Last night, at 10 p.m., a Category 4 hurricane made landfall 30 miles north of Corpus Christi, Texas. The storm, given the name “Hurricane Harvey”, brought with it winds of 130 mph. It was the strongest storm to hit the state of Texas since 1961…and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland did nothing to stop it. As the storm, now weakening continues to drench Texas in torrential rain, the threat of catastrophic flooding looms. Federal and state governments are measuring how best they can access and respond to the widespread damage. The Copeland’s, who claim to be able to control the weather, are watching it all happen.
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland are popular Texas preachers who claim to know how to “talk to tornadoes” in order to rebuke them. They claim to be able rebuke the weather, to be able stop storms. Yet, the worst storm to hit their home state in five decades continues to soak Texas as the Copelands stand idly by. Hurricane Harvey made landfall roughly 400 miles from the Copeland’s home in Forth Worth. It would have been quite convenient for the Copelands, who have a private jet and millions of dollars of resources at their disposal, to make a short trip to Corpus Christi , rebuke the storm, and save their neighbors from calamity.
Yet they didn’t do anything of the sort. This should lead observers to one of the following conclusions:
- The Copelands wanted to stop the storm but couldn’t. Thus, they are liars who claim to possess miracle powers that they don’t really have. Their “ministry” is therefore not worthy of support.
- The Copelands could have stopped the storm but didn’t love their neighbors and home state enough to be bothered to save them from the storm. While the Copelands stopped a storm that threatened to spoil their Hawaiian vacation, the one threatening the lives and property of their neighbors didn’t warrant a rebuke. Since the Copelands don’t follow Christ’s command to love their neighbors, their “ministry” isn’t worthy of support.
- The Copelands could have stopped the storm but decided it wasn’t best to do so. Certainly God Himself could have stopped the storm but didn’t. God, being omniscient, knows what is best for the universe and thus chooses to stop or not stop disasters as He sees fit. Perhaps the Copelands possess the same kind of perfect divine knowledge that God does. They, therefore, know it was best for a waterspout not to upset their Hawaiian vacation but not best for a Category 4 hurricane not to wreck Texas.
The patrons and “partners” of the Copelands’ “ministry”, especially those who are residents of Texas, would do well to consider each of these three conclusions and respond accordingly. They should also consider the mighty deeds of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Biblical record. In Mark Chapter 4, Jesus rebukes a storm that threatened the safety of his disciples. This caused his disciples to wonder, “Who is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?” The implicit answer to that question is, “the Son of God”. Kenneth Copeland is not the God-man or a little god. Neither is anyone reading this article. There is only one God-man , the man Jesus Christ. In Luke 7, Jesus heals a sick man without even needing to be in his presence. He merely wills it done. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland neither willed Hurricane Harvey to stop from their multi-million dollar estate in Fort Worth nor did they travel the short distance to do so in person. Should the Copelands, therefore, be taken at their word that they can rebuke the weather?
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church of which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
