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Gregory Dickow |
Gregory
Dickow was born on September 18, 1964, in Detroit, Michigan. He was reared in a
non-religious middle-class family. After having lost a friend to suicide,
Dickow began a search for meaning and fulfillment in his life.[1] Initially, Dickow
attempted to utilize drugs and alcohol as a means of fulfillment. However, after
having become addicted,[2] he discovered that drug
and alcohol abuse provided a feeling of emptiness.[3] At the age of 17, Dickow
was invited to attend a bible study, and during that meeting, Dickow became a
Christian.[4][5]
Thereafter,
Dickow “began answering the call of God on his life by attending Western
Michigan University with the express purpose of evangelizing the lost.”[6] He earned a baccalaureate
degree in Public Relations, and claims to have spent his summers “on the
mission fields of Asia, making disciples and training leaders.”[7] Dickow claims to have
established an on-campus church during his time at Western Michigan University.[8]
In December
of 1988, Dickow married Mary Grace Gattone. In 1993 Gregory and Grace Dickow
planted Life Changers Church International in Elk Grove, IL. While LCCI began
in a school gymnasium, it now has a membership of approximately 3000, operates
and a K-12 school, and is headquartered in a 30 million dollar facility in
Hoffman Estates, IL. Pastor Dickow also operates a national television ministry
in which his program is broadcast six days a week on four different networks,
reaching “over 900 million households weekly.”[9]
LCCI is a non-denominational church that fits within the broad spectrum of Pentecostal Evangelicalism.
There is much to appreciate in the statement of faith provided on the LCCI
website.[10]
However, the church has some distinctive teachings which are unbiblical and
extremely problematic. Like many teachers that affirm biblical Christianity in
their literature, in practice Pastor Dickow’s teachings distort the gospel, the
biblical model for Christian living, and the bible’s teaching on faith.
The Bible’s Teaching
on the Gospel and the Christian Life
In 1
Corinthians 15:1-4, the Apostle Paul explicitly identified that the gospel as
the message “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on
the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Paul stated that the
gospel is the “Power of God for salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom.
1:16). Moreover, Jesus and his Apostles taught that while those who believe in
him have eternal life (John 5:24), the life of the believer is one which is
marked by trials (Jas. 1:2), suffering (1 Pet. 2:21), and tribulation (John
16:33). Scripture states quite clearly that, “Indeed, all who desire
to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim.
3:12).
What Does Pastor
Dickow Teach?
Like many
popular televangelists, Dickow teaches the prosperity gospel;[11] a teaching wherein its
adherents don’t merely receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life purchased
by the work of Christ, but also a life of good health, financial prosperity, and
relational well-being.
Dickow
teaches that because God has entered into a covenant with Christians,
Christians then have “the right to place a demand on that covenant.”[12] On Dickow’s view, Christians need to take the
initiative and place a demand upon God for the various benefits of this
covenant. Dickow claims that when Jesus went to the cross, he purchased freedom
for Christians from the curses of financial lack, emotional problems, family
problems, sickness and disease, terrorism, fear, and failure and defeat.[13] Thus, by virtue of God’s
covenant, Christians have a right to freedom from these curses. Even more,
Dickow has stated that,
He
became poor on the cross that we through his poverty might be made rich. So,
when I am lacking something in my life, I take up the cross daily and I say,
today I take up the cross I declare…that I have what I need, I declare that sickness is finished, that
depression is finished, that sickness is finished, that need is finished…[14]
To Dickow,
intrinsic to the work of Christ upon the cross is the promise of complete
prosperity, financial or otherwise in the here and now.
