1. D.R. McConnell’s “A Different Gospel” (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995). Chapter One, “The True Faith of the Modern Movement: Relationship between Kenneth Hagin and E.W. Kenyon,” 4-13.
2. E.W. Kenyon (1867-1948) was the true founder of the “Word Faith Movement,” a TBN-specialty and close cousin of Third Wave Pentecostalism and other charismatic movements. McConnell is at pains to demonstrate that Kenneth Hagin, Sr., was indebted to Kenyon, purloining and plagiarizing extensively from Kenyon’s writings. This has been widely reported and documented. This literary and intellectual theft appears to be demonstrated clearly by McConnell, as well as the phony, deceiving, and lying claims by Hagin, Sr., that he received his notions by “revelation” (while busily copying Kenyon’s writings almost verbatim at points). It is precisely why peer-reviewed writings are essential. This is what is done in academia, PhD dissertations and book publications. Yahoos are stopped at the outset. However, given the anti-academia and anti-intellectualism in Pentecostalism, there were no checks. Hagin ran off with Kenyon's ideas. Plagarism is suicidal for scholars, but not for Hagin's ilk.
3. Hagin the plagiarist, thief and liar is the acknowledged “granddaddy” of the WOF-movement and TBN. Copeland, Price, Osteen (Sr.) Capp and others claim this, as has Charisma magazine.
4. This theft is a sticking point (as it should be) with McConnell, who by the way is a friend of Pentecostalism. The claim to “revelation” by the Spirit is belied by Hagin’s literary theft. McConnell tells us: “As we shall see, Hagin claims to have received most of the Faith Gospel by divine revelation, visions, and revelation.”
5. In short, 1) Hagin is a liar, thief, braggart, and intellectual fraud and 2) The TBN-WOF movement is traceable to E.W. Kenyon, the “True Father of the Faith Movement.” It is there that the movement must be assessed. It is Kenyon, not Hagin Sr., who must be analyzed.
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