What a strange and sad story this is.
A psychiatrist,  formerly prominent in Oklahoma named Carl Peterson has been ordered to stay away from his wife – a faith healer.
He is 71, she is 69, and he has been accused of drugging her with a powerful psychotropic drug used to treat bi polar disorder and schizophrenia. Â Seroquel is a newer class of anti psychotic drugs called neuroleptics. The most common side effect is sedation. Not only was Peterson dosing his wife, according the the report, he has been taking it also. She was placed in under state care in 2005 as a ‘vulnerable person,’ and now has a friend as guardian. Her husband has broken several court orders, including smuggling pills to her.
Carl Peterson, 71, is the former medical director for two Tulsa hospitals — Brookhaven and Doctors’ Hospital — and former president of the Tulsa Psychiatric Society, according to news accounts.
He was a psychiatrist at Oral Roberts University’s City of Faith Hospital in the 1980s and has written about the effects on the brain of speaking in tongues.
Between 1988 and 2004, Carl Peterson operated Christian Psychiatry Services in Tulsa. His Oklahoma medical license was suspended last year after he failed to reapply for it, records show.
Vicki Peterson, 69, was a regular guest on Christian television shows in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1982, her one-hour daily show, “Vicki Live,” was broadcast from Tulsa. A 1985 Chicago Tribune story listed her as belonging to “an elite sorority” of female evangelists.
Vicki Peterson, also known as Vicki Jamison-Peterson, has been featured on several gospel albums and traveled around the world conducting faith healing services, according to news accounts.
She married Carl Peterson about 23 years ago after the death of her first husband; the two have no children together.
Vicki Peterson had a faith healing ministry, and a preaching, writing and music career.  She has had a couple of TV shows on the Christian Broadcasting Network and Trinity Broadcasting Network. her itinerary and bookings end around the time the alleged drugging started. The couple embraced the Word Faith movement. The claims based on her website are common to this branch of neo pentecostalism.
The Word Faith movement is not part of orthodox Christianity, and is embraced by many high profile TV preachers in the US.
There are many peculiar ideas and practices in the Faith theology, but what merits it the label of heresy are the following:
1) its deistic view of God, who must dance to men’s attempts to manipulate the spiritual laws of the universe;2) its demonic view of Christ, who was filled with “the Satanic nature” and must be “born again in hell;3) its gnostic view of revelation, which demands denial of the physical senses and classifies Christians by their willingness to do so; and4) its metaphysical view of salvation, which deifies man and spiritualizes the atonement, locating it in hell rather than on the cross, thereby subverting the crucial biblical belief that it is Christ’s physical death and shed blood, which alone atone for sin. All four of these heresies may be accounted for by Kenyon’s syncretism of methaphysical thought with traditional biblical doctrine”D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel
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I’m not sure if McConnel’s assessment of the Word of Faith folks is correct. At least it doesn’t mesh with what I’ve seen over the years hanging out in Pentecostal and charismatic crowds that have some WoF overlap.
(1) His definition of deistic is different from the one I’m used to. The Deism of many of the US Founding Fathers was essentially the God of the Big Bang who didn’t interceed in the affairs of man much if at all.
He seems to make the WoF God out to be more pantheistic, a force that the believer can move at their beck and call. That would be close to a fair rap of WoF folks, but it’s isn’t deistic as I understand the term.
(2) I’ve hung out around quite a few charismatics and Pentecostals who have a strong Word of Faith streak over the years; I’ve yet to encounter any teaching that had Jesus posessing a demonic nature. I’m sure that there a few odd-balls out their that would believe that, but I don’t think it would be the ORU party line.
(3) A fairer take would be to say that the WoF folks think that physical realm manifests what’s going on in the spirtual; I don’t think that “denial of the physical sences” would be typical WoF doctrine, but many focus on the supernatural being able to trump the natural.
(4) This Kenyon take is new to me; I’ve yet to hear a WoF preacher pontificate on the atonement being located in Hell rather than Golgotha.
Mark, there are loads of references to people like Hagin saying Christ had to be born again etc as in point 2 above. Google is your friend here. Lots of WF people teach this still.
A gnostic view of revelation, requiring special knowledge and experience is also far too common today. A false dichotomy of spiritual and physical is also taught.
Kenyon was the forerunner of the WF movement with his sritings and also Swedenborg. Google is again your friend.