Dickow’s
claims are not only the opposite of what Scripture teaches regarding the work
of Christ. His claims mislead people into thinking that Christianity is a
cure-all for the troubles of this world. The Apostle Paul taught that
Christians ought to expect affliction in this world and that through enduring
suffering, Christians receive character and hope (Rom. 5:3-4). In fact, if one
were to compare the paradigm of Christian living being taught at LCCI with the
life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, one would have to conclude that Paul was
a colossal failure. Rather than declaring that “No curse of sickness and
disease can dwell in my body or in my life,”[15] Paul sought for healing
and was told by God, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). The Apostle’s
life was marked by many trials and sufferings, and it was in his weakness God’s
power was demonstrated. Similarly, Paul told Timothy to drink wine “for the
sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Tim. 5:23). If it is God’s
will to heal all the time, then why didn’t Paul tell Timothy to speak healing?
So too, Paul left Trophimus in Miletus because he was “ill” (2 Tim. 4:20). If Dickow
is correct, why didn’t Paul just heal him and move on? Paul said Epaphroditus
was “was ill, near to death,” and God had mercy on him (Phil. 2:27). Paul’s
language suggests that his healing was an exceptional act of God and not a
guarantee given in the atonement in the here and now.
Like the mind-science
cults (e.g., Unity, Christian Science), Dickow affirms a Christianized version
of the so-called “law of attraction.” He has taught that the means unto
affecting the aforementioned benefits is by engaging positive thinking and
confession. That is, one must speak and think positively to enact the work of
Christ. Conversely, bad experiences are brought on either by the seeds we sow (i.e.,
negative confession, thoughts, etc.) or that of others around us.[16] Dickow stated, “Use your
words to direct the outcome of your life.”[17] Dickow has effectively
revoked the doctrine of the sovereignty of God and placed mankind firmly in control
of his own circumstances. In order to obtain the blessings of God, Dickow
claims that Christians must literally speak blessings to one’s circumstances.[18] Dickow wrote, “God has
given us the power and responsibility to manage our own lives…to determine
our futures by the seeds we sow.”[19] On Dickow’s view, you are
responsible for your circumstances, whether good or bad. Meanwhile, the bible
teaches that while man is responsible for his actions, it is God who is
sovereign, and it is he who ordains whatsoever comes to pass (Lam.3:37; Prov.
16:9; Eph. 1:11).
Further,
Dickow teaches that if a Christian is in need, the correct response is to give
God a seed gift “to get God involved in your situation.” [20] According to Dickow one
of the primary ways to “reverse the curse” of original sin is to “give a
sacrificial gift to God.” [21] Thus, Dickow has created
a gospel wherein the work of Christ is not effective until one gives God a
gift. By contrast, God according to his own will has “blessed us in Christ with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as
he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and blameless before him” (Eph. 1:3).
In
addition to his unbiblical gospel and view of Christ’s atoning work, Dickow
also adheres to a give-to-get scheme. Dickow wrote,
There
are very few pressures or points of contention in our lives worse than
financial pressure and financial lack…God never intended for you to live this
way. Jesus said in John 10:10, ‘The thief does not come except to steal
and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.’ You see God is a God of abundance. His name
is El Shaddai, which translated means ‘The God of MORE THAN ENOUGH!’ Though the
world may have a shortage, your company may have a shortage, your savings
account may have a shortage, your checkbook may have a shortage—God never has a
shortage![22]
Dickow
went further to finish this teaching by telling his readers that to enact God’s
abundance in their lives, they need to “Start
by giving something away,” and to purchase his book and his “Financial Freedom
Package.”[23]
Conclusion
In
Summary, there are some things to praise in the ministry of Life Changers
Church International and Pastor Dickow. However, there is also much to rebuke.
Dickow teaches another gospel; a gospel that places its emphasis not on the Son
of God, but rather on benefits never promised in Scripture. Dickow has an
incorrect understanding of the sovereignty of God, and the role of man. Rather
than teaching that God is working all things according to his will, Dickow
teaches that “You are in charge! You
are in control! “[24], Pastor Dickow does
not meet the biblical qualifications for a pastor (Titus 1:9), and therefore he
ought to be removed from church leadership. The members of Life Changers Church
International need to embrace the biblical gospel of repentance and faith in
the crucified and risen Christ, and they need to act like the Bereans who were
“noble-minded” because before embracing Paul’s teaching, they tested it with
the Scriptures to see if what they were being told was true (Acts 17:11).
