|
Thank you for writing. We
appreciate this opportunity to minister to you.
We are writing on behalf of Marty
Copeland, Brother Copeland's daughter-in-law. She received your letter which
included references to several men who have written books in opposition to
Brother Copeland's teachings.
To gain a unbiased opinion on any
subject, it is advisable to consider a variety of viewpoints. Several Christian
writers have addressed these charges and their books are available at local
Christian bookstores. One such author is James R, Spencer, whose books Heresy
Hunters and Bleeding hearts and Propaganda, contain some thought-provoking
statements. Spencer refutes the charges as having been taken out of context,
then addresses the subjects using additional quotes by brother Copeland to prove
that his statements have been misconstrued. For better understanding of Brother
Copeland's teaching, we suggest you read Spencer's comments in Bleeding Hearts.
Brother Copeland has made it a
policy not to respond to or debate with anyone about their disagreements with
him over the Word of God (Titus 3:9; 2 Tim 2:23-26). He believes in most cases
no one changes their beliefs and a even greater division is created in the Body
of Christ. However, Spencer suggests a response is needed, not for the accuser
but for the sincere person who has heard only one side of the story. At the
suggestion, we are sending some material which we trust will more fully explain
some of Brother Copeland's statements.
You asked if Marty believes as
Brother Copeland does that God failed or is a failure. Let us assure you Brother
Copeland does not feel, think or preach that God has failed or that He is a
failure. Confusion has resulted from his statement which has been taken out of
context. Let us clarify this misunderstanding.
Brother Copeland stated that
looking in the natural, it appears God was the biggest failure ever. God lost
the Archangel assigned as a covering to the Glory of God and leader of worship
and praise to Him, when he became corrupted with sin. God lost one-third of the
angels who became corrupted along with Lucifer. God lost Adam, the man created
to fellowship with God, when he fell into sin and chose Satan over God. When
Adam sinned, God lost all mankind, sin becoming lodged in man's nature. At that
time God lost all earthly creation also. To bring mankind back to Him, God sent
prophets, priests, judges, kings and ministers, most of whom were rejected and
killed. God lost His only begotten Son, turning His face away from Jesus as He
bore all the corruption of mankind at Calvary. In the natural it looked like God
had failed at every attempt.
Brother Copeland was then very
specific when he, said, "But God is not a loser. From the very beginning He had
a plan and knew what He was going to do. It was through the sacrifice of Jesus
that He redeemed to Himself all mankind who would receive salvation, and
regained the world over which Jesus will reign when He comes back to set up His
Kingdom. God won back all his losses when Jesus was raised from the dead and
seated in the Heavenlies far above all principalities and powers and above every
name that is named. It has been accomplished and soon we will see in the natural
all things restored to Him.
Concerning Jesus going into hell,
Brother Copeland has never implied that Satan is our co-redeemer or that Jesus'
death on the cross was not enough. The blood of Jesus ratified an eternal
covenant with us which He will never end. Neither does Brother Copeland believe
we are gods who command God to obey us. There is One Supreme and Sovereign God
Who we worship and serve--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The responsibility of the Body of
Christ is to love and encourage one another, pray for one another and make the
effort to come into the unity of faith (John 13:34-35; James 5:16; Ephesians
4:3,13). Our faith is through Jesus Christ and His shed blood. Kenneth and
Gloria Copeland and the KCM staff all love Jesus as our Savior and want to see
souls saved. we stand in agreement and prayerfully uphold all those who also
believe that.
May the Lord continue to bless
you with everything that pertains to life and godliness through Jesus Christ.
|