I agree with your quibble about “deistic.” However, while that may not be the right term, manipulating God or saying that he must answer particular prayers etc eg Jabez, is common as well.
Jan
I used the deistic definition because of the Petersons ties to Oral Roberts.
While I agree with Mark that many Word of Faith folk haven’t deviated into this level of heresy, the undercurrents are there, and have increased over the years.
I came across this post because of the reference to McConnell’s work. I have three separate posts on McConnell’s “Identification.” In each I demonstrate that his premises contradict scripture. While the book has gained some notoriety because of its attack on “Word of Faith,” the scholarship is shallow.
Contrary to McConnell’s teachings, the concept of recapitulation has been around at least since Irenaeus who coined the term. The concept is that Jesus had to fully identify with man in order to redeem man. Word of Faith doctrine scripturally explains the three days. Correct doctrine does not deny the physical side of crucifixion, but does not deny the spiritual ramifications of the crucifixion either.
With regard to God dancing to man’s whims, it just isn’t there in true Word of Faith doctrine. Word of Faith doctrine only holds that God spoke His Word and keeps His Word.
John MacArther isn’t less strident:
“Word-Faith teachers owe their ancestry to groups like Christian Science, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, Science of Mind, and New Thought–not to classical Pentecostalism. It reveals that at their very core, Word-Faith teachings are corrupt. Their undeniable derivation is cultish, not Christian. The sad truth is that the gospel proclaimed by the Word-Faith movement is not the gospel of the New Testament. Word-Faith doctrine is a mongrel system, a blend of mysticism, dualism, and gnosticism that borrows generously from the teachings of the metaphysical cults. The Word-Faith movement may be the most dangerous false system that has grown out of the charismatic movement so far, because so many charismatics are unsure of the finality of Scripture.”
Peter, your comment, as does Mark says many Word of Faith adherents don’t deviate into what most of understand it to be – a taking of God’s Word into personal promise – that by following rules and repeitition of promises one attains what one wants, claiming it is what God wants.
Again I’m referencing the Peterson’s in terms of their time with Oral Roberts. I found Ms. Peterson’s claims to be grandious, not because God is unable to do some of the things she says, but because it is more about her and the health/wealth aspect of the deviations than not.
BD, I am not sure of your point. You have not identified Ms. Peterson’s “grandiose” claims or really what it is that you are talking about.
My response concerned the “peculiar ideas” of faith theology. In my first comment, I point out that Irenaeus first wrote of recapitulation wherein Jesus was required to become “corruptible” so that we may become “incorruptible.” This doctrine formed the foundation of the early Church before the Arian Controversy. Consequently, it is nothing new and not the product of some metaphysical cult. Also, while some faith preachers might have pushed the envelope with some statements, that does not mean the doctrine is corrupt.
While some may not agree with Irenaeus or others, it is error to call the doctrine “heretical” or “corrupt.”
“Vicki’s miracle and teaching ministry has taken her throughout the world. In the miracle services as Vicki declares the works of the Lord, people are healed of all manner of illnesses, from hearing problems to terminal cancer to walking away from their wheelchairs. Needs are met in minds, bodies and hearts as God demonstrates His power in her meetings. Literally thousands have been touched through Vicki’s ministry and even more through it’s media outreaches of television and radio since the ministry’s inception in 1972.”
Oral Roberts PR 101, Peter.
The Peterson’s is a tragic story, and while Ms. Peterson may well have had a productive ministry and life, I’d take the bio grandiose claims with the same grain of salt I take any Word of Faith claims.
As for Word of Faith doctrine, it did get pushed, and it is in in current form corrupt. It seems rather secondary that a movement may start off pure as the driven snow if it winds up where it is now.
I see the following:
1)positive confession yields results. Conversely negative confession yield results. Faith is worshipped.
2)We are deified, not God.
3) In deifying man, God is brought to our level. Some even go further into tritheism.
4) Calvary. There are four deviations I see:
Jesus took on the demonic on the cross
redemption was secured in hell
Jesus was reborn in hell
Jesus was reincarnated in hell, therefore, those born again can be reincarnated as well
5) I cannot on any level condone some of the behaviors embraced by this movement. Nor will I condone the the principles of prosperity and opulence and lack of accountability.
6)A lack of health is the devils fault.
In quoting Ms. Peterson’s biography it strikes me how much her ministry is about experience. While the claims are of faith, the experiential is given prominence.