[1] http://www.cbn.com/tv/1416907341001,
see segment 00:27-1:07.
[2] See http://store.gregorydickow.org/aboutus.asp,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[3] Ibid, see segment 1:12-1:39
[4] Ibid, see segment 1:40-3:25.
[5] Gregory Dickow, “Pastor Dickow’s
Personal Confession,” Gregory Dickow
(Blog), May 2006, http://gregorydickow.blogspot.com/2006/05/you-will-receive-power-to-be-changed.html,
, (Last accessed 01/11/14).
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid. See also http://www.thepowertochangetoday.com/,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[8] Ibid.
[9] http://www.changinglives.org/About/tabid/2408/Default.aspx,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[10] http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/about/what-we-believe,
(Last accessed: 12/01/13).
[11] The prosperity gospel is the
message espoused by those who affirm what is known as Positive Confession
Theology, also known as the Word-Faith movement. The prosperity gospel is
essentially the teaching that included within the work accomplished by Christ,
Jesus secured a life of physical, relational, and fiscal blessing and
prosperity. However, integral to this doctrine is the belief that these
blessings can only be accessed by a verbal affirmation of their receipt prior
to their actualization (i.e., a positive confession). See Stanley M. Burgess
and Eduard M. Van Der Maas eds., The New
International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charasmatic Movements, (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 992-994.
[12] Gregory Dickow “Placing a Demand
on the Covenant,” The Power to Change
Today, Dec. 29, 2013, 6:50-7:09, http://www.itbn.org/index/detail/lib/programs/sublib/Gregory+Dickow/ec/J1czBiajpc8aS5F6htsZvF2Nx3swuRoT,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[13] Gregory Dickow, Blessed and Cursed Not, http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/watch-mainmenu/practical-help-teachings/80-life-solutions/94-blessed-and-cursed-not,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[14] Gregory Dickow, “Redeemed From The
Curse: How To Live In Your Covenant Blessings!,” The Power to Change Today, Aug. 26, 2012, 10:30-11:05, http://www.itbn.org/index/detail/lib/Networks/sublib/TBN/ec/9nbzdxNTrFR5ewRkjoiPANn2DJEoF_lb,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[15] Gregory Dickow, Healing, http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/component/content/article/82-confessions/144-healing,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[16] Gregory Dickow, The Power to
Change Today: Simple Secrets to the Satisfied Life, (New York, NY: Hachette
Book Group, 2009), 168.
[17] Ibid. Similarly, Dickow wrote: “The
words of the Bible are described as the seeds that, when planted, will surely
produce the satisfied life. You can
truly be happy and confident, for your abundant future lies within your hands.”
Ibid., 172. “Remember: you hold in your hands the power to live the life you
desire by choosing the seeds you plant. No one can stop your harvest.” Ibid.,
176.
[18] See Gregory Dickow, “The Power of
Spoken Blessing,” The Power to Change
Today, Nov. 13, 2011. Italics added.
[19] Dickow, The Power to Change
Today, 169.
[20] Gregory Dickow, Blessed and Cursed Not, http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/watch-mainmenu/practical-help-teachings/80-life-solutions/94-blessed-and-cursed-not,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[21] Gregory Dickow, Reverse and stop the Curse in YOUR LIFE
Today, http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/watch-mainmenu/practical-help-teachings/80-life-solutions/87-reverse-and-stop-the-curse-in-your-life-today,
(Last accessed: 01/11/14).
[22] http://www.lifechangerschurch.com/watch-mainmenu/practical-help-teachings/80-life-solutions/92-financial-freedom,
(Last accessed: 12/ 01/13).
[23] Ibid.