored my faith in Jesus. I find NOTHING lacking in or wrong with his ministry. He is a child of God doing the work God wants him to do.
Thanks for your input Antoinnette. But I find it disturbing that you find NOTHING lacking or wrong with Joseph Prince ministry, because only God is perfect. The Bible tells us so.
Hi Cornell. You are right, only God is perfect. I did not state that Joseph Prince or his ministry is perfect. I merely stated that “I find NOTHING lacking in or wrong with his ministry”. Please remember that BECAUSE only God is perfect, it means that I am not. neither is Joseph. And as Joseph states in most of his sermons: God works with your weaknesses… He doesn’t need to work with what you yourself consider as “strengths”. I have been back in with Jesus (after being into Paganism for seven years) for three weeks now, and am still trying to find my feet. Joseph’s ministry has become an anchor to me, and as I move along, I will be depending less and less on that anchor. In saying that I find NOTHING wrong or lacking with his ministry means just that: that I find nothing wrong or lacking with his ministry. God’s Grace was the reason why I gave my life to Jesus 25 years ago, and the church’s downplaying of that Grace was the biggest reason why I left the church 7 years ago and embraced Paganism. The other part of the reason was the disturbing deification of the teaching of so-called “prosperity” by means so-called “naming, framing and claiming, etc”. Joseph Prince’s ministry of the Gospel of Grace was introduced, I believe by the Holy Spirit Himself, to me three weeks ago and that ministry was the reason I returned to Christ. If there is anything lacking in his ministry, then it would have to be pointed out to Joseph by the Holy Spirit by means of His Grace. As Joseph so aptly teaches: Grace convicts of sin. Joseph preaches Grace as was commanded by Jesus, and Grace teaches, by means of conviction, what the law itself cannot. The law gains meaning “because of God’s Grace”. I believe that particular teaching, because to me nothing else makes sense. Any other way would be “adding to the gospel”, an act that would nullify Grace. God’s richest blessings to you, brother.
In other words, just to clarify: (I believe, as I am convinced that Joseph Prince also believes) that God’s Grace, through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, is the only qualification needed to be saved. Once you declared that you accept His Grace, you also receive the Free Gift of Righteousness, also through Jesus, because HIS righteousness becomes YOUR righteousness. The work of Jesus REPLACES the Altar Sacrifices of the Old Testament. There can be nothing else to the Gospel because any addition to it would nullify Grace BECAUSE it would involve having to do something extra which would involve having to pay for your salvation YOURSELF… which is impossible, because there is NOTHING that any human can do out of him or herself that would cancel God’s wrath. Only through the sacrifice of the PERFECT Sacrificial Lamb can God’s wrath be cancelled. Jesus paid our debt IN FULL. God literally sees us through the Blood of His Son.
I would like to chime in.
Firstly, scripture is what we should adhere to because if we aren’t following the Bible as a body of believers we’ll be living in our own ideas and that’s nothing more than Christian relativism.
With this in mind, there is wisdom in making a judgement of a pastor (see Mat. 17) especially whenever he is in the public eye. The qualifications for a pastor are lengthy and intense and shouldn’t be taken lightly (see 1 Tim. & Titus). I haven’t heard enough of Prince’s material to really say anything definitively negative and I’m sure he has said some good things, however, the fact that he is questioned or criticized by a chunk of Christianity should at least make you stop and consider the possibility that there could be some flaw in his teachings. Also, there are plenty of public pastors that have not, at least to my knowledge, been criticized for their unsound teachings. Wouldn’t it be wise to listen to their sermons instead?
-E
I’m attempting to email a letter to Pastor Joseph Prince, however I don’t know what email to send it to. I discovered him not too long ago, but I liked what he had to say from the start. I like his energy and his passion. I am an older lady, who is homebound most of the time, save for when my care giver is here to help me. I have short term memory loss after a surgery. I am not asking for your pity. I am asking for your understanding. I listened to his sermon on Psalm 91. It was amazing, because I have been afraid of so many things. I wasn’t like that when I was young. I know I have good qualities. I believe in God & Jesus and my Angel Guides Love me. My email address is pathway333@q.com . I had tried to email a letter to Pastor Prince earlier, but it said it wasn’t able to accept it, because it was from an IMAC. This is my only computer. I’m not rich. My Mother was kind enough to leave a small stipend after she passed over. So, I bought my IMAC & a printer.
I’ve kept you long enough. Also I really don’t like to admit this, but the simple truth is I usually struggle with passwords & signing up to new sites. I truly wish I could ask Pastor Prince some questions regarding the Bible & truth.