This is not Christ centred theology or orthodoxy no matter how religious the words.
I had to look up recapitulation – I’m not a theology student, all I know of Iranaus is he argued against gnosticism. I’ll leave that discussion to my more learned friends in this thread.
There is error in your logic. One cannot combine “some of the behaviors embraced” to truths of redemption to formulate sound doctrine.
One of my points is that “faith theology” as it pertains to Jesus’s redemption is not new, but has actually been in the Church long beyond current theological thinking. It is not cult-based and actually is rather orthodox. Jesus actually becoming sin on the cross is well-supported scripturally. As Irenaeus put it, “how can we become incorruptible if incorruption did not put on corruption?” (paraphrase).
Acts 10:38 demonstrates that all sickness and disease that Jesus encountered in His earthly ministry was based, directly or indirectly, on the domination of Satan. There is no way to get around that in the Greek. That truth is also well-supported in scripture.
As to the “deification” of man, current writings have attempted to declassify man’s status from what Scripture declares. Going back to Ireneaus, if he was writing today, he would be classified by many as heretical. The last couple posts on my blog directly quote Irenaeus on these issues.
Many have criticized the “Faith Movement” for the dereliction of doctine of a few without actually examining whether the doctrines are scriptural for themselves. In actuality, they commit the same error as the ones they are criticizing.
Peter, I am hearing you say Word of Faith doctrine is rather orthodox and that varients of it have been around since Ireneaus.
I think it’s logical to ask myself why the fruit is rotten.
Whatever your position, the Peterson’s story is tragic.
BD, yes I am saying that Word of Faith doctrine has been around since the resurrection as evidenced by Ireneaus. Consequently, those who have argued that the doctrine is recent or even cult-based are wrong. Ironically, those of the “Reformed” movement have made such criticisms, but Calvinism has been around for only about 150 years.
To decry doctrine based upon the personal experiences of a single or even group of ministers is misguided. One certainly should not throw away Baptist doctrine because there are a number of Baptist ministers in prison for sexual infidelities. Same should go for Word of Faith doctrine.
I read the post re Dr. Peterson and his wife with great interest. I knew them both in the 80s –and I have to say he was really used by God in my life. Yes, I was a patient.
How old is this story and is there any update?
Mary: The story came out August 20th, 2006, but that was because he filed the appeal on the contempt of court charge. Apparently it’s been unfolding for about a year.
I didn’t find any updates in a quick overall search, the original story came out of the Tulsa World, I did a quick search there too.
If there is anything in religious media – like in house publications, I haven’t seen it.
This copy has his picture.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=060820_Ne_A1_DHSst18553
I am shocked by your blog about Car and Vicki…. your link didn’t get me to the original story. However, I do note that there was a commemoration of Vicki’s 35 years in her ministry on the web.
My personal experience of Vicki Jamison-Peterson in the 1980′s certainly did not include any of the tawdry nonsense which you have written. Perhaps you have reasons to try to misquote, or mis inform about the theology of others. Your own sanity and theological clarity many be in question.
Please examine your heart and look back on the Amish community with their example of foregiveness in September of 2006.
I am praying for your recovery and your return to sound scholarship. May you lose all the malice in your heart and heal all your wounds and scarifications.
albert
Thank you Albert Goldschmidt!
While I am not a student of Carl’s or Vicki’s, I have just read her forward and editor’s note in the book “Intra-Muros” and found them to be of a sane and sound Christian mind.
I feel quite saddened to hear of both of their troubles and full heartedly pray for them.
I believe the criticizm’s on this web site are extremely harsh and not in the Biblical demeanor of which you seem to so proudly exude. I believe your spiritual mind is in your mind only. Pray for a more tender heart and compassion such as would be befitting of a child of God who calls himself a “Christian”.
May God forgive us all for our failure to really see “HIM” and to know “HIM”.
Marcia Maldonado
Hi Albert and Marcia:
I’m not responsible for TulsaWorld archives – the link in the post to the reprint works.
Perhaps you can contact the original reporter at the newspaper. Knowing the Peterson’s personally must be difficult and I’m sorry for your shock. The story was written August 20, 2006 by Ziva Branstetter. The reprint was posted August 21st.
Don’t shoot the messenger here – if you have an update on the Petersen’s situation share it as you’ve shared your concerns for them.
A news and basic search as of today has understandably not brought up any updates.