Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez 1 Chron. 4:9
Reviewed by Hadley Robinson
Mr. Wilkinson is just another hustler of the "name-and-claim-it" prosperity gospel – a
false gospel.
Its wide appeal is squarely related to the unfortunate truth that too many Christians are spiritual infants looking for new milk-formulas that will gratify their carnal lusts. False teachers
like Wilkinson will
always be there to fill that need.
Sadly, James Dobson's endorsement of Wilkinson made him all the more popular. The fact that Mr. Wilkinson could deceive so many in the churches and his heretical teachings not be instantly
recognized for what they are, should caution us against entertaining much hope for the church culture, to say nothing of the culture in general.
The good news may perhaps be that he will help us recognize the broad nature of the evangelical Christian community in the United States:
False teachers galore.
In his book, Wilkinson encourages the reader to recite a particular prayer every day for weeks. Jesus spoke of this foolishness:
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
– Matthew 6:7
And thusly, Wilkinson reduces Christian prayer to the babble of those who follow false gods.
This fiasco of false teaching can be attributed to an error in the translation of 1 Chron. 4:9 from the Hebrew into the Greek Septuagint and
then into English.
In the Hebrew, the verb “honor” (KBD) is conjugated as transitive (passive clause) and not in a linking manner.
That is, it should read “…was honored by [his] brothers” and not “…was [more]
honorable [than his] brothers”. The context is unknown. It could mean he was better at raising goats and sheep. As a result, he was respected/honored by his brothers
but not that he was more
honorable than they were. Mr. Wilkinson builds a mighty but false case based on a faulty translation of the passage.
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If he had done any research, the book would probably not have been written. However, you never know with the hucksters.... Like Bill Bright
and many others they will just make up stuff if it sounds good.
How could Multnomah (the publisher) let this slip by, including the Evangelical Publishers Association
(EPA)? Are all of these people more interested in book sales than in the truth?
In any case, God is not some genie who, if we pester Him enough times and in a proper way, will
give us our desires. Are we to pray like the heathen? Mr. Wilkinson, Multnomah, and the EPA think so.