Kenneth and Gloria Copeland are two of the most visible televangelists in the world. They served on Donald Trump’s campaign advisory board; according to their website, they have offices in the US, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Ukraine, and Latin America.
They are back in the news today because of a video Gloria posted to Facebook last week. After praying for people with the flu, she said:
“Jesus himself gave us the flu shot. He redeemed us from the curse of flu. And we receive it and we take it and we are healed by his stripes. Amen? You know the Bible says he himself bore our sicknesses and carried our diseases and by his stripes we were healed. When we were healed we are healed. So get on the word, stay on the word, and if you say, ‘Well, I don’t have any symptoms of the flu,’ well great, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Just keep saying that: ‘I’ll never have the flu. I’ll never have the flu.’ Put words. Inoculate yourself with the word of God.”
ABC News headlined, “Trump adviser says ignore flu shots and ‘inoculate yourself with the word of God.’” Newsweek characterized her statement: “Trump’s evangelical adviser says Jesus invented the flu shot and will stop you from getting sick.”
To be fair, Gloria Copeland never stated specifically in the video that we should ignore flu shots. And she certainly didn’t claim that Jesus “invented the flu shot” in a medical sense. But she did encourage viewers to “keep saying that I’ll never have the flu,” claiming that “by [Jesus’] stripes we were healed.”
What the Bible means by what it says
I am typically reticent to criticize fellow Christians in public. Jesus taught us that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The culture lambasts believers so disparagingly these days that we need to encourage and support each other when we can.
My response to Gloria Copeland’s video is…
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