I did some posts about my experience of the outworkings of #prosperity teaching and certain strains of of african #pentecostalism in the church today and I forgot to mention one of the big issues: I saw the widespread belief in GENERATIONAL CURSES.
Yet again, another idea that comes from an over-emphasis on the Old Testament without seeing the whole Christ-centered picture of the Bible, and understanding the changes that the New Covenant brought about. The work of Jesus in bringing complete freedom from curse of sin is foretold in the Old Testament anyway: Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see this article for a more detailed breakdown https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/are-generational-curses-real-today.html)
So why is it an issue?
The idea of generational curses is the view that the sins of past generations, and God’s punishment of them, can extend down the years, and directly affect our welfare today. That a curse pronounced by God (or even by some individual invoking demon powers), can continue to affect generation after generation.
The Bible tells us that this was dealt with on the cross and we are completely free. The problem with this false idea is that 1) it is a millstone of fear around that person's neck their whole life "i won't find a husband because i have a curse on my life", "i'm X and Y because of it". 2) it's used by some pastors to exert power and manipulation over the congregation 3) it passes responsibility of son from you onto your ancestors, and used as an excuse for habitual sins. No - we are responsible for our own sin
4) it's another vehicle by means of practicising ableism and suggesting that someone is sick/disabled because of a) their secret sin b) their parent's sin 5) it's wrongly cited as the main reason that people suffer
There are also other associated non-Biblical teachings such as soul ties (another way of avoiding taking responsibility for your own sin, and creating a culture of fear). I've read some absolute guff on allegedly Christian websites about this idea: listen to this: "A soul tie can serve many functions, but in it’s simplest form, it ties two souls together in the spiritual realm. Soul ties between married couples draw them together like magnets, while soul ties between fornicators can draw a beaten and abused woman to the man which in the natural realm she would hate and run from, but instead she runs to him even though he doesn’t love her, and treats her like dirt. In the demonic world, unholy soul ties can serve as bridges between two people to pass demonic garbage through" - what on earth?! I suspect some of this comes from the same source as prosperity teaching: pagan african ideas infused into the local church, and western/american prosperity teachers such as joyce meyer etc, but also Derek Prince and Neil Anderson (Freedom in christ) who I believe also wrongly teaches about generational curses and demonic influence on christians.
Neither of these concepts are Biblical, but you will find people repeating them in many churches.
These are not just wrong ideas, they may be the tip of the iceberg of bad teaching and harmful attitudes.
jp
Bongolian
Jonathan Emmesedi
heathology
Eddie Sempala
RedGreenDevon
Nonilex
cleopas
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